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The asteroid, dubbed 2024 PT5, is 33 feet long — roughly equivalent to a standard school bus. The asteroid is expected to enter Earth’s orbit Sunday and lurk there until Nov. 25, just over 56 days, Marcos said. Astronomers in Arizona spotted a different visiting mini-moon — a tiny asteroid named 2020 CD3 — in Earth’s orbit in February 2020. “A short mini-moon episode may last hours, days, weeks or a few months, and the affected object does not complete one revolution around Earth,” he said in an email. An early warning system for asteroids known as ATLAS (short for Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) discovered 2024 PT5 in early August.

Persons: ”, Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, Marcos, It’s, ” Marcos Organizations: American Astronomical Society, Gran, Canarias, NASA, University of Hawaii Locations: Spain, Arizona, Canary

☆ Philippines condemns China’s ‘illegal and reckless’ actions for dropping flares in the skies above South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The Philippine military condemned “dangerous and provocative actions” when two Chinese aircraft dropped flares in the path of a Philippine aircraft during a routine patrol around the shoal on Thursday. The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command countered that the Philippines had disrupted its training, accusing Manila of “illegally intruding” into its airspace. On Sunday, Marcos urged China to act responsibly both in the seas and in the skies. Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that Beijing’s expansive claims had no basis under international law.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, ” Marcos, Chester Cabalza, ”, Cabalza Organizations: Sunday, South China, Southern Theater Command, Presidential Communications Office, International Development, Security Cooperation Locations: South, Manila, Beijing, Scarborough, Philippines, Philippine, “, China, South China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, The Hague

☆ Typhoon Gaemi (Carina): Thousands stranded by floods in Philippine capital as deadly typhoon prompts calls for climate action
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Helen Regan | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Much of the Philippine capital remained underwater Thursday after deadly Typhoon Gaemi worsened torrential monsoon rains that lashed the country, trapping thousands of people in rising flood waters and causing widespread damage. Lisa Marie David/ReutersA road is seen flooded caused by Typhoon Gaemi and monsoon rains on July 24, 2024 in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines. Ezra Acayan/Getty ImagesRescuers evacuate residents from their flooded homes on July 24, 2024 in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines. An aerial view shows Xindian river's rising water level at New Taipei City as typhoon Gaemi passes Taiwan on July 25, 2024. Residents wade a flooded road caused by Typhoon Gaemi and monsoon rains on July 24, 2024 in Marikina, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Persons: Carina –, Gaemi, Typhoon Gaemi, Lisa Marie David, Ezra Acayan, “, Hsiao Huan, Sam Yeh, Armando Balilo, Vico Sotto, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rai, Odette –, Haiyan, Marcos, ” Marcos, Khevin Yu Organizations: CNN, Metro Manila, Philippine News Agency, Rescuers, Reuters, Central Emergency Operations Center, National Fire Agency, New, Getty, Philippine Coast Guard, PCG, CNN “, Philippine, Super, Greenpeace Locations: Philippine, Philippines, Taiwan, Manila, Luzon, Metro, Marikina City, Metro Manila, Quezon city, Taiwan’s, Tanzanian, Kaohsiung, China, Fujian, New Taipei City, AFP, Bataan, Quezon City, Pasig City, Marikina, –, Pasig, Asia’s, Greenpeace Philippines

☆ Philippines bans gambling operations catered to illicit Chinese players
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Philippines has announced plans to ban offshore gaming operators, targeting an industry that mostly caters to Chinese gamblers and has sparked growing alarm from law enforcement over its alleged connections to organized crime. Known locally as POGOs, Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators have spawned across the country, both licensed and illicit, employing tens of thousands of Chinese and foreign nationals. Ezra Acayan/Getty ImagesThere are 46 licensed offshore gaming operators and dozens more illicit gambling hubs in the Philippines, according to the country’s gaming regulator, which Marcos has ordered to close by the end of the year. Since then, the Philippines has become a major hub for online gaming catering to tens of thousands of players based in China. “Even if overseas casinos are legally opened, cross-border gambling by Chinese citizens is suspected of violating the laws of our country,” the embassy said in a statement.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ” Marcos, Marcos, Ezra Acayan, Marcos ’, Rodrigo Duterte Organizations: CNN, Philippine Offshore Gaming, Macao –, Philippine News Agency Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Manila, Beijing, South China, China, Macao, Southeast Asia, United States, China’s, Singapore

