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Singapore’s The Violinist Won Annecy’s Top Feature Prize — But Its Boldest Move Is Refusing to Explain Singapore Away

SINGAPORE — A Peranakan girl practices violin in a pre-war family home. Chinese coolies work nearby. Malay men move through the streets…

Business

The Fed Just Hiked Rates for the First Time Since 2023 — But the Market’s Biggest Reaction Wasn’t in Stocks

China

Jimmy Lai Is Serving 20 Years and Won’t Appeal — Now His Son Is Betting on Xi Jinping’s Washington Visit

Indonesia

Sarawak’s 29 Semenggoh Orangutans Look Healthy Despite the Haze — But Past Borneo Fires Show the Damage Can Linger

Latest headlines

Asia

Asia

Singapore’s The Violinist Won Annecy’s Top Feature Prize — But Its Boldest Move Is Refusing to Explain Singapore Away

Asia

Jimmy Lai Is Serving 20 Years and Won’t Appeal — Now His Son Is Betting on Xi Jinping’s Washington Visit

Asia

Sarawak’s 29 Semenggoh Orangutans Look Healthy Despite the Haze — But Past Borneo Fires Show the Damage Can Linger

Asia

Singapore Is Preparing 300+ Cooling Centres for Heatwaves — But Global Cooling Demand Could Triple by 2050

Asia

Snap Put Salesforce, Nvidia and AWS Inside Its $2,195 AR Glasses — But Businesses Still Have to Prove They Need Them

Politics

Politics

US Congress Just Put Up to 100% Tariffs on Russia’s Biggest Energy Buyers Within Trump’s Reach — But There’s a Major Escape Clause

Politics

North Korea Says Its Nuclear Status Is ‘Absolute’ — But Trump Still Wants Another Kim Jong Un Summit

Politics

Trump Wants U.S. Rates at 1% or Less — But His Own Fed Chair Just Raised Them and May Not Be Finished

Politics

China Defence Chief Takes Softer Tone at Xiangshan Forum Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

Politics

Dong Jun Calls for Cooperation as Global Security Faces a Fragile Moment

Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Singapore Air Quality Improves as Haze Risk Persists, NEA Warns

Lifestyle

Ellen Adarna Says Viral Bundles of Cash Are John Lloyd Cruz’s Monthly Support for Their Son

Lifestyle

Eggie Apostol Started in the ‘Women’s Pages’ — Then Built Newspapers That Challenged Presidents

Lifestyle

Hayden Panettiere Death Probe Focuses on Suspected Fentanyl-Laced Pill

Lifestyle

Chile Reaches Major Milestone in Fight Against Rabies

Entertainment

Entertainment

Singapore Has Almost No Natural Surf — Yet Camille Spaccarotella Is Chasing an Asian Games Medal

Entertainment

She Failed Arts and Crafts — Then a YouTube Tutorial in Her 50s Turned Into S$400 Handmade Bags and Something Bigger

Entertainment

Chelsea’s £950 Million Ownership Shake-Up Ends the Boehly Era — But Stamford Bridge Is Still the Biggest Decision

Entertainment

Steve Smith Says Camera Shutters Still Trigger 2018 Sandpapergate Flashbacks — But Now He’s Going Back to South Africa

Entertainment

Jaeger-LeCoultre Unveils Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Limited to Five Pieces

Business

Business

The Fed Just Hiked Rates for the First Time Since 2023 — But the Market’s Biggest Reaction Wasn’t in Stocks

Business

OpenAI Disclosed Six Cases of AI Hiding Errors and Taking Unauthorized Actions — But It Says the Hardest Safety Problem Still Isn’t Solved

Business

Apple’s iPhone Duo Costs S$1,200 More Than the iPhone 18 Pro — But It Actually Loses Some ‘Pro’ Features

Business

Hong Kong Just Raised Its Base Rate to 4.25% — But Your Mortgage May Not Move Yet

Business

Emmys 2026 Red Carpet: Nine Standout Fashion Moments

Sport

Sport

Malaysia Steps In to Cover Extra Asian Games Hotel Rooms as Accommodation Crunch Hits Aichi-Nagoya

