Category: Asia

Business

LRT-1 Is Getting Closer to Cavite—But the Biggest Impact May Have Nothing to Do With Faster Travel

MANILA, Philippines — For thousands of workers living south of Metro Manila, the long-awaited completion of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension could eventually mean more than simply spending fewer hours trapped in traffic. It could change which jobs are realistically within reach. Metro Pacific Investments Corp. chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, widely known as MVP, said improved mass transportation could give people living outside the National Capital Region better access to employment concentrated in M

August 22, 2026

Philippines

Kerwin Espinosa Gives Up Loose Firearms and Says He’s “Law-Abiding” — But What Happens Next Could Be Bigger

Albuera Mayor Kerwin Espinosa has surrendered his loose firearms to authorities, saying he wants to demonstrate that he is now committed to being a law-abiding citizen. ALBUERA, LEYTE — Albuera Mayor Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa has turned over his loose firearms to police, in what he described as a step toward proving that he is now choosing to follow the law. The development comes as Espinosa attempts to move forward from years of controversy surrounding his name, including previous allegations i

August 22, 2026

Business

Tradeluxury Luxury Goods Scam: Director Charged Over S$35,000 Money Transfer — But the Bigger Mystery Is What Happened to Victims’ Money

SINGAPORE — The multimillion-dollar Tradenation and Tradeluxury luxury goods scandal has taken another turn, with a former Tradeluxury director charged in Singapore over an alleged S$35,000 transfer linked to criminal proceeds. Yap Lee Peng Somchai, a 30-year-old Singapore citizen, appeared in court on 21 August 2026, facing one charge under Singapore's Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act for allegedly transferring property despite having reasona

August 22, 2026

Business

Kita Just Raised $4.5 Million to Let AI Judge Borrowers in Seconds—But the Bigger Story Is Who Banks Could Start Lending To

A young artificial intelligence startup with Filipino roots has raised $4.5 million in seed funding to tackle one of lending’s oldest problems: figuring out whether borrowers with limited traditional credit histories are actually creditworthy. Kita, an AI-powered credit assessment company co-founded by Carmel Limcaoco and Rhea Malhotra, secured the fresh capital in a round led by BoxGroup, with participation from Y Combinator, Golden Gate Ventures, BEENEXT, Kaya Founders, U.S. News Digital Vent

August 22, 2026

Entertainment

Riot Games Pulls the Plug on 2XKO Development—But Fans Aren’t Losing the Game Yet

Riot Games is ending active development of 2XKO at the end of 2026, less than a year after the League of Legends-based fighting game officially launched on consoles and PC. But despite the shocking announcement, the game itself is not being shut down. Riot Games confirmed on August 20 that it will conclude active development of 2XKO, its free-to-play 2v2 tag-team fighting game featuring champions from the League of Legends universe. The decision comes after months of evaluating player retentio

August 22, 2026

Business

Trump’s Economic Plan Is Shaking Markets—But Bessent’s Next Move Could Change Everything

WASHINGTON — Financial markets are being pulled in several directions at once as the Trump administration intensifies its economic pressure campaign against Iran, the U.S. Treasury moves more aggressively into the long-term bond market, and investors react sharply to major corporate developments at Walmart and Moderna. At the center of the latest market drama is Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said the U.S. government is prepared to increase its purchases of longer-dated Treasury securiti

August 22, 2026

Business

Zim Cleanser Has Survived in Filipino Homes for Decades—But Syril Ko’s Biggest Business Lesson Isn’t About Cleaning Products

MANILA, Philippines — In a consumer market where products can disappear almost as quickly as they arrive, remaining visible on Philippine store shelves for decades is an achievement in itself. That is part of what makes the story behind Zim Cleanser and the family business associated with executive Syril Ko worth examining. The household-cleaning brand is part of the portfolio of the Cymar Group of Companies, a Filipino family-run consumer-goods organization whose roots stretch back more than

August 22, 2026

Business

Puerto Galera’s P50 Environmental Fee Faces Growing Backlash—But There’s More Behind the Controversy

PUERTO GALERA, Oriental Mindoro — A growing backlash is putting Puerto Galera’s revised environmental fee policy under scrutiny, with residents, tourism stakeholders and local figures questioning whether charging fellow Mindoro residents could hurt domestic tourism. The controversy centers on Municipal Ordinance No. 2025-030, or the Revised Puerto Galera Environmental User’s Fee (EUF) System Ordinance, which was approved on December 11, 2025. Under the revised system, a P50 environmental user’

August 22, 2026

Business

Pop Mart’s Labubu Empire Just Hit an Overseas Speed Bump—But What’s Replacing the Hype Could Decide Its Next Chapter

HONG KONG — Pop Mart turned Labubu from an eccentric, sharp-toothed character into one of the world’s most recognizable collectible toys. Now, the Chinese company behind the global phenomenon is confronting a much harder test: proving that the extraordinary growth surrounding Labubu can survive once the initial frenzy starts to normalize. Pop Mart shares came under pressure in Hong Kong after its first-half 2026 results revealed a striking split in its business. Overall revenue was still growi

August 22, 2026

Singapore

Singapore Just Put an AI Chatbot Between Citizens and Government Services—But What Happens When the Questions Get Personal?

SINGAPORE — Finding the right government information could soon become as simple as asking a question in a chat box. Singapore is beta testing Chat.gov.sg, a new artificial intelligence-powered government assistant designed to help members of the public navigate official services, policies and information without having to search across multiple agency websites. The platform entered its final pre-release testing phase on July 3, 2026, according to Channel NewsAsia. The initiative is led by Ser

August 22, 2026