These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
MCMC: Report suicidal postings immediately to authorities
Social media users are advised to be more attentive and sensitive to any suicidal postings on social media to prevent incidents like what happened in Sarawak, on Tuesday, from recurring.
It was reported that a 16-year-old girl was found dead in an apparent suicide in a carpark at MJC, Batu Kawa, Kuching after falling from the third floor of a shoplot. – New Straits Times.
Why have there been so many extreme weather events in Singapore?
A waterspout developing off the southern coast of Singapore on Saturday as well as unseasonably cold or warm spells around the world have people asking yet again: Are more unusual and extreme weather incidents happening both here and around the world because of climate change, or an unexpected confluence of factors? – The Straits Times.
Spat, uncertainty slow Thai growth
Thailand’s economic growth is expected to slow in 2019 because of rising global trade tensions and domestic political uncertainty, with local business operators suffering from negative momentum from the US-China dispute, says Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak. – Bangkok Post.
Hardship faced in maintaining 5 percent growth: Minister
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati says that Indonesia will face difficulty in maintaining gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 5 percent this year because of the ongoing trade war between the United States and China. – The Jakarta Post.
PH taps China debt anew
The Philippines on Wednesday raised 2.5 billion renminbi from its second foray in China’s panda debt market. The government had programmed gross borrowings this year of P1.189 trillion, of which the bulk or P906.2 billion will be sourced locally through the sale of treasury bills and fixed-rate bonds.
These borrowings will finance the government’s priority projects under the national budget as well as the Duterte’s administration’s ambitious “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program. – Philippine Daily Inquirer.