Philippines

New Philippine police chief sees no conflict with sudden removal of predecessor

MANILA: Newly designated Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge Lt Gen Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr said he does not see a conflict within the law enforcement agency following the sudden removal of his predecessor, Gen Nicolas Torre III.

Nation

Malaysian student wins big at 2025 International Programmable Robotics Competition in Korea

KUALA LUMPUR: Javen Cheok, an eight-year-old student from Sri Kuala Lumpur International School, won the Runner-Up award in the 'Robot Survival Basic Category' at the International Programmable Robotics Competition (IPRC) 2025, held in Seoul, South Korea early this month.

China

Debate on selling pets to pay debts swirls after Chinese court tries to auction cat

BEIJING: A three-year-old cat listed for auction by a Chinese court to settle its owner's debts was subsequently removed from the auction list on Aug 22, the Yangtse Evening Post reported.

Nation

Woman hurt after car hits elephant in Mersing

MERSING: A woman was injured after the car she was driving hit an elephant that was crossing the road at KM12 of the Mersing-Endau Road last night.

Cambodia

Cambodian 2025 economic growth forecast lowered to 5%

PHNOM PENH: The negative impacts of US tariffs and the effects of the armed conflict along the Thai border have led to several challenges for Cambodia's economic trajectory. The Ministry of Economy and Finance has reduced its economic growth forecast for 2025 to just 5.0%, down from the original estimate of 6.3%.

Singapore

Singapore proposes Asean joint statement to reaffirm commitment towards a drug-free region

SINGAPORE: Efforts by Singapore to tackle the drug scourge will see the Republic proposing an Asean joint statement to reaffirm a commitment towards a drug-free region.

Nation

Education Minister vows thorough probe into Selangor school fall incident

PETALING JAYA: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has assured that investigations into the case of a student who fell from the third floor of a school dormitory in Selangor will be conducted thoroughly, covering all related aspects, including allegations of bullying.

South Korea

Korean Air purchases over 100 Boeing aircraft

SEOUL: Korean Air said Tuesday (Aug 26) it will purchase more than 100 Boeing aircraft in the largest deal in South Korea's aviation history, just hours after the country's president met US President Donald Trump in Washington.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s Danantara sovereign wealth fund taps top tycoons for its first bond issue: Sources

JAKARTA: Several Indonesian tycoons have agreed to buy into a special bond issuance that aims to raise as much as 50 trillion rupiah (US$3 billion), the first offered by Indonesian sovereign wealth fund Danantara, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Nation

Malaysia on track to implement APSS, says Home Minister

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is on track to implement the Advanced Passenger Screening System (APSS), a state-of-the-art security framework designed to strengthen aviation safety and border control, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Vietnam

Police rescue three foreigners being illegally detained in HCM City

HCM CITY: Three South Korean citizens have been successfully rescued after they were illegally detained at an apartment complex, the HCM City Criminal Police Department announced on Tuesday (Aug 26).

Cambodia

Cambodian parliament ratifies marine biodiversity agreement

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian National Assembly on Monday (Aug 25) ratified the agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.

Sabah & Sarawak

Let Education Ministry decide if legal action against Zara's principal is needed, says Azalina

KOTA KINABALU: The Education Ministry has to look into whether there is a need to bring the school principal or state Education director to court over the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

AseanPlus News

Australian police hunt gunman who shot dead two officers in rural town: Report

SYDNEY: Australian police are hunting a gunman who shot dead two officers and wounded another on Tuesday (Aug 26) as they tried to serve a warrant for historical sex abuse allegations to a man at a rural property in the state of Victoria, local media said.

Thailand

Paetongtarn submits closing statement; border security and unity remain priorities

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has filed her written closing statement in Hun Sen audio clip case. Officials stress Thailand's border security and national unity remain key.

India

Frequent climate disasters expose perils of overtourism in India’s hills

NEW DELHI: It took less than a minute for flash floods to wash away an entire section of a village in the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on Aug 5, as people tried in vain to flee.

Economy

India braces for export hit as steep new US tariffs loom

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Indian exporters are bracing for disruptions after a U.S. Homeland Security notification confirmed Washington would impose an additional 25% tariff on all Indian-origin goods from Wednesday, ramping up trade pressure on the Asian nation.

Nation

Cops probing Form 3 student's fall from third floor of Sabak Bernam hostel

KUALA LUMPUR: The police are investigating an incident where a Form 3 student fell from the third floor of a school's hostel in Sabak Bernam.

World

Ambani son's wildlife centre faces probe into allegations of animal mistreatment

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's Supreme Court has ordered an investigation into a wildlife rescue centre run by the philanthropic arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani's group, although it said the evidence did not support allegations of unlawful animal acquisitions and mistreatment.

Laos

Mekong embankment in Vientiane nears completion

VIENTIANE: Construction of an embankment along the Mekong River in Vientiane is now almost 90 per cent complete and will provide the capital with vital flood defences and a new public recreational area upon its planned completion in 2026.