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Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Major Japan banks expand via S.E. Asia partnerships
Major Japanese banks are teaming up with Southeast Asian financial institutions to increase their presence in the region.
— The Japan News

Enforced silence catches Cambodia media off-guard – See who’s blocked
Ahead of national elections that are widely tipped to see the ruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP) and Southeast Asia strongman Hun Sen returned to office tomorrow the country’s 8.3 million registered voters are finding it difficult to stay abreast of the latest developments, with 17 news sites being blocked by the government.
— AEC News Today

Factories shift out of China to avoid trade war, boosting volume for logistics firms like Kerry
Kerry Logistics Network, a Hong Kong-listed firm owned by Malaysia’s wealthiest man, has become a beneficiary of the ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies, as customers shift part of their production lines from mainland China to such destinations as northern Malaysia’s Penang to skirt US tariffs.
— South China Morning Post

Belt tightening
The dream of a pan-Asian railway network has been around for decades but the story so far has been mostly one of false starts and missing links.
— Bangkok Post

Tigers facing extinction globally
Hunted by poachers for their skulls and tails, and almost every other body part in between, tigers are amongst the most threatened wildlife on earth.
— The Asean Post

CAN VIETNAM TAKE SINGAPORE’S STOCK MARKET CROWN?
Just three years ago, Vietnam was still a cipher in the global financial system. The Southeast Asian nation had only ten US$1 billion listed companies, while daily trading volume on the stock market came in at around US$100 million.
— South China Morning Post

Asean Must Build Regional Resilience Amid Unclear US Foreign Policy: Experts
Southeast Asian countries stand to benefit from the current international political climate, despite uncertainty surrounding US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, experts said.
— Jakarta Globe

ASEAN relief items arrive in Wattay International Airport, Vientiane, Lao PDR
In response to floodings in 10 provinces of Lao PDR, the Jakarta-based ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) is facilitating the mobilisation of ASEAN relief items for the flood-affected communities.
— Reliefweb

Ministers from Asean, key partners to meet in Singapore this week
Officials from Asean countries and their key counterparts across the region will be in Singapore for a series of annual meetings this week, starting today.
— The Straits Times

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Cambodia votes: CPP claims 45% gain, claims boycott call ignored (gallery)
The future of Cambodia’s political landscape is unclear this evening with the country’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) claiming some 82.17 per cent of eligible Khmer voters rejected a call to boycott today’s national election, with the ruling party claiming a boost of 47 per cent.
— AEC News Today

Enforced silence catches Cambodia media off-guard – See who’s blocked
Ahead of national elections that are widely tipped to see the ruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP) and Southeast Asia strongman Hun Sen returned to office tomorrow the country’s 8.3 million registered voters are finding it difficult to stay abreast of the latest developments, with 17 news sites being blocked by the government.
– AEC News Today

Cambodia Ruling Party Claims Win in Election Without Opponents
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party claimed victory in a general election Sunday, capturing nearly all 125 seats in a one-sided contest as voters, many under threat of losing government services, ratified an outcome decided in November when Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government dissolved the main opposition party.
— Radio Free Asia

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Joanne Encantador @encantador_jo

Death Toll in Lombok Quake Rises to 16
The death toll from the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that rattled Lombok island on Sunday morning rose to 16 as of 08:00 p.m. local time, according to the West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD).
— Tempo.co

Asian Games projected to contribute rp22 trillion to Jakarta economy
The Asian Games 2018 will surely contribute to the economy of Jakarta and Palembang as co-host of the event, National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said.
— Antara News

Gov’t Declares State of Emergency After Powerful Lombok Quake
The government has declared a three-day state of emergency after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake killed at least 14 people, including a Malaysian tourist, on Lombok Island in West Nusa Tenggara on Sunday morning (29/07).
— Jakarta Globe

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Joanne Encantador @encantador_jo

Laos accelerating aid to victims of dam collapse
Laos is now accelerating its distribution of aid to victims of the recent dam collapse this past week, as officials scramble to search for those still missing.
— News Today (video)

Commentary: The Laos dam collapse, and the hidden costs of the Mekong’s hydroelectric plans
The hidden costs of dams planned along the Mekong river are high and pose a threat to the populations there, says one observer.
— ChannelNewsAsia

Thai provinces accepting donations for victims of Laos dam collapse
Several provinces across Thailand are accepting donations for the victims of a disaster that was triggered by the collapse of the Xepian-Xe Namnoy Dam in the Lao PDR’s Attapeu province.
— News Today (video)

