ASIA

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ASIA

Cognition Just Hit a $48 Billion Valuation as Devin Nears $900 Million in Run-Rate Revenue — But One Number Shows How Expensive the AI Race Could Become

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9, 2026 — Cognition, the artificial intelligence startup behind the Devin autonomous software-engineering agent, has raised more than $2 billion in Series E funding at a $48 billion valuation, marking another extraordinary jump for a company founded only in 2024. The round was led by new investors

ASIA

Fans Warned of Ticket Scams Ahead of Bruno Mars’ Singapore Concert

SINGAPORE — Fans eager to see Bruno Mars perform in Singapore have been warned to stay alert for ticket scams as sales for his highly anticipated The Romantic Tour shows begin this week. Mars is scheduled to perform at the National Stadium on April 13, 14, 17 and 18, 2027, with

ASIA

Earth Is Set to Blow Past 1.5°C — But the Number That Comes Next May Matter Even More

The world is approaching a climate milestone scientists spent years warning governments to avoid. But crossing 1.5 degrees Celsius does not mean the fight against climate change suddenly ends—in fact, what happens immediately afterward could determine how dangerous the planet becomes. A major new United Nations Environment Programme

ASIA

Cognition AI Just Hit a $48 Billion Valuation — But the Number Investors Are Watching Is Closer to $900 Million

SAN FRANCISCO — The artificial intelligence funding race has produced another eye-popping number. Cognition, the startup behind autonomous coding agent Devin, has raised more than $2 billion in a Series E funding round at a $48 billion valuation, less than four months after investors valued the company at $26 billion.

ASIA

US Sanctions 27 Iranian Airlines in Sweeping Crackdown — But the Biggest Pressure Point Is Outside Iran

WASHINGTON — The United States has launched one of its broadest attacks yet on Iran’s aviation sector, sanctioning 27 Iranian airlines and a network of foreign companies that Washington says help Tehran obtain aircraft, transport cargo and maintain international aviation links. But the most consequential part of the new crackdown

ASIA

Chime Is Buying Stride Bank for $590 Million — But the $100 Million Number May Matter Even More

SAN FRANCISCO — Chime Financial is making one of the biggest strategic moves in its history, agreeing to acquire Stride Bank for $590 million in cash in a deal that could transform the digital-finance company from a fintech dependent on banking partners into the owner of a nationally chartered bank.

ASIA

Sunderland Made 11 Changes and Still Knocked Out Hull — But Talbi’s 71st-Minute Chip Wasn’t the Most Important Sign

SUNDERLAND, England — Chemsdine Talbi needed only one moment of composure to decide a tight all-Premier League cup battle — but Sunderland may have discovered something even more valuable than a place in the Carabao Cup last 16. The Morocco international produced a superb chipped finish in the 71st minute as

ASIA

Fox’s $22 Billion Roku Deal Just Hit a Bigger DOJ Hurdle — But the Real Fight Is Over Who Controls Your TV Screen

NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2026 — Fox Corporation’s ambitious $22 billion takeover of streaming-platform giant Roku is facing a potentially tougher regulatory test, with the U.S. Department of Justice reportedly preparing to demand substantially more information about a transaction that could combine premium sports and news programming with

ASIA

Linda Noskova Was Up 4-2 on Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open — What Happened Next Left Her Wanting to “Forget”

NEW YORK — Linda Noskova came within touching distance of sending the world’s top-ranked woman out of the US Open. Then Aryna Sabalenka reminded everyone why she has become so difficult to finish off in New York. The two-time defending champion recovered from a break down in the

ASIA

Houthis Hit Saudi Oil Cities, Wounding 73 as U.S. Strikes Iran — But the Most Dangerous Front May Be Opening Next

The widening confrontation between the United States and Iran has spilled more dramatically into Saudi Arabia, raising fears that a war already disrupting one of the world’s most important energy corridors could become an even broader regional conflict. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched missiles and drones toward

ASIA

UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels 1,000+ Flights — But the Bigger Question Is Why This Keeps Happening

LONDON — Britain’s aviation network was thrown into turmoil after a technical failure at the country’s air traffic control provider disrupted flights across some of its busiest airports, eventually contributing to more than 1,000 cancellations and leaving airlines, regulators and passengers asking a much bigger question: how could

ASIA

Japan Factory Confidence Hits Nearly 5-Year High as AI Chip Demand Explodes — But One Major Risk Could Test the Boom

TOKYO — Japan’s industrial sector is showing one of its strongest bursts of confidence in years, powered by booming global demand for semiconductors, artificial intelligence infrastructure and the massive data centres needed to run the AI economy. Business confidence among major Japanese manufacturers climbed in September to its highest level

ASIA

Frances Tiafoe Was Two Sets Down at the US Open — Then One Game Changed Everything

