By Jeoffrey Maitem An advocacy group representing Filipino victims of wartime sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers will renew its decades-old demand for a formal state apology and reparations as Japan’s foreign minister visits the Philippines this week. The group, Lila Pilipina (League of Filipino Grandmothers), said it plans to press its appeal during the visit […]
Read MoreBy Sam Beltran A visit by the Philippines’ foreign minister to Myanmar has raised concerns over how Asean will be perceived under Manila’s chairmanship this year, with critics arguing it risks appearing as tacit support for the junta amid an election widely condemned as a sham. Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro met Senior General Min Aung […]
Read MoreMANILLA: The Philippines signed on Tuesday a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with the UAE, its first such deal with a Middle Eastern nation. The Philippines and the UAE first agreed to explore a free trade pact in February 2022 and formalized the process with terms of reference in late 2023. Negotiations started in May 2024 […]
Read MoreBy Iman Muttaqin Yusof A well-intentioned US embassy post featuring a satellite image of Malaysia has sparked a distinctly local burst of self-deprecating humour, with social media users quipping in response to the picture: “Sorry, we don’t have oil.” On Friday, the embassy in Kuala Lumpur posted a 2016 photograph taken from the International Space […]
Read MoreHis name is not on the ballot, and his photographs don’t appear on campaign posters. But one man looms large over the general election underway in Myanmar: junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. The 69-year-old general has ruled the impoverished Southeast Asian nation since ousting Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in a 2021 […]
Read MoreTHE HAGUE: Myanmar’s military deliberately targeted the Rohingya minority in a bid to destroy the community, Gambia’s Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told the International Court of Justice on Monday. “It is not about esoteric issues of international law. It is about real people, real stories and a real group of human beings. The Rohingya of […]
Read MoreDHAKA: The International Court of Justice on Monday opened a landmark case accusing Myanmar of genocide against its mostly Muslim Rohingya minority. The Gambia filed a case against Myanmar at the UN’s top court in 2019, two years after a military offensive forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from their homes into neighboring Bangladesh. The […]
Read MoreVietnam’s ruling Communist Party will convene its 14th five-yearly congress on 19-25 January to select its top leader and set key targets until 2030. How is the leadership decided? About 1,600 delegates, representing more than 5 million party members, will name around 200 officials to the Central Committee, which then picks the 17-19 members of […]
Read MoreBy Alan Robles and Raissa Robles A Philippine army colonel relieved for his anti-Marcos stance has “voluntarily” returned to his unit and will face charges and psychiatric evaluation, according to his superior. Audie Mongao was on Friday discharged from command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Training Support Group after he publicly withdrew support […]
Read MoreBy Jeoffrey Maitem The Philippines is stepping up efforts to protect undersea cables – the unseen backbone of digital communications – as a string of regional and global incidents has sharpened concerns that seabed infrastructure could be targeted for sabotage or espionage. Officials and analysts say the moves signal that so-called grey-zone activities – coercive […]
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