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☆ Visits from Japanese and Filipino leaders highlight Biden’s efforts to blunt China’s aggression
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Arlette Saenz | Kayla Tausche | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Biden’s week also includes an official visit for Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, reinforcing his commitment to cultivating partnerships in the Indo-Pacific in the face of China’s rising economic and military power. The historic leaders summit on Thursday between Biden, Kishida and Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos is expected to produce announcements relating to infrastructure, energy security, digital connectivity and maritime security. Meanwhile, Japan has recently loosened restrictions on the export of military technology – paving the way for deeper collaboration with like-minded allies. The first virtual meeting with the four leaders took place in March 2021 with subsequent in-person summits in the years that followed. Biden and his team also have sought to draw in smaller regional neighbors concerned about China’s military and economic aggression.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kishida, Biden, Jake Sullivan, “, Jill Biden, Kishida Yuko, They’re, Ferdinand Marcos, Marcos, ” Sullivan, ”, John Neuffer, ” Biden, ” Rahm Emanuel, Sullivan, zeroed, Japan’s, Yoshihide Suga, Korea’s, Moon Jae, Yoon Suk Yeol, Rodrigo Duterte, Donald Trump, ” Kishida Organizations: Washington CNN, Japanese, CNN, Biden White House, Australia, US Steel, APEC, Washington, Semiconductor Industry Association, Clark Air Base, Subic Naval Base, American, White, Kishida, White House, Pacific, PBS Locations: Japan, Philippines, North Korea, Ukraine, Gaza, India, South Korea, China, Manila, ’, lockstep, Netherlands, Taiwan, Beijing, Thursday’s, US, Australia, South China, South, Russia, Kishida, United States, Tokyo, Seoul, David, United Kingdom, Washington, Vietnam, U.S

☆ 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

☆ Muhammad Ali’s ‘Thrilla in Manila’ trunks poised to sell for $6 million at auction
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Muhammad Ali’s white satin boxing trunks from his epic “Thrilla in Manila” bout with rival Joe Frazier went up for auction on Thursday and are expected to sell for upwards of $6 million. Auction house Sotheby’s said the trunks from the October 1975 bout in the Philippines, which was won by Ali and marked a brutal finish to perhaps the greatest trilogy in boxing history, will be up for auction until April 12. According to Sotheby’s, the trunks were auctioned in 1988 from Bundini’s storage locker after his death for around $1,000 and have since made their way through the auction market. Muhammad Ali's signed trunks are on auction until April 12. Ali got revenge when he outpunched Frazier for a unanimous 12-round decision in January 1974, setting the stage for the “Thrilla in Manila” nearly two years later.

Persons: Reuters — Muhammad, Joe Frazier, Sotheby’s, Ali, Ali’s, Drew “ Bundini ” Brown, Muhammad Ali's, Frazier, outpunched Frazier Organizations: Reuters, Manila ” Locations: Manila, Philippines, Philippine

☆ A double dose of hell: The Bataan Death March and what came next
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The Death MarchThat surrender site in Balanga doesn’t mark the beginning of the Bataan Death March. “It looked like they were really trying to kill us all.”White markers along a highway on the Bataan Peninsula show the route from the 1942 Bataan Death March. A boxcar used during the infamous 1942 Bataan Death March, displayed at the Capas National Shrine in Tarlac Province, north of Manila. All but Meyer also survived the Bataan Death March. A relief depicts the 1942 Bataan Death March on the Death March Memorial in Capas, Philippines.

