Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Friday (March 27, 2026)

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrives at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport aboard a special aircraft at 3.45 pm local time, where he is received by Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Sugiono, marking the start of a special visit. Anwar is scheduled to meet Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at Istana Merdeka in Jakarta, with discussions set to focus on geopolitical developments, including the situations in Palestine and Iran, and their implications on regional and global stability. -- Photo: Bernama

Malaysia

* Heatwave expands in Peninsular Malaysia

* WFH benefits both bosses and workers, says HR Ministry

* Melaka told to stay welcoming as global turmoil hits tourism

* Sabah deserves diesel subsidy as oil and gas producer, says Ewon

* Election Court throws out petitions against Pitas, Karambunai results

* Govt maintains diesel subsidy for Sabah, Sarawak amid cost pressures

* Schools will be allowed to close if temperatures exceed 37°C for three days

* Security guard gets 10 years' jail, five lashes for raping disabled woman

* Education Ministry backs King’s call to protect students in heatwave

* EPF abstains from voting on Sunway’s takeover offer for IJM Corp

* Fourteen rescued, seven nabbed in Melaka human trafficking raids

* CCTV captures woman dumping newborn in rubbish bin, probe underway

* Main access to HSA main building closed until June 30 for upgrading works

* Unemployed man charged over 2022 murder after evading capture for four years

* These Malaysian families volunteer to instil values in their children and strengthen bonds

* Special meeting with state leaders next week to discuss actions on uncertainty in Middle East

* MACC says no official report lodged over allegations RM9.5mil given to politician by Victor Chin

Lawrence Wong, Singapore's prime minister (left), shakes hands with John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive, at the Government House in Hong Kong, China, on Friday, March 27, 2026. Wong is on an official visit to Hainan and Hong Kong from March 25 to 28.-- Photographer: Peter Parks/AFP/Bloomberg

Singapore

* More important than ever for Singapore and Hong Kong to collaborate amid competition: PM Wong 

* China woman in Singapore who took nearly S$4.8mil from employer’s bank accounts gets over eight years’ jail

* Malaysian who did PhD in Singapore banned from re-entry after engaging in political activism: Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs

* Man accused of conspiring to smuggle 60 pets, confining them in cramped cages handed 124 charges in Singapore

* Seven months’ jail for ex-Scoot crew member who took nearly S$40k and failed to make full restitution

* WhatsApp message from SingPost about failed parcel delivery could be a scam: Police

* Trump’s China policy lacks strategy and coherence: former Biden officials

* Asian stocks pare losses as oil prices dip, Wall Street futures rise

* Asian stocks extend global rout; bonds hammered as war drags on

* Taiwanese host Hsu Nai-lin vacationed in Singapore with his family

Indonesia

* Malaysian PM Anwar arrives in Jakarta for talks / PM Anwar concludes Jakarta visit after meeting with Prabowo

* Anwar, Prabowo to step up diplomatic efforts on Middle East crisis

* Indonesia’s social media curbs for kids set to kick in, but few know how they will work

* Indonesia's Bintan declares forest fire emergency, Dumai blanketed in smoke

* Indonesia considering missile systems from Italy, France and Turkiye for new warship

* Police rescue 64 tourists stranded on Salah Nama Island in North Sumatra

* North Sumatra police foil attempt to smuggle 50kg of meth from Malaysia

* Business - AI music monetisation on the rise in digital economy

* Military officer steps down following acid attack on activist

A motorcycle converted into a tricycle carries passengers in Jakarta. -- Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA / AFP)

Thailand

* Thailand defends RM0.73 fuel price hike amid rising global oil costs

* New driver licence and renewal checks in Thailand to include criminal record screening from July

* Thailand to launch US$9 tourist entry fee under new government

* Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree runs aground off Iran’s Qeshm Island after attack

* Thai factory output unexpectedly dips in February, could rise in March

* Alleged money laundering and stolen property case against Thai abbot Dhammachayo discontinued as legal time limit expires

* Tech-equipped indigenous firefighters protect Thai forests

* Over 25% of fans at BTS concert in Seoul were foreigners, with Thais the largest group

Philippines

* Philippines scales down Asean Summit meetings, moves preparatory meetings online to cut costs

* Marcos: Philippines has enough crude oil supply until June 30

* Philippine navy vessel avoids collision with Chinese warship in West Philippine Sea

* Police order probe into Philippine cop allegedly moonlighting for Chinese fugitive

* Crisis fuels supply hunt in the Philippines

* Philippines and France sign military pact

* Oil prices crippling a billion-dollar food source

Participants shout slogans during a rally by transport workers and activists protesting the rise in oil prices on Friday, March 27, 2026, near the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines. -- AP Photo/Aaron Favila

Vietnam

* Nguyen Thi Hong, Vietnam's central bank governor and financial wizard to leave as term ends, sources say

