Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Thursday (July 17, 2025)
* Injured tapir rescued from Selangor durian orchard
* Missing university student found dead in Kuala Lumpur
* GOF detects more than 100 illegal bases in Kelantan
* Marine police seize smuggled smokes worth RM2.3mil in Pasir Mas
* Immigration Department detains 35 foreigners without valid permits
* Kelantan police raid 'gay party' in Kemumin
* Six-month-old baby dies of suspected suffocation at Melaka childcare centre
* Teacher claims trial to sexually assaulting pupil, 10
* MACC's contribution not settlement for Teoh Beng Hock's case, says Loke
* A guiding hand: Sabah retiree spends her mornings teaching stateless kids
* KLIA undergoes RM3mil green makeover for Visit Malaysia 2026
* Power theft linked to crypto mining costs RM4.8bil in losses, says deputy minister
* All pre-university pathways to be placed under Higher Education Ministry
* New e-commerce legislation to be tabled next year
* Man jailed 18 months for smashing police station door
* Rally an attempt to remain politically relevant says PM's aide
* Serial sexual assault suspect to be charged on July 18
* Syndicate stashes drugs in livestock, says cops
* JPJ plans rehab course for suspended PSV, GDL licence holders
* GOF raids illegal Batu Gajah factory, seizes RM10mil worth of metal
* Teenage biker killed, younger brother seriously injured in Muar collision
* JPJ in final stages of reviewing demerit points system for traffic offences
* Bersatu appoints Hamzah Zainudin as election director
* EPF ceases to be substantial shareholder in SunCon
* Durian farmer dies in suspected accidental shooting with homemade firearm
Singapore
* Singaporean actor Li Nanxing on reuniting with Chow Yun Fat at Star Awards: 'I consider him more a friend than an idol'
* Coffee Meets Bagel's Singpass check: Why I'll swipe right on that
* Two weeks' jail for man caught smuggling over 1,800 vapes and pods into Singapore
* Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail
* S$7,000 fine for eatery chain involved in ByteDance food poisoning case
* Sunway secures RM2.33bil Singapore land tender for residential development
* Singapore Prison Service debunks online claims that it launched 'the world's first floating prison'
Indonesia
* Police detain 12 suspects of baby trafficking syndicate
* Prabowo and Trump have struck tariff deal – but at what cost to Indonesia?
* Mount Rinjani: Adventure turns to tragedy
* Bali emerges as major hot spot for transnational drug trafficking: Narcotics Agency
Thailand
* Woman who seduced, blackmailed monks nabbed
* Thaksin testifies in defamation case
* Three Thai soldiers injured after stepping on landmine during patrol at Cambodian border
* Supreme Patriarch urges Thai govt to act against monks violating celibacy vow
* Thai EC announces investigation into alleged Senate election fraud, 229 individuals facing charges
* Thailand to offer Trump no duties on 90% of goods, adviser says
* Man in Thailand injured after falling face first onto durian in traffic accident
Philippines
* Philippine senator seeks inquiry into selling of babies online
* Volcanic eruption ends day's search for bodies of Filipino cockfighters
* Tropical Depression Crising could make landfall in Philippines' Cagayan Friday (July 18) night: Pagasa
Vietnam
* Vietnam footballers target third straight Asean U23 title
* Vietnam targets US$4.5bil in cashew exports for 2025
Myanmar
* Ancient ball game battles for survival
* Myanmar's tin exports set to rise as major hub resumes mining
* Myanmar junta begins approving political parties ahead of expected elections
Cambodia
* Cambodia makes 1,000 arrests in latest crackdown on cybercrime
* Cambodia's trade with Asean reaches US$8.45bil in H1
Laos
* Laos, Cambodia strengthen joint efforts against transnational crime
* Villages in Laos inundated as heavy rain lashes provinces
Brunei
* New Brunei offshore agreement signals energy sector rejuvenation
* Forum highlights Brunei's sustainable growth potential
Aseanplus
* When the working class takes a hit
* AI porn case under criminal probe
* Baidu to deploy driverless cars on Uber
* Two arrested for stealing exam papers
* Air India crash probe focuses on actions of plane's captain, WSJ reports
* South Korea's Lee orders new investigation team to look into deadly 2022 crush
* Bursa Malaysia bounces higher after two-day slump
* Ringgit rebounds on softer US stance towards China
* Factbox-How could Japan's election affect economic policy?