Persons: Philippines CNN —, Edward P, King, Franklin Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur, Edward King, “, …, ”, Matoo Nakayama, Masaharu Homma, Camp O'Donnell, AP Survivor James Bollich, ” Bollich, Brad Lendon, Tillman R, Rutledge, O’Donnell, defecated …, –, Manuel Abrazado, Emilio Aquino, Romeo Gacad, MacArthur’s, Robert Overbeck, Calvin Graef, Avery Wilber, Donald Meyer, Anton Cichy, Meyer, Overbeck, They’d, Charles, ” Overbeck, Arisan Organizations: Philippines CNN, Museum, Balanga Elementary, Bataan, Bettmann, US Army, US Navy, Gen, Army, AP Survivor, Air Force News Service, CNN, US Clark Air Base, Kyodo, Heritage Command, US Defense, Agency, Disabled, Getty, Mount, 14th Air Force, former Flying Tigers Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Bataan, American, Corregidor, Bataan As, Harbor, Hawaii, Luzon, Manila, Gen, Marileves, Mariveles, Capas, San Fernando, Tarlac Province, …, O’Donnell, ., Balanga, Tarlac province, AFP, Japan, China, Bashi, Taiwan, South China, Kunming, Asia, Washington, North Africa, Geneva, Arisan Maru

☆ Gangs netting up to $3 trillion a year as Southeast Asia human trafficking becomes a global crisis, Interpol says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Human trafficking-fueled fraud is exploding in Southeast Asia with organized crime rings raking in close to $3 trillion in illicit revenue annually, the head of Interpol has said in comments that reveal the huge profits being earned by cartels. One international organized crime group makes $50 billion a year, according to Interpol secretary-general Jurgen Stock, adding that $2 trillion to $3 trillion of illicit money flows through the global financial system annually. While drug trafficking contributes around 40% to 70% of organized crime income, criminal groups are also using those smuggling networks to illegally move humans, arms and stolen products among other things, Stock said. Criminal enterprises also exist in Laos, Thailand and the Philippines, with many of the lucrative online scam operations ranging from illegal gambling, to love scams and crypto fraud. Beijing has pressed Myanmar’s military government to rein in the scam operations, but with limited success.

Persons: Jurgen Stock, Stock, ” Stock, Human Rights Volker Turk Organizations: CNN, Interpol, International Monetary Fund, Covid, ”, “, United Nations, UN, Human Rights, Philippine News Agency Locations: Southeast Asia, Singapore, Asia, United States, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Philippines, China –, Beijing, China, Manila, what’s, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong

☆ Asia’s 50 best restaurants for 2024 revealed
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Karla Cripps | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —After losing the number one spot to Bangkok in 2023, Tokyo has reclaimed its crown as the city with the top eatery in the region at the annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, which were announced in Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday evening. The list – part of the global “World’s 50 Best” brand – is compiled by the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which is made up of more than 300 food critics, writers, chefs and restaurateurs, all selected for their knowledge of Asia’s restaurant scene. Though Singapore didn’t have any restaurants in the top five, nine of its venues made the top 50 list – more than any other city. Courtesy The World's 50 BestThe “Asia’s Best Female Chef” award went to Pichaya ‘Pam’ Soontornyanakij, owner of Bangkok restaurant Potong, which came in at 17 on this year’s list. Mineko Kato of restaurant Faro in Tokyo won the Asia’s Best Pastry Chef award and Kevin Lu of Logy, in Taipei, was voted Asia’s Best Sommelier.

Persons: Daniel Calvert, Calvert, “, ”, Sézanne, I’ve, we’d, Gaggan, Seroja, Gaggan Anand, Thitid “, Sühring, Le Du –, Ton, Bangkok –, Odette, Pichaya, Pam ’ Soontornyanakij, Ton’s Nusara, Mineko Kato, Kevin Lu, Logy, Sung Anh, Mosu, Danny Yip, Hong, Le, Fu, Hui, Samrub, Villa, Ling Long, Ando, Les Amis, Baan, Goh, Anan, Tam’s Organizations: CNN, Marunouchi, Restaurants Academy, Hospitality, Toyo, Meta, Studio, Bund Locations: Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, South Korea, Japan, France’s Champagne, Maronouchi, Asia, ”, Kolkata, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thai, ” Singapore, Faro, Taipei, Nusara, Suhring, Osaka, Odette, Sorn, Le Du, Potong, Shanghai, Logy, Masque, Mumbai, Manila, Delhi, Seroja, Taichung, Taiwan, Mume, Wakayama, Lolla, Avartana, Chennai, India, Fukuoka, Jakarta, Kyoto, Anan Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Macao

