Page 9 - Philippines

Philippines attracts four bids for main airport's $3 billion upgrade

Firms that submitted bids were the Manila International Airport Consortium, Asian Airport Consortium, GMR Airports Consortium, and SMC SAP & Co Consortium

China to keep up military pressure against Philippines as disputes escalate

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the country will maintain military pressure on the Philippines amid a dispute over sovereignty in the South China Sea that could involve US forces defending their treaty partner. In a phone conversation on Wednesday with his Philippine counterpart, Enrique A. Manalo, Wang warned that if the Philippine side misjudges the situation, goes its own way, or even colludes with ill-intentioned external forces to continue to stir up troubles, China will defend its rights in accordance with law and respond resolutely, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Wang's comments follow China's mobilization of its coast guard and maritime militia to block Philippine supply missions to support its soldiers and fishermen. China claims sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea, one of the world's most crucial waterways for shipping, putting it at odds with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, who all maintain claims over islands, ree

At least 16 dead, 12 injured as bus falls off ravine in central Philippines

A passenger bus lost control while negotiating a downhill curve in a central Philippine mountain village and plunged into a deep ravine, killing at least 16 people and injuring 12 others, officials said Wednesday. Eight of the wounded in the accident, which happened Tuesday afternoon in Hamtic town in the province of Antique, were in critical condition at a local hospital, officials said. The air-conditioned bus, which came from the nearby Iloilo province, was maneuvering through the accident-prone mountain road when the driver, who was among those killed, lost control. The bus smashed onto a concrete railing then fell into the ravine, officials said. The driver was repeatedly sounding his horn because he had apparently lost control of the bus before it plummeted into the ravine, Ronniel Pabustan, an Antique provincial crisis responder, told The Associated Press by telephone, citing accounts by some of the passengers. Dozens of rescuers, including police, army troops and provincial

Earthquake of magnitude 6.8 jolts Philippines, no casualties reported

An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 on the Richter Scale struck the Philippines on Monday, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported.The quake occurred on Sunday night at 01:19:42 IST at a depth of 82 km in Mindanao.The NCS posted from its official handle on X, "Earthquake of Magnitude:6.8, Occurred on 04-12-2023, 01:19:42 IST, Lat: 9.03 & Long: 126.70, Depth: 82 Km ,Location: Mindanao, Philippines."No casualties were reported in the incident till the filing of this report and more details are awaited.Earlier, on Saturday, a strong earthquake in the southern Philippines claimed at least one life as thousands were ordered to evacuate, including in Japan, after tsunami warnings that were later lifted, Al Jazeera reported.The earthquake, measuring a magnitude of 7.6 according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) and 7.5 according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre, struck off the coast of Mindanao island at a depth of 32km. It was followed by four major aftershocks

Suspected bomb blast kills 3 Christian worshippers in southern Philippines

A powerful explosion believed caused by a bomb ripped through a Catholic Mass and killed at least three people and wounded several others Sunday in a predominantly Muslim city in the southern Philippines, officials said. The morning Mass was underway in a gymnasium at the state-run Marawi State University in Marawi city when the explosion happened, causing panic among dozens of worshippers and leaving the victims bloodied and sprawled on the ground, said Taha Mandangan, the security chief of the sprawling state-run campus. At least two of the wounded were fighting for their lives, Mandangan said. "This is clearly an act of terrorism. It's not a simple feud between two people. A bomb will kill everybody around, Mandangan told The Associated Press by telephone. Army troops and police immediately cordoned off the area and were conducting an initial investigation and checking security cameras for any indication of who may have been responsible for the attack. Security checkpoints were

Tsunami warning after 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Philippines

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck on Saturday off the cost of the Philippines island of Mindanao. A tsunami warning was issued. The quake struck at 10:37 p.m. and was measured at a moderate depth of 32 kilometers (20 miles). The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said based on the magnitude and location it expected tsunami waves to hit the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau and Malaysia.

US, Philippines sign nuclear cooperation pact to bolster power supply

The United States and the Philippines have signed a nuclear cooperation pact under which U.S. investment and technologies are to help the Southeast Asian nation transition to cleaner energy and bolster its power supply. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the signing of the deal by his energy secretary and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. "We see nuclear energy becoming a part of the Philippines' energy mix by 2032 and we are more than happy to pursue this path with the United States as one of our partners, Marcos said at the signing ceremony. He said the pact, known as a Section 123 agreement, would support the development of reliable, affordable and sustainable power in the Philippines. It will also open doors for U.S. companies to invest and participate in nuclear power projects, he said. Blinken said negotiations with the Philippines were completed within

Record 7.5 million people globally diagnosed with TB in 2022: WHO

A total of 7.5 million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2022, the highest recorded since WHO began global TB monitoring in 1995, according to a report featuring data from 192 countries and areas. The World Health Organization (WHO) 2023 Global tuberculosis (TB) report also shows that globally, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2022, up from 10.3 million in 2021. The report underscores a significant worldwide recovery in the scale-up of TB diagnosis and treatment services in 2022. It shows an encouraging trend starting to reverse the detrimental effects of COVID- 19 disruptions on TB services. The increase in diagnosis is attributed to good recovery in access to and provision of health services in many countries, WHO said. India, Indonesia and the Philippines, which together accounted for over 60 per cent of the global reductions in the number of people newly diagnosed with TB in 2020 and 2021, all recovered to beyond 2019 levels in 2022, it said. "For

India offers 7 helicopters to Philippine Coast Guard for rescue operations

"The discussion is going on very well. The Coast Guard is very interested - they've flown the helicopter...," Kumaran told President Marcos

Philippines' coast guard ship, supply boat hit by Chinese vessels: Official

A Chinese coast guard ship and an accompanying vessel rammed a Philippine coast guard ship and a military-run supply boat Sunday off a contested shoal, Philippine officials said, in an encounter that heightened fears of an armed conflict in the disputed South China Sea. A top Philippine security official told The Associated Press there were no injuries among the Filipino crew members and an assessment of the damage to both vessels was underway. The official said that the two incidents near Second Thomas Shoal, where China has repeatedly tried to isolate a Philippine marine outpost, could have been worse if the vessels were not able to maneuver rapidly away from the Chinese ships. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authority to publicly discuss the matter. China's sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea, including over islands closer to Philippine shore, have raised tensions and brought in the United States, a longtime treaty ally of the ...