NEW YORK — Frances Tiafoe looked finished. Two sets down. A break behind in the third. His younger American rival was serving for the match. And after a dazzling opening week at Flushing Meadows, Tiafoe suddenly appeared minutes away from another painful US Open exit. Then the match turned. The 28-

ASIA

P136,000 Worth of Suspected Shabu, Firearm Seized in Lanao del Norte

KAPATAGAN, Lanao del Norte, Philippines — A 47-year-old man was arrested after police seized a caliber .45 pistol, ammunition and suspected shabu worth an estimated P136,000 during a search operation in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte. The operation was carried out at around 10:30 p.m. on Monday,

ASIA

Land Dispute Emerges as Possible Motive in Leaño Killing; Police Probe Alleged Mastermind

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A dispute over land has emerged as a possible motive in the killing of carinderia owner Leaño, with investigators looking into allegations that another person may have masterminded the attack. The development comes after two suspects reportedly admitted their involvement in the killing and allegedly pointed to

ASIA

BOC Destroys P87.6 Million Worth of Smuggled Rice, Sugar in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has destroyed P87.6 million worth of forfeited smuggled rice and sugar in Zamboanga City after the goods were declared unfit for commerce and human consumption. The destruction was carried out on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at an accredited waste management facility

ASIA

Singaporean Malone Lam Pleads Guilty in Massive Crypto Heist — But His US$569,000 Nightclub Bill Was Only Part of the Story

WASHINGTON — A 22-year-old Singaporean accused of helping build an international cryptocurrency theft operation has pleaded guilty in the United States, bringing prosecutors a major victory in a case involving hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen digital assets, luxury cars, multimillion-dollar watches and extraordinary nightclub spending. Malone

ASIA

LGBTQ Member Killed in Consolacion After Alleged Chicken Theft Confrontation

CONSOLACION, Cebu, Philippines — A 42-year-old member of the LGBTQ+ community was killed after allegedly being confronted by a chicken caretaker in Villaroca, Barangay Población Occidental, Consolacion, Cebu, on Sunday evening, September 6, 2026. The victim was identified by his family as Damyano Bug-ot, a resort caretaker in

ASIA

Singapore Mum Got Her Degree at 36 While Raising Two Kids — But Five Months Later, the Job She Expected Still Hasn’t Come

SINGAPORE — For years, the formula sounded simple: Work hard, earn a university degree and improve your chances of landing a better job. For Singapore working mother Jillian Lim, completing that missing qualification became an 18-month test of endurance involving night classes, full-time work, two young children, sleepless nights

ASIA

LTO-7 Suspends Rider After SRP Crash in Talisay

TALISAY CITY, Cebu — A motorcycle rider involved in a road crash along the South Road Properties (SRP) in Barangay San Isidro is facing administrative sanctions from the Land Transportation Office Region 7 (LTO-7) after the agency determined that the incident warranted further action. The crash happened on Thursday, September

ASIA

5 Journalists Vanish Near Anak Krakatau During Volcano Mission — Their Last Shared Location Could Be the Key

Eight people vanished from contact during a reporting trip toward Indonesia’s erupting Anak Krakatau volcano. Now rescuers are expanding their search across the Sunda Strait, with one last shared location providing a crucial clue. JAKARTA — An Indonesian search operation has intensified for eight people, including five journalists, who went

ASIA

Digos, Calinan Air Quality Worsens as Indonesian Haze Reaches Davao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Residents in parts of Davao Region are being urged to take precautions as fine-particle pollution linked to haze from Indonesian forest fires pushed PM2.5 readings to “Very Unhealthy” levels at monitoring stations in Digos and Calinan. The latest update from the Department of Environment and

ASIA

DSWD-Davao Eyes Project Aruga Expansion to Digos, Davao City

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — More families caring for children with disabilities in the Davao Region could soon gain access to specialized government support as the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Davao Region (DSWD-Davao) explores expanding Project Aruga to Digos City and parts of Davao City. The proposed expansion comes

ASIA

Oil Hits $99.49 After Iran Fires 20 Missiles Toward Jordan — But the Number Traders Fear Most Isn’t the Oil Price

Oil prices surged for a fourth straight session on Wednesday, September 9, moving within striking distance of $100 a barrel after Iran launched a fresh round of ballistic missiles toward U.S. military targets in Jordan and the Gulf, deepening fears that an expanding Middle East conflict could further disrupt

ASIA

19-Year-Old Birthday Celebrant Detained After Exposure Incident in Naga City

NAGA CITY, Cebu — What was supposed to be a birthday celebration ended with a 19-year-old man spending the night in a police detention cell after an argument over ₱1,000 escalated into an unusual roadside confrontation. The incident happened on the evening of Monday, September 7, 2026, along