Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Tuesday (Aug 4, 2026)

Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul gives a speech during his visit to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. -- Photo: REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

Malaysia

* 1MDB trial: No check if Najib got back 'returned' US$620mil, admits UK-based investigator

* Negri Sembilan may introduce deputy exco roles, says new MB

* Queen conferred honorary doctorate of psychology

* 13 drug mules nabbed in KLIA anti-drug ops, says Bukit Aman

* MACC detains five more Immigration officers over MyIMMs hack

* KTMB expands Southern Shuttle rail service to Paloh starting Aug 8

* Sabah seeks authority to manage own tourism industry

* Mother devastated after failed attempt to save son from fire

* KLIA Terminal 1 enhances e-hailing pick-up facilities effective Aug 4 - MAHB

* KLIA security overhaul underway after RM108mil drug seizure surge

* Two tourists injured by falling building debris in George Town

* Minister urges religious leaders to foster interfaith trust in Malaysia

* MBMB teams up with animal welfare groups to manage stray dog population

* Sarawak to study diet links to high cholesterol, obesity, says Abang Johari

* Almost 60% of Selangor youth yet to claim RM1,500 under state savings scheme

* Former estate manager remanded over RM8mil contract misappropriation probe

* Nov 16: Decision on Mukhriz's RM5mil tax assessment challenge

* MACC remands company director over RM300,000 bribe linked to renovation projects

* Five Immigration officers remanded over alleged MyIMMs hacking to approve work passes

* Residential Tenancy Bill being finalised to balance rights of tenants, landlords

Survivors rest at Tanjung Perak port pier after arriving on board the Masalembu government vessel in Surabaya on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, following a fire on board the Mutiara Sentosa 2 passenger ferry in waters off Madura island on August 2. -- Photo by JUNI KRISWANTO / AFP

Singapore

* Singapore proposes tougher laws and to expand its powers to detect, disrupt, and deter scams

* Three months’ jail for man who set fire to community cat houses at Singapore's Bukit Batok void deck

* Three people unconscious after fire in Singapore's Little India flat; they are among five taken to hospital

* Warrant of arrest review scheduled for Lim Tean; lawyer was to begin jail term in Singapore on July 20

* New Singapore anti-scam laws target Carousell, TikTok account mules; online harms order fine up from S$1mil to S$10mil

* Singaporean actress Kayly Loh welcomes first child after IVF journey

* Oil ticks up after selloff as talks to end US-Iran war remain uncertain

* US posts photo of coastguard working with Taiwan after Beijing starts patrols

* Qatar says US-Iran diplomatic efforts continue in the Middle East as oil pares gains 

* HK actress Michelle Wai gets 50 stitches after sustaining serious injury on set

Indonesia

* Final count confirms five dead in deadly Indonesia ferry fire

* Coach Herdman takes the blame for Indonesia's loss as pressure rises in Asean Hyundai Cup

* Another Malaysian nabbed trying to smuggle drugs into Indonesia

* Government officials voice concerns over planned Bali financial hub

* Pilot arrested in Jakarta got drug supply in Ampang, says Bukit Aman

* Ferry fire in East Java raises concerns over lax national maritime safety oversight

* Indonesia to launch stimulus to boost electric vehicle sales, minister says

* Will the global testosterone decline accelerate the shift to robot warfare?

* Badminton: Indonesian pairs withdraw from worlds amid match-fixing probe

Workers carry boxes labelled confidential funds containing documents that were presented during the impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte at the Philippine Senate in Pasay City, Metro Manila, on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. -- Photo by Aaron Favila / POOL / AFP

Thailand

* Three Malaysians nabbed in Hat Yai attempting to smuggle 87kg of syabu

* Thailand's lost wild elephant calf Jiew Sai Yok dies after suspected acute kidney failure

* Chao Phraya attracts new hotels, mega-projects

* Thai Navy says border bunker claims do not reflect wider base upgrades

* PM calls for tougher crackdown on criminal groups / * Millions banish booze for Buddhist Lent

* Thai children under 18 need birth certificates for overseas travel from Monday (Aug 3)

* Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos lead US$200mil project to save 100 of the globe's most threatened species

Philippines

* South-East Asia braces for hot and dry conditions, heightened haze risks as El Nino strengthens

* Vapes, liquor, and soft drinks could face higher taxes in the Philippines

* Six rescued after landslide blocks road in Philippines' Ilocos Sur

* Traffic enforcer on duty shot, hurt in Cotabato, Philippines

* Hongkonger in Japan’s quake-hit Kumamoto describes shock: ‘I was quite scared’

* Asia stocks move higher on Wall Street lead, oil steady

* Will US red tape and other infrastructure delays give China the lead in AI race?