X tests $1 fee for new users in Philippines, New Zealand to target spam

Elon Musk's social media platform X has begun charging a USD 1 fee to new users in the Philippines and New Zealand, in a test designed to cut down on the spam and fake accounts flourishing on the site formerly known as Twitter. The company said late Tuesday that it has started trying out the annual subscription method for new and unverified accounts. The program, dubbed Not a Bot, won't apply to existing users. It's not clear why it only applies to New Zealand and the Philippines or why those countries were chosen. This new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount, the X support account tweeted. It is not a profit driver. Since Musk bought X a year ago, he has introduced a slew of changes such as renaming the platform and gutting its workforce including its content moderation team. Outside watchdog groups say the changes have allowed

Venus Remedies gets marketing approval for 6 chemo drugs from Philippines

Pharma major Venus Remedies on Monday said it has received marketing approval from the Philippines for six key chemotherapy drugs. The approved drugs include bortezomib, cisplatin, doxorubicin, docetaxel, fluorouracil, and paclitaxel, which are crucial for cancer treatment, according to a company statement. With this, Venus Remedies has secured 525 marketing approvals for its oncology products across 76 countries, it said. This achievement marks a significant step towards achieving the company's goal of emerging as the top oncology medicine supplier from India in Southeast Asia, said Saransh Chaudhary, chief executive officer, Venus Medicine Research Centre. "While oncology drugs account for 157 of our 205 marketing authorisations in the ASEAN region, we are banking on these product registrations from the Philippines to pave the way for faster approval of these drugs in other Southeast Asian countries as well," Chaudhary added. The company will further extend its operations to oth

Philippines raises $1.3 billion from sale of retail dollar bonds

The government sold its maiden retail dollar bonds in October 2021, when it raised $1.6 billion

Philippine boats breach a Chinese coast guard blockade in a faceoff

Two Philippine supply boats breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in the South China Sea on Wednesday in a recurring confrontation near a disputed shoal some fear could spark a larger security crisis that could draw in the United States. Two Philippine coast guard ships escorted the smaller supply boats, but it wasn't immediately clear whether the ships were blocked by the Chinese coast guard from coming closer to the Second Thomas Shoal, where a small contingent of Filipino marines has stood guard for years aboard a long-marooned but still actively commissioned warship, the BRP Sierra Madre. China also claims the shoal and has surrounded it with its coast guard ships and militia vessels to prevent the Philippines from delivering construction materials that Beijing fears could be used to reinforce the Sierra Madre and turn it into a permanent territorial outpost. Despite attempts by a significant number of China coast guard and Chinese maritime militia vessels to block, harass, an

US deepening intelligence cooperation with Asian countries to counter China

The web of relationships also includes trilateral partnerships among the US, Japan and South Korea, and one encompassing the US, Japan and the Philippines, the officials said

Earthquake of magnitude 6.3 jolts Philippines, no loss of life reported

An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 on the Richer scale jolted the Philippines on Wednesday, the National Centre of Seismology (NCS) informed through a post on social media.The earthquake occurred at 16:51:49 IST on Wednesday, at a depth of 160 kms."Earthquake of Magnitude:6.3, Occurred on 04-10-2023, 16:51:49 IST, Lat: 5.34 & Long: 126.43, Depth: 160 Km, Location: Philippines," read a post on the official handle of NCS on X.Earlier in June, a deep earthquake shook parts of the Philippines, southwest of the capital. The 6.2 magnitude earthquake on Thursday morning near Hukay, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) below the earth's surface, the US Geological Survey said.Deep quakes are often widely felt but with less potential to cause major damage. Hukay is about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Manila.Earlier, two strong earthquakes of magnitudes 6.2 and 4.6 struck Nepal on Tuesday, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported, adding that the tremors were felt across large parts of ...

'Philippines not looking for trouble but will defend waters against China'

The Philippine president said Friday that his country does not want a confrontation but will staunchly defend its waters after its coast guard removed a floating barrier placed by China at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. It was the first time President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has spoken publicly against China's installation of the 300-metre (980-foot) -long barrier at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal which was dismantled at his order. "We're not looking for trouble but what we'll do is to continue defending the maritime territory of the Philippines and the rights of our fishermen, who have been fishing in those areas for hundreds of years, Marcos said in response to a question at a news briefing in southern Surigao del Norte province. The latest flare-up between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest trade routes, comes after Marcos decided earlier this year to allow an expansion of the US military presence in the Philippines under a 2014

Asian Games: Esport, Indian League of Legends team bow out in quarters

India's DOTA 2 team will begin their campaign against Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines in their opening group stage games on September 29

Philippines condemns Beijing for installing floating barrier in S China Sea

Bajo de Masinloc, also known as the Scarborough Shoal, is a small but strategic reef and fertile fishing ground 130 miles (200 kilometers) west of the Philippine island of Luzon

Women's Reservation Bill: Where else have seats been reserved for women?

Parliament special session: In 2018, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report, only 24 per cent of parliamentarians were women