Locals and tourists play with water as they celebrate the Songkran holiday which marks the Thai New Year in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, April 13, 2024. - Reuters
Malaysia:
* Johor authorities seize 11 floor mats with images said to be of Kaabah
* It's a prayer mat, not a door mat, says supermarket chain
* Unity govt to discuss Opposition allocations on April 17, says Fadillah
* Cops to record statements of three over suitcase containing RM500,000
* King and Queen convey Vaisakhi, Tamil New Year greetings
* PM Anwar extends Tamil New Year, Vaisakhi, Vishu greetings
* RM50mil fund to give Indian women micro-entrepreneurs a leg up on business
* Penang's Little India centre of Chittirai Puthandu, Vishnu preparations as Vaisakhi festivities in full swing
* Stranded in South Korea: Family seeking help to pay for sick brother's hospital bill, bring him home
* Level 2 heatwave warning issued for Kedah's Pokok Sena, says MetMalaysia
* Melaka government allocates funds for preserving historic Villa Sentosa
* MCMC seizes phone, SIM card linked to spread of viral 'civil servant' clip
Cars and motorcycles occupy a road on the weekend of the Aidilfitri holiday, celebrating the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Bogor, West Java on Saturday, April 13, 2024. - AFP
Singapore:
* Singapore's ComfortDelGro investigating case of passenger getting into boot of taxi
* Jail for Singapore Nanyang university student who recorded video of woman in campus toilet, took photos of others showering
* Pope Francis to visit Singapore from Sept 11 to 13; will also stop over in Indonesia on Sept 3
* Oil settles up on Mideast tensions, posts weekly loss
* Tourism Malaysia promotes breakfast culture at Malaysia Travel Escapades in Singapore; nasi lemak and roti canai the main limelight
Indonesia:
* Indonesian President-elect Prabowo urges unity after resounding victory
* 5.2-magnitude quake hits 151 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia -- USGS
* Pope will travel to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore in longest trip of papacy
* Indonesia denies using air strikes in Papua region, where kidnapped NZ pilot is
People play with water as they celebrate the Songkran holiday which marks the Thai New Year in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, April 13, 2024. - Reuters
Thailand:
* Thailand’s K-pop princess Lalisa of Blackpink joins top American outfit RCA Records
* Water guns are in full blast to mark Thai New Year festivities despite worries about heat wave
* Thousands of revellers join world's biggest water fights in conjunction with Thai Songkran Festival
* Thai government's digital wallet handouts to jumpstart economy, say analysts
Philippines:
* China urges US, Japan and Philippines to stop undermining regional peace, stability in South China Sea
* Philippine deals with US, Japan will not affect China's investments, says President Marcos
* US, Japan, Philippines trilateral deal to change dynamic in South China Sea, Marcos says
* Ex-Philippine leader Duterte slams US, Marcos in Chinese media
Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin (right) and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stand during the American national anthem at an enhanced honor cordon ceremony at the Pentagon. - AFP
Vietnam:
* Vietnam forum boosts economic ties among Asean, emerging economies and Russia
* Real estate tycoon's death sentence is a turning point in Vietnam's anti-corruption campaign
* Vietnam's jailed dissident to be honoured by PEN America
* Vietnam VinFast’s challenges pose risk to Vingroup
Myanmar:
* Thai foreign minister urges Myanmar's military to avoid violent attack on border town after its army suffer spectacular lost
* Fall of Myanmar town to rebels sends people fleeing into Thailand
* Middle class 'rapidly eroding' as poverty soars in Myanmar, reports UN
* Rebels gain advantage in Myanmar
Revellers take part in mass water fights during the Sangkrant festival, or Khmer New Year, at Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh on Saturday, April 13, 2024. - AFP
Cambodia:
* Chinese police take back 130 gambling and scam suspects from Cambodia
* Rosier growth forecast for Cambodia, fueled by tourism and industrial exports
* Mass exodus starts to mark Year of the Dragon in Cambodia
Laos:
* Laos President calls for solidarity to overcome challenges as country celebrates Lao New Year
* Laos to see moderate growth in 2024 and 2025, says Asian Development Bank
Brunei:
* Brunei in high spirits as country celebrates Raya in pomp and style
* Brunei health ministry says health supplements from Japan's Kobayashi were never approved by govt
People are led out from the Westfield Shopping Centre where multiple people were stabbed in Sydney, Saturday, April 13, 2024. A man stabbed six people to death at the busy Sydney shopping centre on Saturday before he was fatally shot, police said. Multiple people, including a small child, were also injured in the attack. - AP
AseanPlus:
* Malaysia is next best bet - Country can position itself as viable alternative to S’pore
* United Nations says waterborne illness spread in Gaza due to heat and unsafe water
* Beijing says US and Japan 'smeared and attacked' China at Washington summit
* Elderly living alone to make up a fifth of Japanese households by 2050, says study
* TikTok’s latest obsession is Donghua Jinlong, a Chinese company producing glycine
* Death toll increasing: Five people and a suspect killed in a Sydney shopping centre stabbing attack, police say
* Man shot in Sydney mall after reports of stabbings, police say
* Teen boy dies, another critically injured after stabbing near Australian school
* ‘We can’t be bullied’: Rwanda won’t take sides in US-China rivalry, envoy says
* China hits out at ‘bloc politics’ in response to new US-Japan-Philippines grouping
* Professors, students say ‘no’ to Florida as new law targets Chinese
* US ‘strongly opposes’ China’s renaming of areas along disputed Indian border
* US imposes entry ban on ex-Surinamese president, former military officials
* Top Chinese official meets North Korean leader Kim in Pyongyang in highest-level talks in years
* China-US relations: American state department official explains how Beijing risks crossing ‘red line’ with Russia
* From liver to kidney: Chinese scientists pass another milestone in pig organ transplants for humans
* Hong Kong building residents return home after deadly blaze, as some complain of long-standing safety worries
* US policy on China must pivot to cold-war stance from managing competition, two Republican policymakers say
* US-Japan alliance celebrated at White House with cherry blossom pledge, state dinner for Kishida
* Joe Biden and Fumio Kishida hail US-Japan ties, announce 70 deals as they vow to continue China dialogue
* Can Cathay Pacific get its act together, or is it time for Hong Kong authorities to take a stake in the airline?
* Hong Kong Bar Association chief hails city’s hosting of common law summit as ‘vote of confidence’ for legal sector
* Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum looks to counter ‘prejudice’ against spiders as part of mission to boost ecological awareness
