Author: WWC NEWSDESK

Business

Inner Mongolia Wants Beijing Homebuyers — With Cheaper Houses and a 1.5-Hour Train Ride

BEIJING — What if living hundreds of kilometres from Beijing did not necessarily mean giving up access to the capital? That is the pitch coming from Inner Mongolia, where local governments are actively courting Beijing residents with a combination of lower home prices, high-speed rail connections and a growing technology economy. The campaign is an unusually direct response to two problems at once: Beijing's expensive housing market and Inner Mongolia's struggling property sector. Officials f

September 2, 2026

Entertainment

Hong Kong Jockey Club Hits Record HK$331.7 Billion Turnover — Then Delays Its Big Mainland Racing Debut

HONG KONG — The Hong Kong Jockey Club is celebrating a record financial year, a dramatic surge in racing tourism and stronger betting activity. But behind the headline numbers is a major setback: the planned launch of regular racing at its Conghua Racecourse in Guangzhou has been postponed. At its annual general meeting on September 2, the Club reported HK$331.7 billion in total wagering and lottery turnover for FY2025/26, up 3.6% from the previous financial year. It also contributed HK$39.3 bi

September 2, 2026

Entertainment

Hajie Alejandro, Lenie Aycardo Welcome Baby Mateo — But Team HaNie’s Journey to a Family of Four Goes Far Beyond the Delivery Room

MANILA, Philippines — From viral makeup transformations to marriage and now raising two young boys, content creators Hajie Alejandro and Lenie Aycardo have reached another major milestone after welcoming their second child, Mateo Alejandro. Hajie announced the arrival of their newest family member through social media, sharing photos from Lenie’s delivery and introducing Mateo to followers who have watched the couple’s relationship and family journey unfold online. The birth officially turns t

September 2, 2026

Philippines

Senate Allows Budget Hearings During Plenary Sessions as Sara Duterte Trial Squeezes ₱7.2-T Budget Calendar

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate is rewriting its usual work schedule to keep the proposed ₱7.2-trillion 2027 national budget moving, as Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial consumes a major portion of the chamber’s legislative calendar. Senators on Wednesday, September 2, approved an arrangement allowing the Senate Committee on Finance and its subcommittees to conduct budget hearings at the same time as regular plenary sessions — an unusual but targeted exception designed to recover

September 2, 2026

Politics

AFTER 286 DAYS AT SEA: USS Abraham Lincoln Finally Docks in Thailand — But What Happened to Its 5,000 Crew Members?

LAEM CHABANG, Thailand — After an extraordinary 286 days at sea, the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has arrived in Thailand, giving thousands of American sailors and Marines a long-awaited opportunity to rest after one of the Navy's most demanding recent deployments. The Nimitz-class carrier reached Laem Chabang in Chonburi province on Wednesday, September 2, accompanied by elements of its carrier strike group. Around 5,000 U.S. sailors and Marines are expected

September 2, 2026

Politics

US Turns to Japan, South Korea and Turkey for Warships as China’s Naval Shipbuilding Lead Widens — But There’s a Catch

The United States is turning to an unusual solution to one of its biggest military-industrial challenges: asking allied shipbuilders to help close the widening naval shipbuilding gap with China. The U.S. Navy is examining frigate designs from Japan, South Korea and Turkey as Washington searches for a faster way to expand its surface fleet while rebuilding an American shipbuilding industry that has struggled with delays, rising costs and limited capacity. The effort follows an August 13 preside

September 2, 2026

Thailand

Mitsubishi Pajero Is Back: Iconic SUV Returns With Thailand Set as First Market

After years away, one of Mitsubishi Motors’ most recognizable names is officially back. Mitsubishi Motors has unveiled the all-new Mitsubishi Pajero, reviving the legendary SUV as its new flagship model and putting Thailand at the center of its global comeback strategy. The fifth-generation Pajero was revealed at a world premiere in Tokyo on September 2, 2026. Unlike the previous generations that were closely associated with Japanese production, the new Pajero will be built in Thailand, with t

September 2, 2026

Asia

Iran’s War Has Quietly Rewired Who Holds Power — And the IRGC May Be the Biggest Winner

TEHRAN — Iran still has a president, a parliament, a supreme leader and the sprawling institutions that have governed the Islamic Republic for decades. But six months of war have altered something much harder to see: where real power sits when the country faces its most consequential decisions. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, has long been one of Iran’s most influential institutions. Now, however, wartime conditions appear to be pushing the Guards closer to the center of nationa

September 2, 2026

Business

China’s Venezuela Oil Foothold Takes a Hit as US-Backed Firm Moves Into Chinese-Run Fields

ARACAS/WASHINGTON — A major shift is unfolding in Venezuela’s oil industry, and China is warning that its interests must be protected after a US-backed energy company was awarded long-term concessions involving oilfields previously operated by Chinese and Russian-linked companies. The development puts one of Beijing’s most important energy relationships in Latin America under fresh pressure — while giving Washington a much larger role in deciding where Venezuelan crude is produced and where it

September 2, 2026

Philippines

WESTERN VISAYAS SURGES TO NO. 1: Region Posts PH’s Fastest 6.4% Growth—Then Poverty Drops to 5.2%

ILOILO CITY — Western Visayas is emerging as one of the Philippines’ strongest regional economic performers after posting the country’s fastest economic growth in 2025—while simultaneously recording a dramatic decline in poverty among families. The region’s economy expanded 6.4 percent in 2025, accelerating from 4.4 percent in 2024 and reaching ₱683.44 billion at constant 2018 prices, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). That made Western Visayas the fastest-growing among th

September 2, 2026