Myanmar's foreign ministry said on August 15 that it had verified 308,797 people on a Bangladesh-supplied list as former residents of Rakhine State. It set no timetable for their return, while conflict in Rakhine and conflicting accounts of a Malaysia plan leave both routes unresolved.
Vietnam Airlines flight VN34 returned to Munich on August 15 after its Boeing 787-9 reportedly struck its tail during a late takeoff for Hanoi. The jet held near the airport before landing with damaged tires; no injuries were reported, and the cause remains unconfirmed.
The death toll from Indonesia's magnitude 7.7 Flores earthquake rose to 51 on August 16 as rescuers searched landslides and damaged buildings. Its reported 10-kilometer depth put the source close to the surface, while small tsunami waves were recorded before the warning was lifted.
Indonesian firefighters had mostly contained the Mount Bromo wildfire by August 11 after it burned nearly 900 hectares of protected parkland. The national park remained closed, with two hot spots active and three water-bombing helicopters supporting ground crews.
A 12-year-old girl died on August 8 after a 14-year-old opened fire at his home and a school outside Bangkok, raising the victim toll to eight. The gunman also died, and 14 people remained hospitalized.
The United States formally asked the Philippines in July to extradite detained church leader Apollo Quiboloy on federal sex-trafficking and fraud charges. Philippine courts must first address the request, and the countries' treaty leaves room to defer or temporarily arrange his surrender.
An aviation publication reported that Bamboo Airways halted scheduled passenger flights on August 1 during a restructuring. Affected travelers may need to pursue the ticket seller, card issuer or a national passenger-rights process, depending on how and where they booked.
Indonesian rescuers had pulled 229 people from the Mutiara Sentosa 2 by August 3 after a fire killed at least five off East Java. Officials said more people were aboard than the ship's manifest recorded, leaving the number missing unclear as investigators examined the cause.
Foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan and the United States issued a statement in Manila on July 22 seeking closer cooperation with ASEAN. The document covers maritime security and three other priorities, but ASEAN did not sign it and the text does not name China.
