Category: Asia

Entertainment

Kentaro Sakaguchi Marries Non-Celebrity Girlfriend After Relationship Controversy

TOKYO — Japanese actor and model Kentaro Sakaguchi has announced that he is married, surprising fans with news that he quietly tied the knot with a non-celebrity woman he had been dating. Sakaguchi, 35, announced the marriage on his paid fan-club website on Sept. 6, 2026, telling fans that he had married a woman outside the entertainment industry. His management agency, Tristone Entertainment, subsequently confirmed the marriage but did not disclose the identity of his wife or provide details

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Business

“Good Morning, 10 Cents”: Singapore Man Turns Discarded Bottles and Cans Into Nearly $80 Through Recycling

SINGAPORE — What many people leave behind as rubbish has become a small source of extra income for one Singapore man, who says he collected almost $80 worth of refundable bottles and cans through the country's new Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS). The man, who uses the TikTok account johnsaudio, shared a video on Saturday, Sept. 5, showing himself feeding large numbers of empty beverage containers into a BCRS return machine in Tampines. Several large bags filled with bottles and cans co

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Business

Yishun HDB Flat Sells for S$1.212 Million, Becoming Singapore’s Second-Highest Multi-Generation Sale

SINGAPORE — A rare Multi-Generation HDB flat in Yishun has changed hands for S$1.212 million, setting a new record for the flat type in the neighbourhood and making it the second-highest Multi-Generation HDB resale transaction ever recorded in Singapore. The sale involves a 1,625-square-foot (151 sq m) unit at Block 666 Yishun Avenue 4, located between the 10th and 12th floors. The property fetched approximately S$745 per square foot, despite having a lease that began in 1987, leaving about 60

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Business

Cathay Pacific and Google Use AI to Fight a Hidden Climate Threat in the Sky — and the Results Are Turning Heads

HONG KONG — Cathay Pacific and Google are taking their fight against aviation's climate impact to the skies, expanding trials of artificial intelligence technology designed to help aircraft avoid producing persistent, climate-warming contrails. The Hong Kong-based airline and Google announced Monday that the next phase of their partnership will build on an initial trial launched in late 2025, using AI-powered forecasting to identify atmospheric conditions where contrails are most likely to form

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Philippines

2 Brothers Gunned Down in Maguindanao del Sur Despite Election Gun Ban—Police Hunt for Killers

COTABATO CITY, BARMM — Two brothers were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Paglat, Maguindanao del Sur, on Monday, September 7, even as a strict election gun ban remains in force across the Bangsamoro region ahead of the Sept. 14 parliamentary elections. Police identified the victims as Ebrahim Mamalinta, 35, a resident of General S.K. Pendatun, and his brother, Marquez Mamalinta, a resident of Pandag, both in Maguindanao del Sur. According to Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Reg

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Business

Pizza Hut’s Unlimited Buffet Is Back From S$19.95 — But There’s a Catch You Need to Know

SINGAPORE — Pizza lovers, get ready to loosen those belts. Pizza Hut Singapore is bringing back its popular all-you-can-eat buffet this September, offering diners unlimited servings of pizza, pasta, sides, desserts and drinks for a 90-minute dining session. The limited-time promotion will run from September 10 to September 27, 2026, giving pizza fans several weekends to enjoy as much of the menu as they can handle. But before rushing to the nearest outlet, diners should know that prices and me

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Lifestyle

South Korea’s Coral Gardens Are Collapsing Again as Scientists Warn Climate Change Could Worsen the Damage

JEJU, SOUTH KOREA — A dramatic decline in the soft coral gardens surrounding South Korea’s Jeju Island is raising alarm among divers and marine scientists, as unusually warm waters and increasingly severe weather put one of the region’s most distinctive underwater ecosystems under growing pressure. The phenomenon is known as “slumping” — a process in which soft corals lose their upright form, droop and eventually break apart. After a major slumping event in 2024, divers and researchers say sig

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Japan

Japanese Woman Gives Birth to 7th Child as Birth Rate Hits Record Low—Her Message to Women Goes Viral

A Japanese author and former political candidate has captured widespread attention after announcing the birth of her seventh child, turning a deeply personal family milestone into a broader conversation about Japan’s worsening demographic crisis. Kotoe Hashimoto announced on X on Aug. 29 that she had given birth to her seventh child. She thanked the doctors, midwives and nurses involved in the delivery and later said that both she and the newborn were healthy. Her post quickly spread online, wi

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Politics

Singapore Is Reviewing Political Salaries Again — But What Could Change for the PM, Ministers and MPs?

Singapore is set to put one of its most closely watched and controversial issues back under the spotlight: how much the country pays its political leaders and parliamentarians. The salaries of Singapore's political office holders and Members of Parliament have remained unchanged since the current framework took effect in 2011. But an independent committee has completed a new review, and the government is now preparing to reveal its response and bring the issue before Parliament. Prime Minister

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s 500-Year-Old Whale-Hunting Tradition Is Disappearing—And a New Generation May Decide Its Fate

LAMALERA, Indonesia — On the remote island of Lembata in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province, an extraordinary tradition has survived for centuries: fishermen setting out in small wooden boats to hunt whales using little more than hand-crafted equipment and generations-old knowledge. But the future of the practice is increasingly uncertain. For the people of Lamalera, traditional whale hunting is not primarily a commercial industry. It has historically been part of a subsistence economy an

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