Page 6 - Philippines

EU to give Euro 2.4 mn aid for flood victims in India, B'desh, Philippines

The funding will help provide cash assistance, food, access to clean water and sanitation, and other essential services in the hardest-hit areas

Philippines plans to siphon off highly toxic oil cargo from sunken tanker

There is no indication that a big cargo of industrial fuel oil stored in a tanker that sank in stormy weather in Manila Bay has started to leak, the Philippine coast guard said Friday, and plans are being firmed up to try to siphon off the highly toxic shipment to prevent a major spill that could reach the bustling capital. The tanker Terra Nova had left Bataan province en route to the central province of Iloilo with about 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil stored in watertight tanks when it got lashed by huge waves and took on water. The crew struggled to steer the tanker back to port but it eventually sank shortly after midnight Thursday. The coast guard rescued 16 crewmembers but one drowned, coast guard spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo said. "We're racing against time to siphon off the oil to avoid an environmental catastrophe, Balilo told reporters, adding that the plans could be hampered if the weather turns bad. An oil slick about 3.7 kilometres long near the roug

Typhoon Gaemi: Taiwan sees flooding, landslides; kills 22 in Philippines

Taiwan has seen flooding in low-lying areas, along with landslides and damage to homes and shops after Typhoon Gaemi made landfall on the island. The storm swept up the western Pacific, leaving 22 people dead in the Philippines from flooding and landslides, and three in Taiwan, with more than 220 reported injured. Offices and schools in Taiwan were closed for the second consecutive day on Thursday and people were urged to stay home and away from the coastline. The island is regularly hit by typhoons and has boosted its warning systems, but its typography, high population density and high-tech economy make it difficult to avoid losses when such storms hit. The capital, Taipei, was unusually quiet, with light rain falling and occasionally gusting winds. In the Philippines, the death toll rose due to drownings and landslides. At least three people are missing, according to police. The Philippine coast guard reported that an oil tanker, MT Terra Nova, loaded with about 1.4 million li

Typhoon Gaemi approaches China after pounding Taiwan, Philippines

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the main chipmaker for Apple Inc. and Nvidia Corp., said it was taking routine precautions for its local fabrication facilities

Philippines, Singapore broaden defence ties with new military agreement

The Philippines is signing a defence pact with Singapore on Wednesday that will allow their militaries to broaden their engagement, including holding joint exercises to prepare for humanitarian emergencies and other contingencies, Philippine officials said. Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro will sign the Defence Cooperation Agreement with his counterpart in Singapore, two Philippine officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity ahead of the signing. Details of the agreement were not immediately available. Since territorial hostilities between China and the Philippines surged last year at two hotly disputed shoals in the South China Sea, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's administration has taken steps to forge new security alliances with a number of Asian and Western countries and allowed a US military presence at more Philippine bases under a 2014 defense pact. In his state of the nation address before the Philippine Congress on Monday, Marcos stressed that

Typhoon Gaemi strengthens near Taiwan, work halted, flights cancelled

Taiwan shuttered offices, schools and tourist sites across the island Wednesday ahead of a powerful typhoon that already worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, killed at least eight people and displaced 600,000. Typhoon Gaemi's outer skirt was bringing heavy rain to much of Taiwan, where a direct landfall was expected Wednesday evening in the northern county of Ylan. Fishing boats were recalled to port amid turbulent seas, while air travelers were rushing to board overseas flights before the storm arrives, amid numerous cancellations. On Wednesday morning, the typhoon was east of Taiwan moving at 13 kilometres per hour with maximum sustained wind speeds of 162 kilometres per hour, gusting at 198 kilometres per hour, the Central Weather Administration said. In the capital Taipei, heavy rain was falling, but high winds had not yet arrived. Gaemi, which was called Carina in the Philippines, did not make landfall in the archipelago but enhanced its seasonal monsoon rains. The rains

Tensions rise in South China Sea as Taiwan rejects Philippines' claims

MOFA said the claims made by the two nations were unacceptable and stressed the sovereign rights of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to its islands in the South China Sea

Japan, Philippines sign defense pact in face of shared alarm over China

Japan and the Philippines signed a key defence pact on Monday allowing the deployment of Japanese forces for joint drills in the Southeast Asian nation that came under brutal Japanese occupation in World War II but is now building an alliance with Tokyo as both face an increasingly assertive China. The Reciprocal Access Agreement, which similarly allows Filipino forces to enter Japan for joint combat training, was signed by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in a Manila ceremony witnessed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It would take effect after ratification by the countries' legislatures, Philippine and Japanese officials said. Kamikawa called the signing a groundbreaking achievement" that should further boost defence cooperation between the countries. The Japanese and Philippine officials expressed serious concern over the dangerous and escalatory actions by China in Second Thomas Shoal, the scene of a recent confrontation

China deploys aircraft carrier off Philippine coast amid tensions

China has deployed its second aircraft carrier 'Shandong' which was spotted patrolling waters off the Philippine coast as Manila stepped up efforts to assert its claims over a shoal in the disputed South China Sea firmly opposing Beijing's counterclaims. Shandong, an aircraft carrier with a displacement of about 70,000 tonnes, was seen patrolling the waters of the Philippines which serves as a deterrence against "continuous Philippine provocations" on Chinese islands and reefs in the South China Sea, state-run Global Times media reported on Monday. The aircraft carrier is likely on a scheduled exercise that could also prepare it for a potential far sea voyage into the West Pacific, it quoted Chinese experts as saying. Shandong's deployment comes after the People's Liberation Army (PLA) deployed major surface combat ships, including large and medium destroyers as well as the main amphibious landing ship in the South China Sea as the maritime territorial conflict with Manila ...