☆ China and Philippines already at odds over South China Sea deal to ease Second Thomas Shoal tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The dilapidated BRP Sierra Madre ship of the Philippine Navy is anchored near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea. Beijing claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea, and most of the islands and sandbars within it, including many features that are hundreds of miles from mainland China. Under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, the Philippines has taken increasingly assertive steps to protect its claim to shoals in the South China Sea, leading to several confrontations off the Philippine islands. The US is not a claimant to the South China Sea, but says the waters are crucial to its national interest of guaranteeing free passage through seas worldwide. A close up view taken on March 29, 2014 of the BRP Sierra Madre beached near the Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Shoal, Ren’ai Jiao, ”, Mao Ning, pushback, Ritchie, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Thomas Shoal, Erik de Castro, Gregory Poling, “, ” Derek Grossman Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, BRP Sierra Madre, Foreign Ministry, The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, BRP, Philippine Navy, coastguard, US Navy, Aspen Security, US National, Reuters, Transparency Initiative, RAND Corporation Locations: Hong Kong, South, Manila, Beijing, Philippine, Spratly, Philippines, China, Palawan, Madre, South China, Second, The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, The Hague, Scarborough, BRP Sierra Madre, Washington, United States, Sierra Madre, BRP Sierra, Asia

☆ ‘Only pirates do this’: Philippines accuses China of using bladed weapons in major South China Sea escalation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Nectar Gan | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —The Philippines has accused China’s Coast Guard of launching a “brutal assault” with bladed weapons during a South China Sea clash earlier this week, a major escalation in a festering dispute that threatens to drag the United States into another global conflict. A Philippine Navy serviceman on the rubber boat lost his right thumb when the Chinese Coast Guard rammed it, Torres said. China’s Coast Guard also deployed tear gas, “blinding” strobe lights and continuously blared sirens, the AFP said. “The Chinese Coast Guard personnel had bladed weapons and our personnel fought with bare hands. This is the closest China’s Coast Guard has come to the BRP Sierra Madre, Koh noted.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, –, ” Collin Koh, ” Koh, “, ”, Alfonso Torres Jr, Torres, Romeo Brawner Jr, ” Brawner, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Matthew Miller, Enrique A, Antony Blinken, ” Derek Grossman, Koh, they’re, Thomas, Washington “, ” “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Coast Guard, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Philippine, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Philippine Navy, Armed Forces, Getty, Western Command, Chinese Coast Guard, China’s Coast Guard, Staff, Getty Images Mutual, South China, US State Department, Mutual Defense, RAND Corporation, China Coast Guard, Philippine personnel, Navy Special Operations Group, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre Locations: Hong Kong, Philippines, China, United States, Manila, Spratly, Philippine, Singapore, AFP, ’, China’s, South, States, US, Washington, South China, The Hague, Beijing, India, BRP Sierra, BRP Sierra Madre

☆ Philippines blames China for ‘personnel injury and vessel damage’ in South China Sea collision
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —Manila has accused China of injuring Filipino personnel and damaging Philippine vessels during a South China Sea collision earlier this week, as tensions simmer over territorial disputes in the resource-rich and strategically important waterway. CNN has reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard for comment. China claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the South China Sea, and most of the islands and sandbars within it, including many features that are hundreds of miles from mainland China. A supply ship and two rubber boats from the Philippines had attempted to “illegally” deliver supplies to the stranded warship, China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said. China’s Coast Guard also said it took measures including “warnings and interceptions, boarding inspections and forced evictions” against the Philippine vessels.

