Author: WWC NEWSDESK

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Fire Rips Through Bangkok’s Makkasan Community—15 Homes Destroyed, One Dead

BANGKOK — A fast-moving overnight fire tore through a tightly packed residential community in Bangkok's Makkasan area early Tuesday, destroying about 15 homes and leaving one person dead, according to Thai authorities and multiple local news reports. The blaze broke out at around 2:35 a.m. on September 1 in Soi Sukhumvit 3, in Makkasan subdistrict, Ratchathewi district. Firefighters from multiple stations rushed to the scene as flames rapidly spread through the closely packed wooden homes. Fl

September 1, 2026

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Keppel Is Betting Bigger on Tokyo—A $1.5 Billion Data Centre Deal Just Changed Its Japan Strategy

SINGAPORE — Keppel is doubling down on Japan's booming data-centre market with a deal worth about S$1.55 billion, acquiring a 90% effective interest in two hyperscale facilities in Greater Tokyo. The transaction involves Tokyo Data Centre 4 and Tokyo Data Centre 5, two freehold, fully fitted colocation facilities in Inzai City, one of Japan's established hyperscale data-centre clusters. The acquisition marks another major expansion of Keppel DC REIT's presence in Japan as demand for data-centr

September 1, 2026

Business

COLOMBO’S LUXURY TOWERS ARE SELLING FAST.WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PROPERTY BOOM TURNS?

Sri Lanka’s Luxury Property Boom Is Accelerating—But Regulation May Not Be Keeping Up Colombo, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s luxury property market is entering a potentially decisive phase as high-end condominium prices climb, major developments advance in Colombo Port City and investors increasingly view apartments as financial assets rather than simply homes. But behind the glittering towers is a growing regulatory question: Can Sri Lanka’s institutions keep pace with a property market that is bec

September 1, 2026

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Marina Square Is About to Change Forever—Singapore Land Unveils a Massive 2031 Redevelopment

SINGAPORE — One of Singapore’s best-known Marina Bay shopping destinations is preparing for a dramatic transformation. Marina Square Shopping Mall will close on March 31, 2027, as Singapore Land Group (SingLand) moves ahead with a major redevelopment of the 9.2-hectare complex that is expected to be completed by 2031. The project will add three new towers, overhaul the existing mall and transform Marina Square into what SingLand describes as Singapore's first “hyper-mixed” development, bringin

September 1, 2026

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MAS Moves to Reshape Singapore’s Stablecoin Market—Foreign Tokens and Interest Payments Face New Rules

SINGAPORE — Singapore is preparing to tighten its rules for stablecoins, with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) proposing new requirements that could reshape how digital tokens are issued, marketed and used for cross-border payments. The proposed changes would amend the Payment Services Act 2019 and introduce a more detailed regulatory framework covering locally issued single-currency stablecoins, foreign-issued tokens and financial-stability safeguards. The consultation comes as stabl

September 1, 2026

Asia

LATIN POISON’ KAZAKHSTAN LATINIZATION IN RUSSIAN MEDIA DISCOURSE

Kazakhstan’s Latin Alphabet Shift Is Becoming More Than a Language Reform Kazakhstan’s long-running plan to move the Kazakh language from Cyrillic to Latin script is increasingly becoming a battleground over national identity, Russia’s cultural influence and the future direction of Central Asia. A recent The Diplomat analysis, “‘Latin Poison’: Kazakhstan’s Latinization in Russian Media Discourse,” argues that the hostile language used by parts of Russian media goes well beyond a technical deba

September 1, 2026

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China’s Aging Crisis Is Getting Harder to Ignore—Now a Nationwide Care Insurance System Is Coming

China is moving toward a nationwide long-term care insurance system as the country faces a rapidly aging population and a growing number of people who may eventually need help with basic daily activities. The government has set a target of having the system essentially cover the country by the end of 2028, marking a major shift from years of regional pilot programs toward a more unified national framework. The issue is becoming increasingly urgent. By the end of 2025, China had about 323.38 mi

September 1, 2026

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Chinese Characters Evolve Like a Living System—Scientists Uncover the Hidden Network Behind China’s Writing

China’s writing system may be far more organized—and surprisingly evolutionary—than it appears. A new study examining modern simplified Chinese characters has found that thousands of characters can be represented as a complex network built from just 514 basic components, revealing patterns that researchers say resemble the organization of complex systems found elsewhere in nature. The research, led by Wei Huang of Beijing Language and Culture University, together with Yonghui Xie of Shanghai N

September 1, 2026

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No Funds Were Downloaded’: Army Witness Gives Key Testimony on DepEd’s ₱15.54-Million Confidential Fund

MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine Army officer testified Tuesday that no funds from the Department of Education (DepEd) were released to his unit for eight Youth Leadership Summits and information, education and communication activities in 2023, raising fresh questions over how the department accounted for millions of pesos in confidential fund expenses. Col. Manaros Boransing II, former assistant chief of staff for civil-military operations of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division and now Task For

September 1, 2026

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Thailand’s ‘Death Railway’ Emerges From Beneath Reservoir After More Than 40 Years

A long-submerged section of the infamous Thai-Burma Railway has briefly resurfaced in western Thailand, exposing remnants of a World War II railway station and offering a rare glimpse into a painful chapter of wartime history. The remains appeared after water levels in the Vajiralongkorn Dam reservoir in Kanchanaburi Province were lowered during maintenance work. The drawdown revealed parts of the railway for the first time since the valley was flooded in 1984. For 52-year-old Pichai Sairantee

September 1, 2026