A focused view of neutral reporting on Asia Pacific, brought together across publishers.
Explore all topics →
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Thursday it has started providing psychological first aid (PFA) to learners affected by the Aug. 18, 2026 shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga.
China Evergrande Group's then-Chairman Hui Ka Yan attends a news conference on the property developer's annual results in Hong Kong in March 2017. © Reuters
JEJU, South Korea, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- Police said Thursday they have booked an officer over allegations he closed a missing person case without confirming the safety of the person who went missing on the southern island of Jeju.
MANILA, Philippines — Vanessa Blanca Quillo Rangadhol, a former member of the child singing group Sugarpop and the female voice behind the 2010s hit “Dota O Ako,” has died at 30.
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
BitGo Korea, the local unit of global digital asset infrastructure company BitGo, has received approval from South Korean regulators to operate as a virtual asset service provider here, making it the first foreign player to earn the status.
UNITREE. Unitree's CEO Wang Xingxing speaks during the 2026 World Robot Conference, in Beijing, China, August 20, 2026.
President Donald Trump's move to sharply curtail U.S.-South Korean military exercises will not only affect they countries' combat readiness, but also undermine the credibility of American commitments to its alliances.
(ATTN: RECASTS lead; UPDATES with Ahn's remarks, other details throughout; ADDS byline)By Kim Seung-yeon
The cyber-fraud industry has flourished in Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar, with thousands of people trafficked into the industry. But even those who have managed to find a way out often cannot return home
Fears of a debt issuance glut swept across the US bond market this week, driving the 30-year yield to a nearly two-decade high
Fears of a debt issuance glut swept across the US bond market this week, driving the 30-year yield to a nearly two-decade high
1875 -- A Japanese warship attacks Ganghwa Island on the west coast of the Korean Peninsula in an attempt to expand Japan's influence in the neighboring country.
Series uses a bizarre tale of a human double to ask: Who are we?
Malaysians push for local government action by reaching out to the New York City mayor, who is known for his quick responses
Malaysians push for local government action by reaching out to the New York City mayor, who is known for his quick responses
Kazuyoshi Miura scored twice from the penalty spot as the 59-year-old striker became the oldest goalscorer in the history of Japan’s longest-running cup competition.
China controls the supplies of numerous key industrial materials, including germanium. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
Supertanker owners are getting paid $510,000 per day to bring crude oil from the Gulf to Asia, in a sign of high demand for vessels to transit the waterway as fighting rages in the region and alternative routes take supply from the market.
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade watchdog said Thursday it will recommend that the finance ministry impose antidumping duties on Chinese and Taiwanese solid sodium hydroxide after concluding that the imports had injured the domestic industry.
Already have Rappler+? Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism.
BEIJING (AP) — El Tribunal Popular Intermedio de Shenzhen sentenció el jueves a Hui Ka Yan, fundador del grupo inmobiliario chino Evergrande, a cadena perpetua por fraude a gran escala.
Hui Ka-yan given life sentence for ‘multiple combined crimes’ by court in Shenzhen
Hui Ka-yan given life sentence for ‘multiple combined crimes’ by court in Shenzhen
A woman walks by a map showing Evergrande development projects in China, as she heads to an Evergrande city plaza in Beijing on Sept. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
Two TV shows, mobile games, Southeast Asian expansion anchor broader entertainment push
When a foreign worker loses legal status because an employer fails to complete required procedures, the Ministry of Employment and Labor should give the worker another opportunity to obtain work authorization, South Korea’s Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said Thursday.
From government offices to roadside stalls, tea from China is at the heart of a slow ritual that provides time to talk and socialise
From government offices to roadside stalls, tea from China is at the heart of a slow ritual that provides time to talk and socialise
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Thursday that Seoul estimates that North Korea has up to 120 nuclear warheads, somewhat higher than the figure of 57 suggested by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Cranes load a cargo ship at Panama Canal’s Port of Balboa, managed by CK Hutchison Holdings, in Panama City, on Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)
Keep independent journalism alive
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with more details throughout)
For over a decade, I’ve navigated the complexities of North Korean affairs, security, and foreign policy from both Seoul and Washington, D.C. As the National Desk Political Team Lead, I track the pulse of geopolitics, closely following developments from the Unification Ministry and the Foreign Ministry. My mornings …
Vehicles are parked for export at a Yokohama port, near Tokyo on Aug. 1, 2025. (Takuto Kaneko/Kyodo News via AP, File)
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- Financial commitments held by foreign investors in South Korea rose at the sharpest pace ever to a new record high in the second quarter, driven by a rally in the local stock market, central bank data showed Thursday.
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is estimated to have around 80 to 120 nuclear weapons, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Thursday, declining to offer a specific figure.
A vessel sails through the Panama Canal on March 27: A unit of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison lost the rights to run ports at both ends of the waterway coveted by U.S. President Donald Trump. © Reuters
(2nd LD) Gov't aims to supply over 230,000 additional homes in Seoul metropolitan area to tame housing prices
MANILA, Philippines — There are 28 more individuals who can provide direct and material knowledge of the transactions being investigated in the case involving former Speaker Martin Romualdez, the Office of the Ombudsman said, a day after the supposed key witness recanted on his testimony.
UKI, KUMAMOTO PREF. – Teams of teachers mobilized from across Japan are supporting schools in Kumamoto Prefecture, which was hit by a powerful earthquake last month, before they reopen after the summer break.
BEIJING — Chinese government bonds can play an important role in portfolio diversification as they are likely to continue behaving differently from other countries' debt, strategists say.
MANILA, Philippines — The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) on Thursday defended its operations of the Sanjia Steel Corp. in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, which led to the arrest of Chinese citizens.
Big Bang dropped the single “Biiig” on Wednesday, and within an hour, it had ascended to the top of all major music charts in Korea, YG Entertainment said Thursday.
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to review allowing investigators to lawfully hack into websites distributing illegally filmed sexual material in a push to clamp down on digital sex crimes, officials said Thursday.
Minimum hourly wages are expected to rise more than recommended by a government advisory panel for fiscal 2026 in at least 17 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, a tally showed Wednesday.
MANILA, Philippines — Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon said on Thursday that the government would pursue the construction of detention basins aside from the continued dredging and de-clogging operations to increase the capacity of the San Juan River and reduce flooding in areas around the waterway.
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- Michelle Park Steel, the new U.S. ambassador to South Korea, met with representatives of the U.S. business community operating here Thursday, the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) said.
Kakao Mobility Corp., South Korea's taxi-hailing and mobility platform, is said to have confidentially filed for an initial public offering in the United States, according to a financial market tracker Thursday.