Malaysia:
* Covid-19 Watch: 3,206 new cases brings a total of 4,768,394
* LCS scandal: I have no wife or wives named Zainab Mohd Salleh, Abdul Latiff says of Rafizi’s claims
* Malaysia – Budget 2023 is expected to be presented on October 7th
* PETRONAS Gas remains upbeat on gas and utility demand
* The 2023 budget is due to be presented on October 7, Wan Junaidi confirmed
* It’s not uncommon to budget early, Pak Lah has done it before, PM says
* Najib’s imprisonment will not end Umno’s struggle, says Ahmad Zahid
* UMS develops anesthesiology, postgraduate programs for critical care medicine professionals
*I only deal with Molly and Michael, don’t know about Nazlan’s involvement in 1MDB loan, says Arul Kanda
* Information was suppressed during 1MDB’s audit in 2015, Arul Kanda told the court
* Salary revision soon for cleaners and security guards in government facilities, says human resources minister
* Malaysian Space Board agrees for government to ratify International Outer Space Treaty
Singapore:
* ‘No regrets’ as Singapore’s world badminton champion Loh loses crown
* External parties trying to influence Singapore and the people here should beware, says Minister Vivian Balakrishnan
* Singapore steps up crypto polling as firms prepare for change
* Approximately 1.2 million Singaporean households will receive a one-time $100 utility loan
* Luxury Goods Scam: Bail payment remains in place for the couple while the investigation continues
* SG Cops warn of estate agent scams after nearly 1,000 people lost nearly S$4million
* Oil prices rise on signs of improving demand, up 3% on the week
* Asian stocks follow Wall Street higher ahead of Fed Chair speech
* Singapore continues to lift border measures
A man casts his net for shrimp in the shallow waters on the outskirts of Banda Aceh on Friday, August 26, 2022. – AFP
Indonesia:
* Indonesian bulls cheer a rate hike better late than never; first rate hike in four years
* Indonesia’s second MRI phase costs more than estimated, now nearly 26 trillion rupiah
* Indonesia’s wealth fund invests in port expansion in Malacca Straits
* Indonesia is considering raising fuel prices by up to 40%, lawmakers say
* Revealed: Data breaches are on the rise in Indonesia
* Indonesian police deny violence in death of Harvard trans activist on Bali honeymoon
* A senior police officer is quitting as public anger over the scandal mounts
Acting Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan leaves government buildings as the Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha from official duties on Wednesday after deciding to hear a petition to review his statutory eight-year term in Bangkok. Thailand, on Friday, August 26, 2022. – Reuters
Thailand:
* Prayut remains “calm” despite losing top job as he virtually attends Thailand Defense Council meeting
* Thailand kicks off the culinary event of the year
* BOI-approved foreign companies can now own land in Thailand
* Suspended Thai Prime Minister Prayut wants to stay on as defense minister
* Thai Court of Appeal upholds death sentence for ex-minister Banyin
* Poll: Healthcare is the top online activity for Thai people
* Political uncertainty in Thailand
Philippines:
* Nine missing after ferry catches fire in the Philippines
* Filipino pole vault star Obiena finishes third as world champion Duplantis ascends to pole vault victory on the shores of Lake Geneva
* The Philippines will allocate over 11 percent of the budget to debt repayments in 2023
* Emerging Markets – Asian stocks are higher ahead of the Jackson Hole conference as the Philippine benchmark index rose 0.7%
* Filipino tycoon Uy’s empire is open to selling crown jewels to pay off debts
* The Philippine Navy still harbors submarine dreams
* Inmates climb onto the roof to introduce grouse
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig stand next to the Abbot of the Vien Giac Pagoda Thich Nhu Dien and the Abbess of the Linh Thuu Pagoda Thich Nu Dieu Phuoc during a visit to a Buddhist-Vietnamese temple during a commemoration on the occasion of 30th anniversary of the racist attacks in the district of Lichtenhagen in Rostock, Germany August 25, 2022. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
Vietnam:
* New freight train route connects Vietnam with Shaanxi in north-west China
* Court in Vietnam upholds nine-year prison sentence for journalist
* Vietnam is working with Cambodia on the serious human trafficking situation
* Vietnam War photographer Tim Page dies at the age of 78
* Vietnam is working with Cambodia on the serious human trafficking situation
* Vietnamese companies are recommended to limit risks in foreign trade
* Fish companies in Vietnam face a difficult third quarter
Myanmar:
* Myanmar reports just 33 new Covid-19 cases
* Myanmar Rohingya, five years later, desperate to leave the camps in Bangladesh and go home
* Myanmar earns over US$800 million from natural gas exports in April-July
* UN: Rohingya must be part of solution to Myanmar crisis
* Former British envoy to Myanmar arrested in Yangon
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visits a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Rostock, northern Germany, August 25, 2022. The German President previously attended a ceremony to commemorate violent xenophobic riots against migrants and asylum seekers, including many Vietnamese, 30 years ago in 1992, when thousands of onlookers applauded as a marauding mob hurled stones and petrol bombs at the block of flats. -AFP
Cambodia:
* Cambodia rescues 865 foreigners from human trafficking from January to August 2022, says interior minister
* Cambodia will issue its first-ever government bond worth $300 million in September
* Cambodia pledges to take tougher action against human trafficking
Laos:
* Dengue cases are rising rapidly as cases in Laos surpass 20,000
* Laos warns of possible flooding and landslides as Tropical Storm MA-ON approaches the country
* US commits to deepening health relationship with ASEAN, Laos
Brunei:
* Brunei Sultan meets Prime Minister of Singapore and tour of Air Force Base
* Brunei records an 83.6 percent drop in average daily Covid-19 cases from the peak
* Brunei opens registration for test results news service
AlphaTauri Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda attends the first free practice session for the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa on Friday 26 August 2022. – AFP
AseanPlus:
* A Hong Kong couple has been acquitted of raping a domestic worker who the defense says the man had a one-night stand with a worker that led to their divorce
* Shelter Me: Elderly Chinese take subway trains for shelter from heat waves
* Pope Francis asks North Korea to invite him to visit
* “All Dead”: A devastated farmer in southern China longs for rain
* Pot-bellied Japanese security guards hit TikTok fame
* The county next to Beijing puts a possible Covid-19 case under lockdown
* “The Universe’s Most Powerful Uncle,” who spends $8,800 to welcome 16 nieces and nephews into his home for two months, a viral hit
* China: Other nations’ military exercises should not target third parties
* Asia ramps up ahead of Powell’s speech, China Tech adds support
* The Hong Kong exodus is shrinking the workforce, threatening its status as a financial hub
* North Korea says new fever cases were flu, not Covid
* China’s Navy begins to erase the imaginary cross-strait centerline
* Asian LNG prices hit new records as Japan and South Korea begin winter stockpiling
* Japan spends $1.8 million on Abe’s funeral despite opposition
* Alibaba Cloud launches Digital Heroes Program to increase engagement in Malaysia
* Suspected Covid-19 cases in North Korea after claiming victory
* Japan National Police chief resigns over Abe’s murder
* China’s heat wave, power shortages add to economic woes, inflation worries even if it will rain
* Coronavirus: Hong Kong’s daily tally could surpass 10,000 in the coming week as cases of BA.5 variants explode