The risky business of standing up to Beijing

The key focus is to ensure that Manila can assert its rights in the contested waterway, without being dragged into a dangerous conflict that would almost definitely involve the US and its allies

Reforms in armed forces necessary to maintain supremacy during wars: Murmu

Nearly 70 per cent of the total procurement of defence forces was sourced from domestic firms last year, President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday, outlining the government's focus to boost production of critical military hardware within India. In an address to a joint sitting of Parliament, Murmu said modernisation of the armed forces is essential for a strong India and that reforms in the military should be a continuous process to ensure that it maintains "supremacy" during wars. Listing steps to boost domestic defence production, she said the reforms undertaken in the sector have resulted in India now manufacturing defence equipment worth more than Rs one lakh crore. The president said the BrahMos missile deal with the Philippines has strengthened India's standing in the defence export sector. "Modernisation of our armed forces is essential for a strong India. Reforms in our armed forces should be a continuous process so that our forces maintain their supremacy during wars," sh

Philippines should 'do more' than just protest China actions, says Marcos

We have filed over a hundred protests, we have already made a similar number of demarche, Marcos told reporters. We have to do more than just that

Won't back down, says Philippines after clash with Chinese Coast Guard

The president of the Philippines said Sunday his country would not yield to any foreign power after Chinese forces injured Filipino navy personnel and damaged at least two military boats with machetes, axes and hammers in a clash in the disputed South China Sea, but added the Philippines would never instigate a war. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flew with his top generals and defence chief to the western island province of Palawan, which faces the South China Sea, to meet and award medals to navy personnel who came under assault by the Chinese coast guard Monday as they attempted to deliver food and other supplies to an outpost on the hotly contested Second Thomas Shoal. Videos and pictures of the chaotic face-off made public by the military showed Chinese coast guard personnel hitting a Philippine navy boat with a wooden bar and seizing a bag while blaring sirens and using blinding strobe lights. The Chinese government said that its coast guard had to take action after Filipino ..

Decoded: What's fuelling the China-Philippines dispute in South China Sea?

China's claim over mostly entire South China Sea through the nine-dash line has been at the source of conflict with other island nations in the region

US renews warning to defend the Philippines after latest China clash

The United States renewed a warning Tuesday that it's obligated to defend its close treaty ally a day after Filipino navy personnel were injured and their supply boats damaged in one of the most serious confrontations between the Philippines and China in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, officials said. China and the Philippines blamed each other for instigating Monday's hostilities in the Second Thomas Shoal, which has been occupied by a small Filipino navy contingent aboard a grounded warship that's been closely watched by Chinese coast guard, navy and suspected militia ships in a yearslong territorial standoff. There is fear the disputes, long regarded as an Asian flashpoint, could escalate and pit the United States and China in a larger conflict. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell discussed China's actions with Philippine counterpart, Maria Theresa Lazaro, in a telephone call. Both agreed that China's dangerous actions threatened regional peace and stability, State

China blames Philippines for a ship collision in the South China Sea

A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday, China's coast guard said, in the latest flare-up of escalating territorial disputes that have sparked alarm. The coast guard said a Philippine supply ship entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that's part of territory claimed by several nations. The Philippine military called the Chinese coast guard's report deceptive and misleading. The Chinese coast guard said in a statement on the social media platform WeChat the Philippine supply ship ignored China's repeated solemn warnings and dangerously approached a Chinese vessel in normal navigation in an unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision. The Philippines is entirely responsible for this, it added. In Manila, the Philippine military said it would not discuss operational details on the legal humanitarian rotation and resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal, which

Chinese vessel, Philippine ship collides in South China Sea: Coast guard

A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday, China's coast guard said. The coast guard said a Philippine supply ship entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that's part of territory claimed by several nations. The Chinese coast guard said in a statement on the social media platform WeChat the Philippine supply ship ignored China's repeated solemn warnings and dangerously approached a Chinese vessel in normal navigation in an unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision. The Philippines is entirely responsible for this, it added. The Philippines says the shoal, which lies less than 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its coast, falls within its internationally recognised exclusive economic zone and often cites a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated China's expansive claims in the South China Sea based on historical grounds. Several ..

Baby food sugar row: Public Eye, IBFAN call for legal action against Nestle

A report by Public Eye and IBFAN showed that Nestle's baby foods in South Asian, African, and Latin American countries had notably elevated sugar content compared to their European counterparts.

PV exports rise by 268K units in last 4 years; Maruti's biggest gainer

Passenger vehicle exports from India rose by 2.68 lakh units in the last four financial years with Maruti Suzuki India accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the incremental shipments during the period. As per the industry data, passenger vehicle exports in the 2020-21 fiscal stood at 4,04,397 units. It rose to 5,77,875 units in the 2021-22 fiscal year and to 6,62,703 units in 2022-23 financial year. Last fiscal, exports stood at 6,72,105 units, an increase of 2,67,708 units since 2020-21. In the last three fiscal years, Maruti Suzuki has accounted for 70 per cent of the incremental 2,67,708 units across the industry which were shipped to overseas markets. The auto major's export shipment increased by 1,85,774 units between FY21 and FY24. When contacted, Maruti Suzuki India Executive Officer Corporate Affairs Rahul Bharti said that factors like addition of more models, adherence to global production standards and tie-up with Toyota have helped in ramping up the exports' volume. He

Wardwizard bags $1.29 bn electric vehicle order from Philippines company

This collaboration aligns with the Philippines government's PUVMP, which seeks to replace outdated gasoline and diesel vehicles with cleaner electric alternatives