Persons: Shoal, “, Lin Jian, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Ren’ai Jiao, Thomas, China’s, ”, Gan Yu, Matthew Miller Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, Associated Press, Philippine Department of Foreign, CNN, Department of Foreign Affairs, Armed Forces, Philippine Coast Guard, Times, China Coast Guard, Foreign Ministry, Chinese Coast Guard, Philippine, South China, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, China’s Coast Guard, US State Department Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong CNN — Manila, China, Philippines, Spratly, Philippine, South, South China, Manila, The Hague, Beijing, Palawan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, BRP Sierra, China’s, States

☆ South China Sea: US blasts ‘aggressive’ China over collision with Philippine ship
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

China claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the South China Sea, and most of the islands and sandbars within it, including many features that are hundreds of miles from mainland China. China had “obstructed the Philippines from executing a lawful maritime operation in the South China Sea, interfering with the Philippines’ freedom of navigation,” Campbell said, according to a State Department readout. The Chinese coast guard on Monday said a Philippine supply ship “ignored China’s repeated solemn warnings” and “deliberately and dangerously” approached a Chinese vessel in “an unprofessional manner,” resulting in a collision. China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu on Monday accused the Philippines of “illegally” delivering supplies to the stranded warship. It should now be clear to the international community that China’s actions are the true obstacles to peace and stability in the South China Sea.”

Persons: Shoal, Manila MaryKay Carlson, China’s, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Matthew Miller, Kurt Campbell, Foreign Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro, ” Campbell, “, ”, Francel Margareth Padilla, Adrian Portugal, Ren’ai Jiao, Thomas, Gan Yu, Gan, ” Gan, Jay Tarriela, Gilberto C, Teodoro , Jr Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Philippine, US State Department, Foreign Affairs, Department, Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Reuters, China Coast Guard, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, Chinese Coast Guard, CNN, Armed Forces, ( Armed Forces, Philippine Defense Locations: Hong Kong, United States, China, Philippines, Philippine, Second, Spratly, South China, Manila, South, Beijing, The Hague, Palawan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, BRP Sierra, Thomas Shoal, “, West Philippine

☆ Shangri-la Dialogue: Death of a Filipino in South China Sea clashes would be ‘very close’ to act of war, Marcos Jr warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Brad Lendon | Jerome Taylor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Singapore CNN —The death of any Filipino citizen at the hands of another country in the South China Sea would be “very close” to an act of war, Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. warned Friday as his nation faces increasingly fraught clashes with Chinese vessels in the South China Sea. China has increasingly pushed its territorial claims in the South China Sea, and China Coast Guard ships, reinforced by maritime militia boats, have been involved in a series of fraught clashes over the last year that has seen Philippine ships damaged and Filipino sailors injured by water cannon. A China Coast Guard vessel sails close to a Philippines ship during a day of clashes in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024 Rebecca Wright/CNNKey global waterwayChina claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea – one of the world’s busiest waterways. Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy said it is prepared to protect the rights of Filipinos and would be increasing patrols in the South China Sea, including the areas of contested sovereignty, according to the PNA. “What I want to emphasize is that it is not China but the Philippines that has frequently escalated the situation in the South China Sea,” Ning added.

Persons: Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Lloyd Austin, Dong Jun, ”, –, ” Marcos, Rebecca Wright, Mao Ning, ” Ning, “ Organizations: Singapore CNN, US, Coast Guard, China Coast Guard, CNN, West, Philippine Navy, Foreign Ministry Locations: Singapore, South, Philippines, South China, Philippine, Filipino, China, Beijing, Manila, United States, Washington, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Hague, China’s, West Philippine, Asia, Pacific

☆ China concerns bring new unity to once-turbulent US-Japan-Philippines relationship ahead of major White House summit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Both the Philippines and Japan are US defense treaty allies, and the US military retains permanent bases in Japan and has base rights in the Philippines. That threat is manifested in three key areas – Taiwan, the South China Sea and the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, analysts say. Here's why 03:27 - Source: CNNJapan and Philippines both have separate territorial disputes with China, in the former’s case the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and in the latter’s areas of the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China claims the shoal, which is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, as its sovereign territory, as it does much of the South China Sea, in defiance of an international arbitration ruling. “Alliance building is the most practical way to deal with China’s moves” in the South China Sea, he said.