☆ U.S. Defence Chief Reaffirms Support for Philippines, Chides 'Dangerous' Chinese Conduct
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has reaffirmed Washington's commitment to a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines and criticised as "dangerous" China's use of water cannon and disruption of a Philippine resupply mission last week. In a phone call on Wednesday with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro, Austin "reaffirmed the ironclad U.S. commitment to the Philippines" following Chinese obstruction at the Second Thomas Shoal "of a lawful Philippine resupply mission," said a statement from the Pentagon. Austin emphasised support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction, it said. The Philippines routinely sends boats to the Second Thomas Shoal to deliver supplies to a small group of its soldiers posted to guard a warship that was intentionally grounded on a reef 25 years ago. The Philippines has been furious over what it calls repeated aggression by China's coastguard around disputed features located inside Manila's 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Gilberto Teodoro, Austin, Thomas, Neil Jerome Morales, Martin Petty Organizations: . Defense, Philippine, Pentagon, China's coastguard Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Philippine, China, United States

☆ China says relations with Philippines at 'crossroads' amid maritime incidents
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China warned the Philippines on Monday to behave cautiously and seek dialogue, saying their relations were at a "crossroads" as new confrontations between their coastguards over maritime claims deepened tensions. China warned the Philippines on Monday to behave cautiously and seek dialogue, saying their relations were at a "crossroads" as new confrontations between their coastguards over maritime claims deepened tensions. The message was delivered by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong during a phone call with Philippine counterpart Theresa Lazaro amid worsening friction over altercations at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. In the call, Lazaro relayed Manila's "strongest protest against the aggressive actions" by the China Coast Guard and maritime militia against a Philippines' resupply mission in the South China Sea, her ministry said in a statement. The Philippines accused China's coastguard of using water cannon against a civilian boat supplying troops on Saturday at the Second Thomas Shoal, which it said had damaged the boat and injured some crew.

Persons: Chen Xiaodong, Theresa Lazaro, Thomas Shoal, Lazaro, Manila's, Chen, Thomas Organizations: Foreign, Philippine, China Coast Guard, China's coastguard Locations: China, Philippines, Spratly, South China

Hong Kong CNN —China’s coast guard used water cannon against Philippine boats in a contested area of the South China Sea on Saturday, the latest in a string of maritime clashes between the two countries. The AFP also accused the Chinese coast guard of performing a “dangerous maneuver” by crossing the bow of the resupply vessel before using the water cannon. It said China subsequently installed floating barriers to “prevent further entry of any vessels.”A Philippine Coast Guard vessel had been “impeded and encircled” by a Chinese coast guard ship and two Chinese “maritime militia” vessels, the agency said, cutting it off from the resupply boat. The ship is now mostly a rusted wreckage and is manned by Philippine marines stationed on rotation. The latest run-in came just four days after Secretary of State Blinken told a news conference in Manila that the United States had an “ironclad commitment” to defending the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Jay Tarriela, Thomas, “, Thomas Shoal, Blinken Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Armed Forces, AFP, Philippine Coast Guard, Convention, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine, Sierra Madre, Weibo Locations: Hong Kong, South, Philippine, China, Philippines, AFP, ”, Beijing, Manila, Palawan, BRP Sierra, Madre, Sierra, China’s, United States, South China, People’s Republic of China, Washington

☆ China Coast Guard Says It Took Measures Against Philippine Vessels in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China's coast guard said it had taken control measures against Philippine vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday, while the Philippine coast guard decried the moves as "irresponsible and provocative". The incident occurred in the Second Thomas Shoal and Spratly Islands waters, according to the Chinese Coast Guard. A Philippine coast guard vessel was "impeded" and "encircled" by one Chinese coast guard vessel and two Chinese maritime militia vessels, the Philippine Coast Guard said in a separate statement. As a result, the Philippine coast guard vessel was "isolated" from the resupply boat by the "irresponsible and provocative behaviour" of the Chinese maritime forces, the Philippine coast guard said. The China coast guard implements regulations in accordance with laws, and handles matters in a reasonable, legal, and professional manner, Gan said.

