Asean News Headlines at 9pm on Monday (May 22, 2023)

Malaysia:

* Anwar’s lawsuit against Muhyiddin to go to trial in August 2024

* Malaysia to discuss finding 1MDB solution with Abu Dhabi, says Anwar

* I need more time, says KJ over Muhyiddin’s offer

* DAP leaders to get supporters to vote for Umno in state polls, says Loke

* King gives consent to five Acts passed by Parliament, says deputy speaker

* PM: Foreign investors attracted by Malaysia’s clear economic policies

* Talk of toppling Perak govt will cause uncertainty about state’s future, says MB

* Amendments to Insolvency Act expected to be tabled this week, says Azalina

* Ministries to hold meeting to resolve Coldplay tickets issue, says Salahuddin

* Kulai man arrested for rape after 18-year-old delivers stillborn baby in toilet

* Prosecution’s preliminary objection to Bung Moktar, wife’s appeal to be heard on July 7

* Online gambling agent, bodyguard charged with man’s murder in Melaka

* Lima ‘23 expects to generate RM18bil in business pledges, says Mohamad

People wait to cross a road at rush hour in Beijing on Monday, May 22, 2023. – AFP

Singapore:

* Singapore life expectancy rises from a decade ago despite Covid-19; average now stands at 83 years at end 2022

* Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tests positive for Covid-19

* Man, 86, jailed for hacking ex-partner to death for not giving him bigger room

* Man charged with CBT over stolen luxury watches worth S$1.6mil

* Singapore PM Covid-19 positive for first time, says he is ‘generally feeling ok’

* I may not make it back down, Singapore climber texts wife

* Asian FX struggle for direction as traders eye US debt ceiling talks

* Oil down 1%, US debt caution offsets supply worries

* Chip rally drives Asian shares up, but US debt talks caution stays

* Hybrid working firmly embedded in Singapore – Flexible arrangement a crucial factor for job applicants

Indonesia:

* 25 years of reforms: Indonesia’s democracy back on slippery slope

* Canadian wanted by Interpol arrested in Indonesia’s Bali on fraud, forgery charges

* China’s Micron ban revives US trade tensions, fuels Asian chip rally

* NasDem top member’s arrest may put Anies, alliance in vulnerable position

* Voting to make a change in Timor Leste

* Asian shares mostly rise despite worries about US debt talks

Canadian national Stephane Gagnon (in orange), wanted by Interpol for forgery and fraud charges in his home country, is escorted at the police office following his detention in Denpasar on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on Monday, May 22, 2023. – AFP

Thailand:

* Thailand faces US$438 billion household debt in risk to new leader

* Thai coalition signs pact in move to hasten government formation

* No end to the matter yet as Thailand’s Move Forward faces new legal threat to coalition bid

* Thai alliance aims for ambitious reforms but not on royal insult law – draft

* Chiang Mai residents fear ancient gate with ruptured wall will topple

* Thai jobless rate lowest in three years in Q1 as tourism rebounds

Philippines:

* Philippines says ‘weak to moderate’ El Nino won’t fan inflation

* Philippine troops kill four more suspected rebels in clash at Negros Oriental province

* Fire destroys historic Philippine post office building

* Fire hits Manila central post office, volunteer injured

Russia’s Deputy head of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev attends a meeting with Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong (right) in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday May 22, 2023. – Reuters

Vietnam:

* Crippling heat waves deepen Asia’s reliance on Russian energy

* Vietnam economy to face continued unfavorable external conditions, says deputy PM

* Foreign Direct Investments remains key driver of Vietnam’s export growth

* Hanoi to take measures to improve food safety

Myanmar:

* UN food agency to cut rations for Rohingya Myanmar refugees again

* More help for Myanmar’s Cyclone Mocha victims – China donates relief supplies for those in need of help

* Myanmar’s Cyclone Mocha victims get aid from Thailand

Smoke billows from the still smoldering Manila Central Post Office as a fire hits in Manila, Philippines, early Monday, May 22, 2023. A massive fire tore through Manila’s historic post office building overnight, police and postal officials said Monday. – AP

Cambodia:

* Cambodia marks 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

* Siem Reap museum showcases latest cultural finds in temporary exhibition

* Cambodia arrests three women, seizing 150 kg of illicit drugs: official

Laos:

* Lao researchers project economy to grow 4.5 per cent in 2023

* Germany grants EUR32mil for forest protection in Laos

Brunei:

* Brunei faces nurse shortage: health minister

* Brunei’s Haj quota back to pre-Covid level

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, is met by diplomats as he arrives at the Sydney international airport on Monday, May 22, 2023, to begin his three-day visit to Australia. – AP

AseanPlus:

* ‘Anwar: The Untold Story’ is being ‘sabotaged’ by cinemas, says film distributor

* M’sia to address Islamophobia proactively, says Anwar

* G20 officials arrive in disputed Kashmir as India largely puts region’s intense security out of view

* Shipwrecks filled with relics dating to Ming Dynasty found in South China Sea

* Indian court issues summons to BBC in defamation case over Modi documentary

* WHO chief hopes for ‘historic’ pandemic accord

* Facebook given record $1.3 billion fine, given 5 months to stop EU-US data flows

* China says US chipmaker Micron failed national security review

* China’s Micron ban revives US trade tensions, fuels Asian chip rally

* Apple engineer steals secrets on self-driving cars and flees to China, US feds say

* China summons Japanese envoy over actions at G7

* Michelle Yeoh ups the fashion ante at Cannes Film Festival 2023

* US$5,800 for a scoop of world’s most expensive ice cream

* Japan-South Korea – Leaders in historic Hiroshima visit

* OpenAI brings ChatGPT app to your smartphone

* Riding on G7 success, Japan PM Kishida eyes early election

* Airbus seeks partnersips with Malaysian companies on sustainability efforts

* Cricket-Hazlewood deemed fit for WTC final, Ashes after injury scare

* Cricket-India board says Adidas to become new kit sponsor

* South Korea, EU agree to boost security ties amid Ukraine, North Korea tension

* Australia hits buy-now-pay-later sector with consumer credit law

* MyDigital, World Bank kickstart roundtable discussion on govtech transformation

* Analysis-Pakistan in uncharted territory as army seeks to vanquish Imran Khan