Category: Asia

Lifestyle

Japan Borrowed Cheaply for Decades—Now Bond Yields Are Near 3% and the Real Test Is Just Beginning

TOKYO — Japan’s government bond market is entering territory that would have seemed almost impossible just a few years ago. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond surged as high as 2.945% on August 18, its strongest level since September 1996 and just a fraction away from the closely watched 3% threshold. For a country that spent years operating under near-zero and even negative interest rates, the move represents a dramatic change in the financial landscape. But investor

August 19, 2026

Entertainment

Derek Ramsay’s Porsche Was Spotted With a Different Plate—Now the LTO Is Considering a Much Bigger Penalty

MANILA, Philippines — Actor-businessman Derek Ramsay and his friend Anthony Jude Violago could face suspension or even revocation of their driver’s licenses as the Land Transportation Office intensifies its investigation into an allegedly unauthorized license plate fitted to a Porsche 918 Spyder linked to Ramsay. The controversy began after LTO personnel spotted images of the ultra-rare supercar on social media carrying a plate number that allegedly did not match the vehicle’s officially regist

August 19, 2026

Philippines

Singapore’s MFA Was Named on a Website It Never Backed—Then Investigators Saw Who the “Consultancy” Was Trying to Recruit

SINGAPORE — A consultancy presenting itself as a Singapore-based geopolitical advisory firm appeared to have all the ingredients needed to impress a prospective employee: experienced diplomats, international credentials and jobs for people who understand the inner workings of governments. But scrutiny of the operation has exposed a very different picture. An investigation by Channel NewsAsia (CNA) found that the website of a purported consultancy called Great Vision contained fabricated creden

August 19, 2026

Politics

Peter Seah Is Stepping Down After 11 Years Leading Singapore’s Wage Council—Now a Corporate Heavyweight Is Taking His Place

SINGAPORE — A major leadership change has taken place at the body responsible for shaping Singapore’s annual wage guidelines, with veteran banker Peter Seah stepping down as chairman of the National Wages Council (NWC) after more than a decade in the role. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced on Wednesday, August 19, that Seah had asked to relinquish his appointment for “personal reasons”. According to MOM, the ministry agreed to his request “after deliberation”. Taking over immediately i

August 19, 2026

Asia

China’s AI Models Are Suddenly Everywhere—And Silicon Valley Is Fighting Over What to Do Next

The battle for artificial intelligence supremacy is no longer simply about which country can build the world's smartest model. Increasingly, it is about who can make powerful AI cheap enough, open enough and accessible enough for developers everywhere to actually use it. And on that battlefield, Chinese technology companies are becoming increasingly difficult for Silicon Valley to ignore. Chinese developers including DeepSeek, Alibaba, Moonshot AI and Z.ai have increasingly embraced open-weig

August 19, 2026

Philippines

Pampanga Is Asking Malacañang for Help as Floodwaters Refuse to Leave—But Officials Say the Real Problem May Be Much Bigger

PAMPANGA, Philippines — After days of widespread flooding submerged communities, displaced thousands and inflicted hundreds of millions of pesos in agricultural losses, Pampanga's provincial government is appealing for national intervention—while raising a more difficult question: Can the province's recurring flood crisis still be solved by conventional flood-control projects alone? Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda has sought assistance from the national government as persistent flooding continue

August 19, 2026

Philippines

Bohol Spent ₱69 Million on a Home for Young Offenders—But What Happens Inside Is Very Different From a Jail

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol — Behind the gates of a ₱69-million facility in Cortes, Bohol, the province is attempting something far more difficult than simply keeping young offenders off the streets: giving them a realistic path back into society. The Bohol Youth Home (BYH) is designed for children in conflict with the law, or CICL, who need residential care while undergoing intervention, rehabilitation or court-supervised processes. But provincial officials stress an important distinction: this is

August 19, 2026

Politics

New Zealand Just Shielded Companies From Climate-Damage Lawsuits—But the Case That Triggered It Raises a Much Bigger Question

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand has made a major—and deeply controversial—change to its climate laws, effectively shutting down a legal route that could have allowed individuals and communities to hold major greenhouse-gas emitters liable in court for climate-related harm. The country's Parliament passed the Climate Change Response (Tort Liability) Amendment Bill, legislation designed to prevent courts from imposing tort liability on businesses for damage or harm linked to greenhouse-gas

August 19, 2026

Politics

Israel Bombed a Syrian Airbase Over Alleged Turkish Plans—Türkiye’s Response Shows This Crisis Could Get Much Bigger

ANKARA/DAMASCUS — Türkiye has rejected Israel’s claim that a possible Turkish military deployment at a Syrian airbase threatened Israeli security, escalating a dispute that is rapidly becoming about much more than a damaged runway in northwestern Syria. The confrontation follows Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in Syria on Tuesday, August 18, an attack that drew condemnation from Damascus and Ankara — and unusually sharp criticism from Washington. Syrian state television

August 19, 2026

Philippines

A Newly Built Tarlac Dike Failed After Just Six Months—Now Officials Want Answers About What Happened Beneath It

TARLAC CITY, Philippines — A flood-control structure designed to shield communities along the Tarlac River has itself become an emergency after a portion of the dike in Barangay San Isidro collapsed amid powerful river currents and days of heavy monsoon rain. The failure has triggered emergency sandbagging, round-the-clock monitoring and calls for a permanent engineering solution—with local reporting putting renewed attention on the age and cost of the recently completed project. According to

August 19, 2026