* Huawei tops China smartphone market for first time in years
* US tariffs could drag Asean-5 GDP growth to 1.5% in 2026 - economist
* Air India junior pilot asked captain why he turned off fuel switches
* 'My car's being swept away': South Korean flood victim's last call to wife
* Asian stocks struggle as traders eye Fed saga, trade war
* Soon Huat-Shevon storm into Japan Open quarter-finals
* Japan says 'extremely regrettable' Japanese national was found guilty in China
* HK actor Jacky Heung sued over RM757,000 gambling debt, case now settled says Macau casino
* Asean nations urged to cooperate on lowering cost of next-gen drugs for HIV patients
* South Korea lashed by heavy rain, two dead and more than 1,000 evacuated
* Death of Australia's 'Outback Killer' leaves whereabouts of British backpacker's body unknown
* Air India probe of Boeing 787 fuel control switches finds no issues
* Oil up as demand expectations, economic data lift sentiment
* Zahid hopes for closer Malaysia-NZ cooperation in disaster management
* South Korea's top court clears Samsung Chairman Lee in 2015 merger fraud case
* Former Taiwanese boy band F4 reunite for surprise performance at Mayday concert
* New pier completed at North Korea rocket launch site, satellite imagery shows
* Gold prices slip as dollar firms, Trump eases Powell uncertainty
* China school expels woman for sex with Ukraine man that 'hurts national dignity'
* Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan kill 54 people in 24 hours
* China school expels woman for sex with Ukraine man that 'hurts national dignity'
* Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan kill 54 people in 24 hours
* 'Aku cinta padamu, Malaysia', says K-drama star Lee Soo-hyuk as he meets delirious fans in Kuala Lumpur
* Japan to host US Treasury Secretary as trade deal deadline looms
* Trump set to visit Pakistan in September, reports say
* India's Karnataka govt report blames Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede that killed 11
* Malaysia committed to successful negotiations with US to lower tariffs, says Tok Mat
* 'Sure is a great way to get fit and healthy,' says Hannah Yeoh on pickleball, the raging phenomenon that has hit Malaysia and the region
* Hong Kong police arrest man on suspicion of pushing boy, 9, into sea
* Ex-top China student gets low exam score, parents kick him out, change door code
* US aims to ban Chinese technology in undersea telecommunications cables
* Singer Jenny Tseng falls victim to theft, loses items exceeding RM30k at London airport
* Malaysia strongly condemns Israeli airstrikes in Syria, Lebanon
* Golf-Mickelson rolls back years with early magic at Portrush
* Pearly-Thinaah complete Malaysia's quarter-final line-up in Japan Open
* Golf-Players chase birdies at Portrush as hawks target seagulls
* Labubu is not the first toy craze: From Tamagotchi to Beanie Babies, a history of viral toys
* Sze Fei-Izzuddin dig deep to secure spot in Japan Open quarters
* Cops probing alleged extortion of Taiwanese woman at PJ roadblock
* Bangladesh police arrest 20 after deadly clashes in ousted premier's hometown
* Keris Strike 2025 to engage over 4,000 military personnel from three nations
* South Korea's exam paper thieves suspected to have been active for at least two years
* Japanese actress Nagiko Tono found dead in her Tokyo apartment
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New Straits Times
20 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Thailand expels Cambodian ambassador, recalls its envoy in border row
BANGKOK: Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador on Wednesday and recalled its own envoy, as it blamed its neighbour for a landmine blast that wounded a Thai soldier, inflaming a long-running border dispute. Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said an investigation by the Thai military found evidence that Cambodia had laid new landmines in a disputed border area -- a claim denied by Phnom Penh. The territorial row in an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, boiled over into military clashes in May that left one Cambodian soldier dead. Since then, the two sides have traded barbs and tit-for-tat retaliatory measures, with Thailand restricting border crossings and Cambodia halting certain imports. Five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by the landmine on Wednesday afternoon in the Nam Yuen district of northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province, the Thai army said. In response, the government agreed to an army proposal to close a number of border checkpoints, Phumtham said in a statement to journalists. "It has also decided to downgrade diplomatic relations by recalling the Thai ambassador to Cambodia and expelling Cambodia's ambassador to Thailand," he said. The Thai army said in a statement that one soldier lost his leg in the blast, and others suffered ear injuries and chest pain. The army chief will visit the wounded soldiers on Thursday. Cambodia's defence ministry on Wednesday night "categorically rejected the unfounded accusations" made by Thailand. "Cambodia has repeatedly reminded the Thai side that these areas still contain many landmines left over from past wars, which have not yet been fully cleared," defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said in a statement. "It is deeply regrettable that the Thai side has not only failed to take responsibility for its aggressive actions but has also gone as far as accusing Cambodia of violating international law," she said, adding that her country is "the unjust victim of Thailand's violations". The spokeswoman said that Cambodia would defend its territorial integrity under "any circumstances, and at any cost". The border dispute has soured relations between Phnom Penh and Bangkok -- prompting the closure of border crossings, and Cambodia blocking imports of fuel and gas as well as fruit and vegetables from Thailand. It also kicked off a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct during the row. A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia's former longtime ruler and father of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation. Last week, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia would start conscripting civilians next year, activating a long-dormant mandatory draft law. He said the tensions with Thailand meant conscription was needed, and the defence budget may also be increased. - AFP
