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.
Waiting to inhale: Much of Malaysia blanketed by haze
Malaysia woke up shrouded in thick haze this morning. In the Peninsula, twelve densely-populated areas on the west coast were smothered in heavily polluted air which reached the “unhealthy” range of the Air Pollutant Index (API), as of 7am.
Here in the capital, where skyscrapers of the central business district were difficult to make out, the API was recorded at an “unhealthy” 138. This is believed to be the highest API reading in Malaysia’s largest city since the last haze crisis in 2015. – New Straits Times
Singapore's sustainability journey must be grounded in science: Masagos
From high-tech systems that allow farmers to predict yield and waste of produce, to novel paper packaging material that protects food from oxygen or moisture degradation. Singapore firms are looking to science and technology for answers on how the nation can overcome challenges such as climate change, pollution and the over-consumption of resources.
"Science can shed light on the most appropriate pathways towards a sustainable future, while technology can help us get there more efficiently," said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli. – The Straits Times
P-Move vows to camp near Govt House
Members of a land rights advocacy group have vowed to camp near Government House until Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha steps in to resolve over 160 land disputes between villagers and the state.
The People's Movement for a Just Society, or P-Move, on Monday petitioned the prime minister to immediately set up a committee to resolve 168 land rights cases across the country. – Bangkok Post
Jokowi weighing options to save KPK
President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo is weighing his options to “save the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) or not” as the House of Representatives insists on amending the KPK Law in what many see as a backhanded effort to weaken the antigraft body. Presidential expert staff member Ali Mochtar Ngabalin said the President had only received the bill on Monday, so he needed some time to decide what should happen next. – The Jakarta Post
DA: African swine fever in PH; pork safe
The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday confirmed the presence of African swine fever in the Philippines, but assured the public there was no epidemic and vouched for the safety of pork products in the country.
At a press conference at the DA, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said “we received late last week the result of what we call the polymerase chain reaction test. We submitted actually 20 [blood] samples to the United Kingdom laboratory, and the result that we received is that out of the 20 samples, 14 are positive.” – Philippine Daily Inquirer