ASIA

A collection of 3284 posts

ASIA

2 Arrested as ₱4.84-Million Smuggled Cigarette Shipment Intercepted in Pagadian

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur — An early-morning maritime operation in Pagadian City led to the arrest of two men and the seizure of approximately ₱4.84 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes, authorities said. The operation took place at about 3:45 a.m. on September 6 in the

ASIA

Looking for a Job? DOLE Davao del Norte to Hold Job Fair in Tagum on Sept. 14

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte — Jobseekers looking for new opportunities will have another chance to connect directly with employers as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Davao del Norte holds a job fair in Tagum City on September 14, 2026. The “Handog ng Pangulo: Job Fair 2026” will be

ASIA

Endangered Philippine Hawk-Eagle Rescued in Zamboanga After Spending 3 Months With a Family

GUTALAC, Zamboanga del Norte — A young South Philippine Hawk-Eagle, one of the country's endangered birds of prey, has been rescued and placed under the care of environmental authorities after spending about three months with a family who found it as a vulnerable eaglet. The juvenile raptor was

ASIA

Heritage Forum in Cebu Takes Aim at Misinformation and Fake Historical Narratives

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A heritage forum in Cebu has highlighted the growing threat of misinformation, fabricated historical narratives and false claims on social media, urging the public to verify sources before accepting or sharing information as fact. The forum, titled “FAKE! Debunking Tales and the Challenge of Social Media,” was

ASIA

Cebu Power Crisis Threatens Economic Growth as Business Leaders Demand Long-Term Solution

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu’s worsening power crisis is no longer just a household inconvenience. Business leaders are warning that recurring brownouts and an increasingly strained Visayas power grid could threaten the province’s economic growth, raise consumer costs and weaken its appeal to investors. The warning came as Cebu

ASIA

Inside Unir: The Kyoto Coffee Brand Bringing Japanese Precision to BGC

MANILA — In the growing coffee scene of Bonifacio Global City, one café is taking a distinctly Japanese approach to specialty coffee — one built on precision, careful sourcing and nearly two decades of experience. Located on the lower level of Mitsukoshi Mall in BGC, Unir brings the philosophy of its Kyoto

ASIA

Juvenal Sansó’s Filipino Heart Takes Centre Stage in Major National Museum Retrospective

MANILA — Nearly seven decades of artistic work by Juvenal Sansó are being brought together in a major retrospective at the National Museum of Fine Arts, offering audiences a closer look at the Spanish-born artist’s extraordinary relationship with the Philippines. Titled “Sansó: Pusong Pilipino – A Juvenal Sansó Retrospective,” the

ASIA

Manila FAME 2026 Puts Filipino Craftsmanship in the Global Design Spotlight

MANILA — Filipino craftsmanship is preparing for another international showcase as Manila FAME 2026 returns to Metro Manila, bringing together designers, artisans, manufacturers and buyers in a celebration of the Philippines’ growing design identity. The 74th edition of the trade show will take place from October 15 to 17, 2026, at

ASIA

Thakral Plans to Spin Off Lifestyle Business for New SGX Mainboard Listing

SINGAPORE — Singapore-listed Thakral Corporation is preparing to carve out its lifestyle businesses and pursue a separate listing on the Singapore Exchange Mainboard, a move that could give the group’s consumer-focused operations their own platform for growth. The proposed spin-off would separate Thakral’s lifestyle activities from

ASIA

Gojek Launches Cheaper Short-Trip Rides in Singapore With New GoCar Nearby Service

SINGAPORE — Gojek Singapore has introduced a new ride option aimed at commuters making short journeys during quieter daytime hours, offering eligible trips of less than 5km at fares capped at S$9.90. Called GoCar Nearby, the new service is designed to make short-distance private-hire rides more affordable

ASIA

Hong Kong Takes the Lead as Digital Wallets Reshape Asian Payments — Singapore Close Behind

SINGAPORE — The race to replace traditional payment methods with digital wallets is accelerating across Asia, with Hong Kong emerging as one of the region’s fastest-moving markets and Singapore close behind. Digital wallets have already overtaken cards as Hong Kong’s leading payment method, marking a major shift in

ASIA

Singapore’s Wealth Boom Could Keep Financial Sector Earnings Strong in 2026 — But Momentum May Slow

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s financial sector is heading into the second half of 2026 with a stronger earnings outlook, as continued wealth inflows and resilient banking activity help offset pressure from lower interest rates. CGS International has raised its forecast for the sector’s 2026 earnings by 1.9% following the

ASIA

Singapore Property Agent Faked an S$11 Million Sale to Unlock S$91,653 — Then Another Agent Was Left With the Bill

SINGAPORE — A bankrupt former property agent admitted to fabricating property transactions and forging documents to obtain advance commissions, in a scheme that prosecutors say exploited the trust of fellow real estate agents and ultimately left them facing tens of thousands of dollars in repayment obligations. Cheong En Kiong, 51, pleaded

