ASEAN IN FOCUS

Indonesia revokes licences of drug firms over syrups linked to child deaths

  Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Indonesia’s food and drug agency on Wednesday revoked the licences of two chemical firms to distribute materials used in syrup medicines linked to a wave of child deaths caused by kidney failure or damage. The move comes as the Southeast Asian country suffers a spike in cases of acute kidney injury that has killed nearly 200 children since the end of August, prompting an investigation and ban on the […]

US-China rivalry, N. Korea to dominate ASEAN summit

Phnom Penh, Cambodia | AFP | by Suy SE The US-China rivalry and growing fears of a new North Korean nuclear test will loom over a meeting this week of Southeast Asian leaders attended by US President Joe Biden. Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet in Phnom Penh from Friday, kicking off a diplomatic blitz in the region that also takes in next week’s G20 in Bali and an APEC […]

Australian sentenced to 129 years in Philippine child sex abuse case

Manila, Philippines | AFP | by Allison Jackson and Mikhail Flores An Australian man has been sentenced to 129 years in a Philippine jail as part of a child sexual abuse case involving victims as young as 18 months, a prosecutor said Wednesday. It was the second conviction for Peter Gerard Scully, who is already serving a life sentence for an initial batch of charges involving the rape and trafficking of girls. The Philippines has […]

Southeast Asia’s Russian dilemma as summits loom

Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | by Lisa Martin and Alexis Hontang Southeast Asian countries look set to maintain ties with Russia as a trio of global summits loom, despite US-led efforts to isolate Moscow over its Ukraine invasion. The Ukraine conflict and its repercussions — higher fuel, energy and food costs and supply chain disruptions — will loom over the back-to-back gatherings in Phnom Penh, Bali and Bangkok. The diplomatic whirl begins this week with […]

EU extends Myanmar sanctions, targets minister and judge

  Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The EU on Tuesday extended its sanctions on Myanmar’s junta, targeting 19 more individuals and entities including a minister and a chief justice. The measures against Myanmar were announced by the European Council because of “the continuing escalation of violence and grave human rights violations following the military takeover two years ago”. It was the fifth package of EU sanctions on the southeast Asian country, under military rule since […]

Indonesia child deaths blamed on syrup medicines rise to 195

  Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Indonesia said Monday the number of child deaths from kidney failure or damage linked to harmful substances found in syrup medicines has risen to 195. The Southeast Asian country has seen a spike in cases of acute kidney injury (AKI) since August, prompting a probe and subsequent ban on all liquid medicine sales. More than 320 cases of AKI have been recorded in provinces across the country and 27 […]

Vietnam struggles to break one of world’s biggest coal addictions

  Hanoi, Vietnam | AFP | by Alice PHILIPSON Despite Vietnam’s solar boom and ambitious climate targets, the fast-growing economy is struggling to quit dirty energy — leaving one of the world’s biggest coal power programmes largely intact. During the COP26 climate summit last year, the government boldly promised to end the construction of new coal plants and phase out the dirtiest of those already running, even as energy demands soar in the manufacturing powerhouse. […]

Indonesia Q3 growth rises but remains below forecasts

Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Indonesia’s economic growth accelerated in the third quarter of 2022 on the back of strong exports and domestic consumption, official data showed on Monday, but it remained below forecasts. It was the biggest jump for Southeast Asia’s largest economy in more than a year, rising from 5.44 percent in the second quarter to 5.72 percent for the period between July and September, the Central Statistics Agency said. The Indonesian economy […]

K-pop band’s Indonesia concert halted after 30 faint in crush

South Tangerang, Indonesia | AFP | Saturday 11/5/2022 – 09:36 UTC+1 | 337 words K-pop band NCT 127 was forced to end their first concert in Indonesia early after 30 people fainted in a crush, police said. Indonesia is still reeling after more than 130 people, including over 40 children, died in a stadium stampede last month — one of the deadliest disasters in football history. Police spokesperson Endra Zulpan said late on Friday that […]

Malaysia’s nearly century-old Mahathir seeks re-election

Langkawi, Malaysia | AFP | Saturday by Patrick LEE Mahathir Mohamad, the nearly 100-year-old elder statesman of Malaysian politics, filed his candidacy Saturday in what is likely to be his final race, as campaigning for upcoming general elections began. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob called for elections 10 months ahead of schedule, with the graft-tainted ruling party of jailed ex-leader Najib Razak seeking to cement its political comeback four years after it was dramatically voted […]

Myanmar takes delivery of Russian fighter jets: monitor

  Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | Myanmar’s military has begun taking delivery of a batch of Russian-made combat jets, a monitoring group said Friday, the latest hardware shipped from Moscow as rights campaigners accuse the junta of hitting civilians with air strikes. In 2018 under the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s military purchased six Sukhoi Su-30s from Russia, according to Russian state media reports. Satellite data, reports from flight spotters and a […]

European Research and Innovation Days ASEAN 2022 focus on twin transition of green and digital in ASEAN and EU

    The European Research and Innovation Days ASEAN 2022, the flagship regional event of EURAXESS ASEAN, will take place virtually from 2 to 11 November 2022, bringing together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and the public to debate and shape the future of the world we want to live in. This year, the European Research and Innovation Days ASEAN 2022 will focus on green and digital transitions in ASEAN and EU, highlighting the creation of a […]