A special summit to celebrate 50 years since Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner in 1974 is taking place in Melbourne city on March 4 – 6, focusing on the discussion of partnerships for the future.

About 500 relatives of passengers on Flight MH370 of Malaysia Airlines that mysteriously vanished 10 years ago and their supporters gathered on March 3 at a shopping centre near the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur for a "remembrance day".

Malaysia’s government has agreed to reinstate the exemption of cabotage policy for foreign ships involved in submarine cable repair in a bid to attract more foreign investments in the data centre industry and stimulate the growth of the digital economy, reported Bernama news agency.

The leaders of ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste are descending on Melbourne for a Special Summit to celebrate 50 years since Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner in 1974 – an achievement of which Australia is very proud, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski has said in his op-ed on the upcoming big event.

The Interpreter, a publication of the Australian-based international policy think tank The Lowy Institute, has recently published two articles mentioning the Vietnam-Australia relations and Vietnam's economic potential within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), against the backdrop of the upcoming ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne from March 4-6.

Vietnam could be an appealing investment for investors seeking growth exposure outside of traditional emerging markets, according to a recent market insight analysis by the US investment management firm VanEck.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin unveiled a "Thailand Vision 2030" on March 1, with a commitment to promoting the country into a regional aviation hub by 2030, which can handle more than 150 million international passengers each year.

The Thai government plans to deploy 30 aircraft nationwide for cloud-seeding operations to induce artificial rain to battle air pollution and ease dry weather conditions in the main crop-growing areas.

Indonesia’s Communications and Information Ministry (Kominfo) summoned representatives from the Singapore office of social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to address concerns regarding online gambling advertisements on the platform.

A series of measures were announced by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on February 29 to better ensure safety for foreign tourists in the capital city of Thailand.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will acquire eight F-35A fighter aircraft, complementing the previously announced purchase of 12 F-35Bs, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on February 28.

The National Election Committee (NEC) of Cambodia on February 29 announced temporary results of the recent Senate election, with the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) winning a landslide victory.

As trade competition between China and the US continues to intensify, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is rapidly emerging as the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s global manufacturing base and an important export market.

The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) of Malaysia has presented a proposal for a one-time subsidy for electric vehicle (EV) owners to boost the growth of this industry.