* Asean fuel prices diverge amid global oil pressures and the chaotic Middle East war

* Multiple suspects indicted in connection with ONUS cryptocurrency exchange in Vietnam

* China tightens rules on imported food from Vietnam

* Vietnam police bust multi-billion dollar crypto scam

* Vietnam cuts fuel taxes to zero till April 15 to stabilise energy market

Myanmar

* 'Changes will and must happen': Myanmar junta says there will be major leadership changes ahead of presidential vote

* Myanmar designates new marine national park in Ayeyarwady region

* Myanmar military signals leadership changes ahead of parade

* Myanmar sets weekly fuel purchase limits based on engine size

Volunteer firefighters from Hmong Doi Pui village using leaf blowers to clear a firebreak in the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park area of Chiang Mai. In the dry-season heat of northern Thailand, Hmong, villagers zip through forested slopes, blasting dry leaves with leaf blowers and cutting through brush with machetes, while others scan for smoke on live feeds from their phones. -- Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP

Cambodia

* Cambodian man deported by the US to Eswatini is being repatriated, his lawyer says

* Despite Thai claims, MOU 2000 too late to cancel under international law: Cambodia State Secretariat of Border Affairs

* Koh Kong island in Cambodia will be region’s first ‘carbon neutral community’

* Gold rises on softer dollar, on track for fourth weekly drop

Laos

* New Lao parliament wraps up its first session with key priorities approved

* Air pollution in Laos reaches unhealthy levels

* ADB reaffirms support for Laos’ development priorities

* Asian-Americans say they are still seen as foreign, study finds

Brunei

* Export Drive Initiative to boost Brunei's economy

* Brunei proposes to ban cycling on highways, plans for designated lanes unveiled

* Hari Raya festivities unite communities across Brunei

Nepal's newly sworn-in prime minister Balendra Shah with his wife Sabina Kafle and daughter Niloufer Shah attend a swearing-in ceremony in Kathmandu on Friday, March 27, 2026. Nepal's rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister on March 27 after sweeping the first election since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government last year. -- Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP

Aseanplus

* Asean summit to go ahead in May, but shortened to 'bare bones' programme due to Middle East conflict

* Malaysia’s 2026 fiscal deficit seen at 3.6% as fuel subsidy reforms support consolidation

* Top Asian banker Tan Sri Andrew Sheng appointed special advisor to Sabah CM

* Malaysia backs Afghanistan–Pakistan ceasefire, calls for lasting peace, solidarity

* Malaysia’s PPI contracts 3.4% in February amid broad-based declines

* Iran seeks 'complete' end to war; Pezeshkian, Anwar discuss conflict

* China demands more than just ‘regret’ from Japan after embassy break-in

* HSBC remains encouraging on Malaysia’s steady growth

* Xi-Trump summit: White House locks in new dates in May

* Sri Lanka jails man for hoarding four litres of fuel

* India cuts special excise duties on petrol, diesel

* Cyclone triggers outages at major Australian LNG plants

* Nepal’s first woman PM Sushila Karki returns to retirement

* China announces policy to ease academic pressure on students

* Hong Kong woos central banks in bid to become gold-trading hub

* Chinese satellite performs landmark refuelling test in low Earth orbit

* China says willing to strengthen economic, trade cooperation with US

* Japan to boost coal-fired power as Mideast war causes energy turmoil

* China's yuan falls to near 3-week low as safe-haven demand lifts dollar

* Nepal's PM-to-be delivers first post-election message in rap, urges unity

* Two killed in blaze at Tokyo’s Jiyugaoka dstrict that spread to five buildings

* Man behind South Korea's airport bomb scares ordered to pay compensation

* Ex-rapper Shah sworn in as Nepal prime minister after sweeping election win

* HK star Gigi Leung goes makeup-free for 50th birthday, stuns with natural look

* ‘Be careful or I’ll kill your family’: China mini-dramas featuring kids raise concerns

* Police refer South Korean lawmaker to prosecution for alleged sexual harassment

* One day a year, pilgrims crowd remote Taiwan temple to dream of divine answers

* Australia court fines Binance Australia $6.9 million over client onboarding failures

* Why China’s strategy to stay out of Iran war is working – and crisis may spur opportunity

* China grandma falls in love with AI-generated ‘bossy president’, writes ‘him’ love letters

* China’s weight-loss drug makers take on global giants as Novo Nordisk patent expires

* Chinese nationals, companies charged in US with smuggling AI chips and drug trafficking

* School trip almost a nightmare - Seven people injured, four critically, in fire at Hong Kong recycling yard

* 74% of Japanese want stronger defence, but few see tax hikes as best source of funding, survey finds

* Badminton: Drop shot decision: Pei Jing-Jimmy exit Asian meet without a word

* Cycling: Danial claims Malaysia's first gold at Asian Cycling Championships