(Front left to right)Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet with his wife Pich Chanmony, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with his wife Yuko, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone with his wife Vandara and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah with Prince Abdul Mateen, (Back L-R) Wan Azizah, wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Anwar Ibrahim, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with his wife Loiuse Araneta, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong with his wife Ho Ching, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao pose for photo prior to their dinner at the Akasaka Guesthouse in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, December 16, 2023. - Reuters
Malaysia:
* Negative perception of Malaysian-made products must change, says analyst
* Probe into fatal Ipoh accident involving cop will be thorough and transparent, says IGP
* Senior cop remanded over fatal accident involving 17-year-old boy
* Education Ministry to offer counselling to victim's family, witnesses of fatal Ipoh accident
* Family in shock after woman beaten to death with dumbbell, leaving it to cops to investigate
* The sock was not Zayn's, says Selangor police chief
* Woman detained for drug offences in Langkawi dies while receiving treatment
* Norza makes U-turn, will remain BAM president
* Keningau cops detain teenager, seize homemade firearms
* HR Ministry to discuss issues related to foreign workers with Home Ministry, says Sim Chee Keong
* Govt must prepare sufficient vaccines as Covid-19 cases continue to rise, says KJ
* Warisan and Umno pact won’t affect GRS coalition, says Jeffrey Kitingan
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (centre right) and his wife Yuko Kishida pose with Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datin Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (left) at Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo, Saturday Dec. 16, 2023. Asean and Japan celebrate its 50th anniversary of their friendship and cooperation in Tokyo through December 18. - AP
Singapore:
* 28-year-old motorcyclist dies, was pinned under lorry in 7-vehicle pile-up in Singapore's Woodlands Road
* Man arrested in Singapore for selling e-vaporisers on Telegram; almost RM60,000 worth of vape products seized
* Singaporean man gets seven years’ jail for operating international drug ring from South Korea
* Prism+ air-con ad deemed ‘greenwashing’ by Singapore watchdog; company defends it as ‘tongue-in-cheek’
* Rainy weather expected to continue for the rest of December, says Singapore weatherman
* Covid-19 cases in Singapore top 56,000 in first week of December, people urged to wear masks in crowded places
* Oil prices take a small loss in seesaw session at week ending; signs of weaker demand for oil in the coming year
Indonesia:
* Coal use hits record in 2023, Earth's hottest year ever on record
* Indonesia sees sharp decline in renewable energy investment
* Indonesia plans fifth Covid-19 vaccine dose to high-risk groups
* Fifty new Myanmar Rohingya refugees arrive in East Aceh, Indonesia FM calls for international solution on matter
* Indonesia asks military to help farmers boost rice production
* Indonesia bus accident: 12 people killed and seven others injured
* Indonesia’s ‘fly guy’ finds grubby fix
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko Kishida pose with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching (left) at Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo, Saturday Dec. 16, 2023. ASEAN and Japan celebrate its 50th anniversary of their friendship and cooperation in Tokyo through December 18. - AP
Thailand:
* Thailand to lure Japanese business travellers with visa-free entry starting on January 2024
* Thailand's economy needs structural changes for long-term growth, says report
* Chinese and Russians rank among top condominium buyers in Thailand as tourists return
* A Thai senator linked to a Myanmar tycoon is indicted for drug trafficking and money laundering
* Bangkok’s culinary odyssey: Feasts in the City of Angels and Immortals
* Thai MP gets jail for defaming monarchy
Philippines:
* Stronger El Nino in 2024 poses a threat to 65 provinces in the Philippines
* Philippines maintains 6-7 per cent GDP target for 2023, narrows 2024 forecast
* Philippines relaxes rules to spur lending for green projects
* Philippine ex-president Duterte denies making death threat on congresswoman
* Three dead in fire in central Philippines
* More climate promises than action, says activist in COP28
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (centre) and his wife Yuko Kishida welcome Indonesia's President Joko Widodo at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo on Saturday, December 16, 2023.- AFP
Vietnam:
* Asian Development Bank projects Vietnam’s 2024 GDP growth at 6%
* Vietnam's e-commerce grows quickly but unsustainably
* Semiconductor to become critical national industry in Vietnam, says communications minister
* Study finds high-level sugar and salt in packaged foods for children in South-East Asia
* Vietnam rolls out climate-friendly cooling solutions
* More than 1,700 people arrested in Interpol weapons raids in Asia
Myanmar:
* Myanmar ethnic minority fighters seize town from military
* Japan and Asean to boost security ties against the backdrop of growing tensions in the South China Sea
* An Insight - Rebel fire and China's ire: Inside Myanmar's anti-junta offensive
* China helps quell conflict in Myanmar
Leaders from the Asean nations attend a dinner hosted by Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo on Saturday, December 16, 2023. - AFP
Cambodia:
* 'They were shamelessly stolen from us' - Cambodia welcomes the Metropolitan Museum of Art's plan to return looted antiquities
* New York's Met Museum agrees to return 14 stolen cultural artifacts to Cambodia
* Cambodia govt confident country will be powered by 70% green energy before 2030
* Cambodia to launch e-Arrival card for all travellers in 2024
Laos:
* Lao government orders tougher actions to curb drug problems
* Asian Development Bank signs US$10mil grant to boost Laos' food security
Brunei:
* New study on rice variety and yield increase in farms launched in Brunei
* Watch top darters from Malaysia at the country's premier tournament live on YouTube; top stars from Thailand, Brunei and India also in action
China's Shi Yuqi hits a return to Indonesia's Jonatan Christie during their men's singles semi-final match at the BWF Badminton World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on Saturday, December 16, 2023. AFP
AseanPlus:
* Asean-Japan opens with much fanfare as event marks 50 years of friendship
* Women and children first? Not really - Experts say that in most crises, it's more like everyone for themselves
* No more a 'circus' as SEA Games put cap on non-Olympic sports
* Malaysia to obtain onions from China, Pakistan
* A Malaysian woman's legacy's of fearlessly speaking truth through art
* Anwar, Kishida announce Malaysia-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership
* Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai to go on trial
* School bullying hits 10-year high in Seoul, says study
* China wants to build ‘first-class’ investment banks – but isn’t telling the industry how
* Genetic test tracks origins of illegal pangolin products in China, adding to conservation toolkit
* Freezing temperatures in northern China trigger alert as many flights are cancelled and transport system faced delays
* Bank of East Asia refreshes logo’s colour to a sunrise hue, exhorts customers to ‘live every moment,’ as it taps wealth business
* Global slowdown, geopolitics biggest concerns for Hong Kong firms in year ahead, chamber survey finds
* Overhaul of Hong Kong’s civil service code may lead to government workers deleting social media accounts, unionists say
* Bird flu: Hong Kong suspends imports of poultry meat and products from parts of US, Britain and Poland following H5N1 outbreaks
* Hong Kong lays out ‘aggressive’ goals to ramp up food production, but does it have enough land and interested workers?
* South Korea Army to end exemption for severely obese men
* Australia swelters through heat wave amid 'extreme' fire danger
* US House panel on China vows to hold Beijing, Hong Kong accountable for targeting activists abroad
* US, South Korea to draw up joint nuclear defence guideline against North Korean threat -Yonhap
* 2023: The year we played with artificial intelligence – and weren’t sure what to do about it
* Cricket-India demolish England by record margin to claim test win
* Olympic champion Axelsen and Taiwan's ace Tai through to badminton World Tour Finals deciders in China
