The Latest Breaking News from ASEAN

Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea

The bloc has a GDP of around $4.2 trillion and came up during a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday.

In a heated Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, Sen. Tammy Duckworth grilled the proposed defense secretary over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, asking him if he could name one member and how many countries were in the bloc

Senators prodded the SecDef nominee over alcoholism and sex abuse allegations, as well as a lack of qualifications

"We are no longer satisfied with playing the spectator."

Sen. Duckworth questions Hegseth's lack of international security negotiation experience for secretary of defense role.

China had taken in nearly half of the world’s plastic waste since 1992 until it imposed an import ban in 2018.

“Defending global trade is very important to us as a country," Rafizi told Fortune the day after Malaysia and Singapore unveiled the Johor-Singapore SEZ.

Malaysia and Singapore leaders have signed an agreement to create a special economic zone to attract global investment and ease the cross-border flow of goods and people

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, he is expected to take the charge shortly. Read further on Dynamite News:

We’ve talked about how Indian motorcycle manufacturer Royal Enfield has been one of the fastest-growing motorcycle makers of the modern era. The brand propelled itself into the spotlight thanks largely to its 650 Twins, transforming itself into a mainstream brand from a once-obscure Indian company.