A "super" El Nino could bring drought, extreme heat and agricultural disruption across Southeast Asia. Governments are preparing, but experts warn significant vulnerabilities remain.

Indonesia's government has mobilised a multi-agency task force to contain fires that have burned about 107,000 hectares nationwide in a bid to prevent transboundary haze, said Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago....

The two countries are concerned about restrictive trade practices that disrupt global supply chains, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Vietnamese President To Lam said in a joint statement.

The orange alert for heavy rain - the second-highest warning level - has been issued, with northwestern Hubei expected to receive as much as 250mm of rain in 24 hours.

The Vietnamese government says the project underscores its policy of developing a defence industry that is "autonomous, self-reliant, self-strengthening, dual-use and modern".

Monday's (Aug 10) mission was the Long March 7A's first failure since its unsuccessful maiden flight in March 2020.

Brent crude futures edged up to hit US$88.09 per barrel and US crude futures ticked up to US$82.52, both the highest levels since Jul 31, after the contracts rallied roughly 5 per cent on Monday.

The United States is bolstering the Japanese yen, as it did with the Argentine peso. The reasons are not solely economic, says Cornell University's Eswar Prasad.

The rains, exacerbated by tropical storms, have led to school and government office closures across the main island of Luzon and flooding in the streets of the capital Manila.

Seeking to counter concerns about Washington's reliability, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy reiterated the US' interest in the region as he called for greater burden-sharing and "partnership, not dependency".

The kidnap-for-ransom syndicate lured the man with a job offer and later demanded S$1 million for his release, according to Malaysian media.  

Protests in Ranchi, capital of the eastern state home to more than 33 million people, began on Jul 29, days after a youth-led "cockroach" movement in New Delhi forced the resignation of the national education minister.

Destry Damayanti has been nominated as the sole candidate for the job, said a presidential spokesman.

Police said the suspected shooter, former lawmaker Chalong Riewrang, fired at the chairman of the Provincial Administrative Organization in Nonthaburi, which borders Bangkok, because of a disagreement over borrowed money.

Thai police are seeking to charge the bar's owner with six offences, including negligence causing death, serious injury, harm and fire, as well as criminal mischief and running an entertainment venue without a licence.

But experts warn that blanket bans could backfire, arguing that stronger platform safeguards, counselling and parental involvement may be more effective.

The prime minister, who turned 79 on Monday and has been in office since 2022, has had recurrent shoulder and back problems.

More than 120 personnel, three water-bombing helicopters, drones and some fire trucks have been deployed to put out the fires around the caldera, an official said.