Asean news headlines as at 9pm on Wednesday (March 1)

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr greeting Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after delivering their statements to the press at the Malacanang palace, in Manila, Philippines,on March 1, 2023.- Reuters

Malaysia

* King visits UAE President

* Floods: TNB shuts down 28 substations in Johor

* Floods: Situation worsens in Johor, more than 9,000 evacuees as at 8pm March 1

* Four Fisheries employees lost at sea found safe in Indonesian waters

* I assumed Najib knew about 1MDB monies going through fiduciary funds, ex-bank officer tells court

* Hadi deluding himself if he thinks Unity Govt will fall

* English language education roadmap already in place to boost proficiency, says Education Minister

* Govt spending will go down if development projects are carried out efficiently, says Rafizi

* Unemployed man fined for posting obscene videos via Telegram

* Interior decorator charged with insulting King on Instagram

* Firing locals in favour of foreign workers will get employers punished, says HR Minister

* TikTok Malaysia: No political ads allowed under policy

* GST to make comeback only when timing is right, says Rafizi

* No plans to ratify any more FTAs, Parliament told

* Only one company allowed to import eggs into M'sia, says Mat Sabu

* Tesla gets nod to import battery electric vehicles into Malaysia

Singapore

* Non-compliant S’poreans blamed for congestion at Malaysian land checkpoints despite use of e-gates

* Swimming: Schooling out of Singapore’s SEA Games team, first time since 2011

* Man jailed four years for assault after hitting smoker he caught puffing away on void deck

* Ex-teacher from top school showed student porn, suggested he stimulate himself to de-stress

* Temperature drops to 21.1 deg C as sweater weather returns to Singapore

* Singapore police appeal for information on third missing teen in a month

Thailand

* Top court rules in favour of MRT authority in lawsuit over Orange Line bidding

* London dogs head to Thailand to sniff out pangolin smugglers

* Pheu Thai appoints property tycoon to advise Thaksin’s daughter

* Prayut dismisses talk of deal between Prawit and Pheu Thai to form coalition

Indonesia

* Indonesia vows restraint as troops surround separatists holding NZ pilot

* Time for Indonesia’s political will to out-flex entrenched corruption: Analysts

* Bali police arrest Frenchman for mini-mart robbery

Philippines

* Peace effort in Mindanao has to succeed, says Anwar

* Marcos asks transport groups to rethink planned week-long strike

* Anwar arrives in the Philippines for two-day official visit

* Envoy: Japan, Australia may join patrols with US, Philippines

* Philippines’ Marcos says has power to control consumer prices

Vietnam

* Vietnam becomes Norway's largest seafood consumer in South-East Asia

* Vietnam nominates Vo Van Thuong as new president: sources

* Vietnam's manufacturing PMI recovers to above 50 in February on brighter demand

Cambodia

* Hun Sen calls for closer Singapore defence ties

* No human-to-human bird flu transmission found in Cambodia: officials

* Cambodia denies demanding huge fee from Thailand for SEA Games broadcast rights

Laos

* Japan provides 52 buses for Vientiane

* Lao PM urges rail operator to improve services

Myanmar

* Myanmar to allow football fans to enter stadiums for first time since pandemic

* Myanmar seaborne trade grows to US$22.7bil over 10 months till mid-February

Brunei

* Envoy highlights Brunei-Japan’s strong bilateral relationship

* Local gets hefty fine for possessing smuggled liquor

Aseanplus

* China’s economy shows strong recovery as Covid Zero era ends

* Taiwan reports 19 Chinese air force planes in its air defence zone

* Musk warned about lab leak tweets by China state media columnist

* Airline websites swamped as Hong Kong ticket giveaway takes off

* High-level defection: why N. Korean diplomatic family chose freedom

* Belarus leader 'fully supports' China's Ukraine peace plan

* Many in HK continue to wear masks despite end of mandate

* Oil prices rise as China factory bounce boosts demand outlook

* Japan’s Indigenous Ainu people fight stigma to reclaim identities

* ‘He’s going to die anyway’: Woman in China divorces ‘heartless’ husband who refuses to sell home to save gravely ill son

* Local gets hefty fine for possessing smuggled liquor

* Communist Party plenum highlights institutional reform

* Lianghui or Two Sessions in a nutshell: China’s biggest annual political event

* Japan’s birth rate plunges to a record low in seventh year of decline

* Cat owner in China tracks down missing pet 1,600km away and finds truck full of stolen felines heading for slaughterhouse

* Stocks jump as China's factories roar back from Covid

* Asian markets rise as China data spurs recovery hopes

* Online users kept waiting for hours on airline website as Hong Kong ticket giveaway begins