Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Friday (Sept 26, 2025)

Laos' Minister of Industry Malaithong Kommasith, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Liew Chin Tong, Myanmar's Director-General of the Department of Foreign Economic Relations Marlar Myo Nyunt, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, Thailand's Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Ekachat Seetavorarat, Vietnam Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan, Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Philippines' Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, Brunei's Minister of Finance and Economy Amin Liew Abdullah, Cambodia's Minister of Trade Cham Nimul, Indonesia Vice Minister of Trade Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri, and Timor-Leste's Minister of Commerce and Industry Filipus Nino Pereira pose for a group photo during the 57th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. -- Photo: REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain

Malaysia:

* PM arrives in Sabah for two-day visit / Anwar hints at good news for Sabah in Budget 2026

* Claim of Anwar's overseas accounts probed and disproved over 25 years ago, says MACC

* Budi95: Server system can process 30,000 transactions per minute, says Anwar

* MACC free to probe any high-profile graft cases, says Anwar

* High Court defers decision in SRC lawsuit against Najib and ex-CEO

* Selangor Crown Prince grateful for blessing from people ahead of royal wedding

* Melaka set to be the stage for Visit Malaysia Year 2026 launch

* Defence Minister, ministry agree to halt comments on Palapes cadet death probe

* Behrang R&R incident: Man charged with attempted murder of cops

* Swiss investments in Malaysia rise after MEEPA signing

* Govt eyeing reduction in drug addiction rates, improved rehab effectiveness by 2026

* Fishermen, boat owners can appeal for Budi95 consideration, says PM

* Malaysia actively engages US on tariff issues, furniture products, says Tengku Zafrul

* PM Anwar to ensure redevelopment of landslide-hit Sabah teacher training campus expedited

* Several boats withdraw from Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, reshuffle needed for mission to proceed

* I'm ready for anything, Kitingan says after being quizzed by MACC / Kitingan takes five-and-a-half hours to give statement to MACC

Trucks loaded with harvested sugarcane wait in line to sell to a processing factory in Pati, Central Java. -- Photo by AFP

Singapore:

* Singapore's Ang Mo Kio fire: Two teenagers arrested for mischief by fire

* Ex-Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim found guilty of molesting 25-year-old woman

* Singaporean actress Chantalle Ng admitted to hospital due to viral infection

* Religious leaders are deeply concerned over suspicious parcel incident at Singapore's Al-Istiqamah Mosque

* S$10mil Singapore Toto results to be announced on Sept 29; no winners in past three draws

* Singapore woman charged after she allegedly exposed herself to teenage son

* Oil set for biggest weekly gain in three months as Russia cuts fuel exports

* Ex-Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim convicted of molesting 25-year-old woman

* M’sian drug trafficker hanged in 11th execution of the year in Singapore

* Emerging Markets - Asian stocks tumble as Indonesian rupiah rangebound after cenbank steps in

Indonesia:

* Indonesia agency says lack of oversight in free meal programme led to  food poisoning cases

* Over 70 homes damaged as 5.7 quake jolts East Java, tremor felt as far as holiday island Bali 

* Warning by the Indonesian govt - Bali hotels given three months to fix waste problems

* Canada signs free trade agreement with Indonesia

* Bali Police resume probe into Australian tourist’s death amid missing heart scandal

* Indonesia central bank to use all available instruments 'boldly' to maintain rupiah

* Nickel mining legacy haunts coral haven in Indonesia

* Bali hospital denies stealing tourist’s heart during autopsy

People ride on a boat to cross a flooded street following rains, intensified by Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi, in Dela Paz, Binan, Laguna province, Philippines, Friday, September 26, 2025.-- REUTERS/Noel Celis

Thailand:

* Trump slaps new US tariffs on drugs, trucks and furniture

* Russian vlogger arrested over viral video of couple having sex on pickup truck in Phuket

* Bangkok sinkhole repair halted after 1,500 tonnes of concrete leak into tunnel

* Thailand targets at least 2 million Chinese tourists over next 4 months

* Thailand to build 10km border fence in Sa Kaeo with 87mil baht budget

* Rocky relations? Thai mall displays 'Mt Rushmore' of Trump, Putin, Xi and Kim

* Thailand: MRT authority takes responsibility for sinkhole mishap

Philippines:

* Typhoon Opong: Malaysia extends condolences, ready to assist the Philippines

* 400,000 evacuated, three dead as fresh storm Bualoi batters Philippines

* Stocks slump as Trump slaps new tariffs, Fed cut bets recede

* Storm Bualoi leaves over 87,000 residents in Philippines' Bicol region displaced