Motorcyclists commute past houses that have been demolished to widen a road in Hanoi on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. -- Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP

Vietnam

* EVFTA reshapes trade ties six years after launch

* Vietnam investors brace for volatile week after rebound

* European arrivals surge as Vietnam welcomes nearly 14 million foreign visitors in seven months

* Vietnam appoints new minister of home affairs

* AI offers 'lifeline' for emerging economies, World Bank says

* Vietnam secure statement victory as champions down host Indonesia 3-0 in Group A of the Asean Hyundai Cup

Myanmar

* Asia’s energy-starved nations go dark as Hormuz tensions drag on

* Indonesia, Thailand support Myanmar peace efforts, deepen defence, security cooperation

* Myanmar ex-junta chief set for first Thailand visit as civilian leader

* Myanmar: Suu Kyi meets Red Cross official

* Thai PM urges 'calibrated re-engagement' with Myanmar ahead of meeting with Min Aung Hlaing

Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi meets Myanmar's Resident Representative and Head of Delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Arnaud de Baecque, in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, August 3, 2026. -- Khine Khine Soe, Myanmar Government spokesperson/Handout via REUTERS

Cambodia

* Cambodia expands cross-border QR payment links with five Asean countries, including Malaysia

* Ancient beetle fossil sheds light on firefly glow and antenna evolution

* Cambodia asks CNA to issue correction on report on missing S’porean after probe clears scam claims

* Deeper ties with Cambodia

* Cambodian police, Child Protection Unit investigating child homicides in Banteay Meanchey

Laos

* Laos issues heavy rain warning as flood risks mount in the country

* Lao Customs duty earnings at Savannakhet border crossing reach 61.7 per cent of 2026 target

* Chinese gaokao student’s inspiring story captivates nation after losing last relative

Brunei

* Brunei to showcase coffee culture overseas to promote tourism; special show to be held in Miri

* Four new Cabinet ministers sworn into Brunei's Legislative Council

* Joint operation unearths offences in Brunei

Matt Damon poses with his wife, Luciana Barroso, and their daughters during the red carpet event for the movie The Odyssey in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Aseanplus

* M'sia must modernise tax system to keep pace with digital economy, says Amir Hamzah

* Ringgit seen averaging RM4.01 in 2026, easing to RM4.03 by end-2026

* Malaysia hosts 9th Asean Child Forum: Calls for action against child violence

* Wisma Putra monitoring over 20,000 Malaysians in conflict-affected countries

* Malaysia needs to look beyond data centres to attract global capital

* Japan’s ageing workforce becomes neighbour’s youth opportunity

* Australia bird flu outbreak grows as infections triple in a week

* Troops sent in to restore order after prison riot

* Formula One’s ripple effect on the economy

* South Korea inflation cools to three-month low, but risks remain

* China seeks to prevent, mitigate impact of landslides and floods

* Police arrest suspect after 3 Bangladeshis found dead in Port Dickson

* Japan’s food service sector has high hopes for skilled foreign workers

* Malls for the young, airports for the old: Koreans beat the heat indoors

* Will the global testosterone decline accelerate the shift to robot warfare?

* South Korea's Lee calls heatwave a national disaster as deaths rise to 19

* One-year-old among 12 injured in western Tokyo apartment building blaze

* South Korea's Lee urges authorities to step up support as heatwave kills 16

* How South Korea’s tech rout hit Hong Kong – and why regulators stepped in

* PM Takaichi visits quake-hit southern Japan as cleanup begins in intense heat

* Bangladesh asks India to clarify stance on Hasina's planned New Delhi speech

* ‘Like WeChat messages’: E-mail etiquette debate grips college students in China

* Telling Hong Kong judge to retire early is sufficient penalty for plagiarism: experts

* Hongkonger in Japan’s quake-hit Kumamoto describes shock: ‘I was quite scared’

* Chinese woman, 20, survives 18th floor ‘impulsive’ fall after argument with boyfriend

* South Korean Navy names first female commander for large amphibious transport ship'

* Why did an Okinawan delegation visit a Beijing cemetery amid China-Japan tensions?

* Afghan child malnutrition surges as aid cuts force clinics to turn families away, WFP says

* Assam horror: Girl, 15, allegedly gang-raped and murdered at home; iron rod inserted into private parts

* Two evacuated employees who died in Japan's Aeon mall explosion were told to return inside by employer

* India's Assam flood death toll climbs to 87, over 1.28 lakh people affected; relief camps shelter over 11,000 victims

* India says it is not involved with Bangladesh ex-PM Hasina's virtual address; Bangladesh bans media from airing speech

* Shein targets US$30bil to US$40bil Hong Kong IPO valuation this month, sources say

* Twin silver triumph for Malaysia in C’wealth Championships

* Malaysia unearth new heroes in scaled-down Games

* Market steady despite election outcome / * India plans US$5bil border rail upgrade

* Superstar football icons, including Gerrard, Owens, Giggs, and Del Piero are coming to KL in October

* Malaysian model Lisa Ch'ng & TVB actor Mat Yeung share plans to start a family

* Famous Independent bookshop of 50 years in Hong Kong to close after national security raid

* Table Tennis - Giant-killers Qi Shen-Javen stun world No. 2 pair to claim C'wealth Championships gold