Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
BANGKOK, Thailand, May 18, 2024 (AFP) – Vietnam’s Communist Party has nominated public security minister To Lam to be the country’s new president, state media said Saturday, after his predecessor resigned as part of a sweeping anti-graft purge. Thousands of people — including top officials and senior business leaders — have been caught up in the Southeast Asian country’s “blazing furnace” crackdown on graft, led by Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The party’s […]
MANILA, May 18, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippine military said Saturday it has replaced a key commander overseeing forces in the South China Sea, including Filipino troops garrisoned on a disputed reef. Rear Admiral Alfonso Torres Jr will replace Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos as chief of the Western Command on Palawan island, which is the closest Philippine landmass to the hotly contested Spratly Islands. The military said in a statement the move was part of […]
MANILA, May 18, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines will “vigorously defend what is ours”, President Ferdinand Marcos said on Saturday, as Manila’s maritime row with Beijing over the South China Sea escalates. Marcos told a Philippine Military Academy graduation ceremony that the Southeast Asian country faced “a blatant disregard of internationally accepted principles”. His remarks follow a series of incidents involving Philippine and Chinese vessels near disputed reefs in the South China Sea that have […]
MANILA, May 17, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines has agreed to buy five coast guard patrol ships from Japan in a deal worth more than $400 million, Manila said Friday, as the Southeast Asian country faces growing Chinese pressure in the South China Sea. Japan will loan the Philippines 64.38 billion yen ($413 million) to buy the five 97-metre Multi-Role Response Vessels and pay for the “development of the required support facilities”, the foreign ministry […]
MANILA, May 16, 2024 (AFP) – A convoy of boats carrying Philippine civilians bearing supplies for Filipino fishers has abandoned plans to sail closer to a China-held reef off the Southeast Asian country, organisers said Thursday. The convoy set sail Wednesday to distribute fuel and food to fishers and assert Philippine rights in the disputed South China Sea. The trip comes two weeks after China Coast Guard vessels used water cannon against two Philippine government […]
JAKARTA, May 15, 2024 (AFP) – A volcano in eastern Indonesia spewed ash five kilometres (3.1 miles) into the sky on Wednesday in one of its largest eruptions this year. No damage or casualties were immediately reported but images showed a tower of ash soaring into the sky above Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province. The huge grey and black ash column was “seen in thick intensity and […]
By Martin ABBUGAO SINGAPORE, May 15, 2024 (AFP) – Singapore on Wednesday swore in Lawrence Wong as its new prime minister Wednesday, replacing Lee Hsien Loong following two decades in office, with the new leader warning that the trade-dependent city-state faced a riskier, more conflict-ridden world. Wong, formerly deputy prime minister, became only the second person outside of the Lee family to helm the affluent nation as he was inaugurated at the Istana government office […]
KUALA LUMPUR, May 14, 2024 (AFP) – A Malaysian national team footballer who was the victim of an acid-attack has left intensive care following multiple surgeries, a football official said Tuesday. Faisal Halim suffered burns on the neck, shoulder, hands and chest in Petaling Jaya district outside the capital Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago. Nicknamed “Mickey”, the 26-year-old plays on the right wing for Selangor Football Club and Malaysia. “Today, Faisal has been moved to […]
TANAH DATAR, Indonesia, May 14, 2024 (AFP) – Rescuers recovered more bodies on Tuesday after flash floods and cold lava flow on Indonesia’s Sumatra island over the weekend killed at least 50 people and left another 27 missing, the country’s disaster agency said. Hours of heavy rain caused large volcanic rocks to roll down one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos into two of the worst-hit districts on Sumatra island Saturday evening while flooding inundated roads, […]
TANAH DATAR, Indonesia, May 13, 2024 (AFP) – The number of people killed by flash floods and cold lava flow from a volcano in western Indonesia over the weekend has risen to 41 with 17 more missing, a local disaster agency official told AFP Monday. Hours of heavy rain caused large volcanic rocks to roll down one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos into two districts on Sumatra island Saturday evening, while flooding inundated […]
JAKARTA, May 13, 2024 (AFP) – A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Monday, spewing a huge ash tower more than five kilometres (three miles) into the sky after authorities raised its alert level to the second-highest last week. No damage or casualties were immediately reported but images showed a column of ash soaring into the sky on Halmahera island in North Maluku province. Authorities said it reached more than five kilometres above the volcano’s […]
By Suy SE KAMPOT, Cambodia, May 13, 2024 (AFP) – Farmer Chhim Laem shakes his head as he walks between long rows of dead bushes, their brown leaves scorched by heat and drought that have devastated Cambodia’s famed Kampot pepper crop. Known for its intense floral flavour, Kampot pepper is prized by top chefs around the world and sells for up to $200 per kilo. Nurtured for generations in two provinces in southwest Cambodia, the […]
