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Seoul weighs a high-stakes Hormuz mission

SEOUL — South Korea is considering sending military assets to support freedom of navigation in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, with a maritime patrol aircraft, logistics support ship and mine-clearance capabilities among the options under discussion. The potential mission comes as maritime security in the Gulf remains severely strained and as Washington continues pressing allies and partners to contribute to efforts aimed at keeping commercial shipping moving through the waterway. Bu

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Malaysia Declares Haze Emergency in Sarawak After Air Pollution Surges Past 500—What Happens Next?

SERIAN, SARAWAK — September 4, 2026 — Malaysia has declared an emergency in Sarawak’s Serian Division after dangerously high levels of haze pushed the Air Pollutant Index (API) beyond the country’s emergency threshold, triggering extraordinary measures to protect residents. The emergency declaration was consented to by Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, following advice from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg and relevant government agencies. The dec

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US Jobs Roar Back With 162,000 New Hires—But the Fed May Not Like What Comes Next

WASHINGTON — The U.S. labor market delivered a much stronger-than-expected rebound in August, adding 162,000 jobs as the unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%, in a report that could complicate the Federal Reserve’s next interest-rate decision. The latest figures, released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, dramatically exceeded economists’ expectations. Analysts surveyed ahead of the report had generally anticipated a much smaller gain of roughly 55,000 to 65,000 jobs. The surpris

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Singtel Wins First-Ever S&P Rating Upgrade as Debt Falls — But One Risk Could Change the Story

SINGAPORE — Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) has secured its first-ever credit-rating upgrade from S&P Global Ratings, marking a major vote of confidence in the telecommunications giant’s balance sheet and financial strategy. S&P upgraded Singtel’s issuer credit ratings to A+/A-1 from A/A-1, while maintaining a stable outlook. The agency also raised the rating on Singtel’s senior unsecured notes to A+ from A, and its guaranteed subordinated perpetual securities to BBB+ from BBB.

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Japan Develops AI That Can Detect Plastic Waste Deep Beneath the Ocean

TOKYO — A new artificial intelligence system developed by Japanese researchers could dramatically change how scientists track one of the ocean’s most difficult pollution problems: plastic waste accumulating thousands of meters beneath the sea. The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has developed DeepLitterAI, an AI system capable of automatically detecting, identifying and counting marine litter—including plastic bags, bottles and beverage cans—from deep-sea video fo

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Leptospirosis Cases in Philippines Reach 6,253 as DOH Warns of Possible Surge After Floods

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has recorded 6,253 cases of leptospirosis and 378 deaths from January 4 through August 29, 2026, prompting the Department of Health (DOH) to warn that infections could rise further in the coming weeks following widespread flooding. The latest figure, reported by the Philippine News Agency, comes as health authorities continue monitoring regions affected by persistent rains and flooding. Although the cumulative number of cases remains 12 percent lower than t

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Bacolod BFP Gets 4 New Rescue Boats as City Boosts Flood Response

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Four brand-new rescue boats have been turned over to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod City, strengthening the city's ability to respond to flooding and other water-related emergencies as the rainy season continues. The six- to eight-passenger boats were procured by the Bacolod City Government using its 20-percent share from Fire Code fees, according to a report released by the Philippine News Agency on September 4, 2026. Bacolod City Fire Marshal Supt. Je

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Negros Pollution Watch Gets a Major Push as First Regional PCO Summit Set — Here’s What’s at Stake

BACOLOD CITY — Pollution control officers (PCOs) from across Negros and Siquijor are set to converge in Bacolod City next month for what organizers describe as the first PCO summit in the Negros Island Region (NIR), putting environmental compliance, emerging technologies and pollution-control solutions under the spotlight. The two-day summit will be held on October 15 and 16, 2026, in Bacolod City, bringing together pollution control officers, environmental practitioners, industry representativ

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Habagat May Stay Until End of September, PAGASA Warns—But Rainfall Could Ease

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos should not expect the southwest monsoon or “Habagat” to disappear anytime soon. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Friday that Habagat is likely to continue affecting the country until the end of September, although rainfall is expected to be generally less intense than what the country experienced in recent weeks. PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel Servando said the relatively lower rainfall outlook is par

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ASEAN Targets $6.8 Trillion Wellness Economy as Philippines Pushes for Unified Regional Strategy

MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asia is being urged to stop treating wellness and health tourism as separate national industries and instead build a unified regional identity capable of competing for a share of the world's rapidly expanding $6.8 trillion wellness economy. The call came Friday as the Philippines hosted the ASEAN Health Tourism & Wellness Economy Summit in Pasay City, where business and government leaders argued that closer regional cooperation could unlock a much larger economic

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