Green Lungs in the ASEAN regionGreen spaces or "green lungs" in cities play a vital role to its surrounding milieu. They do not only provide oxygen to the densely-populated concrete jungles, but also serves as a dedicated space for recreational activities. Many cities in the Southeast Asian region have picturesque parks and hilly landscapes to counter-balance the urban sprawl.

Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines will begin coordinated air patrols off the strife-torn southern Philippines next month to combat the growing threat posed by Islamist militants, an official said Friday.The neighbours had already launched joint sea patrols four months ago in the same area, the Sulu Sea.Fears have been growing that the IS (Islamic State) group is trying to establish a Southeast Asian outpost in the southern Philippines after gunmen waving the jihadists' black flag o

In recent years, the demand for air travel has grown due to the increase in low-cost carriers which allow the middle class to travel for work or leisure more frequently. In a press statement released by IATA (International Air Transport Association), passenger demand for air travel is set to double over the next 20 years.“People want to fly. Demand for air travel over the next two decades is set to double.

A system that connected stock markets in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand has closed down, five years after its high-profile debut.The Asean Trading Link started with Bursa Malaysia and Singapore Exchange, with The Stock Exchange of Thailand also joining. It was heralded at its launch as breaking the barriers to cross-border trade and offering a single entry-point to three of Southeast Asia’s biggest stock markets, with thousands of listed companies.

A Malaysian national diving coach will go on trial for allegedly raping a diver who was training for the next Olympics, a lawyer for the athlete and reports said Thursday.Huang Qiang is accused of raping the 20-year-old sportswoman at a gym at the national aquatics centre in Kuala Lumpur last month.Huang pleaded not guilty to the charge when he appeared in court in the capital Wednesday, Cheow Wee, a lawyer for the alleged victim, told AFP.The father of two, who was born in China but now has

Malaysia's nine state sultans have issued a rare statement expressing concern about "divisive actions" in the name of Islam, as fears grow of rising intolerance in the multi-ethnic country.Referring to a controversy last month over laundrettes in two states which banned non-Muslim customers, the revered sultans urged people to follow principles set out in the country's constitution which say respect must be accorded to everyone regardless of their faith or ethnicity."

Only a small amount of nerve agent – but more than enough to kill him – was found on the face of the North Korean leader's half-brother after he died in agony following an airport attack, a court heard Tuesday.Kim Jong-Nam had 0.2 milligrammes of VX per kilogramme of body weight on his facial skin, well above the typical lethal dosage, chemist Raja Subramaniam told the trial of two women accused of his murder.VX is so deadly it is listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruct

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that "only one thing will work" with North Korea as he acknowledged the fact that diplomatic efforts in the past have consistently failed.

The trial of two women accused of murdering the North Korean leader's half-brother moved Monday to a high-security Malaysian laboratory to view clothing worn by the defendants and contaminated by a nerve agent.The visit to the government lab near Kuala Lumpur came after a chemist last week testified there were traces of VX on the women's clothes.Raja Subramaniam's testimony was the first evidence directly linking the women to the poison used to kill Kim Jong-Nam as he waited at

MonarchsThis week, the monarchs in ASEAN countries were prominently featured in news articles across the region. On Thursday, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who is 71 years old this year, celebrated his 50-year reign in style. The sultan was pulled on a grand golden chariot through the capital city.