Persons: ”, James D.J, Brown, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Xi Jinping, Biden, Micah Jeiel Perez, Marcos, Kishida, ” Marcos, Shinzo Abe, Ricardo Jose, ” Jose, Thomas, CNN Marcos, Shoal, China –, Masaharu Homma, –, Perez, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr’s, Duterte, Thomas Shoal, Veejay Villafranca, Robert Ward, BRP Antonio Luna, you’ve, Donald, Trump, ” Brown, “, Ward Organizations: South Korea CNN, White, Temple University, Japanese, Taiwan –, Communist Party, Taiwan Relations, University of, Nikkei Asia, University of the, “, CNN, East China, Philippine, China Coast Guard, US, US State Department, Gen, “ Alliance, Clark Air Base, Naval, Bloomberg, Getty, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Cooperative, Philippine Navy, BRP, Royal Australian Navy, Self, Defense Forces, JS Akebono, US Navy, USS, Multilateral Maritime Cooperative, Armed Forces, AP Analysts Locations: Seoul, South Korea, United States, Japan, Philippines, China, Tokyo, Philippine, Taiwan, Washington, South, Senkaku, East China, University of the Philippines, CNN Japan, East, South China, Palawan, China – Washington, Beijing, Spain, Spanish, Imperial Japan, New Orleans, Bataan, Subic, Manila, US, Australia, India, Vietnam, Warramunga, IISS

☆ South China Sea: On board an outnumbered Philippine ship facing down Chinese aggression
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Rebecca Wright | Ivan Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Near Second Thomas Shoal, South China Sea CNN —As dawn slowly broke on the horizon, a large fleet of Chinese vessels came into view from the deck of a Philippine Coast Guard ship as it entered the contested waters of the South China Sea. Filipino soldiers on the dilapidated Sierra Madre ship, anchored near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, on May 11, 2015. The US military also maintains a regular presence in the South China Sea, with aircraft overflights, so-called “freedom of navigation” operations, and patrols and exercises with allies and partners to assert that the South China Sea is an international waterway. The Philippine Coast Guard said it counted five China Coast Guard vessels and 18 boats belonging to Beijing’s “maritime militia." Rebecca Wright/CNNTarriela, the Coast Guard spokesperson, said a China Coast Guard vessel had come within 20 yards (60 feet) of the Cabra.

Persons: David, Goliath, “, ”, Thomas Shoal, Rebecca Wright, Sabina, Ritchie, Jiao, –, Jay Tarriela, Mao Ning, China Coast Guard “, Thomas, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr, Jose Manuel Romualdez, CNN Tarriela, Tomas Etzler, Erik de Castro, month’s, ” Tarriela, ‘, Collin Koh, ” Koh, Ray Powell, SeaLight, “ Will, ” Powell, we’ve Organizations: South China, CNN, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine, Armed Forces, China Coast Guard, ” CNN, Philippine Navy, Coast Guard, Foreign Ministry, Sierra Madre, Center for Strategic, Studies, China Power, Ministry, Washington, Philippine News Agency . Diplomacy, Coast Guardians, Guard, Madre, Reuters, USS, China, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, National Security, Stanford University Locations: South, South China, Philippines, United States, Philippine, China, Bulilyan, Palawan, Sierra Madre, Sierra, The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Madre, Hague, Beijing, China’s, Manila, Shanghai, Singapore

Duterte also accused Marcos of being a drug addict. He has not commented on Duterte’s claim about lifting term limits, under which the president can serve only a single six-year term. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said Monday that Marcos was never on such a list, contrary to Duterte’s claim. Early last year, Marcos allowed an expansion of the U.S. military presence in the Philippines under a 2014 defense pact. Marcos led his own rally Sunday at a seaside park in Manila, which police said drew about 400,000 people after nightfall.

Persons: —, Rodrigo Duterte, Fernando Marcos Jr, Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos, Duterte, Martin Romualdez, Duterte’s, Sara, Marcos ’, who’s, ” Duterte, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, ” Marcos, “ Organizations: Criminal, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Philippine, Davao city, Washington, China, South China, Manila

THITU ISLAND, South China Sea (AP) — The Philippine coast guard inaugurated a new monitoring base Friday on a remote island occupied by Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea as Manila ramps up efforts to counter China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the strategic waterway. It’s pure bullying,” Ano told reporters after the ceremony, describing the actions of Chinese ships as flouting international law. Surrounded by white beaches, the tadpole-shaped Thitu Island is called Pag-asa — Tagalog for hope — by about 250 Filipino villagers. It’s one of nine islands, islets and atolls that have been occupied by Philippine forces since the 1970s in the South China Sea’s Spratlys archipelago. Speaking in Honolulu, where he met U.S. military leaders about two weeks ago, Marcos said the situation in the South China Sea “has become more dire” with China showing interest in atolls and shoals that are “closer and closer” to the Philippine coast.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, it’s, Eduardo Ano, ” Ano, Ano, ”, Daisy Cojamco, asa —, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Duterte, Marcos, ” Marcos Organizations: National, Philippine, Associated Press, Washington, South China Locations: THITU, South China, Philippine, China, Manila, United States, Philippines, Asia, Thitu, Pag, Palawan, Vietnam, Australia, Beijing, U.S, Japan, Honolulu, South, asia