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Khazanah’s mass resignation unlikely to affect equity market
The resignation of the entire Khazanah Nasional Bhd’s board members will likely not have any impact on the local equity market as it is mainly influenced by regional bourses, said Hermana Capital Bhd Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer Datuk Dr Nazri Khan Adam Khan.
— New Straits Times

Alibaba Cloud continues to invest in Malaysia
ALIBABA Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, announced the launch of their second availability zone (Availability Zone B) in Malaysia to expand its cloud footprint and bolster its cloud capacity, serving increasing customer demand locally and in the region.
— Digital News Asia

Malaysia offers Indonesia aid after earthquake
MALAYSIA is offering assistance in search and rescue (SAR) operations as well as for rehabilitation for victims following the earthquake in West Nusa Tenggara and Lombok today.
— The Malaysian Insight

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Joanne Encantador @encantador_jo

Myanmar urged to fix key issues for industrial revamp
MYANMAR’S potential to become a regional investment hub would be realised only if the government manages to address major challenges businesses are facing in the nation, a banking expert has warned.
— TheNation

Village administrator sacked for protesting against cement factory project
Mandalay Regiion, Patheingyi Township, Dahattaw village-tracts, Aungthabyay village administrator Kyaw Myo Oo who stood with his fellow villagers in protest against the construction project of cement factory equipped with a coal-fired power plant was reportedly sacked from his post.
— Mizzima

Myanmar can avoid resource curse
Myanmar is blessed with sizeable endowments of mining metals, ranging from tin, copper, tungsten, and zinc to other precious metals such as jade, rubies and sapphires.
— Myanmar Times

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

NG debts breach P7 T in June
The national government’s debt pile breached the P7 trillion mark as of end-June following the issuance of Retail Treasury bonds (RTBs) and the weak peso, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) reported on Friday.
— The Philippine Star

Cash transfers seen in excess of P150 billion
CAMARINES Sur and Deputy Speaker Rolando Andaya Jr. on Sunday said government cash transfers—conditional and unconditional—could reach the P150-billion mark in 2019.
— Manilastandard.net

NFA gets P5.2B of P9.7-B subsidies
THE subsidy provided by the national government for June this year amounted to P9.718 billion, with most of it going to the National Food Authority (NFA) at P5.200 billion, Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) data showed.
— Business Mirror

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Singapore to host 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: MFA
Singapore will host the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and related meetings from Jul 30 to Aug 4, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday (Jul 29).
— ChannelNewAsia

RPT-Petrobras targets larger China market share with new crude oil
Brazil’s state-controlled energy company Petrobras plans to push more crude oil to top importer China by marketing a new medium-sweet grade that could be shipped from October, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
— Reuters

Are Singapore’s latest property measures too much too soon?
Singapore’s new policies aimed at tempering house-price gains were the latest government effort to address a growing lack of affordability in cities worldwide.
— The Investor

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

BoT: E-payment climb hastening
Thailand’s average digital payment transactions are expected to triple to 150 transactions per person per year sooner than previously forecast, thanks to a series of launches of digital banking services.
— Bangkok Post

Fishermen threaten strike
The commercial fishing sector has renewed its call for the government to bypass the lengthy hiring process for migrant workers or face a strike.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand ranked 44th on Global Innovation Index 2018
Thailand has moved up seven places in the Global Innovation Index 2018 rankings, now standing at number 44.
— News Today (video)

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Vietnam: Why Hanoi plans to ban motorbikes by 2030
Authorities in Vietnam are taking major steps to improve the air quality in one of the most polluted cities in Southeast Asia, including an ambitious plan to ban motorbikes by 2030.
— Aljazeera

Vietnam is China’s biggest trading partner in Asean
Vietnam has for the first time ever become China’s biggest trade partner in the Asean bloc, with two-way trade hitting over US$10 billion for every month of 2018.
— Inquirer.net

Vietnam July trade deficit at $300 mln vs $800 mln surplus in June
Vietnam reported a trade deficit of $300 million in July, swinging from a trade surplus of $800 million in June, government data released on Sunday showed.
— Reuters

See here for more of today’s Vietnam morning news

The Asean morning news roundup and its individual country morning news round-ups are the most comprehensive hand-curated selection of news reports from around the Asean Economic Community (AEC) published. We scour hundreds of local and international news and websites to find the things that you need to know to start your working week day.

We clearly identify the source of the story, whether it is behind a paywall, a media release, or whether the site uses annoying pop-up advertising or auto-play video, in case those things annoy you. It’s all then packaged up in an easy to read format enabling you to make an informed choice of whether you want to learn more by clicking directly through to the original source, or keep on reading the headlines. AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

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