Category: Asia

Philippines

Dengue Cases in Caraga Plunged 66%—But One Province Has Already Crossed the Epidemic Threshold

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines — Dengue infections across the Caraga Region have fallen sharply in 2026, but health authorities are warning residents not to interpret the dramatic decline as a signal that the threat has disappeared. Latest Department of Health-Caraga figures showed 2,303 dengue cases as of August 8, about 66 percent lower than the 6,822 cases recorded during the comparable period in 2025. The numbers represent one of the region’s most substantial year-on-year improvements in dengue

August 21, 2026

Singapore

Singapore’s Buses Will Soon Be Watching the Roads — And AI Could Catch You Doing This

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will progressively roll out an AI-powered video analytics system using existing cameras on public buses, with deployment beginning in the fourth quarter of 2026. The technology is designed to detect motorists who encroach into bus lanes or park illegally, while also identifying road infrastructure defects and non-compliant road works. The system is expected to be expanded progressively across all bus routes by 2030, potentially giving Singapore a much wider n

August 21, 2026

Philippines

29 Isabela Barangays Are Getting Marcos-Backed Aid—But Half of Every ₱200,000 Comes With a Major Condition

BENITO SOLIVEN, Isabela — Twenty-nine barangays in this Isabela municipality are receiving solar streetlights and educational assistance under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Bawat Barangay Makikinabang Program, part of a nationwide initiative that could channel roughly ₱8.4 billion directly to more than 42,000 villages across the Philippines. The latest rollout in Benito Soliven puts a local face on one of the Marcos administration’s largest direct barangay assistance programs, with each comm

August 21, 2026

Asia

Sarawak Haze Crisis Explodes: Serian Hits API 241 as 591 Schools Shut — But the Worst May Not Be Over

KUCHING, SARAWAK — Sarawak’s haze crisis has escalated sharply, with Serian recording an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 241 on Friday morning, pushing air quality deep into the “very unhealthy” category and prompting authorities to maintain sweeping school closures across the state. The latest reading, recorded at the Serian District Police Headquarters monitoring station at 8am on Aug. 21, was reported by Malay Mail. Eight monitoring stations across Sarawak were also registering unhealth

August 21, 2026

Business

YouTube Premium Just Got More Expensive in Singapore — But the Family Plan Is Where It Really Hurts

SINGAPORE — YouTube Premium subscribers in Singapore are about to pay more for going ad-free, with both individual and family memberships getting another price increase. YouTube has notified Singapore subscribers that its Premium subscription rates are rising, pushing the individual plan to S$15.98 a month, up from S$13.98, while the Family plan will increase to S$31.98, up from S$27.98. That works out to an additional S$2 a month for individual users and S$4 a month for families — or S$24 and

August 21, 2026

Philippines

DAR Lawyers Are Going Straight to Farmers’ Communities—But the Land Problems They’re Hearing Reveal a Bigger Struggle

MIMAROPA, Philippines — For thousands of Filipino farmers, receiving land is only part of the battle. Keeping it, understanding their legal rights and resolving disputes over boundaries, ownership and possession can become an entirely different fight. That is the problem the Department of Agrarian Reform is trying to address through its “Lawyers to the Benepisyaryo” program, an initiative that sends DAR lawyers directly into farming communities instead of requiring agrarian reform beneficiaries

August 21, 2026

Singapore

Singapore Man Jailed After 18-Hour Ordeal Leaves 6-Year-Old Hospitalised — What Happened Behind Closed Doors?

SINGAPORE — A 31-year-old Singaporean man has been sentenced to nine years and 10 months in prison and eight strokes of the cane after brutally abusing three young boys who had been placed under his care. The sentence, handed down on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, follows a case that prosecutors described as involving prolonged and severe physical abuse. The youngest victim, a six-year-old boy, was subjected to an approximately 18-hour ordeal that left him with multiple serious injuries and hospitalise

August 21, 2026

Philippines

3,194 Cordova Residents Got Free Rice—But the ₱25 Million Behind the Distribution Tells a Bigger Story

CORDOVA, Cebu — Thousands of residents in this coastal Cebu municipality have received government rice assistance, but the August distribution was only one part of a much larger national program combining food relief, local infrastructure funding and support for vulnerable communities. A total of 3,194 Cordova residents received 10 kilograms of rice each on August 13 under the Marcos administration’s Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program, according to the Philippine Information Agency. Among them was

August 21, 2026

Business

Treasury Tried to Rescue the Bond Market. One Day Later, Investors Sent a Warning.

U.S. stocks fell sharply on Thursday as Treasury yields climbed again, oil prices pushed higher and a rare sales disappointment from Walmart added to fears that consumers may be losing momentum. The reversal came just one day after the U.S. Treasury announced it would double the size of its purchases of longer-dated government bonds, a move that initially sent bond yields lower and offered markets a much-needed dose of relief. That relief did not last. The yield on the benchmark 30-year U.S.

August 21, 2026

Business

A Mindoro MSME Went From 10 Keychains a Day to 100—But the ₱87,765 Behind the Leap Reveals a Bigger Story

OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, Philippines — A handicraft maker in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, once struggled to produce just 10 coconut-shell keychains in a day. After a relatively modest technology investment, that output reportedly jumped to around 100 pieces daily — a tenfold increase that shows how equipment and innovation can dramatically change the economics of a small Philippine business. The business belongs to Andrea B. Benoya, a local entrepreneur whose handmade products include bead necklace

August 21, 2026