☆ How the U.S. courted the Philippines to thwart China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

What followed was two trips to the United States in less than a year for Marcos, and visits to the Philippines by high-ranking Biden administration officials. Marcos’ predecessor, the populist firebrand Rodrigo Duterte, was openly hostile to the United States and attempted to bring his country closer to communist China during his six-year term. For the United States, cementing alliances in the Asia-Pacific region is likewise crucial to keeping China in check. China’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement to Reuters, characterized China and the Philippines as “close neighbors across the sea” with a common interest in friendship. At the time, he said the cancellation of his visa was the latest in a list of “gripes and disrespect” by the United States.

Persons: Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Joe Biden, Marcos, Gregorio Maria Araneta III, “, ” Araneta, Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Defense Lloyd Austin, Julio Amador III, Marcos ’, Rodrigo Duterte, China’s, Xi Jinping, ” Marcos ’, Ferdinand Marcos Sr, ”, Marcos family’s, Washington, Duterte, China “, Becca Wasser, Wasser, Barack Obama, Xi, “ I’ve, ” Duterte, Ronald “ Bato, dela Rosa, Dela Rosa, gripes, Toribio Adaci, hadn’t, Blake Herzinger, Herzinger Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Defense, ., Party, China, U.S . State Department, ” Reuters, Philippine, United, Foreign Ministry, ” ‘, People’s Liberation Army, Center, New, New American Security, CNAS, U.S . Department of Defense, U.S ., Initiative, Philippines National Economic Development Authority, United States, Philippine National Police, Washington, Forces, VFA, Mutual, China’s, U.S . Pacific Fleet, Cooperation Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Manila, United States, U.S, China, America, Asia, Taipei, Taiwan, Beijing, South, East Asia, Pacific, Washington, Hawaii, South China, It’s, American, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New American, Taiwan . U.S, Duterte, China’s, Guangdong

BANGKOK (AP) — The United States and the Philippines are conducting joint air and maritime patrols in the South China Sea, which come as the two countries step up cooperation in the face of growingly aggressive Chinese activity in the area. The patrols run through Thursday and also include both the U.S. and Philippine navies. They come only days after Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called the situation in the South China Sea increasingly “dire” as China seeks to assert its presence in an area where multiple nations have competing territorial claims. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea as its own waters, which has led to disputes not only with the Philippines but also with Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. The move, which Marcos said would boost the Philippines’ coastal defense, dovetails with the Biden administration’s efforts to strengthen an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, ”, ” Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, Biden Organizations: Philippine Air Force, U.S, South China Locations: BANGKOK, United States, Philippines, South China, Batanes, Taiwan, China, Philippine, South, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Honolulu, Russia, Tokyo

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — 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. 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. With its peak energy demand expected to quadruple by 2040, nuclear energy will help it meet its needs in a sustainable way, he said. The United States has 23 Section 123 agreements in force that govern peaceful nuclear cooperation with 47 countries, the International Atomic Energy Agency and Taiwan.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Antony Blinken, ” Marcos, Blinken, ”, “, ___ Ng Organizations: Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, U.S . Atomic Energy, Bataan Nuclear, United, International Atomic Energy Agency Locations: MANILA, Philippines, United States, Philippine, San Francisco, U.S, Taiwan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Dozens of Filipinos fled from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip into Egypt through the Rafah crossing after Filipino diplomats negotiated for their safe passage and Qatar mediated for the border to be opened, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday. The 40 Filipinos were traveling to the Egyptian capital of Cairo, where they planned to take flights back to the Philippines, Marcos said in a video message in Manila. Two Filipino doctors managed to leave the Gaza Strip into Egypt last week. “I hope the rest of our countrymen who also wanted to return home can also exit properly with their spouses and loved ones,” Marcos said. Hamas militants rampaged in southern Israel on Oct. 7, which sparked a war between Israel and Hamas.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, ” Marcos Organizations: Department of Foreign Affairs Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Gaza, Egypt, Qatar, Philippine, Cairo, Manila, Israel

