Asia

Philippines to enforce lockdown in Manila area to curb Delta variant

Editorial Bureau July 30, 2021

MANILA (PHILIPPINES) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday approved the imposition of lockdown measures in the capital region, in a bid to contain the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant and to shield the country’s medical system. The Manila capital region, a sprawl

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Philippines orders inquiry after military plane crash kills 50

Editorial Bureau July 5, 2021

MANILA (PHILIPPINES) -Philippine authorities ordered on Monday probe into the crash of an Air Force plane that overshot a runway killing 47 soldiers on board, three civilians on the ground and injuring dozens. Some passengers on the Lockheed C-130 jumped free seconds before the plane crashed and burst into flames on the weekend, officials cited […]

Asia

Former Philippines president Benigno Aquino laid to rest

Editorial Bureau June 26, 2021

MANILA (Philippines): Philippine former president Benigno Aquino was laid to rest in a Manila cemetery on Saturday beside his parents, two of the Southeast Asian country’s democracy icons. Hundreds of mourners in black and white, some also wearing yellow – the colour associated with the Aquino family and a 1986 revolution that toppled a dictator […]

Asia

Philippines increases restrictions on health professionals going abroad

Editorial Bureau June 18, 2021

MANILA (PHILIPINES) – The Philippines has upped the number of nurses and healthcare workers permitted to go overseas to 6,500 annually, a senior official said on Friday, even as there has been high demand for its health professionals. The Philippines, one of the world’s biggest sources of nurses, reached its annual cap of 5,000 health […]

Asia

China jeopardizes peace in South China Sea: EU

Editorial Bureau April 25, 2021

BEIJING (CHINA) – The European Union called out China for endangering peace in the South China Sea and urged all parties to abide by a 2016 tribunal ruling which rejected most of China’s claim to sovereignty in the sea, but which Beijing has rejected. The EU last week released a new policy aimed at stepping […]

Asia

Japanese PM postpones his visit to India and Philippines

Editorial Bureau April 21, 2021

TOKYO (JAPAN): Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga to postpone plans to visit India and the Philippines on a trip originally set for the end of the month. Suga will instead focus on handling a recent surge in coronavirus cases, broadcaster FNN and other media said.

Asia

Philippines removes suspension on AstraZeneca vaccine for under 60s

Editorial Bureau April 19, 2021

MANILA (PHILIPPINES) – The Philippines will get back to administering AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine to people below 60 years of age, said health officials on Monday, putting an end to a temporary suspension over reports of rare blood clots in younger recipients overseas. “The benefit outweighs the risk. Only a small percentage of the population had […]

Asia

Respect maritime sovereignty, Philippines and Vietnam ask China

Editorial Bureau March 25, 2021

MANILA (PHILIPPINES) – Urging Beijing to respect its maritime sovereignty both Vietnam as well as the Philippines expressed concern to China’s ambassador about Chinese vessels massing in the South China Sea. International concern has grown in recent days over what the Philippines has described as a “swarming and threatening presence” of more than

Asia

Philippines says wider lockdown is likely as coronavirus infections increase

Editorial Bureau March 17, 2021

MANILA (PHILIPPINES) – A chance for a wider lockdown in the Philippines cannot be dismissed if its surge in COVID-19 infections continues, said its health minister on Wednesday. Authorities announced strict regulations on international arrivals to contain the virus spread. The government is facing a slew of remarks over its handling of the epidemic after […]

Asia

Manila offers nurses in return for vaccines from London and Berlin

Editorial Bureau February 23, 2021

MANILA (PHILIPPINES) – A senior official in the Philippines said on Tuesday that the nation will permit thousands of healthcare workers, mostly nurses, to take up jobs in the UK and Germany if both nations agree to donate much-needed coronavirus vaccines. The nation has the highest number of infections in Asia and it recently relaxed […]