Persons: Thomas, Gan Yu, Gan, Neil Jerome Morales, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Chinese Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Convention Locations: MANILA, SHANGHAI, South, Philippine, Spratly, Manila, China, Philippines, South China, Beijing, Shanghai

☆ I've made simple changes in my life so that I can retire at 40 and move to the Philippines. There are 3 years left, and I'm on track.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The couple's tiny house and land as seen from above. AdvertisementI don't live in the Philippines full-time yet but the plan is for us to settle into a house that we build there eventually. Leading up to that, I decided to build a tiny house to see what the experience would be like. The exterior of the couple's tiny house. At that point, we'll live in the tiny house as we build our dream bungalow-style home on the main lot.

Persons: —, Brandon Turrell, I'd, it's, Arlene, I've, It's, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Financial Independence, FIRE Locations: Washington, Philippines, Puyallup , Washington, Tacoma, It's, Southeast Asia, Leyte, Manila, Tanauan

☆ Blinken Warns China Against Armed Attack on Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned China on Tuesday that an “armed” attack against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would trigger a mutual self-defense pact between Washington and Manila, a reflection of rising tensions in the region that risk dragging the United States into armed conflict with Beijing. But in a sign that the United States hopes to de-escalate the situation, Mr. Blinken, on a visit to Manila, gave no indication that recent Chinese provocations — which include ramming Philippine vessels and blasting them with water cannons — crossed the threshold of “armed” attacks. Pressed during a news conference alongside his Philippine counterpart on how to deter what some analysts call China’s “gray-zone coercion tactics,” which Philippine officials say include aiming a high-powered laser at a Philippine Coast Guard vessel and temporarily blinding some crew members, Mr. Blinken pointed to diplomatic, not military, measures. “The very visibility of those actions, I think, has provoked from a number of other countries clear statements in support of the Philippines and against these provocative actions that are a threat to peace, security, freedom of navigation and basic rights under international law,” he said.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, ” Organizations: Philippine, Philippine Coast Guard Locations: China, Philippine, South, Washington, Manila, United States, Beijing, Philippines

☆ What Meltdown? Crypto Comes Roaring Back in the Philippines.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Eli Tan | Jes Aznar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On a recent Tuesday night, around 20 people crowded into the second floor of Joniel Bon’s newly opened internet cafe in Quezon City, 10 miles from Manila. Seated at computers with 34-inch curved monitors, they began playing video games such as Heroes of Mavia and Nifty Island, as music from Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 hummed from the speakers. Playing these games can be a full-time job, and some of Mr. Bon’s customers had settled in for the night with slices of pizza to fuel them. The games reward players with cryptocurrency tokens for completing small, daily challenges. Often, players convert their tokens to pesos, the country’s currency, earning around twice the Philippines’ minimum wage of $11 a day.

Persons: Taylor Swift Locations: Quezon City, Manila, Nifty, Philippines

☆ Standing Up to China, Philippine Leader Courts New Network of Partners
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Camille Elemia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With China aggressively asserting its claims on the South China Sea, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines spent his first year on the job beefing up Manila’s alliance with its oldest ally, the United States. Mr. Marcos is adding a new intensity to his muscular foreign policy at a critical moment in his country’s territorial dispute with Beijing. In January, Mr. Marcos and the leaders of Vietnam, another country fighting off Chinese claims to the crucial waterway, pledged closer cooperation between their coast guards. This month, Mr. Marcos clinched a maritime cooperation deal with Australia. “It has to be recognized that the South China Sea handles 60 percent of the trade of the entire world.