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Why markets may soon call Trump's tariff bluff
THREE months after United States President Donald Trump announced plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on most countries, the United States economy appears surprisingly resilient. The stock market has rebounded from its initial slump, inflation remains under control and fears of a recession have receded, or at least they had before Trump announced a new 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union (EU), two of America's biggest trading partners. In the months since Trump's initial announcement, several countries have entered negotiations with the United States, offering concessions they had long resisted. Many observers view this as evidence that Trump's aggressive trade tactics are working and that economists may have overestimated the potential costs. Yet this interpretation overlooks a critical detail: many of the tariffs that Trump announced over the past few months have not been fully implemented. In fact, the administration has repeatedly backed down from its initial threats, a pattern so consistent that it has earned the acronym Taco: 'Trump always chickens out.' Despite its outspoken distrust of experts, particularly economists, scientists and health professionals, the Trump administration has consistently been attuned to financial markets. Since early April, announcements of new or increased duties have repeatedly triggered stock-market declines. In response, the administration has often softened its stance by issuing exemptions, delaying some tariffs, and renegotiating others, leading to quick rebounds in equity prices. Announcements of bilateral deals have been met with investor optimism, while renewed threats of escalation have triggered sell-offs. Until recently, this feedback loop has helped rein in the administration's trade policies. But the latest escalation, including a 50% tariff on copper, higher-than-expected tariffs on goods from Vietnam and stalled negotiations with the EU, has barely moved the markets, with equity prices remaining elevated. The most plausible explanation is that investors no longer believe the administration will follow through on its threats. Instead, they see them as part of a now-familiar cycle: bold proclamations followed by delays or partial implementation. Complacency, however, introduces a new kind of risk. If markets become desensitised to Trump's tariff threats, they may no longer serve as an effective check on potentially harmful policies. Freed from that constraint, Trump could be emboldened to move forward with measures his administration has so far been reluctant to implement. It is a classic 'boy who cried wolf' dynamic. In the early stages, Trump's aggressive rhetoric helped bring negotiating partners to the table without triggering the worst-case economic scenarios, largely because the market backlash acted as a deterrent. But as investors increasingly dismiss his tariff threats, the likelihood that he will follow through on them grows. And if that happens, the long-feared consequences could finally materialise: higher consumer prices, reduced trade, disrupted supply chains and slower long-term growth. This dynamic extends beyond financial markets. Many countries that were once firmly committed to multilateralism are now pursuing bilateral deals with the United States in the hope of avoiding punitive tariffs. Some see these developments as vindication of the administration's current approach, evidence that the United States can use its economic power to reshape a system seen as unfavourable to American interests. But the shift toward bilateralism is less an endorsement of Trump's approach than a pragmatic response. Confronting the United States directly would be costly. Finding themselves on increasingly hostile and unpredictable terrain, many governments are buying time and hedging their bets. Such hedging can move in only one direction: away from the United States and toward alternative trading partners, particularly China. For most countries, that is not the preferred outcome. Vietnam, for example, has openly expressed its desire to strengthen ties with the United States rather than deepen its reliance on China. But as US trade policy grows more erratic, governments are increasingly being forced to choose between the two powers. The irony is that Trump's efforts to bully foreign governments will ultimately diminish America's global influence. Economic leverage, after all, depends on engagement. The United States can pressure trading partners today precisely because it remains deeply integrated into the global economy. Consequently, US policymakers now find themselves in a double bind. In the short term, financial markets have mitigated the impact of Trump's aggressive rhetoric by discouraging implementation of the policies that follow from it. But if investors keep treating his threats as empty noise, they will ignore the wolf when it appears. Moreover, given the United States' central role in the global trading system, its retreat from multilateralism will drive other countries to seek alternatives and diversify their trade relationships. As they become less dependent on the United States market, American bargaining power will inevitably decline. While the Trump administration's strategy may appear to be working, the absence of immediate costs is not evidence of its long-term viability. Instead, it is a sign that the warnings were heard and for a time heeded. If the administration ignores those warnings, economists' dire predictions may come true. — The Jakarta Post/ANN Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg is a professor of economics at Yale University and a former World Bank Group chief economist and editor-in-chief of the American Economic Review. The views expressed here are the writer's own.
