Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Social Issues Sep 29, 2013
Filipina is crowned Miss World at Bali pageant
Miss Philippines, Megan Young, was crowned Miss World on Saturday amid tight security on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali, where the contest’s final round was moved following protests by Muslim hardline groups. “I promise to be the best Miss World ever,” Young, 23, said ...
National Sep 27, 2013
School building opens for tribal Philippine kids
by Ronron Calunsod
A new school building funded by the Japanese government was recently opened for children of the B’laan tribe in the Philippines’ southern island of Mindanao. Around 80 percent of the 10,000 residents in Mindanao’s remote village of San Jose belong to the B’laan tribe, ...
Asia Pacific Sep 22, 2013
Hong Kong braces for Typhoon Usagi
After killing two people in the Philippines and unleashing landslides in Taiwan, Typhoon Usagi barreled toward Hong Kong on Sunday, shutting down one of the world’s busiest seaports and throwing flight schedules into disarray. On Saturday Usagi — which means rabbit in Japanese — ...
Asia Pacific Sep 21, 2013
Massive typhoon rips past Taiwan, Philippines
The most powerful typhoon of the year swept through the Luzon Strait separating the Philippines and Taiwan on Saturday, battering island communities and dumping rain as it eyes landfall in Hong Kong. Typhoon Usagi had maximum sustained winds of 222 kph and gusts exceeding ...
Asia Pacific Sep 16, 2013
Philippine troops step up effort against Muslim rebels in Zamboanga
The Philippine military launched a helicopter assault Monday on Muslim rebels occupying parts of a major southern city, stepping up efforts to end an eight-day standoff that has left dozens dead. Two air force helicopters fired rocket rounds toward Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) ...
Economy Sep 15, 2013
Philippines, Japan agree to increase flights
The Philippines and Japan have agreed to increase commercial flights between their countries to boost tourism and business, a Philippine official said. Carmelo Arcilla, executive director of the Philippine Civil Aeronautics Board, said the agreement to increase “the traffic rights or total maximum flight ...
Asia Pacific Aug 17, 2013
200 likely lost as crash sinks ferry off Cebu
Philippine rescuers search for over 200 people missing after a crowded ferry collided with a cargo ship and sank almost instantly, with 28 already confirmed dead.
Global-related Aug 15, 2013
A political maelstrom in the South China Sea
by Mark Valencia
However arbiters decide in the Philippines' complaint against China over conflicting claims in the South China Sea, it appears that China will simply refuse to abide by it.
Asia Pacific Aug 13, 2013
Philippines begins cleanup in typhoon's wake
Philippine rescuers cleared landslide-choked roads Tuesday in an effort to reach isolated villages devastated by deadly Typhoon Utor, which killed two people and left tens of thousands of people homeless. The government also reported that 11 people remain missing after Utor, the strongest storm ...
Asia Pacific Aug 12, 2013
Philippines battered by massive typhoon
A powerful typhoon battered the northern Philippines on Monday, toppling power lines and dumping heavy rain across mountains, cities and food-growing plains. The storm killed at least one man in a landslide and left 45 fishermen missing. Typhoon Utor, described as the strongest globally ...
Asia Pacific Aug 9, 2013
Spreading diesel oil spill paints Manila Bay red
A diesel oil spill spread a large reddish stain over Manila Bay on Friday, posing potential health and environmental hazards to the capital of the Philippines. A fuel tanker is suspected of having dumped half a million liters of diesel into the country’s busiest ...
Asia Pacific Jul 30, 2013
Papers confirm U.S. planes patrolled around Spratlys
A classified government document seen by Kyodo News on Friday confirmed that U.S. Navy surveillance planes conduct routine maritime patrol to monitor activities in the disputed South China Sea. “(There were) confirmed flights of U.S. P3C Orion aircraft over the South China Sea especially ...