Marvie Basilan

Tuesday marked the second year of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The militant group took charge of the country after the U.S. pulled out its troops in August 2021. China has not formally recognized the Taliban government but has expressed willingness to cooperate with the militant regime.

Indonesia-based Noice has implemented layoffs more than a year after it raised $22 million in a funding round. The startup joins Spotify and a few other streaming platforms that cut staff this year.

Flooding in China's rice fields is expected to result in lower yields that will then drive global prices up and affect food security in rice importing countries.

SecureWorks has once again announced layoffs just months after it reduced its headcount by around 9%, this time affecting a larger percentage of the workforce.

CoinDesk is reportedly letting go of some workers on its editorial team months after it broke the story that led to FTX's collapse.

As Washington races to deny China the advantage in key technology areas, eyes are on Singapore, Southeast Asia's rising quantum technology leader.

More than half of Filipinos want the government to use military action in response to China's increasing aggression in the West Philippine Sea, a new survey revealed. Tensions have been high in recent days following the Chinese Coast Guard's firing of a water cannon on Philippine vessels.

Donald Trump has expressed skepticism about digital assets in the past, but it turns out now that he has up to half a million dollars in a crypto wallet disclosed in a recent OGE filing.

Meta's Threads app has seen a significant decline in daily active Android users and people are spending less time on the app just over a month after it took social media by storm.

Barry Silbert's Digital Currency Group (DCG) has filed to get Gemini's lawsuit dismissed, claiming it was not responsible for claims or liabilities against its bankrupt subsidiary that formerly held Gemini Earn funds.

Taiwan strengthening its ties with the U.S. has prompted another stark warning from Beijing, as the island was not included in the latest list of countries Chinese tour groups can visit.

Meta is rehiring some of the employees affected by multiple rounds of layoffs at the company since November, and some are reportedly getting lower salary offers or lower positions.

Mobile Premier League (MPL) is reportedly laying off around 50% of its global workforce, weeks after India's GST announced a 28% tax on online gaming platforms that the industry said would burden both companies and players.

The Philippines has been firmer in handling China's aggression over disputed waters, and while an armed offensive from Beijing is unlikely at this time, the smaller Southeast Asian nation's current military capacity can't, in any way, triumph over China if an armed clash occurs.

China is planning to restrict private businesses from using facial recognition technology less than two years after it announced a data security law.

Rapid7, which has been at the center of takeover reports in the past months, announced an 18% reduction in its global workforce. More than three dozen cybersecurity firms have implemented layoffs in 2023.

Users can now utilize voice commands through Monocle's AR device, enabling a truly hands-free experience with ChatGPT's capabilities.

China's declining population, along with a rise in the number of elderly citizens, is expected to dampen the Asian economic leader's economic future.

Indonesia is only behind the U.S., China and Russia in the ranking, which looked at the overall strength, modernization, logistical support and attack and defense capabilities of countries.

Vietnam's EV sector is expected to see strong growth this year, driven by local production, but challenges such as low income among the public and inadequate charging infrastructure may dampen hope.

China rejected blame for the G20 climate meet's failure to secure an agreement, blaming "some countries" that "introduced geopolitical issues as an obstruction."

China aims to become carbon neutral by 2060 and it has made significant strides in renewable energy, but it continues to rely on coal for energy generation.

Beijing's foreign ministry has criticized the U.S. for adding two more companies to its UFLPA entity list, saying allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang were lies propagated by anti-China elements.

A study in February revealed that cybersecurity teams will be less likely affected by the wider tech reckoning, but several cybersecurity companies have already implemented job cuts this year.

CEO Will Marshall said Planet has had increased costs and business complexity since it went public in December 2021. Furthermore, changes in the macroeconomic environment also affected the company.

The metaverse may still be years away from actually becoming part of everyday life, but it offers opportunities for the travel industry to insulate itself from the kind of vulnerabilities that were revealed during the pandemic.

London-based Kape Technologies has laid off around 180 employees, citing a restructuring process at the cybersecurity firm that owns ExpressVPN. Kape joins 901 other tech companies that implemented job cuts so far this year.

China has warned that U.S. military aid to Taiwan will not stop its "firm will" for reunification with the self-governing island nation. Beijing has also continuously sent in warplanes and vessels around the island as Taiwan bolsters its defenses.

India's fintech industry is poised to make a breakthrough as the government continues to support the adoption of CBDC and digital efforts, experts say. Continuous financial inclusion and recent fintech trends such as neo banks may also support further growth.