Asean news headlines as at 10pm on Thursday (Sept 17)

British and Thai Buddhist monk Shaun Chiverton, now known as Ajahn Jayasaro, speaking during an interview with AFP in Bangkok. From a working-class childhood on the southern English coast to the top foreign-born monk in Thailand, Chiverton's quest for a better life has taken him further than most. - AFP

Malaysia

* Threshold for domestic user electricity subsidies raised to 800kWh

* Rumours circulating of FT Pardons Board to discuss Najib's application tomorrow

* Negri MB, exco have no unilateral power to remove state Ruler, says AGC

* Supporters gather at KLIA ahead of Tuanku Muhriz's arrival

* Sept 16 state exco decision has no legal effect, Tuanku Muhriz remains Negri Ruler, says DKU

* Negri MB Ismail confirms proclamation against Tuanku Muhriz, says exco decided unanimously

* Negri royal row: DKU's lawyers accuse exco of coup d'etat, intends to launch contempt proceedings

* Negri royal row: Exco has no say over Ruler’s position, says ex-MB Aminuddin

* Malaysian woman dies while diving in Bali

* Zahid arrives in Jakarta for four-day working visit

* Solar hybrid case: Court of Appeal allows stay on Rosmah's bid to adduce new evidence

* Actions of Negri exco tarnish royal institution, says Loke

* Effects of Middle East conflict widen beyond petrol, says Economy Minister

* Melaka polls: DAP looking to recapture lost seats, says Khoo

* BU school stabbing: Victim’s mother urges public to back petition for AGC appeal

* New MyKad QR code only for enforcement use, say NRD director

* New MyKad applicants praise quick process, enhanced security

* Soldier charged with kicking five-year-old daughter

* Tasek Ipoh records worst API among 29 locations with unhealthy levels

* Cops seize drugs worth over RM35mil in six Selangor raids

* Miri cops probe viral video of girl being hit by other kids

* Water levels limited at three Mada dams in Kedah

* Local man faces multiple charges of injuring, robbing Rohingya workers in Johor

* Global energy crisis 'lagging effect' beginning to impact natural gas, coal prices

* Fisheries Dept unable to confirm if piranhas breeding in Klau Dam

* Second body recovered in Pulau Ketam angler tragedy

* SC: Asean's economic, demographic strength to draw greater global investor interest

* Zainal Abidin, Platina Jazz to headline 20th Borneo Jazz Festival

* M'sian TVB star Jacquelin Ch'ng slammed by sister for attempt to make contact with late mum on TV

Singapore

* Man who sexually abused 11 girls, including daughter, granddaughters and nieces, jailed in Singapore for 21 years

* Singaporean suffers cardiac arrest after being run over by bus in Taiwan; resuscitated in hospital

* Singaporean dies while climbing mountain in Nepal

* Air quality in Singapore's central region enters unhealthy range again, with a 24-hour PSI reading of 102

* Singaporean celeb couple Tay Ying and Wu Sihan start artisanal gelato atelier

* Singapore's August exports surge by 46.2% yr/yr as AI boom powers demand

* Singapore’s gold hub ambition gets lift with DBS vault expansion

Thailand

* Thai PM orders governors to act swiftly on deportation of foreigners

* Thai protest leader who seized Bangkok Airport back in action

* Venus to reach peak brightness in Thailand’s western sky on Sept 22

* 'Left-field' life: Briton becomes Thailand's top foreign monk

* Time Out names Bangkok’s Talat Noi world’s 14th coolest neighbourhood for 2026

A mahout watching over a tame Sumatran elephant playing, surrounded by haze caused by forest and land fires, at the Buluh Cina Nature Tourism Park in Kampar, Riau, on Sept 17. Critically endangered Sumatran elephants are pushed further to the brink as wildfires razed hundreds of hectares of their habitat on the western Indonesian island, wildlife NGO Geopix told AFP on Sept16, 2026. - AFP

Indonesia

* Indonesia cash-for-photos scheme turns animal hunters into protectors

* Haze: Malaysia offers bombardier aircraft, assets to Indonesia to tackle forest fires

