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.
Decision on tolled highway takeover only after report tabled to Cabinet
A takeover of tolled highways nationwide will be considered only after a final report on such a move is tabled before Cabinet. Works Minister Baru Bian said his ministry will be tabling 'The Way Forward for Toll Roads in Malaysia' in Cabinet early next month. – New Straits Times
SIA bans some models of 15-inch MacBook Pro from flights
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has banned a few models of 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops from all of its flights after Apple recalled those models of older generation devices.
This follows directives from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the United States Federal Aviation Administration that alerted airlines of the recall and banned the laptop models from flights. – The Straits Times
Red-shirt trio to pay B19m in damages
Red-shirt co-leaders Jatuporn Prompan, Nattawut Saikuar and Arisman Pongruangrong have been ordered by the Supreme Court to pay damages worth 19 million baht (US$620 thousand) plus interest caused by an arson attack at a building in Bangkok during the red shirt protest in 2010, according to Democrat Party spokesman Rames Ratanachaweng.
Filing for damages with the Civil Court were Nuchathip Bangjongsilp, Sirichet Sukprasongdee, Manasanan Sukprasongdee and the ULC Software company. They are connected to the building which was set on fire. – Bangkok Post
End of term: Outgoing councillors leave deputy governor seat vacant, pass fewer bylaws
With new Jakarta city councillors being inaugurated on Monday for the 2019-2024 term, their predecessors are leaving office with a substandard track record for producing bylaws and having failed to select a new deputy governor.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan had submitted to the Jakarta Council on March 4 the names of two candidates for the deputy governor position left vacant by Sandiaga Uno a year ago. However, no progress has been made in the selection process. – The Jakarta Post
No-homework bills filed
Schoolchildren need not burn the midnight oil for class assignments, according to two bills at the House of Representatives that propose a no-homework policy from kindergarten to high school.
No more homework means more quality time at home, said the lawmakers who sponsored the separate measures. – Philippine Daily Inquirer
US Military Official Confirms China Deal to Use Cambodian Naval Base
A senior U.S. Indo-Pacific Command officer August 15 confirmed Cambodia and China are proceeding on a base for China’s navy in the Southeast Asian country’s Preah Sihanouk province.
Army Brigadier General Joel B. Vowell said construction would begin next year at Ream Naval Base, confirming to a group of regional journalists here that Cambodia will grant China access to the deep coastal waters on the Gulf of Thailand. – The Cambodia Daily