Persons: Ferdinand R, Marcos Jr, Marcos, it’s, Mr Organizations: Maritime, Australia, South China, ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Locations: China, Philippines, United States, Beijing, Vietnam, Europe, South, Berlin

☆ What a Trump 2.0 Economy Would Look Like
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Tim Smart | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +10 min

Overall, the Biden economic plan draws less than favorable reviews from voters. So, too, are promises of more tax cuts and a sharp curtailment of immigration. Trump was upset in 2019 that Powell was not doing enough to lower interest rates and stimulate the economy. The Trump tax cuts are set to expire in 2025, giving a second Trump administration the opportunity to fight that battle again. “A Trump 2.0 presidency would inherit very large fiscal deficits from the Biden Administration, rising interest expenses and an economy probably more prone to bouts of inflation,” the report said.

Persons: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, There’s, ” Trump, it’s, ”, Patrick Horan, “, Tony Soprano, Patrick Kilbane, ” Kilbane, “ Trump, ” George Calhoun, Calhoun, ” Matt Gertken, Alex Nowrasteh, ” Michael Clemens, Clemens, Jerome Powell, Powell, Xi Jinping, Maria Bartiromo, reappoint Powell, Steve Mnuchin, ” Maxime Darmet, Darmet, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: Manila ”, Trump, CNBC, Monday, White, George Mason University, Ullmann Wealth Partners, Republican Party, Senate, Affordable, Quantitative, Stevens Institute of Technology, TikTok, Democratic, BCA Research, Labor, CATO Institute, Peterson Institute for International, University of Colorado, Federal Reserve, Federal, Biden, Fox Business, Trump Cabinet, House, Allianz Research, Biden Administration, U.S, Allianz Trade, Congress, GOP Locations: Manila, COVID, China, U.S, America, France

The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. The large numbers mean Filipinos are disproportionately exposed to the dangers posed by Houthis targeting ships in the Red Sea. Two Filipino crew members remain in Djibouti to receive medical treatment. Most of the Filipino crew members on board returned to Manila on Tuesday, reuniting with their families after their ordeal at sea. It’s very painful for us, especially for the families,” Mark Dagohoy, one of the ship’s crew members, told journalists after their return.

Persons: It’s, “ There’s, ”, Eduardo de Vega, Israel, Houthis, “, Al, ” Houthi, Nasr Al, Din Amer, De Vega, de Vega, They’re, Mohammed Al, it’s, Ray Car, Abraham Ungar, Eloisa Lopez, Houthi, Yahya Sarea, ” Mark Dagohoy, Celine Alkhaldi, Paul P, Murphy Organizations: CNN, Galaxy Leader, Houthi Military Media, Reuters, Philippines, Yemeni, Nippon, Ray, Ray Car Carriers, Ambrey Analytics, Ambrey, Indian Navy, Manila International Airport, “, Liberian, Financial Times, Oaktree Locations: Filipino, Gaza, Red, Romanian, Iran, Yemen, Cairo, Philippines, Aden, Saudi, Hodeidah, Suez, Africa, Bab, Mandab, United States, Britain, Djibouti, Manila

Jamahl Mosley made the Orlando Magic a contender. Mosley and the playoff-contending Magic — on pace for their best season in 13 years — have agreed on an extension that keeps him under contract in Orlando through the 2027-28 season, the team announced Tuesday. Mosley is in his third season with Orlando. We are very happy to have Jamahl lead the Magic for years to come.”The Magic contending might be viewed as a surprise in some NBA circles this season. But Mosley has insisted, publicly and privately, since even before the season started that this Orlando team would be different.

