Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Monday (Aug 31, 2026)

A firefighter with the wildlife foundation, Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia, observes the wildfires burning a peatland area next to their orangutan rehabilitation center in Ketapang regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia. -- Photo: REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

Malaysia

* King, Queen convey 69th National Day greetings to all Malaysians

* King Charles congratulates Sultan Ibrahim, Malaysians on National Day

* National Day: Cheers, trumpets greet arrival of King, Queen for parade

* National Day: Tanks, jets and flares light up Putrajaya celebration

* National Day: Dr M attends Putrajaya celebrations

* Over 100,000 attended National Day parade, says Fahmi

* National Day: Spectators surprised, thrilled as PM Anwar mingles with them after parade

* National Day: Abang and Akak Bomba live up to their billing as crowd favourites once again

* Nepal floods: Malaysia still waiting for green light to deploy SMART, says Tok Mat

* Malaysia must increase rice self-sufficiency to 80%, says Mat Sabu

* DAP sec-gen shares cryptic social media post after Kian Ming announces resignation

* VAT 69 commandos mark 69th National Day with symbolic free-fall at Kajang Stadium

* Haze: Sabah goes on alert with Tawau, KK recording unhealthy API levels

* Haze: Areas with API above 500 to be declared under emergency, says S'wak Deputy Premier

* Haze: Four areas in S'wak still hazardous, 18 other areas in Malaysia record unhealthy readings

* Nation: Initiative launched to ease cost of living pressures

* Meaning of independence must be reflected in people's lives, says Zahid

* National Day: Younger generation takes centre stage at celebrations

Colonel Dave Gandy, Australian Military Attache to Indonesia (second right) talks with military officers from Indonesian and the US after the opening ceremony of the Super Garuda Shield 2026 Joint Exercise in Bandung, West Java, on August 31, 2026. 4,700 soldiers from 21 countries armed forces participated in the Super Garuda Shield 2026 Joint Exercise which is held in several locations including Sumatra and Borneo islands. -- Photo by TIMUR MATAHARI / AFP

Singapore

* ‘They are our own’: Singapore ministers urge compassion for Singaporeans missing in Nepal and loved ones

* Singapore allocates US$220mil to drive fintech innovation

* Singapore to send humanitarian aid to Nepal for flood relief

* Shares skid in Asia as oil, yields stay high

* Pokemon World Championship heading to Singapore in August 2027

* US stock index futures dip as Middle East strikes worsen inflation fears

* Measures rolled out in Singapore to keep online users, including teens, safe

* Heavy traffic expected at Woodlands, Tuas checkpoints during September school holidays

* Daily time limits on social media among mandatory safeguards considered for teens in Singapore

* Nepal teams seek hundreds trapped in hydropower tunnels after deadly floods as death toll goes above 900 in tragedy

Indonesia

* Indonesia battles surge in forest fires as West Kalimantan hotspots nearly double on Monday (Aug 31)

* Acute respiratory cases increase by 1,960 a week in Indonesia's Riau province

* Indonesian clerics elect Gus Kikin as Nahdlatul Ulama chair in first indirect polls

* Burning Kalimantan forests put orangutans at risk

* North Sumatra tourism sites closed as Mount Sinabung volcanic activity increases

* Saved by a lunch break: Nepal floods destroyed many schools, but students at this school survived

* Fires and haze issues aside, Indonesia now also faces another problem - Mount Sinabung erupts and spews ash 3.5km above the summit

This handout picture taken and released on Monday, August 31, 2026 by Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation shows volcanic ash billowing from Mount Sinabung after an eruption in Karo, North Sumatra. -- Photo by Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation / AFP

Thailand

* Flash-flood, heavy rain warning issued across upper Thailand this week; fisherman advised to stay home

* US carrier visit to Thailand's Pattaya lifts hope and sex-tourism risk

* Thailand plans single cigarette tax and tighter export controls

* Very heavy rain puts 41 provinces and Bangkok on alert

* Thai, Chinese experts eye deeper digital economy cooperation

* THB11.76mil reward in line for Thai volleyball team after securing Olympic berth

* Economy: South Korea attracts more than two million foreign medical tourists in 2025

Philippines

* Carmelle Collado’s ‘Sobra-Sobra’ is Philippines’ entry to Eurovision Song Contest Asia

* Filipinos who braved floods, disasters hailed as modern-day heroes

* Militarisation of Philippines' Balabac Island no cause for concern, says Hajiji

* Suspect in MSU-Marawi Catholic mass bombing killed, says Philippine military

* What’s behind the school violence haunting the Philippines - and what can be done?

