JAKARTA -- Three people were killed after Mount Dukono erupted in Indonesia's North Maluku province, local police said on Friday.
Search and rescue authorities earlier said that rescuers were working to evacuate about 20 hikers trapped by the eruption. (Indonesia-Volcano-Eruption)
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SINGAPORE -- Singapore recorded its highest-ever tourism receipts in 2025, as international visitor arrivals reached 16.9 million and generated 32.8 billion Singapore dollars (about 25.86 billion U.S. dollars), Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu said on Friday.
China, Indonesia and Australia were the top source markets by tourism receipts, while long-haul markets including Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States registered double-digit year-on-year growth, Fu said at the Tourism Industry Conference 2026. (Singapore-Tourism)
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MANILA -- The 48th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit kicked off in Cebu province of the Philippines on Friday, with energy security, food security, and the safety of ASEAN nationals worldwide as its main priorities.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos of the Philippines, the chair of ASEAN 2026, said the summit convenes at a time of considerable challenge, adding the increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East has impacted ASEAN nations, and profound uncertainties have threatened lifestyles, livelihoods and lives. (Philippines-ASEAN Summit)
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PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam on Friday vowed to further enhance their relations and cooperation across all sectors, said a news release from the Cambodian prime minister's spokesperson unit.
The commitment was made during a working breakfast among Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines. (Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam) ■
