Category: Asia

Asia

AfD Is Polling Above 40% in Eastern Germany — But Winning the Election May Still Not Put It in Power

MAGDEBURG, Germany — Germany is watching one of its most consequential regional elections in decades. More than 1.7 million eligible voters in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt are choosing a new state parliament Sunday in an election that could produce something postwar Germany has never seen: a far-right party not merely winning a regional vote, but potentially taking control of a state government. The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, entered election day with a commanding polling advantage

September 6, 2026

Politics

Iran Says It Struck a U.S. Drone Boat in Hormuz — But Washington’s Attack on Three Oil Tankers Raises the Stakes Far Higher

TEHRAN/WASHINGTON — The battle between Iran and the United States is moving deeper into the waters that carry some of the world's most important energy supplies. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Sunday that its naval forces attacked a U.S. military unmanned surface vessel attempting to enter what Tehran described as a protected area of the Strait of Hormuz. In simpler terms, Iran says it attacked an American military drone boat. That claim came only hours after one of the sharpes

September 6, 2026

Singapore

Volcanic Ash Grounds Singapore-Jakarta Flights and Strands Thousands — But Reopening the Airport Won’t End the Chaos

SINGAPORE/JAKARTA — One of Southeast Asia’s busiest international air corridors was thrown into chaos on Sunday after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau drifted into the airspace around Jakarta’s main airport, forcing flight operations to stop and leaving thousands of passengers stranded or scrambling for alternatives. At Singapore’s Changi Airport, travelers arrived expecting to fly to Jakarta only to discover their flights had been cancelled. In Jakarta, some passengers had already checke

September 6, 2026

Singapore

Singapore’s Air Is Back to ‘Moderate’ — But NEA Says the Haze Could Turn Unhealthy Again Within 24 Hours

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s skies looked better on Sunday, September 6, after parts of the island briefly slipped into unhealthy air quality earlier in the weekend. But authorities are warning residents not to assume the haze episode is over. As of 7 p.m. Sunday, Singapore’s 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index, or PSI, stood between 72 and 87 across the island, keeping all five regions within the Moderate range. That was a noticeable improvement from Friday and early Saturday, when air quality in t

September 6, 2026

Philippines

Tulfo Wants a 30-Year Infrastructure Plan Before Government Spends Another ₱1.47 Trillion — But a Masterplan Alone Won’t Stop Bad Projects

MANILA, Philippines — Roads that end before reaching their intended destination. Bridges funded in one phase but left waiting for the next. Projects that change when administrations change. Structures that fail when extreme weather finally tests them. Sen. Erwin Tulfo says the Philippines needs to stop treating those problems as isolated failures and start fixing the system that decides which infrastructure projects get built in the first place. As Congress begins examining the proposed 2027 n

September 6, 2026

Business

Trump Wants the Fed to Cut Rates — But His Own Fed Chairman May Be Days Away From Raising Them

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump spent years demanding lower interest rates from Jerome Powell. Now the president faces a potentially more uncomfortable confrontation. The Federal Reserve chairman standing between Trump and cheaper money is Kevin Warsh — the man Trump personally nominated for the job only six months ago. And instead of preparing to cut interest rates, Warsh is overseeing a Federal Reserve that may be preparing to raise them. Financial markets increased their bets on a September rat

September 6, 2026

China

China Raises Tibet Flood Toll to 43 Dead, 519 Missing — But Rescuers Are Still Digging Through What Used to Be Gyirong Port

GYIRONG, Tibet — Eleven days after a massive ice-and-rock collapse high in the Himalayas sent a wall of mud, water and debris racing toward the China-Nepal border, the disaster is still giving up its dead. China on Sunday raised the confirmed death toll on the Tibetan side from 31 to 43, while 519 people remain missing, according to the latest count announced by Chinese authorities and carried by Xinhua. The numbers alone are grim. But what rescuers are confronting at Gyirong Port helps expla

September 6, 2026

Singapore

Singapore’s PM Warns Racist Backlash Is Crossing a Dangerous Line — But the Trigger Wasn’t Just the Nepal Disaster

SINGAPORE — A humanitarian disaster thousands of kilometres away and a controversial multibillion-dollar airline investment have collided in Singapore in an unexpected way. And Prime Minister Lawrence Wong says what is happening online should not be dismissed as harmless internet noise. After racist remarks targeted some of the nine Singaporeans still missing in the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods, and anti-Indian abuse became mixed into arguments over Singapore Airlines’ investment in Air Indi

September 6, 2026

Philippines

PAGASA Says Habagat May Finally Fade by Late September — But September Still Has One Dangerous Wild Card

MANILA, Philippines — After weeks of flooded roads, suspended classes, canceled sea trips and repeated heavy-rain warnings, millions of Filipinos are asking the same question: When will Habagat finally end? The answer from the country's weather bureau is encouraging—but it comes with a major warning. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration expects the Southwest Monsoon, locally known as Habagat, to persist until roughly the end of September 2026. PAGA

September 6, 2026

Philippines

Sara Duterte Has Posted ₱360,000 Bail in Grave Threats Case — But Ortega Says the Hard Part for the VP Starts Now

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has avoided detention after posting bail over three criminal charges arising from her controversial 2024 remarks about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. But one of her most persistent critics in the House says the legal battle has now entered a much harder phase. Answering the allegations in court. House Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Francisco Paolo Ortega V said Dutert

September 6, 2026