* At least three dead as Tropical Storm Bualoi sweeps through Philippines

* Survey: Filipinos more accepting of bribery than most of Asia

Vietnam's Duc Phuc, center, winner of the International Music Competition - Intervision, poses for a photo with fans as he leaves a hotel in Moscow, Russia. -- AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov

Vietnam:

* Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City women receive cash aid for having two children before the age of 35

* Hanoi authorities seize 2,500 smuggled mooncakes

* China-Vietnam Mid-Autumn Festival Gala kicks off celebrations

* Asean aims to conclude FTA with Canada by end-2026

* Vietnam's automobile import hits record high in eight months

* Vietnam's Nam Dinh FC makes winning start to Asean Club Championship as JDT stays perfect thanks to Bergson hat-trick

Myanmar:

* Asean to push Myanmar on full implementation of five-point consensus, says Mohamad Hasan

* Myanmar leaps into Russian-backed nuclear energy programme to power economic growth

* Myanmar returns over 1,000 child soldiers to families in more than a decade

* Myanmar earthquake of magnitude 3.2 strikes near Thai border

* Von der Leyen softens tone as EU seeks China’s help on Ukraine war, climate

Abdullah Abbas, a food delivery rider for the Singapore-based company Foodpanda, wades through a flooded street after heavy rainfall in Lahore. -- Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP

Cambodia:

* Hun Manet: ‘War cannot be resolved with war, peace is the only way forward’

* TVET training programme upskills more than 140,000 young Cambodians

* Tourism key contributor to Cambodia's economic growth in last 30 years: PM

* Billionaire Xiaomi founder debuts a US$630 answer to iPhone 17

Laos:

* Laos issues high alert as tropical storm Bualoi approaches

* Laos eyes tourism boom: 43 million visitors, US$13bil revenue projected by 2030

* Push to complete expressway link from Vientiane to Chinese border by 2030

Brunei:

* Gadget mania - Long queues for iPhone 17 bundle launch in Bandar Seri Begawan

* Brunei institute inks MoU with Malaysian varsity to boost academic pathways

* Brunei claims top honours in Asean senior golf championship

China's Zhang Shuai waves to the crowd after winning her women's singles match against compatriot Wang Xinyu at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on Friday, September 26, 2025. -- Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP

AseanPlus:

* Aussie couple reported missing in Batu Ferringhi forest found safe

* India must deepen engagement with Asean amid strained US ties, says top analyst 

* Canada's PM Carney to attend Asean Summit next month

* KLIA achieves new hourly passenger throughput record

* Preventive measures underway following KLIA2 power outage

* Sabah keen to strengthen ties with China, says Hajiji

* Concluding trade talks with US early to benefit Malaysia, safeguard economy from punitive tariffs

* Meta activates Facebook 'teen accounts' worldwide

* India tech sees silver lining in Trump’s H-1B visa overhaul

* China announces plan to cut its greenhouse emissions by 7-10%

* RM120.9mil Tawau Airport upgrade to boost tourism, exports, says Transport Ministry

* Chinese mother embroiders floral Nike logo on son’s school bag; brand sends gift

* US reaffirms India as China counterweight despite trade rifts, Pakistan concerns

* Barbie Hsu's husband DJ Koo reveals he often dreams of his late wife

* Suicide now number one cause of death among S. Koreans in their 40s

* Trump says South Korea, Japan will pay billions 'upfront' in investment

* Japan's Topix hits record high despite US tariffs on pharma

* Streaming scandal hits frontrunner in Japan PM race

* South Korea passes landmark Bill to legalise tattoo artists

* China stocks end week near 3-1/2-year high on AI optimism

* Ukrainian YouTuber arrested in Japan over Fukushima livestream

* Japan’s Pokemon says it did not approve use inthe  US immigration department video

* Former TVB star Ho Chun-hin, 50, holds wedding reception with non-celebrity partner in China

* Clean-up under way as Hong Kong begins recovery after powerful typhoon Ragasa

* India proposes tweaks to foreign investment rules for exports in possible win for Amazon

* South Korea begins new trial of ousted President Yoon over failed martial law

* Two women arrested in Hong Kong over endangering child on Ragasa selfie trip

* AITIGA review to be done in 2025 to modernise trade with India, says Tengku Zafrul

* Former screen goddess Joey Wong, 58, spotted grocery shopping and at a gym in Canada

* K-stars Park Jin-young and Seungmin donate RM300K to children’s charities on their birthdays

* 'Mayday, Mayday' call made - Qantas flight lands safely in Auckland after cargo fire alert call warning

* Badminton - Soon Huat-Shevon, Tien Ci-Chiew Sien bow out of Korean Open

* Badminton: Ee Wei confident of returning with Tang Jie in Denmark Open

* Motor racing-Hamilton pulls out of F1 tyre test to be with ailing dog