☆ Juan Jumalon: Filipino radio host shot dead while live streaming at his home
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A radio host was shot dead while live streaming his program on Facebook at his home in the southern Philippines on Sunday, prompting a hunt for his killers and condemnation from the country’s president. The broadcaster, Juan Jumalon, also known as “DJ Johnny Walker,” was shot by unidentified assailants in a “brazen killing,” the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. Jumalon’s broadcasts usually aired on the Facebook page 94.7 Gold Mega Calamba FM, a Visayan-language station with about 2,900 followers. The incident happened at around 5:35 a.m. when the perpetrator entered the station and shot Jumalon in the face, according to a statement from the Misamis Occidental Police Department. A police officer checks the area where a radio anchor was fatally shot at his home-based station in Calamba, Misamis Occidental province, southern Philippines on November 5, 2023.

Persons: Juan Jumalon, Johnny Walker, ”, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Jumalon, Diore, Ragonia, Marcos, ” Marcos, Henry S, Oaminal, “ Organizations: CNN, Facebook, National Union of Journalists of, Misamis Occidental Police Department, Diore Libre, Calamba Municipal Police Station, Philippine National Police, . Misamis Occidental Gov Locations: Philippines, Calamba, Misamis Occidental

☆ South China Sea: Philippines says three fishermen killed after boat rammed by 'foreign' vessel near Scarborough Shoal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Three Filipino fishermen have died after an “unidentified commercial vessel” allegedly rammed their fishing boat near Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine coast guard said Wednesday, compounding tensions in a region of the disputed South China Sea that is already a flashpoint. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the coast guard is “backtracking and checking all monitored vessels in the area as part of its ongoing investigation,” according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The South China Sea is a 1.3 million-square-mile waterway that is vital to international trade, with an estimated third of global shipping worth trillions of dollars passing through each year. Over the past two decades, China has occupied a number of obscure reefs and atolls far from its shoreline across the South China Sea, building up military installations, including runways and ports. Philippine Coast GuardPhotos released by the Philippine coast guard show the scene at Barangay Cato on October 3.

Persons: FFB Dearyn, –, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ” Marcos Organizations: CNN, Cato, Philippine Coast Guard, Barangay Cato, Philippine Coast Guard Scarborough Locations: Scarborough Shoal, Philippine, China, Pangasinan, Luzon, Beijing, Infanta, Pangasinan province, Philippines, Bajo, Masinloc, Manila, The Hague, South China

☆ South China Sea tensions are flaring between the Philippines and China. Here's why it matters for the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Over the past two decades, China has occupied a number of obscure reefs and atolls far from its shoreline across the South China Sea, building up military installations, including runways and ports. Video Ad Feedback Why it matters who owns the seas (April 2021) 03:48 - Source: CNNWhy does the South China Sea matter? The South China Sea is home to hundreds of largely uninhabited islands and coral atolls and diverse wildlife at risk from climate change and marine pollution. The US is not a claimant to the South China Sea, but says the waters are crucial to its national interest of guaranteeing freedom of the seas worldwide. Marcos has strengthened US relations that had frayed under his predecessor, with the two allies touting potential future joint patrols in the South China Sea.

Persons: It’s, China’s, Defense Lindsey Ford, ”, Stringer, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Jay Batongbacal, “, Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos, Gregory Poling Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Navy, CNN, US Energy Information Agency, Communist Party, United, US Navy, Defense, Asia, Washington -, Strategic, International Studies, Ford, Spratly Islands, University of the, Philippine Coast Guard, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Transparency, Philippines Mutual Defense Locations: Hong Kong, South China, China, Beijing, Philippines, United States, South, The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, The Hague, Manila, Scarborough, Spratly, People’s Republic of China, Washington, Philippine, University of the Philippines, Asia

China claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all 1.3 million square miles of the South China Sea, and most of the islands and sandbars within it, including many features that are hundreds of miles from mainland China. If they (China) close off the South China Sea, perhaps the next target may be the Straits of Malacca and then the Indian Ocean,” Teodoro said. But since taking office last year, Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr has taken a stronger stance over the South China Sea than his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte. Marcos has also strengthened US relations that had frayed under Duterte, with the two allies touting increased cooperation and joint patrols in the South China Sea in the future. As part of the Marcos administration’s commitment to boost the Philippines defense and monitoring capabilities in the South China Sea, Teodoro said further “air and naval assets” have been ordered.

