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Protesters hold a placard reading ‘Protect children, not Shein’ outside Paris’ BHV department store on November 5, 2025, during the opening of Shein’s first physical store amid uproar over childlike sex dolls. A UK website that reportedly delivers such dolls to France is the latest platform targeted by French authorities after Ali Express, Temu and Wish. — AFP pic

France cracks down on online sales of childlike sex dolls, opens fifth investigation, this time in the UK

A missile launch by US forces in northwestern Nigeria on December 25, 2025, during strikes against Islamic State militants. — Handout pic from US Department of Defense via AFP

Islamic State 101: Origins, tactics and why Nigeria is in the spotlight

Imran Ahmed, head of the Center for Countering Digital Hate and an American permanent resident, is among five Europeans involved in tech regulation who have been denied visas by the US State Department. — Screengrab from YouTube/Triggernometry

European tech watchdog chief challenges US entry ban in court, calls it unconstitutional

Cambodia’s Defence Minister Tea Seiha (left) and Thailand’s Defence Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit (right) pose with documents during a border meeting after the two countries agreed an immediate ceasefire on December 27, 2025. — Handout picture by Agence Kampuchea Presse via AFP

UN urges confidence-building after Thailand and Cambodia agree to immediate ceasefire

Yang Chao, a former head of China’s state-owned insurance company, is expected to be taken to court on corruption charges. — Reuters pic

Former China Life Insurance chief expelled from Communist Party over bribery and abuse of power

Switzerland is increasing defence spending, modernising artillery and ground systems and replacing ageing fighter jets with Lockheed Martin F-35As. — Unsplash pic

Neutral but vulnerable: Swiss army chief says country cannot defend itself against major attack

The seven people, plus two more outside Italy, were accused of financing ‘“associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas’, which Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi labelled as ‘terrorist’ groups. — Unsplash pic

Italy arrests seven over alleged €7m funding for Hamas under guise of humanitarian aid

Ghislaine Maxwell and Donald Trump in a DOJ‑released image from the Epstein investigation, Washington, December 23, 2025. — Reuters pic/US Justice Department

‘Release all their names and embarrass them’: Trump tells DOJ to target Democrats as Epstein files are unsealed

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is moving out of the J. Edgar Hoover building in central Washington, DC, FBI Director Kash Patel has announced. — Reuters pic

FBI announces shutdown of Hoover HQ, Reagan Building picked for new headquarters

Search and rescue teams prepare to look for the missing tourists after a boat sank near Padar Island, Labuan Bajo, December 27, 2025. — AFP pic/BASARNAS Labuan Bajo

Spanish family missing after tourist boat sinks off Indonesia’s Labuan Bajo

In the aftermath, a section of the expressway was closed, with a line of badly damaged vehicles—some charred beyond recognition—blocking the outbound lane. — Picture via social media

Multi-vehicle pileup on Japan’s Kan-etsu Expressway leaves two dead, dozens injured (VIDEO)

Campaigning ahead of Myanmar’s general election that begins on Sunday has been shorn of the energy of previous polls as voting is scheduled amid a civil war and a humanitarian crisis. — AFP pic

Fear and silence mark Myanmar’s general election under military rule

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has pushed for international recognition for decades, with president Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi making it a top priority since taking office last year. — AFP pic

Somalia, African Union slam Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as independent state

A bridge lies damaged after Thai air strikes in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey and Siem Reap border area, December 20, 2025. — AFP pic

Thailand and Cambodia agree ‘immediate’ ceasefire after weeks of deadly border clashes

Emergency personnel help an elderly woman from a Kyiv apartment damaged in a Russian drone strike, December 23, 2025. — Reuters pic

Kyiv rocked by powerful blasts as air defences intercept drones and missiles

Christmas under Donald Trump brought air strikes abroad and political threats at home. — Reuters pic

Christmas spirit, Trump‑style: Bombs not baubles, barbs not blessings