Asean News Headlines at 9pm on Saturday (April 30, 2022)

Motorists commute along a road in Nagreg on Saturday, April 30, 2022, as people head to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr (Aidilfitri) which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. - AFP

Malaysia:

* Covid-19 Watch: 831,523 children in M'sia fully vaccinated

* Covid-19 Watch: 2,579 new cases, says Health Ministry

* Domestic trade ministry to conduct random checks on premises to enforce new Covid-19 rules, says Nanta

* New minimum wage will not be applicable to maids, says Saravanan

* King, Queen extend condolences to Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen’s family

* Covid-19: Continue using face masks in crowded open spaces, says Masidi

* Institutes of higher learning not allowed to raise fees

* Former defence minister Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen passes away aged 94

* Johor traders benefit as weaker ringgit attracts more Singaporeans, says MB

* Shafie asks state government to reduce rising cooking oil prices

* Aaron Chia-Wooi Yik, Zii Jia storm into Asian Championships finals

Festive lighting decorates the streets in Geylang Serai, ahead of Eid al-Fitr (Aidilfitri), also known as Hari Raya Puasa, in Singapore. - Reuters

Singapore:

* Singapore leading banks top estimates in quarterly profit but flag caution in weak markets

* Singapore and Malaysia police bust two love scam syndicates, arrest six African men in joint operation

* More optimists than pessimists among Singaporean firms on business conditions, say surveys

* Singapore: Indonesian maid facing death penalty after being charged with murdering 73-year-old man in Bishan

* Two Singapore Covid-19 cases infected with new Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1

* South-east Asia travel is catching up at last as Covid-19 curbs ease

* Singapore's budget airline Scoot resumes flights to Kota Kinabalu

Indonesia

* Indonesia seeks Japan's investment on new capital city project

* US frowns on Indonesia's invite to Putin for G20 summit

* Indonesian maids to get minimum RM1,500 salary as per MOU, says Saravanan

* Indonesia leader Jokowi hopes for Japan partnerships in renewables, infrastructure

* Homeward bound for the holidays

* 12 women killed in landslide at gold mine

* Indonesians splurge on Eid holidays after Covid restrictions end

Motorists commute along a road in Surabaya on Saturday, April 30, 2022, as people head to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr (Aidilfitri) which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. - AFP

Thailand:

* Thailand records 12,888 Covid-19 cases and 126 deaths on Saturday (April 30)

* Eight alleged drug smugglers killers in gunfight in Thailand's Chiang Rai; 4.5 million methamphetamine pills seized

* Prominent law professor says Thai PM Prayut must step down by Aug 24

* Thailand offers virtual ‘Amazing Durian’ experience on metaverse; aims the tour for tourists to explore durian farms

* Thai firm follow Malaysia's Petronas in pulling out of Myanmar gasfield project

* Thailand inflation spike may tilt odds in favour of early rate hikes

* Simpler entry rules winning out

Philippines:

* Thriller in Manila: Top seed Yamaguchi of Japan beats aggrieved Sindhu on India to reach Asia final

* Presidential election campaign enters final stretch in Philippines

* Largest Philippine bank to sell bonds against ocean pollution

* Leni Robredo’s one-woman mission

* ‘Debate with rival, no thanks’, says Marcos Jr

* Bridge collapse due to heavy traffic kills four

a woman looks at children's clothes at a shop ahead of the Eid al-Fitr (Aidilfitri) holiday marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat. - AFP

Vietnam:

* Vietnam reports 5,109 new Covid-19 cases as hotspot Hanoi reports below 1,000 cases on Saturday (April 30)

* Vietnam to replant, transplant 107,000ha of its famous coffee by 2025

* Tourism promotion clip launched to welcome fans and participants for Vietnam's SEA Games 31

* Spectacular glass-bottomed bridge opens in Vietnam

* Vietnam's CPI up 2.1 per cent in first four months of 2022

Myanmar:

* Myanmar works to establish forest fire prevention mechanism with China

* Myanmar further extends Covid-19 preventive measures until end of May

* Malaysia's Petronas withdraws from Myanmar's Yetagun gas field

Indonesia's Jonatan Christie reacts after winning against his Indonesian opponent Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo during their men's singles semi-final match at the Badminton Asia Championships 2022 in Muntinlupa, Philippines on Saturday, April 30, 2022. - AP

Cambodia:

* Over 21% of reptile species at risk of extinction, say experts from International Union for Conservation of Nature

* Q1 arrival of international tourists rise 125% as Cambodia reopens to travellers

* Rising fuel prices push people to use public transport

Laos:

* Top US official on East Asian affairs to visit Laos and Cambodia

* Covid-19 cases in Laos surpass 200,000 but infections are on a downward trend despite festive season

* Govt pressed for a full reopening

Brunei:

* Daily new Covid-19 cases in Brunei hit three digits again

* Brunei people all set for a festive but cautious Hari Raya Festival

* Outdoor masking no longer mandatory in Brunei

Rescuers searching for survivors at a collapsed six-storey building in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province. - Dozens of people were trapped under a building which collapsed in central China, officials said on Saturday, April 30, as rescuers clawed through the rubble and used buzzsaws to pull several survivors free.- AFP

AseanPlus:

* Shanghai marks key Covid-19cmilestone, Beijing sits on edge but China cases fall

* North Korea leader warns of 'pre-emptive' use of nuclear force, says KCNA

* China's April factory activity contracts amid Shanghai lockdown

* China sticks to strict border rules as Beijing steps up Covid-19 controls

* Coronavirus: China urged to be ‘more precise and scientific’ with controls as economic toll mounts

* China’s big new infrastructure plan prioritises national security in face of ‘extreme conditions’ at home, abroad

* Inside Audi’s luxury self-driving electric van with lounge couches

* Chinese authorities vow to crack down on Covid price gougers and hoarders as fear of Beijing lockdown grows

* Taiwan aims to use lessons from Russia-Ukraine conflict in annual Han Kuang war game

* HK urged to allow elderly travellers to quarantine at home after veteran actor Kenneth Tsang’s death in hotel sparks calls for review

* China food security: Beijing moves to ‘revitalise’ seed industry as coronavirus, geopolitical tensions ramp up supply fears

* ‘Innovation is shifting to East’ as China amasses patents: official

* Lightning, explosions and plane crashes: The biggest smartphone myths

* Seoul: Duo arrested for spying for North Korea

* GM’s largest R&D hub outside US comes down to South Korean talent

* Coronavirus: limited flights and strict rules blamed for keeping foreigners away from Hong Kong