Daily brief
A Singapore Airlines flight from Tokyo to Singapore was forced to turn back to Japan due to a technical issue, leaving passengers stranded onboard for several hours.
The Philippines and the United Arab Emirates signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to boost trade and investment ties.
Singapore's United Overseas Bank announced plans to build its new headquarters at Vietnam's International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City.
Malaysia's main stock index, Bursa Malaysia, opened higher and broke above the 1,700-point level, attributed to improved investor risk appetite.
The new US ambassador to Vietnam signaled that Washington will take a harder line on trade issues, including market access and intellectual property.