Sport

World No. 3 Jessica Pegula Withdraws From Singapore Tennis Open After Deep US Open Run

Sport

South Korea Blows Out Jordan 114–80 to Storm Into Asian Games Basketball Semifinals

Sport

Aleksandar Duric Hitchhiked Toward the Olympics and Became a Singapore Football Legend — Now His Biggest Mission Is Off the Pitch

Sport

Avinash Sable Was Afraid to Jump a Hurdle After Knee Surgery — Now He’s Back to Defend His Asian Games Gold

Across Asia & Beyond

Philippines

Philippines

Rains to Sweep Visayas and Parts of Mindanao as ITCZ, LPA Bring Thunderstorms

Philippines

Philippine Tourist Arrivals Hit 4.11 Million in Eight Months — But South Korea’s 17% Slide Is the Number to Watch

Philippines

Festival Mall’s EV Charger Now Doubles as a Digital Billboard — But Filinvest’s Bigger Plan Goes Beyond One Mall

Philippines

Alternergy Is Raising ₱2 Billion at 7.75% — But the Real Bet Is on Its Next 500 MW of Green Power

Philippines

50 Pampanga Farmers Are Getting ₱35,000 Each After the Floods — But the Money Isn’t a Handout

Singapore

Singapore

Singapore’s Exports Just Surged 46.2% — But One AI-Powered Sector Is Doing Most of the Heavy Lifting

Singapore

Singapore Fuel Prices Rise Again as Esso Raises Petrol and Diesel Rates

Singapore

Singapore Air Quality Improves as Haze Conditions Ease

Singapore

Singapore Launches 200+ AI Courses and New Career Centre as Workforce Agency Targets Future-Ready Jobs

Singapore

Singapore Will Test Smaller Classes in 6 Schools From 2027 — But MOE Says Teachers Could End Up Teaching More

Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan’s Highest ATM Now in Service at 2,240 Meters — And It Comes With an Apple-Shaped Sign

Taiwan

Taiwan Steps Up North America Tourism Push as Taipei Targets More Long-Haul Visitors

Taiwan

Cathay Financial Turns to AI to Transform Taiwan’s Wealth Management Market

Taiwan

Taiwan Labor Minister to Attend China APEC Meeting as ‘Chinese Taipei’ Amid Cross-Strait Tensions

Taiwan

Taiwan Phishing Scams Nearly Double in a Year as Losses Surge Past NT$54 Million

Thailand

Thailand

Israeli Ambassador to Thailand Plays Down Anti-Israel Protests as Tensions Rise Over Israeli Tourists

Thailand

Thailand PM Anutin Files Defamation Case Against iLaw Chief Over Senate Election Allegations

Thailand

Thailand Plans Nationwide Water Map to Improve Flood Response

Thailand

Southern Thailand Sees First Major Smuggled Coffee Seizures as Customs Crackdown Intensifies

Thailand

Phuket Celebrates Second Ganesh Chaturthi Festival With Cultural and Tourism Events

Malaysia

Malaysia

UMNO Wants GE16 Sooner After Johor and Negeri Sembilan Gains — But Zahid Says It Will Stay in Anwar’s Government Until the End

Malaysia

AirAsia Was Bought for RM1 and Became Asia’s Budget-Flying Giant — Now Malaysia Is Planning for What Happens If It Stumbles

Malaysia

Mother Remembers Daughter One Year After Malaysia School Tragedy

Malaysia

AirAsia Controls 60% of Malaysia’s Domestic Flights — Now Kuala Lumpur Is Reportedly Planning for What Happens If It Stumbles

Malaysia

Kedah Man Held After Wife Dies Following Domestic Dispute

Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia Just Got Its Third Finance Minister Under Prabowo — But Suahasil Must Chase 6% Growth Without Breaching the 3% Deficit Ceiling

Indonesia

108 Survived Indonesia’s Java Sea Ferry Disaster — But 129 People Are Still Missing Four Days Later

Indonesia

129 Still Missing After Indonesia Ferry Capsizes in Rough Seas — But Rescuers Are Preparing for a Critical Underwater Search

Indonesia

Indonesia’s Finance Minister Is Out After Just a Year — Why Did Prabowo Suddenly Turn to His Deputy?

