Malaysia:
* Covid-19 surveillance: 571 new cases, national ICU bed utilization at 66.3pc
* Kada has allocated RM10mil under five-year agro-food aid programme, says Mohamad Sabu
* AFF seat shortage: Hannah Yeoh says Jay Chou’s team booked Bukit Jalil National Stadium in 2019
* Roaring support still secured for Harimau Malaya despite reduced audience
* Ministry of Health publishes Braille medicine labels for the visually impaired
* MACC arrests CEO over probe into RM92.5bil economic stimulus packages
* Rosmah’s appeal against solar project corruption conviction rescheduled for July 11
* Ministry of Health offers new permanent positions for MOs a step in the right direction, says MMA
* MyCEB secures 88 business events worth RM1.47 billion in economic impact by 2030
* Pigs culled, farm closed in South Seberang Prai after outbreak of African swine fever
* Situation calm in Sabah, no change in the state government, says Anwar
* Possibility arises of Bung becoming next Sabah CM
Rabbit-themed stuffed toys are displayed at a street stall before Lunar New Year in Singapore’s Chinatown district. – AFP
Singapore:
* Snack suspected of containing cannabis plant derivative pulled from vending machines in Singapore
* Singapore: Reformatory education for 20-year-old who raped two underage girls, including his sister
* Lone wolves still main terror threat for Singapore: report
* Japanese finance minister to visit Singapore and Vietnam next week
* With few entrance tests, Southeast Asia can gain the most from China’s travel revival
* Victim in Marsiling burning incident dies; The suspect is now charged with murder
* Asian stocks rally ahead of US jobs test; Yen slips
* Oil prices rise on optimism over China’s reopening
This aerial photo shows Titik Nol Nusantara (Nul Nusantara), the future capital for Indonesia, in Sepaku, Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan. Located in East Borneo – the world’s third largest island – Nusantara is set to replace submerged and polluted Jakarta as the political center of Indonesia by the end of 2024. – AFP
Indonesia:
* Indonesia: Almost a million people will lose their jobs in 2022
* Indonesia cuts palm oil exports to ensure supply at home
* World food prices hit record high in 2022 despite December fall
* Indonesian president eyes cabinet reshuffle within the next few days
* Court confirms death sentence for Java teacher who raped 13 students
* New Indonesian capital threatens ancient Eden with ‘ecological disaster’
* Former trade officials, company execs jailed for fake palm oil exports
People walk by tuktuks along a street in Chinatown in Bangkok. – Travelers returning to China from January 8, 2023 will no longer have to be in quarantine, removing one of the main barriers to travel for the country’s population, and a frenzy of travel planning for thousands ready to return to top Asian tourist spots to return – AFP
Thailand:
* Thailand publishes visitor guidelines for cannabis use in the country
* Jack Ma seen ‘ready to spar’ with legendary Muay Thai fighter in Bangkok
* Thailand adopts new rules for foreign visitors
* Underground tunnels open portals to the historical attractions of Bangkok
* Tourists need at least two Covid-19 shots to enter Thailand: Health Minister
* Health experts: No need to panic about the arrival of Chinese tourists
Philippines:
* Philippines and China agree to handle disputes peacefully and strengthen cooperation
* Holiday buzz drives Philippine jobless rate to 17-year low
* Emerging markets – Philippine peso firms bit Asian Forex loses steam ahead of US jobs data
* Marcos should discuss smuggling by Chinese syndicates: Inquirer
* National police chief offers to quit
* China and the Philippines: Restoring a broken relationship
A motorcyclist at a market in Pleiku, Vietnam. Vietnam’s economy grew at the fastest pace in Asia this year, signaling momentum just before the risks of a global slowdown began to materialize. – Bloomberg
Vietnam:
* Asian tourists who like to travel internationally again; Vietnam is now a major destination
* The photographer’s work on Krong No Vulkan wins the top prize at the Viet Literature and Arts Awards
* Vietnamese shrimp exporters see profits in 2022 thanks to FTAs
* Boy trapped in a hollow concrete pillar declared dead
* Vietnam DPMs removed in anti-corruption drive
* Overcapacity contributes to Vietnam’s low inflation rate
* Fighting inflation among key measures for Vietnam
Myanmar:
* Myanmar military holds election negotiations with ethnic rebels
* Myanmar army leader wants election plan and says it will be ‘free and fair’
* Myanmar grants amnesty to 7,012 prisoners on 75th Independence Day
* Myanmar to reopen Myawaddy-Mae Sot Friendship Bridge No. 1 soon
* Ex-minister, writer among prisoners released in amnesty
Indonesian soccer fans come to support their team before the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 soccer match between Indonesia and Vietnam at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Friday, January 6, 2023. – AFP
Cambodia:
* Cambodia ready to welcome the return of Chinese investors and tourists
* RCEP, BRI boost Cambodia’s socioeconomic, trade development, officials say
* Cambodia unveils plans for “luxury” agricultural products
Laos:
* Inflation in Laos rises to its highest rate at 39.27 percent in December
* Passenger volume exceeded nine million on the Laos-China Railway since its launch in 2021
* Laos one of 20 places you must visit in 2023: The Telegraph
Brunei:
* Some businesses in Brunei have violated the price control law
* Fire Good Tutong Workshop
* Brunei recorded a daily average of 227 Covid-19 cases in the past week
An ambush of Siberian tigers are seen at the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. – AFP
Asean Plus:
* China expects surge in travel over Chinese New Year holidays
* China tries to minimize Covid-19 risk during travel rush
* S. Korea promises severe punishment against Chinese tourists who escaped the Covid quarantine
* Tesla cuts Model 3, Model Y prices in China for second time in 3 months
* Japan, USA to hold ‘2 plus 2’ talks in Washington on January 11
* Asian markets fluctuate after a healthy start to the new year
* Sino-US relations remain key mission, says new China FM
* US Navy warship passes through Taiwan Strait
* China Covid-19: Hospital is running out of beds
* Tuna price soars past US$270,000 at auction
* South Korea: Police find traveler missing after positive test
* China Science: Synthetic tissue restores erections in pigs
* Average time spent online in 2022 shows biggest dip in a decade
* The influence of Chiang Kai-shek in Taipei
* Pandemic blows hole in Australia’s population target but migration recovers
* More political storm for TikTok after US government ban
* Japanese Prime Minister Kishida has invited to visit Ukraine, says the spokesman
* Samsung estimates quarterly profit fell to 8-year low on demand
* China commodity bulls see big gains after short-term Covid pain
* China to remain the key market for global companies