Persons: Jamahl Mosley, Mosley, —, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, “ Jamahl, Jeff Weltman, “, ” Mosley, Orlando, haven't, — Mosley, Orlando's Wagner, — Franz, Moritz —, Banchero, we'll, ” Organizations: Orlando Magic, Orlando, Division, NBA, Associated Press, Mavericks, USA Basketball, U.S, AdventHealth Training Center Locations: Orlando, Denver , Cleveland, Dallas, Las Vegas, Manila, Germany

☆ U.S. companies to announce over $1 bln of investments in the Philippines, Commerce Secretary Raimondo says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks during a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2023. American companies are set to announce investments amounting to more than $1 billion in the Philippines, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said during an official visit to Manila on Monday. Raimondo is heading a two-day trade and investment mission, the first of its kind for the Philippines. The delegation includes executives from 22 companies including United Airlines , Alphabet's Google , Visa , KKR Asia Pacific, and Microsoft . United said last week it would launch new flights from Tokyo-Narita to Cebu, Philippines starting July 31.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Raimondo, United, Joe Biden, Ferdinand Marcos Jr Organizations: Commerce, Washington , D.C, U.S . Commerce, United Airlines, Google, Visa, KKR Asia Pacific, Microsoft, U.S, Philippine Locations: Washington ,, Philippines, U.S, Manila, Tokyo, Narita, Cebu, China, South, Taiwan

☆ Right-wing outlets facing 2020 election defamation lawsuits may have found a key defense overseas
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —An alleged bribery scheme in the Philippines has thrown a potential lifeline to Fox News and other right-wing media outlets that are battling massive defamation lawsuits from the voting technology company Smartmatic for their promotion of 2020 election lies. The overseas scandal washed ashore last year when the Justice Department charged the Philippines’ former election commissioner with money laundering. Since then, Fox News, Newsmax and OAN have seized on the allegations, attempting to obtain new documents about potential wrongdoing by Smartmatic that could boost their defense. None of the allegations levied by US prosecutors in court filings pertain to vote-flipping or alleged rigging of election results. Last year, Fox paid a historic $787 million settlement with another election technology company, Dominion Voting Systems, for its promotion of similar election lies.

Persons: CNN —, Smartmatic, Newsmax, Donald Trump, Andres Bautista, Bautista, Fox, Nicolas Maduro, —, Smartmatic “, ”, Trump, “ Smartmatic, ” OAN, Eric Davis, OAN, “, OAN –, ” Smartmatic, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Justice Department, Trump, OAN, Philippine, Smartmatic, Fox, Dominion Voting, Lawyers Locations: Philippines, California, Venezuela, Manila, Smartmatic, Miami, Delaware, Brazil, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Kenya, Oman, Switzerland, Taiwan

Today, Celeste reads a “Modern Love” essay about exactly that bond, a mother trying desperately to reach her child. Why do you think you’re so drawn to tiny things? If you’re going to make something in miniature, you have to spend a lot of time really looking at it. Because, OK, Betsey’s daughter spray paints, “Too many bushes, not enough trees,” and you’re going around putting, honestly, beautiful lines of T.S. So there is something about that language that even if you think you’re rational, it’s getting to you somehow.

Persons: anna martin, ” I’m Anna Martin, you’re, Celeste Ng, Celeste, they’re, ” celeste, anna martin So, celeste ng, anna martin Tell, I’ve, I’m, celeste, anna martin Well, It’s, ”, Betsy MacWhinney, George W, Bush, Marissa, strode, “, Wendell Berry’s “, Mary Oliver, Oliver, Berry, Marissa didn’t, I’d, wouldn’t, anna martin Isn’t, Betsy, She’s, anna martin Really, anna martin Celeste, Eliot, you’ve, ” anna martin, celeste ng I’m, anna martin Talking, she’s, anna martin Wow, anna martin I, didn’t, who’s, anna martin Betsy, Wendell Berry, what’s, —, anna martin I’m, we’ve, He’s, anna martin He’d, Anna, Brittany Howard, brittany howard Love Organizations: The New York Times, eBay, Farmer, NASA Locations: manila, Sierra Leone, T.S, Hong Kong, There’s

☆ 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

☆ I live in the Philippines but was committed to seeing Taylor Swift in Singapore. I'm spending $1,600 and making a whole trip out of it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Eunice Mecija, a Taylor Swift fan from the Philippines, shared how she budgeted for the Eras Tour in Singapore. AdvertisementThis as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Eunice Mecija, a 24-year-old graphic artist and Taylor Swift fan from the Philippines. I've been a Taylor Swift fan for as long as I can remember. I decided to book a flight from Manila to Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia instead for 14,000 Philippine pesos, or around $250. Mecija has been a fan of Taylor Swift since she was in elementary school.