Persons: ”, of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr, “ It’s, it’s, Teodoro, “, ” Teodoro, It’s, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos, Defense Lindsey Ford, ” Ford, Aaron Favila, China “, Xi Jinping Organizations: Philippines CNN, CNN, of National Defense, Department of National Defense, Defense, AP Locations: Manila, Philippines, China, Philippine, South China, South, United States, Republic of, Beijing, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, The Hague, Ukraine, Russia, Malacca, China . Washington, Second, The Philippines

☆ Philippines says South China Sea outpost resupplied despite Chinese harassment
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Philippines on Tuesday said it had successfully delivered supplies to marines aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated military outpost in the contested South China Sea, despite attempts by Chinese vessels to block the mission. Liu said two Philippine supply vessels and two marine police vessels entered the waters “without the permission of the Chinese government.”The South China Sea has long been a source of tension between Manila and Beijing. Beijing claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea, as well as most of the islands within it, even those hundreds of miles from the Chinese mainland. The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan also lay claim to various atolls, sandbars and islands of the sprawling South China Sea. Manila’s territorial claims are backed by the international Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, which ruled in 2016 that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea.

Persons: Thomas, Renai, Liu Dejun, Liu, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ” Marcos Jr Organizations: CNN, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, National Task Force, West Philippine, China Coast Guard, Chinese Maritime Militia, Philippine Coast Guard, China, China’s, Guard, “, Court Locations: Philippines, BRP Sierra, China, Beijing, South, United States, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine, Manila, The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hague, South China

CNN —Crowds of people accompanied the coffin of soccer player Jesus Lopez Ortiz in Guanacaste, northeastern Costa Rica, last week after his death following a crocodile attack. Lopez Ortiz was killed shortly after jumping into the crocodile-filled Cañas River in Guanacaste on July 29. The National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) said that the crocodile was later shot so that authorities could recover the body of the young man. According to Mendez, there are already communities promoting boat tours to watch crocodiles in several rivers in the area. Last year, a child in another province was fatally attacked by a wild crocodile.

Persons: Jesus Lopez Ortiz, Lopez Ortiz, “, ” Marcos Chavarria, Chavarria, Lopez Ortiz’s, ” Giselle Ortiz Cubillo, Ortiz Cubillo, ”, Mauricio Mendez, Mendez, ” Mendez, SINAC Organizations: CNN, Deportivo Rio Cañas, Facebook, System of Conservation, Rio Locations: Guanacaste, Costa Rica, “

☆ Opinion | Your Brain Has Tricked You Into Thinking Everything Is Worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Adam Mastroianni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Perhaps no political promise is more potent or universal than the vow to restore a golden age. What these political myths have in common is an understanding that the golden age is definitely not right now. I and my colleague Daniel Gilbert at Harvard have found evidence for that bug, which we recently published in the journal Nature. We first collected 235 surveys with over 574,000 responses total and found that, overwhelmingly, people believe that humans are less kind, honest, ethical and moral today than they were in the past. Respondents of all sorts — young and old, liberal and conservative, white and Black — consistently agreed: the golden age of human kindness is long gone.

Persons: Caesar Augustus, Medicis, Adolf Hitler, Xi Jinping, “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Donald Trump’s “, ”, Joe Biden’s, Daniel Gilbert, pollsters, — Organizations: Harvard Locations: China, Philippines

☆ Biden seeks closer ties with Philippines after ‘rocky’ past
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Biden also noted that the Philippines was among U.S. allies to quickly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The “One China” policy recognizes Beijing as the government of China but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan. He has said he wants to pursue closer ties with China, which has also sought to court him. He sees a rising China as the most threatening economic and national security adversary to the United States. The elder Marcos placed the Philippines under martial law in 1972, a year before his term was to expire.

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