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Laos

Beneath the wind turbines, new dreams take root in Laos

VIENTIANE: White wind turbines rise above Dak Cheung's forested mountains, while families in nearby villages are discovering new opportunities to improve their lives.

Vietnam

Vietnam proposes law to facilitate cross-border digital trade

HANOI: Vietnam has proposed a new law on electronic identification and authentication to provide a legal basis for the mutual recognition of foreign electronic identities and authentication results for cross-border transactions, the Vietnam News Agency reported Monday (Oct 26).

Nation

TH tracking Al-Rawda money flow, transfers to recover losses, Dewan Rakyat told

KUALA LUMPUR: Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) is taking steps to trace the flow of money and bank transfers linked to Al-Rawda Investment for Real Estate Development and Project Management Ltd (Al-Rawda) as part of efforts to recover debts from a loss-making hotel lease investment in Saudi Arabia.

Technology

Bank of Korea warns country's chip exports could fall by up to $100 billion if AI spending slows

SEOUL, Oct 27 (Reuters) - ⁠South Korea's semiconductor exports could fall by $50 billion ⁠to $100 billion compared with earlier forecasts if ‌capital spending on artificial intelligence by major US technology firms slows next year, according to central bank data.

Nation

Malaysia, Thailand eye stronger border links, economic ties

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia and Thailand will focus on strengthening border connectivity, security cooperation and economic ties during two high-level meetings in Bangkok on Tuesday (Oct 27).

Philippines

Philippines to host Asean Defence Ministers Meeting Oct 28-29

MANILA: The Philippines, through the Department of National Defence (DND), will host the 20th Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the 13th ADMM-Plus from Oct 28 to 29 in Cebu City, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.

Indonesia

'I feel like crying': First rains bring relief to haze-hit Sumatra and Kalimantan as rainy season nears

JAKARTA: When heavy rain finally swept across parts of Palembang on the afternoon of Oct 24, many residents of the South Sumatran capital did not run for cover. They reached for their phones.

Sabah & Sarawak

Haze: Samalaju in S'wak only area with unhealthy API reading as at 10am

KUALA LUMPUR: Samalaju in Sarawak recorded the highest Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 152, in the unhealthy range, while 46 other areas recorded moderate readings of between 51 to 100 as at 10am Tuesday (Oct 27).

Nation

LCS project 9 percentage points behind scheduled completion target, Dewan Rakyat told

KUALA LUMPUR: Construction of the five littoral combat ships (LCS) has reached 80.72% completion as of Sept 25, 9.19 percentage points behind the scheduled target of 89.91%, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

Singapore

Singapore's Megan Khung case: Woman who took videos of abuse, helped dispose of body convicted

SINGAPORE: A mother on Oct 26 pleaded guilty to charges related to the abuse of her friend's four-year-old daughter, Megan Khung, admitting her role in the girl's misery.

Nation

Govt collecting data on refugee communities nationwide, says Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR: Putrajaya is collecting data on refugee communities nationwide through the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Thailand

Thailand's investment pledges jump 28% in first nine months

BANGKOK: Applications for investment promotion in Thailand rose 28 per cent from a year earlier in the first nine months of 2026, led by the digital and electronics industries, the country's Board of Investment (BOI) said on Monday (Oct 26).

Indonesia

Indonesia defends gas export cuts; says existing contracts have not been breached

JAKARTA: Indonesia has defended its gas export cuts amid concerns raised by Singapore, saying it would not be lectured on honouring contracts and that the reductions do not breach existing agreements.

Myanmar

Myanmar woman asks Denmark to investigate alleged war crimes

COPENHAGEN: A Myanmar citizen residing in Denmark on Monday (Oct 26) filed a complaint with Danish authorities against Myanmar's ruling military junta for alleged war crimes committed against minorities.

Entertainment

30m robots, fire and water effects: What to expect at Jay Chou’s concerts in January

He is performing in Singapore and Malaysia come 2027.

Cybersecurity

Japan PM vows swift response to wave of cyberattacks

Japan will draft an emergency cybersecurity policy package in response to a sudden recent wave of hacking incidents, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Oct 26.

Thailand

Trump’s return puts Asean’s balancing act to the test

BANGKOK: President Donald Trump is coming to the region, amid expectations that Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will choose a side without saying so outright.

Nation

Defence Ministry nearing decision on missile options for Navy, says Mohamed Khaled

KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry is in the final stages of evaluating three Surface-to-Surface Missile (SSM) options proposed by the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) in relation to the replacement of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM).

Nation

CEO nabbed over alleged RM1.65mil fraud in purported durian orchard purchase

KUALA LUMPUR: A chief executive officer of a fruit and vegetable wholesaling, import and export company has been detained over an alleged RM1.65mil fraud involving the purported purchase of a durian orchard.

Technology

Apple says it will replace iPhone Duo units showing screen problems

SAN ⁠FRANCISCO, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Days after launching its first folding iPhone, Apple acknowledged on ⁠Monday that some of the devices exhibit display problems and said it will ‌replace them.