Persons: Eunice Mecija, Taylor, splurging, —, Taylor Swift, It's, I've, Taylor Swift's, Nicky Loh, I'm, Mecija Organizations: Service, Getty, United Overseas Bank, Singapore ., Singapore Airlines, AirAsia Locations: Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Manila, Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian, Stockholm, Swedish

☆ Why Australia keeps an arm’s length from South China Sea tensions, even as it draws closer with the Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addressed the Australian Parliament last week there was no mistaking the fighting talk. The Philippines accused China's coast guard of setting up the barrier at the mouth of the disputed fishing ground. That meeting will also be attended by several other nations with territorial disagreements with China – including Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia. Collin Koh, research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said Australia was unlikely to back any tough language at the summit pertaining to the South China Sea or any other hot-button issue. As Bisley put it, “We don’t like what China does, but we’re not going to put ourselves in harm’s way.”

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ”, Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, –, Thomas Shoal, David, China’s, Marcos ’, China –, Scott Morrison, Collin Koh, Penny Wong annouced, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Lukas Coch, Susannah Patton, it’s, ” Patton, China’s aggressions, Wang Wenbin, Nick Bisley, Bisley, we’re Organizations: CNN, Maxar, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, China, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Australia, Australian, Partners, Reuters, South China, Southeast Asia, Lowy Institute, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, La Trobe University Locations: Philippines, China, South China, Manila, China’s, Philippine, Scarborough, Scarborough Shoal, Hague, United States, Canberra, Australia, Melbourne, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Beijing, Singapore, South, Penny Wong annouced Canberra, Southeast Asia, Japan, India

☆ Satellite images reveal floating barrier at mouth of disputed atoll in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Satellite images of the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea show a new floating barrier across its entrance, near where Philippine ships and China coast guard vessels have had frequent run-ins. China claims the Scarborough Shoal, although it is inside the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. An international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said in 2016 that China's claims had no legal basis — a decision Beijing has rejected. That makes the atoll one of Asia's most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights. The satellite image bolsters a report and video distributed by the Philippine Coast Guard, or PCG, on Sunday showing two Chinese coast guard inflatable boats deploying floating barriers at the shoal's entrance on Feb 22.

Persons: BRP Datu Tamblot, Hague, China's Organizations: Philippine Bureau of Fisheries, Aquatic Resources, BRP Datu, Maxar Technologies, Reuters, Fisheries, Philippine Coast Guard Locations: China, Scarborough, South China, South, Philippine, Philippines, Beijing

☆ China de-linking talk is overdone and it's still key to the global economy, Asian Development Bank says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China is still a critical trading partner for many countries across the world, and the often-used narrative of the superpower being delinked from the global economy is overdone, says the Manila-headquartered Asian Development Bank. "China's still probably the number one trading partner for the majority of countries in the world," ADB's Chief Economist Albert Park told CNBC. Although there have been parts of overall trade with China that have declined, the country's engagement and importance in the global value chain has not diminished, said Park. However, the economic powerhouse remains a top trading partner to over 120 countries, and is still the largest trading partner to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, according to U.S. think tank Wilson Center. He added that even following the trade conflict started by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018, China's importance in the global value chain has not slumped.

Persons: China's, Albert Park, Donald Trump Organizations: Asian Development Bank, CNBC, Wilson, U.S Locations: China, Manila, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam

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