A man is silhouetted as he walks past Ramadan decoration at a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Monday, March 18, 2024. - Reuters
Malaysia:
* Four years since Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Noor Hisham urges improvement in healthcare
* We can do better, PM says of those playing up sensitive issues during Ramadan
* Rafizi appeals to non-Malays to register to Padu to avoid exclusion from Govt aid
* Dr M discharged after 53 days in IJN
* Sabah records highest TB cases in 2023, says Health Ministry
* Google Malaysia apologises for erroneous US$-RM exchange rate
* BNM taking prudent approach in addressing high household debt risks
* Hot spell expected to last until April, says MetMalaysia
* EPF commits RM250mil to Malaysian mid-to-growth stage companies
* OCM insist they can host 2026 Commonwealth Games without bursting budget
* MAHB to continue operating country's 39 airports for next 45 years, says Loke / * MAHB, govt extend operating agreements to 2069
* Measat: Solar radiation may disrupt satellite signals between March 15 to March 22, with possible outages for Connectme and Astro
People gather for photograph next to the Merlion statue at Marina bay waterfront in Singapore on Monday, March 18, 2024. - AFP
Singapore:
* Jail for Malaysian linked to group that won over RM1.53mil at Marina Bay Sands casino by recording cards
* Extreme heat affects men’s fertility and birth outcomes, says NUS study
* NTU scientist admits sending messages to arrange for commercial sex with children
* China warns citizens in Singapore to stay away from gambling
* Car-Free Sunday returns to Singapore after four-year absence
* More Singapore-Malaysia flights coming from this budget airline
* Probation for woman who failed to immediately alert police to friend’s rape
* 37 victims of Taylor Swift concert ticket scams in S’pore set up Telegram group to expose scammer
* Chinese EV brand Xpeng to be launched in Singapore by second half of 2024
* Oil prices build on last week's strength as supply risks rise
Indonesia:
* Indonesia announces official election results in 33 out of 38 provinces; Prabowo-Gibran pair take big lead
* Jakarta confident its 20-year modernisation plan will turn city into world-class business metropolis
* Singapore and Indonesia talk of co-hosting big concerts, other events. Are they ready for it?
* Indonesian general election commission confirms vote count shows Prabowo-Gibran's victory in Kuala Lumpur
* Jokowi's son Gibran denies father's interference in Prabowo cabinet
* Anti-graft panel KPK arrests 15 employees in prison bribery scandal
* Asia cheers China data, as central banks line up
The sun sets behind the Wat Saket Temple's Golden Mount, which is undergoing renovation, in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March 18, 2024. - Reuters
Thailand:
* Thailand busts sex trade syndicate: Cambodian woman held for luring four Lao women to flesh trade, says police
* Officials in Thailand say New Zealanders accused of a roadside brawl with police have visas revoked
* Thailand's Thaksin projects power as loyalists cosy up
* Two New Zealand men held in Phuket for allegedly attacking cop, snatching his gun
* Thai PM hopes halt on Finnish visa for berry pickers does not affect call for Schengen waiver
* Tourists in Trang island warned to stay away from exposed sea fan corals
* Air Force officer in trouble after stray bullet hits man in angry confrontation
Philippines:
* EU and Philippines relaunch free trade talks
* Emerging Markets - Philippine stocks up 1.1%; Most Asian equities jump, currencies weaken ahead of cenbank meetings
* Philippines' San Miguel secures bank financing for US$3bil airport
* Marcos, Biden, Kishida to hold trilateral meet
* Four soldiers killed in southern Philippine ambush on Sunday (March 18) morning
* Private resort in protected Chocolate Hills in the Philippines to be probed
Nguyen Thi Thuy, a vendor who sells steamed buns at a floating market, pauses her paddle briefly on her way to the market before sunrise in Can Tho, Vietnam. - AP
Vietnam:
* Vietnam telecom providers ready for 5G-driven digital transformation
* Major alert issued as Vietnam's capital Hanoi records threefold increase in dengue fever cases
* Founder of EV maker VinFast launches global charging stations firm
* Hue-Danang tourism train ready for flag off
* Vietnam brokers may rally more on trading boost, retail boom
* Vietnam's parliament to meet over 'personnel issues', says letter to legislators
Myanmar:
* Myanmar is confident in attracting foreign tourists to its shore
* Myanmar aims to plant 700,000 acres of rain-fed paddy in 2024-25 FY
* Myanmar plans to launch direct flights from Yangon to Vientiane and Chiang Mai in May
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he boards an airplane to travel to the Philippines from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on Monday, March 18, 2024. - AFP
Cambodia:
* Cambodia's total public debt reaches US$11.24bil in 2023 as economy expands
* Manet: Music, not gunfire, ‘gift of hard-fought peace’
* AirAsia ramps up expansion with Cambodia flights from May
Laos:
* Laos' Hin Nam No National Park moves closer to become World Heritage Site
* Lao Airlines to offer new flights to Huaphan, Luang Namtha
Brunei:
* Human Development Index in East, South-East Asia region: Brunei among top five
* Brunei farm hailed for agricultural feat as it successfully harvests Chinese hybrid rice
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) is escorted into New Zealand's parliament by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade North Asia divisional manager Wendy Matthews before his bilateral meeting with New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters in Wellington on Monday, March 18, 2024. - AFP
AseanPlus:
* Beautifully bold: Malaysian actress Amelia Henderson has a passion for fashion
* Restaurant workers in India steal Malaysian family's bag with passport and cash
* HK actor Benz Hui's daughter visits Malaysia with Singaporean husband
* Airport PSC for Asean destinations raised to match international ones, says Loke
* Two-thirds of eight- to 10-year-olds spend up to four hours a day on social media
* K-pop boy band Oneus to perform in Malaysia for the first time on May 4
* The youngest Malaysian female chef with a Michelin-starred restaurant
* Australian taxi drivers win US$178 million payout from Uber
* Hong Kong’s Hollywood Road named world’s ‘second-coolest street’
* India's top court asks SBI for data to link political fund donors, recipients
* Photos of Jackie Chan with grey hair trigger online discussion
* Blinken says authoritarian regimes using tech to undermine democracy
* Monsters, asteroids, vampires: AI conspiracies flood TikTok
* South Korea's Yoon warns of tech threat to democracy at summit
* Apple without AI looks more like Coca-Cola than high-growth tech
* Japanese cows painted with zebra-like stripes to keep bloodsucking insects at bay
* China's Xi congratulates Putin on win, set to develop their ties
* Yes, we are dating, say South Korean actors Ryu Jun-yeol and Han So-hee
* She's ‘Hyangdo’ - daughter of North Korea’s Kim might be heir apparent: S. Korean ministry
* China's FM Wang begins diplomatic blitz in New Zealand / New Zealand shares issues concerning region
* South Korea suspends the licenses of two senior doctors in first punitive steps over doctors' walkouts
* Critics not wild about private zoo - Questions being raised on how animals are sourced by Ambani scion
* Foreign firms upbeat about Chinese market / China Jan-Feb industrial output, retail sales beat expectations