* Central Luzon residents wade through floods to protest flood-control corruption in the Philippines

People wade through a flooded street after heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon in Pampanga on August 31, 2026. -- Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP

Vietnam

* Establishing special mechanisms as driving force for Hanoi's urban renewal

* Vietnam's Lam Dong province builds transport infrastructure as foundation for growth

* Vietnam arrests, hands over three South Koreans wanted by Interpol

* Vietnam's Bac Ninh province aims for top 50 global smart city ranking by 2030

* One killed, three seriously injured in explosion at rented room in North Vietnam

* Vietnam: Going from coffee to durian

Myanmar

* Singapore diplomat, Myanmar activist and Bangladeshi aid giver win Magsaysay awards

* River in southern Myanmar surpasses danger level as flood shelters open

* Floods damage road sections linking Kachin State and Mandalay

* Myanmar vocal coach orchestrates harmonies beyond borders

* Nepal floods: Disaster exposes gaps in warning, China data sharing

* Hong Kong police arrest two men allegedly linked to HK$500,000 phishing scam

The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln sails past Singapore as seen from Batam, Indonesia. -- AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

Cambodia

* Fresh banana exports to China lift incomes in north-western Cambodia's border province

* Cambodia thanks US for support in repatriation of artefacts

* Cambodia offers new perspective of 12th-century temple, thanks to landscaping efforts

* Oil jumps more than 1% after US attack on Iran's Larak island

* Bessent says disorderly yen moves can destabilise global markets

Laos

* Laos inks agreement on digital investment management platform

* US-Taiwan ties 'never been stronger', top diplomat in Taipei says

* Laos-Vietnam trade value hits US$1.47 billion

Brunei

* China and Brunei deepen ties on sustainable agriculture, rural development

* Brunei central bank adds entity to alert list

* Brunei to promote tourism at Sabah international expo

Aseanplus

* Haze: Four areas in S'wak record hazardous API readings, three others at 'very unhealthy' levels

* Malaysian students in Wellington mark Merdeka with Paekākāriki escarpment hike

* Explain why Bersih leaders were denied entry, Warisan tells Sabah govt

* AI rules - LG creates virtual K-pop group to promote washer-dryer in spin on home appliance ads

* Man hospitalised after bamboo scaffolding collapses in Sham Shui Po

* Swiss police arrest suspect after deadly rave shooting

* UNCCD COP17 concludes successfully in Mongolia

* Pakistan man gets 10-year jail for marital rape

* Mauled Australian swimmer recalls punching shark

* Nepal floods: Death toll rises to 903, with 4,247 missing

* India: Modi’s developed-nation dream strains growth gap

* Bessent says yen moves 'pretty contained' and not disorderly

* Nepal floods: There is still hope, says wife of missing fireman

* One line or two? South Koreans can’t agree on escalator etiquette

* Nepal floods: Nepal PM says nation facing 'unimaginable' disaster

* China penalises 10 people for misinformation over deadly mudslide

* US critical minerals proposals to Brazil go unanswered as China looms

* Chinese factory slump eases, but weak services signal uneven recovery

* Japan's oldest person, 115-year-old woman from Nara Prefecture, dies

* Japan govt eyes city near Tokyo as possible nuclear waste disposal site

* China's three biggest airlines post heavy first-half losses as fuel shock bites

* HK's independent bookstores, a refuge for Chinese readers, are under threat

* Why Chinese foreign minister’s trip to South Korea ‘dealt a low blow’ to Seoul

* Large fire spreads in central Japan shopping district near sacred Shinto shrine

* Hong Kong 2025 high-rise blaze: Nearly 98% of flat owners accept buyout offer

* New Huanggang Port in Shenzhen to aid single-document travel to Hong Kong

* Number of food items to see price hikes in Japan to more than triple in September

* Elderly woman allegedly pressured into spending HK$100,000 on beauty products

* India faces US$22bil extra fossil-fuel import cost amid Hormuz energy shock: Report

* South Korea court sentences Unification Church leader to jail in political influence case

* Leaders of China, Russia and India among heads of state meeting to counter US influence

* Japan Police to use AI to thwart lone offenders; identify social media posts hinting at danger

* S. Korean team launches ground search for nine missing in Nepal as air access remains restricted

* Funding cuts force closure of over 100 child malnutrition treatment sites in Afghanistan: UN official

* 17 years of building a homegrown brand: Top lifestyle brand Siti Khadijah joins the 2026 National Day Parade in style

* Technology - ChatGPT, Reddit, Roblox to adhere to EU's "very large platform" rules

* Cycling - Tears of relief for Azizul as LA 2028 dream stays alive

* Entertainment: K-drama actor Kim Soo-hyun makes first TV appearance in a year after dating controversy

* Entertainment: South Korean actor Lee Yong-joo of 'Princess Hours' fame dies at 44