Brunei in regional security talks: China’s defence minister Dong Jun said the Chinese military is ready to deepen cooperation with countries including Brunei to tackle global security challenges at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum. Haze and cross-border health: Malaysia is coordinating with Indonesia to curb forest-fire haze, including border cloud-seeding, as smoke from Kalimantan and Sumatra affects Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia and triggers respiratory illness. BIMP-Eaga connectivity: A proposed Tiblawan International Port in Davao Oriental is being reviewed, with hopes it will strengthen trade and tourism links with Brunei under the BIMP-Eaga network. Local education and skills: Universiti Brunei Darussalam hosted a heritage education exhibition, and Brunei will take part in the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai with competitors in cooking, network systems administration and mechanical engineering. Travel rules in the region: Thailand has ended its 60-day visa-free scheme from Sept 15, cutting many stays to 30 days and tightening land-border limits. Culture and film buzz: Malaysian horror film “Khadam” is trending in Hong Kong ahead of its Oct 8 release, including chatter over its Cantonese title sounding like actress Carina Lau.