Laos unveils toolkit to raise vaccine awareness, boost immunisation rates

At the National Economic Forum 2025 on July 17, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Chang Lih Kang, said the Malaysian government is intensifying policies on in carbon management, hydrogen energy, green materials and circular economy models to help the country meet its sustainable development goals.

Malaysia plans to boost gas-fired capacity by 50% and more than double renewable capacity by 2030 to cut coal use and meet growing power demand from data centres, which are expected to rise to 52% of peninsular demand, from 2% now.

Pathet Lao, the official newspaper of the Lao News Agency, on July 18 published two editorials affirming the historic significance of the Laos - Vietnam Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, and extolling the special friendship and comprehensive cooperation in the cause of national protection and development in each country.

The US was Thailand’s largest export market in 2024, accounting for about 18.3% of the country’s total exports.

Apart from more than 2,000 retail stores in the Philippines, Indonesia plans to expand the network in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and other Asian countries.

As part of its long-term clean energy strategy, the government, he said, is also exploring advanced nuclear technologies, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which offer potential not only for decarbonisation but also for driving high-value research and development (R&D), technology transfer and skilled talent development.

The ASEAN Regional Dialogue on Affordable ARV Drugs and Promoting Community-Based Testing (CBT) for Key Populations is organised by the Malaysian Ministry of Health from July 17 to 19 in Kuching, Sarawak. More than 15 health experts from Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore and host Malaysia are attending the workshop.

Currently, fully imported EVs in Malaysia enjoy import and excise duty exemptions until December this year, while locally assembled EVs benefit from additional tax incentives until 2027. EV owners are also exempt from road tax until the end of 2025, with further incentives offered for home charging infrastructure and industry investments.

Thailand's House of Representatives on July 16 passed the updated Labour Protection Act, granting female employees an astounding 120 days of paid maternity leave. Additionally, fathers will enjoy 15 days of paid leave to assist with newborn care.

Amid global uncertainty and geopolitical developments, ASEAN nations must stay united under the spirit of one vision, one identity, and one community, said Second Vice-President of the Cambodian Senate Thun Vathana.

Among the cases, 3,086 were related to drug trafficking, transport and storage, resulting in the detention of 6,079 people, and eight cases involved drug processing and production, with 31 people detained.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said key decisions regarding the APG roadmap were expected to be finalised at the 43rd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) in Kuala Lumpur this October, following encouraging progress made during the recent Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME).

The vast majority of the reported arrests were foreign nationals – including at least 271 from Indonesia and 75 from China’s Taiwan.

According to Ramli, within the framework of ASEAN, AIPA will remain an important mechanism because each country’s parliament will decide on laws, policies and way forward and this will have an impact on ASEAN.

Over the last 10 years, US-Vietnam collaboration has led to the identification of 35 missing personnel, 19 from joint field work, one from a US partner mission, and 15 from Vietnamese sources.

The Cambodian leader was quoted as stating that leaders of cities and provinces, along with police forces, are responsible for eradicating all online scam operations within their jurisdictions in compliance with local laws and regulations.

Programmes like ‘Spice & Soul of Malaysia’ not only help market more local food products internationally and domestically but also have the potential to attract more visitors.

Five proposals from three power companies of Singapore have been selected by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) to receive co-funding for carbon capture and storage (CCS) research at specific sites.

The event brings together over 900 exhibitors and is expected to attract more than 21,000 visitors from 50 countries, with 125 conferences and forums.

In 2024, Lao authorities recorded 5,012 drug-related cases, with an additional 1,422 cases reported in the first five months of 2025.