Author: WWC NEWSDESK

Singapore

Singapore’s Electric Motorcycle Startups Are Racing Across Asia — But Only 433 Bikes Are on Home Roads. What’s Holding Them Back?

SINGAPORE — Singapore is producing electric-motorcycle companies with ambitions stretching from Indonesia to Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and even Africa. Yet their toughest market may be the one right outside their own headquarters. Despite years of government efforts to electrify transport and experiments with battery-swapping technology, only 433 electric motorcycles were registered on Singapore roads as of July 2026, representing about 0.2% of the country’s motorcycle popula

August 31, 2026

Business

Globe Spends ₱26.3 Billion on 5G and Digital Infrastructure—But What Comes Next for Filipino Internet Users?

MANILA, Philippines — Globe Telecom is accelerating its push to strengthen the Philippines' digital backbone, investing ₱26.3 billion in capital expenditures during the first half of 2026, with the overwhelming majority of the spending directed toward data, 5G and other digital infrastructure. The investment, which was 39% higher than the amount spent during the same period last year, underscores the intensifying race among telecommunications companies to meet Filipinos' growing appetite for fa

August 31, 2026

Asia

China’s Wenchang Rocket Boom Is Drawing Crowds and Billions — But Can It Build a Real Economy After Liftoff?

WENCHANG, China — On China’s tropical island of Hainan, rockets are increasingly becoming more than machines heading into orbit. They are becoming an economic development strategy. Wenchang, once known primarily for coconut groves, beaches and its famous Wenchang chicken, is attempting an ambitious transformation into one of China’s most important aerospace cities — combining government space missions, commercial rocket launches, satellite technology, manufacturing, data services and an emergi

August 31, 2026

Asia

Nearly 800 Dead, Thousands Still Missing: Nepal’s Race Against Time Takes a Heartbreaking Turn

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal has begun burying unidentified victims as rescuers continue a desperate search for thousands of people missing after a catastrophic flood and mudslide tore through the Himalayan region near the Nepal-China border. The scale of the disaster continues to unfold days after a glacier collapse unleashed a devastating torrent of ice, rocks, mud and water through mountain valleys on August 26, wiping out communities and damaging critical infrastructure. As of Sunday, Nepal's

August 31, 2026

Politics

Yen Falls Past ¥160 Again — But Bessent Says This Time Is Different. What Happens Next Could Decide Japan’s Next Move

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the Japanese yen’s latest decline is not yet disorderly, even as the currency returns to a level closely watched for possible intervention and investors raise bets on another Bank of Japan interest-rate hike. The Japanese yen is once again testing policymakers’ tolerance after sliding beyond the psychologically important ¥160-per-dollar level, but Washington is not yet signaling that another emergency response is imminent. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scot

August 31, 2026

Politics

US Strikes Iranian Launchers Near Strait of Hormuz—Then Tehran Fires Back

WASHINGTON/TEHRAN — U.S. forces struck two Iranian military launchers on Larak Island, a strategically located island near the Strait of Hormuz, in what officials described as the first known American military strikes against Iran since late July. The latest confrontation has raised fresh fears of a wider escalation in one of the world's most strategically important waterways, with Iran reportedly responding by launching missiles toward U.S. forces in Jordan. According to a U.S. official cited

August 31, 2026

Sport

Carlos Alcaraz Returns After Four Months Out to Defend US Open Crown — But His First Opponent Has Beaten Him Before

NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz is about to discover whether four months away from singles tennis has weakened his grip on the US Open — or simply given one of the sport’s most explosive champions time to reload. The 23-year-old Spaniard returns to singles competition at Flushing Meadows on Monday, August 31, after a right wrist injury kept him out of action since April, forcing him to miss the French Open, Wimbledon and much of the North American hard-court season. Yet despite the unusually long in

August 31, 2026

Asia

SK On Lands an Estimated $1.09 Billion U.S. Battery Deal — But a Second Agreement Could Double the Stakes

SEOUL — South Korean battery giant SK On is making a bigger push beyond electric vehicles, signing a major U.S. energy-storage battery agreement with NeoVolta Power that could become the first half of a much larger partnership. SK On said Monday, August 31, that it will supply U.S.-based NeoVolta Power with 9 gigawatt-hours of lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, pouch battery cells over five years from 2027 through 2031. The batteries will be manufactured at SK On’s plant in the U.S. state of Geor

August 31, 2026

Entertainment

Ivana Alawi Breaks Her Silence After Viral Flood Relief Video Sparks Backlash—Here’s What Really Happened

MANILA, Philippines — Actress and content creator Ivana Alawi has broken her silence after a video showing her distributing relief goods while wading through floodwaters sparked mixed reactions online. The viral footage showed Ivana and her team handing out relief packs to residents lined up near a truck in a flooded area. While many praised her for personally reaching out to families affected by the flooding, others questioned why the relief operation was being conducted in a waterlogged locat

August 31, 2026

Politics

Trump Wants the FCC to ‘Punish’ NBC’s Kristen Welker — But One Detail in His 99% Endorsement Claim Changes the Story

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has opened another front in his long-running battle with the American media, this time targeting NBC News journalist and “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker over just two words: “mixed results.” Trump said Sunday, August 30, that Welker would be reported to the Federal Communications Commission for possible “rebuke or punishment,” accusing the veteran journalist of deliberately misrepresenting his record of endorsing Republican candidates ahead of the N

August 31, 2026