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Exercises starting on Monday will be the first to be held outside Philippines’ territorial waters, and come amid a rise in tensions in the South China SeaPhilippine and US forces will carry out their first ever military exercises outside the south-east Asian country’s territorial waters, in a move China has said will only lead to greater insecurity in the South China Sea.The annual Balikatan...

Ferdinand Marcos Jr says building trilateral ties vital, after the three countries criticise China’s ‘dangerous and aggressive behaviour’ in the regionA cooperation agreement by the Philippines, the United States and Japan will change the dynamic in the South China Sea and the region, the Philippine president has said, while seeking to assure China it was not a target.“I think the trilateral agreement is extremely...

US president describes defence commitment to the Philippines and Japan as ‘ironclad’ as Beijing accuses Manila of violating Chinese sovereigntyJoe Biden has pledged to defend the Philippines from any attack in the South China Sea, as he hosted the first joint summit with Manila and Tokyo amid growing tensions with Beijing.“The United States’ defence commitments to Japan and to the Philippines are ironclad,” the...

Governments across region grappling for response as temperatures soar to unseasonable highsThousands of schools in the Philippines have stopped in-person classes due to unbearable heat. In Indonesia, prolonged dry weather has caused rice prices to soar. In Thailand’s waters, temperatures are so high that scientists fear coral could be destroyed.A “historic heatwave” is being experienced across south-east Asia, according to Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist...

Philippines spokesperson says Chinese vessel carried out ‘dangerous manoeuvres’ during mission to resupply military outpostThe Philippines has accused China’s coastguard of “reckless and illegal actions” that resulted in a collision that caused minor structural damage to one of its vessels in the fiercely disputed South China Sea.Jay Tarriela, Philippine coastguard (PCG) spokesperson, said on social media that its vessels had “faced dangerous manoeuvres and...

Ferdinand Marcos Jr hits back with fentanyl insult amid breakdown in relations between political familiesThe former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte accused his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, of being a drug addict who risked being ousted from office in an expletive-laden tirade that underlined the breakdown in relations between the two powerful political families.Duterte’s speech on Sunday, in which he claimed Marcos Jr’s allies were...

Cyclone downgraded after dense fog hits parts of the US and India while drought affects Philippines and southern AfricaTropical Cyclone Kirrily made landfall on the coast of Queensland on Thursday night (local time). Kirrily originated as a tropical low over the Coral Sea, and gradually intensified over several days. The tropical cyclone then quickly intensified on Thursday, reaching a category 2 system by 10am...

Ferdinand Marcos Jr was flown in because concert-goers created ‘unforeseen traffic complications’, bodyguards sayPhilippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr has been criticised for using a presidential helicopter to attend a Coldplay concert north of the capital Manila, bypassing the area’s notorious traffic jams.On social media, many accused the president of wasting taxpayers’ money, and pointed out that the public has to endure Metro Manila’s infamous...

Filipino nurses for Ohio-based company say they have been forced to pay thousands in fees after signing training contractsFilipino nurses are calling for the US’s top labor watchdog to review controversial “stay or pay” training repayment agreement provisions that have left them facing lawsuits and thousands of dollars in fees after they quit their jobs.Training repayment agreement provisions (Trap) are contracts employers require workers...