* Indonesia prepares fines in digital child safety rules

* Thick smog deters Japan force helping fight Indonesia wildfires

* Indonesia ends search for journalists missing on volcano mission

* Indonesia's high-speed rail Whoosh takeover in limbo after Purbaya ousted as finance minister

* Indonesian rescuers plan to right capsized ship as weather hampers search for 129 missing people

* Indonesia president calls for stricter sanctions against forest fire perpetrators

Philippines

* Casinos posing as salons spur Philippine digital payment review

* House passes Philippine anti-spying bill amid civil rights concerns

* Former Philippine President Duterte to remain in detention at The Hague

* Magnitude 4.4 earthquake jolts Philippines' Leyte and Samar provinces

Local residents commuing by boat through a flooded village on the outskirts of Hanoi, Vietnam on Sept 17, 2026. - AP

Vietnam

* Archaeological discovery sheds further light on Vietnam's imperial palace

* Vietnam and Laos cooperate to bust transnational online fraud ring

* Samoa charges two over killing of Australian in Vietnam

* Prolonged heavy rain causes widespread flooding in Hanoi

Cambodia

* Cambodia, Thailand conclude first maritime boundary conciliation meeting

* UN in Geneva informed of threats to displaced Cambodian civilians

* Cambodian PM highlights ‘hundreds of millions’ spent to cushion economic impact of Iran conflict

* Cambodia home to 10 auto assembly plants producing 35,000 vehicles annually: Manet

Myanmar

* Myanmar vows to step up fight against drug trafficking

* Myanmar deports US citizen detained over business dispute: presidency

* Myanmar marks World Ozone Day 2026

Laos

* Lao official warns 80 million unexploded munitions remain, funding cuts hit clearance

* Timor-Leste signs declaration to join Convention on Cluster Munitions

* Laos calls for shared humanitarian responsibility to heal wounds of war

Brunei

* Brunei and China reaffirm longstanding defence ties

* Dialogue, diplomacy vital to navigate regional uncertainties: Malaysian envoy to Brunei

* Brunei to participate in WorldSkills Competition

Protesters staging a rally against the possible deployment of South Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz and a US demand for the deployment, near the US. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept 17, 2026. The banners read ''Oppose troop deployment.'' - AP

Aseanplus

* China got cool for foreigners. But can they find a job there?

* US-China ties haunted by lack of mutual trust, Beijing Xiangshan Forum told

* Scott Bessent confirms weekend meeting with He Lifeng days before Xi’s US visit

* Pakistan maternity ward fire was 'institutional failure': Inquiry

* Marriage proposal at China concert stirs controversy when woman’s reaction blocks, angers spectators

* Japan eyes changing prostitution law to punish sex buyers

* Nepal raises flood missing toll by nearly 1,000 people to 6,150

* Nepal floods among 'most challenging' disasters: World Food Programme

* Will ‘transactional’ America assist India in a future border crisis with China?

* Climate change likely to have helped trigger Nepal glacier collapse, scientists say

* Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul fined over ant dessert

* Flexibility key to success in Asean

* Foundation collects tributes to Hong Kong’s Tung Chee-hwa for online memorial

* Hong Kong district councillor remanded in custody after underage sex conviction

* India, Pakistan trade blame and protests over navy collision

* Kyoto mayor who became Japan’s first mayor to take maternity leave gives birth to baby girl

* Australia cracks down on student and backpacker visas to curb migration

* Energy disruption hits Bangladesh and Pakistan as Gulf crisis worsens

* Fiji declares HIV a national crisis as diagnoses surge

* North Korea says US-led arms buildup justifies expanding nuclear force

* Macau holds first closed-door national security trial

* Australia considers banning the use of smart glasses in government buildings

* In Japan's mountains, a different way to manage bears emerges

* Emergency warning issued for bushfire in northern Australia

* Russia taps North Korean workers to make drones under fake visas

* The much-acclaimed gothic-mystery movie Khadam, led by Indonesian starlet Aghniny Haque, expands across Asia

* HK actress Cecilia Cheung, 46, shares tips for youthful look and slim physique