Wednesday 4 November 2026

Illegal drug trade in the Philippines

Philippine authorities seize a 200-kilogram (440 lb) shipment of methamphetamine, whose origin is traced to Laos, at the Manila International Container Port. The shipment had arrived six days after Laotian police found similar contraband destined for the Philippines.

Disasters

Five people are killed while two others are injured in an explosion at a suspected illegal fireworks factory in Malasiqui, Pangasinan, Philippines.

Disasters

A fire and explosion at a Panasonic subsidiary's factory in Hsinchu County, Taiwan, kills two employees and injures five others.

2026 Southeast Asian haze

The Singaporean parliament amends the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act of 2014, introducing arrest powers, permitting trials in absentia, and increasing maximum fines tenfold to S$20 million (US$15 million) following widespread air pollution from Indonesian wildfires.

Business

The Bangladeshi garment industry wage board agrees to increase minimum wages following five days of worker protests and clashes with police. Workers demand ৳30,000 (US$240) monthly, up from ৳12,500 (US$100), while the board has not specified the increase.

Science & Tech

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a space telescope for studying gamma-ray bursts, re-enters Earth's atmosphere over Sumatra, ending its mission of nearly 22 years.

Crime & Justice

Hackers steal approximately €100 million (US$112 million) from French bank Crédit Mutuel through unauthorized transactions using the bank's account.

Health

The United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics reports that deaths linked to cocaine use have overtaken deaths from heroin in England and Wales for the first time on record. The increase in deaths from cocaine use is blamed on increased purity of the drug and its widespread availability across the UK in recent years.