Indonesia

Indonesia Ferry Disaster: 129 Still Missing as Rescuers Battle Violent Seas After Passenger Ship Capsizes

Japan

Japan

Japan PM Takaichi Keeps Core LDP Team in First Reshuffle, Makes Targeted Changes

Japan

Japan’s Retail Traders Are Betting ¥2.9 Trillion Against the Yen — But a Break Below 152 Could Force Them to Reverse Fast

Japan

AI Told Lawson to Put Pickles in a Lemon Tart — But Japan’s Convenience Stores Are Testing Something Much Bigger

Japan

Japan’s Industry Ministry Seeks Record ¥7.8 Trillion Budget as Strategic Spending Expands

Japan

Sharp Opens AI Server Orders in Japan as Foxconn Supply Chain Powers AI Push

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

HD Construction Equipment Just Won a 45-Excavator Hong Kong Deal — But the Bigger Prize Is a HK$128 Billion Infrastructure Pipeline

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Wants 70,000 Northern Metropolis Homes in Five Years — But Only One of Its Two Biggest Targets Is Binding

Hong Kong

Apollo Is Providing $585 Million to Asia’s The Executive Centre — But Most of the Money Isn’t Going Into New Office

Hong Kong

Rosewood Hong Kong Is the World’s No. 1 Hotel for the Second Year — But Bangkok Is Closing In Fast

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Is About to Rewrite Its Economic Playbook — But John Lee Says One Thing Will Not Change

Vietnam

Vietnam

UK Eyes Role in Vietnam’s Infrastructure Boom as Metro Expansion Accelerates

Vietnam

Vietnam Is Lining Up 29 U.S. Deals With SpaceX, Chevron and More — But Many May Not Be Binding

Vietnam

Vietnam Hasn’t Sold a Sovereign Dollar Bond Since 2014 — Now It May Borrow US$1 Billion, but the Price Could Hit 7%

Vietnam

Tesla Just Made Its Biggest Move Yet in Vietnam—And It Could Change the EV Market

Vietnam

The Vietnam Curse Is Finally Broken: John Eriq Bonifacio Makes Philippine Pageant History

South Korea

South Korea

AI Job Postings in South Korea Surge 128% as Demand Spreads Beyond Tech Roles

South Korea

South Korea Expands Direct International Routes Beyond Seoul as Regional Airports Get Major Tourism Push

South Korea

South Korea Land Minister Nominee Vows Faster Housing Supply as Housing Costs Stay High

South Korea

KOSPI Was Frozen Near 6,628 — Then Chip Stocks Pulled It Above 6,700, but the Fed Could Change Everything Overnight

South Korea

Korea Is Exporting Its Food-Cluster Playbook to Kazakhstan — But the Real Shortcut May Be 70 CU Stores Already on the Ground

United States

United States

News Helicopter Crashes in Los Angeles During Coverage of Traffic Accident

United States

Texas Republican’s Post About Asian American Students at UT Austin Sparks Backlash

United States

US Treasury’s Bessent to Meet China’s He Lifeng This Weekend

United States

Kim Kardashian Receives €1 Following Paris Court Decision

United States

US Confirms Deployment of Weapons in Space for First Time

China

China

China Builds New Canal to Give Inland Guangxi Direct Access to Sea Routes

China

China Expands Restrictions on Overseas Travel in National Security Cases

China

China Just Opened a 134-Km, $10.8-Billion Canal — But the Real Prize Is a $1-Trillion ASEAN Trade Route

China

Vanness Wu Finished His First HYROX at 48 in 1:11:53 — But He Trained for Only About Three Months

China

China Says Manila Promised to Remove BRP Sierra Madre — But the DFA Says No Such Deal Ever Existed