Vietnam's university admissions policies fuel costly IELTS race among high school students

VNExpress - Oct 15, 2026

University admissions policies that convert IELTS scores into English exam marks or bonus points have triggered a surge in demand for the English proficiency test, turning it into a potential deciding factor for tens of thousands of applicants.

Read full article

More News

Hong Kong investors most eager in Asia to beat markets – but temper return hopes: report

Oct 15, 2026

Hong Kong investors most eager in Asia to beat markets – but temper return hopes: report

Hong Kong investors are Asia’s most ambitious stock pickers, but they have much more subdued return expectations than regional peers swept up in enthusiasm over artificial intelligence, according to a survey by a global asset management firm. Some 95 per cent of Hong Kong respondents said they wanted to outperform the market, the highest proportion in Asia, where the average stood at 85 per cent, according to a survey conducted in August by Natixis Investment Managers. Hong Kong investors...

'I'm not anti-monarchy': Hassan on royal power and feudalism

Oct 15, 2026

'I'm not anti-monarchy': Hassan on royal power and feudalism

PKR veteran insists respect for rulers does not mean staying silent.

Thai PM's $57 Casio watches are the new status symbol

Oct 15, 2026

Thai PM's $57 Casio watches are the new status symbol

A 1,900 baht (US$57) Casio engraved with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's name has become a badge of closeness to power among his ministers, senior officials and political allies.

No talks of Dy being prepped as VP: Too premature, says Luistro, Garin

Oct 15, 2026

No talks of Dy being prepped as VP: Too premature, says Luistro, Garin

MANILA, Philippines — Two ranking lawmakers from the House of Representatives have shot down rumors that Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III is being considered as the replacement for Vice President Sara Duterte, in case she is convicted by the Senate Impeachment Court. In separate interviews on Thursday, both Deputy Speaker Janette Garin and Batangas Rep.

PVL: Choco Mucho finds defensive anchor and leader in Dawn Catindig

Oct 15, 2026

PVL: Choco Mucho finds defensive anchor and leader in Dawn Catindig

ANTIPOLO — Dawn Macandili-Catindig has shown that her impact on her new team, Choco Mucho, goes beyond her steady floor defense, also providing leadership that led to the Flying Titans’ early 2-0 lead in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series. With fiery duo of Sisi Rondina-Rosales and Eya Laure leading the offense, Catindig has taken

Northeasterly winds, ITCZ to bring rains in PH on Friday

Oct 15, 2026

Northeasterly winds, ITCZ to bring rains in PH on Friday

MANILA, Philippines — The northeasterly winds and the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) will continue to affect parts of the country on Friday, Oct. 16, the state weather bureau said. According to its 5 p.m. weather advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms will

The China decoupling paradox: why the world still needs its manufacturing machine

Oct 15, 2026

The China decoupling paradox: why the world still needs its manufacturing machine

Talk of global decoupling from China has persisted for years, as has speculation that emerging economies such as India and Vietnam could soon replace it as the “world’s factory”. But for Indian hardware engineer Neeraj Arora, the growth of India’s electronics manufacturing industry has not eliminated the need to source components from China. Instead, it has changed the nature of those imports. A decade ago, Arora imported finished phone chargers from the world’s second-largest economy. Today,...

Thailand Faces a New Economic Test Nearly 30 Years After Its IMF Rescue

Oct 15, 2026

Thailand Faces a New Economic Test Nearly 30 Years After Its IMF Rescue

Thailand hosts the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok this week, nearly three decades after the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Visa’s China approval a ‘direct outcome’ of Xi-Trump summit, Beijing says

Oct 15, 2026

Visa’s China approval a ‘direct outcome’ of Xi-Trump summit, Beijing says

China said on Thursday that the recent government approval allowing American bank card payment giant Visa to operate in the country was the “direct outcome” of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States last month. “The Visa card was granted permission to establish a banking card clearing institution,” said Qiu Wenxing, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Chinese embassy in Washington. “It is a direct outcome of the presidential summit.” Visa received administrative approval...

Trump press secretary Katie Zacharia never passed bar exam, wrongly claims China has none

Oct 15, 2026

Trump press secretary Katie Zacharia never passed bar exam, wrongly claims China has none

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has acknowledged that she never passed a bar exam, days after telling reporters she had passed one “when I moved to China”. In an interview with the conservative commentator Jack Posobiec on right-wing streaming channel Real America’s Voice on Thursday, Zacharia said she sat the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011 but did not pass. She said the results were “somewhat inconsequential, because I knew I...

PCSO lotto results Oct. 15: ₱50.42M jackpot has no winner

Oct 15, 2026

PCSO lotto results Oct. 15: ₱50.42M jackpot has no winner

MANILA, Philippines—No bettor won the ₱50.42 million Super Lotto 6/49 jackpot or the ₱10 million Lotto 6/42 jackpot in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) draws on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. According to the PCSO, the winning combination for Super Lotto 6/49 was 13-42-11-37-01-20, with a jackpot prize of ₱50.42 million. No ticket matched all

PVL: Choco Mucho sweeps ZUS Coffee for 2-0 All-Filipino start

Oct 15, 2026

PVL: Choco Mucho sweeps ZUS Coffee for 2-0 All-Filipino start

ANTIPOLO — Choco Mucho turned to the tandem of Sisi Rondina-Rosales and Eya Laure anew to sweep ZUS Coffee, 25-20, 25-17, 25-20, and cruise to an early 2-0 lead in the  2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series on Thursday at Ynares Center Antipolo. Rosales once again came off the bench and led the Flying Titans

Recommended