Asean news headlines as at 9pm on Wednesday (Feb 22)

Lay ministers place ash on the forehead of devotees during Ash Wednesday rites on Feb 22, 2023 outside a church in downtown Manila, Philippines. Filipinos trooped to churches and had their forehead marked with an ash cross in observance of Ash Wednesday after a ban on the lenten tradition the past years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. - AP

Malaysia

* Businessman pleads not guilty to two more Jana Wibawa-linked graft charges

* New drug law to prioritise treatment of addicts instead of punishing, says Saifuddin

* Six states expected to dissolve assemblies in June

* Cabinet to decide fate of LCS project soon, says Tok Mat

* 'I am working on it,' Anwar says on Budget 2023

* Company and director fined RM1.6mil total in 'meat cartel' case

* Govt mulling 10-year driving licence renewals, says Loke

* Jana Wibawa probe: MACC questioning researcher over bribery claim

* Najib's application to recuse Tengku Maimun was a desperate attempt to scuttle SRC trial, court told

* Apple finally adds 5G support for Unifi Mobile, Yes and Yoodo with iOS 16.4

* Legislation being drafted to cap govt debt, says Ahmad Maslan

* Cops escape harm after patrol boat catches fire off Sandakan

* Bersatu accepts Wan Saiful’s resignation as info chief, says Muhyiddin

* Labuan-Sabah bridge will help big firms and SMEs alike, says biz group

* Najib complicit with lawyers in trying to get SRC appeal adjourned, says prosecutor

Singapore

* Inland Revenue warns of scam e-mail involving outstanding stamp duty payment

* Jail for money mule who worked with member of Nigerian love scam group and had child with him

* Singapore maker of lab-grown diamonds wins seven-year court battle against De Beers firm

* Train service resumes after third disruption on North-South MRT Line in three weeks

Thailand

* Thai politicians banned from using TikTok to woo voters

* Next Thai govt to decide fate of cannabis Bill

* Thaksin attacks Prayut for linking Chinese mafia boss to Yingluck govt

* Thai delivery driver makes off with US$1,530 cash bouquet woman bought for boyfriend

* Young Thais urged to eat more rice as records show slump in demand

* Thai Airways suspends cabin crew over complaint on TikTok about uncleared food trays

* Thai farmers tap into sustainable rubber industry

* Thai car exports surge 25% as semiconductor supply situation improves

Indonesia

* Indonesia launches carbon trading mechanism for coal power plants

* China promises to work with Asean for peace and stability in South China Sea

* Bali eyes US$2mil from tourist donations

* Working together for the future of the news industry: Jakarta Post contributor

* No income tax for banks as Indonesia seeks new capital investors

Philippines

* Inflation-hit Philippines joins world’s largest free trade pact RCEP

* Philippines, Australia eye joint patrols in South China Sea as tensions rise

* Wetter storms, deforestation: Manila faces worsening floods

* Philippine police hunting killers of New Zealand tourist

Vietnam

* Vietnam’s dragon fruit, banana, durian exports target US$2 billion in 2023

* Anti-graft crackdown pushes Vietnam’s fearful bureaucrats to 'do nothing’

* Vietnam steps up efforts to counter illegal fishing

* Touching stories from Vietnam's 'humanitarian ambassadors' in Turkiye

Cambodia

* Monkeys at Cambodia's famed Angkor site pose risk to tourists, temples

* First woman-led Cambodian unit troops off to UN mission

* Main Siem Reap airport work expected to be done by March

Laos

* Laos doubles efforts to stamp out malnutrition

* Luang Prabang hotels see surge in Chinese visitors

Myanmar

* Myanmar landmine casualties surge two years after coup: UN

* 6.5 million stimulant tablets seized in eastern Myanmar

Brunei

* Don’t treat Brunei Vision 2035 as an empty dream: Sultan

* Woman jailed six years for abuse of four-year-old nephew leading to his death

Aseanplus

* North Korea may fire ICBM at normal angle, conduct nuclear test - S. Korean lawmakers

* Tape used on plane armrests ‘commonly used for cosmetic cabin repairs’: AirAsia X

* China's Xi calls for tech self-reliance amid US tension

* She got an iPhone as a gift; 15 years later, it sells for nearly US$63,000

* Hong Kong revokes visa of scientist who gene-edited babies

* Two dead, more than 50 missing in China mine collapse

* China, Russia to cement ties within multilateral frameworks

* ‘Please go home’: Indian firm deploys software for work-life balance

* S. Korea to scrap Covid test on arrival rule for travellers from China

* China blasts Pentagon official's Taiwan visit, military ties

* S. Korea again smashes own record for world’s lowest fertility rate in 2022

* China expects sharp rebound in tourism this year

* Analysis-How North Korea could use a Pacific 'firing range' to perfe