Worst COVID-19 surge in Southeast Asia hammers Philippine hospitals

Daily infections rose to a record last week in the Southeast Asian nation, where one in nearly five COVID-19 tests comes back positive.

Asia Pacific / Politics | FOCUS Apr 6, 2021

China tests Biden with South China Sea tactic that misled Obama

It appears that Beijing is probing whether Biden will take action after pledging to work with allies to deter Chinese assertiveness.

Asia Pacific / Politics | FOCUS Sep 23, 2020

Philippines' Duterte gets tough on China in shift back toward U.S.

In recent months, his government has started to shift back toward Washington as Beijing has increased assertiveness in the South China Sea

Rodrigo Duterte paying Filipinos to move from Manila to country

The coronavirus pandemic is giving Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte a reason to reduce overcrowding in Manila, which in recent decades has swelled into one of the most heavily populated areas on Earth. Duterte is offering cash and goods to induce city-dwellers to move out of ...

Asia Pacific | ANALYSIS Feb 14, 2020

Philippines' Duterte tests Trump with move to unravel decades-old alliance

Over the years, Rodrigo Duterte's regular rants about the U.S. appeared to amount to little more than bluster. This week the Philippine leader finally moved to dismantle an alliance that has endured since World War II. Duterte's administration on Tuesday notified the U.S. it would ...

Asia Pacific / Politics Jul 2, 2018

Two years of Rodrigo Duterte: A mixed picture of drug war and economic boom

President Rodrigo Duterte's two years in office in the Philippines have been marred by controversy, but with one big success: A booming economy. The jury is still out if that's because, or in spite, of him. The brash, 73-year-old leader — nicknamed The Punisher when ...

Asia Pacific / Politics | FOCUS Oct 17, 2016

Duterte visit to Beijing likely to be heavy on business talks, light on South China Sea

Before he was elected president, Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte promised to use a jet ski to reclaim a disputed reef seized by China. Since taking office in June, he has extended the hand of friendship. The tough-talking Duterte will bring up to 400 business leaders ...