ENTERTAINMENT

Mother Sues Singapore Preschool After Son Was Allegedly Pushed From Slide Twice

SINGAPORE — A mother is suing a preschool for negligence after her four-year-old son was allegedly pushed off an indoor slide twice by another child, with the family claiming teachers failed to provide adequate supervision and that the play area lacked safety mats. The civil trial began at Singapore&

ASIA

Singapore Teens Rank No. 2 in PISA’s New Digital Problem-Solving Test — But One Weak Spot Stands Out

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s teenagers have delivered another eye-catching result on the global education stage, ranking second in a new international assessment measuring how well students can use digital tools and computational thinking to solve complex, real-world problems. But buried beneath the headline ranking is a more complicated picture

ENTERTAINMENT

PHV Crashes Into Car, Mounts Kerb and Narrowly Misses Vehicles in Chai Chee Street Near-Miss

SINGAPORE — A private-hire vehicle came dangerously close to causing a much more serious accident after it collided with another car, mounted a kerb and swerved through traffic at a busy junction in eastern Singapore. Dashcam footage of the incident, which happened at the junction of Bedok North Road and

ASIA

AI Is Rewriting Singapore’s Film Industry — But the One Thing Machines Still Can’t Replace Could Decide Who Survives

SINGAPORE — Artificial intelligence is moving rapidly from the sidelines of filmmaking into the production pipeline, and Singapore’s screen industry may be approaching a turning point. AI can already generate backgrounds, transform sets, accelerate visual-effects work and even create entire sequences. But as Singapore filmmakers experiment with the technology,

ASIA

China Sentences Former Securities Regulator Wang Jianjun to Life in Prison Over $14 Million Bribery Case

BEIJING — China has sentenced former securities regulator Wang Jianjun to life imprisonment after a court found him guilty of accepting more than 93.4 million yuan (about US$13.9 million) in bribes over a period spanning nearly 15 years. The sentence, handed down on Monday, Sept. 7, adds another

ASIA

Oil Prices Hit Six-Week High as Middle East Conflict Deepens Supply Shock Fears

NEW YORK — Oil prices climbed to their highest levels in roughly six weeks as the escalating conflict between the United States and Iran intensified fears that disruptions to Middle Eastern energy supplies could become longer and more severe. Brent crude rose to around US$97.49 a barrel on Tuesday,

ASIA

Starbucks Singapore Turns 30 With Jay Chou, Snoopy and Pumpkin Spice — But Collectors Need to Remember Two Different Dates

SINGAPORE — Starbucks Singapore is kicking off its 30th-anniversary celebrations with a nostalgia-heavy September lineup featuring Mandopop superstar Jay Chou, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, and the return of its seasonal Pumpkin Spice drinks. But collectors will need to watch the calendar: the biggest releases are not arriving at

ASIA

Jakarta Airport Reopens After Anak Krakatau Ash Disruption as Indonesia Keeps Watch on Volcano

JAKARTA — Indonesia has reopened its main airport serving Jakarta and four other airports after volcanic ash from a series of eruptions at Mount Anak Krakatau cleared from the surrounding airspace, allowing flights to gradually resume after days of major disruption. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia's main international gateway,

ASIA

Tesla’s FSD Just Won Approval in a Sixth European Country — But the Biggest Vote Is Still Ahead

Slovenia has become the latest European country to open its roads to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Supervised software, adding fresh momentum to the electric-vehicle maker’s campaign for something considerably bigger: clearance across the European Union. Tesla said its FSD Supervised system has been approved in Slovenia and

ASIA

Cathay Pacific and Google Expand AI Trials to Stop Planes From Creating Heat-Trapping Contrails

HONG KONG — Cathay Pacific and Google are expanding a potentially groundbreaking aviation experiment that uses artificial intelligence to help aircraft avoid creating climate-warming contrails, with the companies now preparing a much larger trial across Asia and trans-Pacific routes. The partnership is testing whether small changes in an aircraft&

ASIA

Hong Kong Police Chase Turns Chaotic in Mong Kok as Mercedes Crashes Into Cars and Officer

HONG KONG — A routine traffic stop in Hong Kong's busy Mong Kok district turned into a dramatic police pursuit on Monday after a driver allegedly refused to stop, rammed several vehicles and struck a police officer before abandoning the car and escaping on foot. The incident unfolded at

ASIA

Nepal Rescue Narrows to 3 Hydropower Tunnels — But 121 Missing Workers May Still Be Inside

Rescuers are pumping oxygen into buried hydropower tunnels and bringing in new equipment after extraordinary survivor recoveries revived hopes that more people could still be alive nearly two weeks after Nepal’s catastrophic Aug. 26 flood. KATHMANDU, Nepal — September 8, 2026 — Nepal has concentrated one of its largest rescue operations