Malaysian Reserve
4 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
U.S. Lumber Coalition: Canada Employs Unfounded Scare Tactics in Attempt to Attack President Trump's Successful Trade Policies
The U.S. softwood lumber industry is a critical manufacturing industry essential to the national economic strength and the industrial resilience of the United States Canada's unfair trade in softwood lumber continues to be extremely harmful to U.S. producers and workers Continued strong trade law enforcement is paramount to bringing about fair pricing of lumber to support future capacity increases for U.S. self-reliance in lumber WASHINGTON, July 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — CNN recently published an article citing the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, backed by Canadian allied organizations such as the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), attacking President Trump's trade policies. The article claims that tariffs on Canadian building materials, with an emphasis on Canadian lumber imports, will drive up the cost of housing for U.S. consumers. This is incorrect. 'Claims by the National Association of Homebuilders that import duties, or possible future tariffs, against unfairly traded Canadian lumber imports would drive the housing affordability issue routinely have been proven wrong,' stated Zoltan van Heyningen, Executive Director of the U.S. Lumber Coalition, adding that 'an honest conversation about housing affordability, such as Prime Minister Carney engaged in when talking about housing affordability issues in Canada, would mainly focus on the cost of land, regulatory costs, labor, and high profitability rates of homebuilders.' 'President Trump's America First trade policies, which include the unyielding enforcement of U.S. trade laws against dumped and subsidized Canadian lumber imports, has resulted in a massive boost of U.S. production of softwood lumber to build American homes with American lumber produced by American workers,' stated Andrew Miller, Chair/Owner of Stimson Lumber Company. Increased U.S. capacity through the enforcement of the U.S. trade laws means that today the United States can supply the vast majority of its own lumber needs. U.S. mills have added 8.8 billion board feet of capacity since 2016 in the form of new mills and expansions of existing mills. The U.S. industry has produced 30 billion additional board feet of softwood lumber during this period. These increases have more than offset any decline in unfairly traded Canadian imports and are enough lumber to build two million new single-family homes. 'In order to continue seeing the massive growth of U.S. softwood lumber production capacity that we have seen over the last nine years as a result of U.S. trade law enforcement, it is essential that President Trump takes all necessary steps to downsizing Canada's unsustainable 8 billion board feet of excess lumber capacity that is stifling continued U.S. growth,' continued Miller. 'Canada's massive excess lumber capacity coupled with Canada needing to ship 60 to 70 percent of all their lumber production into the U.S. market in order to maintain that capacity is driving Canada to continue engaging in egregious unfair trade practices,' added Miller. 'Canadian softwood lumber companies, not U.S. consumers, directly pay the import duties through their U.S. subsidiaries. This is reflected in their financial statements, and is not a cost that they can pass on to the consumers in today's weak lumber market,' stated van Heyningen, adding that 'naturally, this is a fact that is overlooked by those seeking to attack President Trump's successful trade policies as it is an inconvenient truth.' 'To date, Canadian softwood lumber companies have paid an estimated 7 billion dollars to U.S. taxpayers, and will be on the hook for an additional estimated 1.3 billion dollars once the U.S. Department of Commerce issues its latest results in the ongoing antidumping and anti-subsidy trade cases,' explained van Heyningen. 'Canada is desperately trying to avoid paying their bill to the U.S. taxpayers and is pushing the outrageous scheme of using the collected duties slated for the U.S. Treasury as a bailout of the Canadian industry to secure jobs for Canadian workers. They are suggesting relieving Canada from having to pay future duties while continuing to dump their excess lumber into the U.S. market,' added van Heyningen. 'This is an affront to the principles of U.S. trade law enforcement, to U.S. taxpayers, and to U.S. industry and its workers who simply want to be able to compete on a level playing field.' U.S. lumber industry response to Canada's proposal that the United States terminate its trade cases against Canadian lumber in order to bail out the Canadian industry and secure jobs for Canadian workers. U.S. lumber industry and workers letter to President Trump on the need for continued strong enforcement of the U.S. trade laws to keep expanding U.S. lumber manufacturing and availability to build more American homes with American lumber. Enforcing U.S. trade laws helps increase the U.S. supply of lumber to build American homes, all without impacting the cost of a new home, as demonstrated by data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Fastmarkets Random Lengths. About the U.S. Lumber Coalition The U.S. Lumber Coalition is an alliance of large and small softwood lumber producers from around the country, joined by their employees and woodland owners, working to address Canada's unfair lumber trade practices. Our goal is to serve as the voice of the American lumber community and effectively address Canada's unfair softwood lumber trade practices. The Coalition supports the full enforcement of the U.S. trade laws to allow the U.S. industry to invest and grow to its natural size without being impaired by unfairly traded imports. Continued full enforcement of the U.S. trade laws will strengthen domestic supply lines by maximizing long-term domestic production and lumber availability produced by U.S. workers to build U.S. homes. For more information, please visit the Coalition's website at CONTACT: Zoltan van Heyningenzoltan@ | 202-805-9133
