Excavators load coal onto a truck in West Java province, Indonesia in 2019. The country has now imposed a one-month ban on exports of the commodity. Antara Foto/Dedhez Anggara via REUTERS
International relations

Philippines, Japan call on Indonesia to lift coal export ban

Jakarta took step this month in face of dwindling stockpiles

10 January 2022
Dennis Uy looks on as President Rodrigo Duterte rings the Philippine Stock Exchange bell to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the listing of the tycoon's Phoenix Petroleum in 2017.
Business Spotlight

Duterte's tycoon donor Dennis Uy faces new political landscape

Businessman navigates pandemic and politics as president's influence ebbs

7 January 2022
A girl stands at a makeshift shelter following the destruction of houses due to Typhoon Rai, in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte, Philippines, on Dec. 21, 2021. 
Politics

Duterte under fire for 'scrimping' on response to Typhoon Rai

Ally says president has been working 'nonstop' to tackle aftermath of storm

5 January 2022
Elections in Asia this year will be an important test of several countries' political mood and institutions.
Asia Insight

From Philippines to South Korea: A guide to a busy election year

Democracy under pressure in Asia as pendulum swings toward authoritarianism

4 January 2022
Among the events in Asia's calendar in 2022 are the Beijing Winter Games, the 55th anniversary of ASEAN, and the Chinese Communist Party's five-yearly congress, at which President Xi Jinping is expected to win another term.
Your Week in Asia

Asia in 2022: Winter Games, new leaders in South Korea, Philippines

With the pandemic entering its third year, what should we be paying attention to?

1 January 2022
Dito Telecommunity has a presence in 500 municipalities and cities, with plans to expand into 300 more in 2022. (Source photos by screenshot from Dito Telecommunity's website)
Telecommunication

China-backed Philippine telecom gains ground with 5m subscribers

Dito Telecommunity owner kicks off $160 million offering to fight off rivals

28 December 2021
The eruption of Mount Semeru in the east of Java island killed at least 51 and displaced over 9,000 after it began on Dec. 4.
Natural disasters

Disaster mitigation under scrutiny in ASEAN hot spots

Volcanoes, typhoons decimate lives as climate change increases threats

27 December 2021
Vice President Leni Robredo, pictured in Quezon city, Metro Manila, on Oct. 7: the only hope for a return to the glory days of the fight for freedom.
Opinion

2022 look ahead: Democracy at stake in Philippines election circus

Outgoing Rodrigo Duterte will leave a carnival of confusion and trickery in his wake

27 December 2021
The deal aims to power UnionBank's expansion into digital banking to compete with bigger rivals. (Source photos by Reuters and UnionBank website)
Business deals

UnionBank to buy Citigroup's Philippine consumer banking business

Nation's 10th-largest lender targets high-end market for expansion

23 December 2021
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. takes a wide lead in the latest opinion poll ahead of the Philippines' presidential election in May.
Philippine elections

Marcos firms up lead in latest Philippine presidential poll

Rodrigo Duterte's daughter Sara is front-runner for vice president's post

22 December 2021
Xi Jinping on screen at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, pictured on Nov. 12: the future price China's 1.4 billion people will pay for Xi's myth-building campaign rose exponentially in 2021.
Opinion

Asia's 2021 bull market in emperor-has-no-clothes moments

Xi Jinping happier than most to see this year stagger to a close

22 December 2021
A file photo of a port in Bangkok. Thailand detected its first omicron case in December but it has not suspended its border reopening policy for tourists, prompting economists to revise upward the kingdom's economic growth forecast.
Economy

Philippines, Thailand poised for faster growth in 2022: survey

Economists upgrade ASEAN GDP forecast but lockdowns weigh on Malaysia

20 December 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a meeting in Moscow on Nov. 30.
Economy

Vietnam poised to resume nuclear project a decade after Fukushima

Hanoi greenlights building small research reactor, joining hands with Russia

19 December 2021
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has dropped his bid for the senate in next year's elections.
Philippine elections

Philippine President Duterte drops senate bid, 'plans to retire'

Leader's preferred successor withdraws, leaving ruling party without candidate

14 December 2021
Golden Rice, left, and ordinary rice, pictured at the laboratory of the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos: development of Golden Rice in the Philippines is led by public sector institutions.
Opinion

Golden Rice is a Philippine lifesaver

Understanding the science behind food is more important than ever

13 December 2021
Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa of the Philippines speaks during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Hall in Norway on Dec. 10.
Technology

Ressa blasts U.S. tech titans for 'virus of lies' in Nobel Prize speech

Filipino journalist calls May election in home country 'do or die moment'

11 December 2021
Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso, pictured on July 15: Moreno is a natural populist who can seamlessly communicate across socio-economic divides as well as social media platforms.
Opinion

With Duterte's support, Isko Moreno can beat Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Centrist Manila mayor a potential unifier in a highly polarized environment

10 December 2021
Southeast Asian central banks are forecasting subdued inflation. (Source photos by AP and Akira Kodaka)
Economy

Subdued inflation in ASEAN countries augurs central bank inaction

Indonesia and Thailand experience weak price rises amid slow recovery from COVID

9 December 2021
Technology has replaced journalists as gatekeepers of information, Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa says.
International relations

Fake news exploding like 'atom bomb,' says Nobel winner Ressa

Blinken and Russian journalist Muratov also speak at democracy summit panel

9 December 2021
A still from director Alyx Arumpac's award-winning documentary "Aswang" (Monster), which takes a blunt look at the chroniclers, the victims and the destruction in the wake of the drug war launched by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte after he came to power in 2016. (Courtesy of Alyx Arumpac)
Life

Award-winning film documents Duterte's bloody drug war

Director depicts modern, state-sanctioned 'monsters' that stalk at night

8 December 2021
Sanitizing a Mumbai movie theater: India has risen in the COVID-19 Recovery Index as its cases decline, but its low vaccination rate raises concerns in connection with omicron.
COVID-19 Recovery Index

Asia rises in COVID Recovery Index as omicron variant fogs outlook

Region's overall cases fall, bucking global trend; South Korea, Vietnam struggle

6 December 2021
Sen. Manny Pacquiao, a famed former professional boxer, has a support rate of just 9% in his presidential bid.
Comment

Can living legend Manny Pacquiao become Philippine president?

Boxing hero needs a campaign strategy that appeals to voters

4 December 2021
Relatives of drug war victims hold photographs of their slain loved ones during a protest in Manila on June 30: the violent crackdown looks more like a war on the poor.
Opinion

The International Criminal Court is coming for Rodrigo Duterte

Investigation of Philippine drug war a crucial test for multinational tribunal

1 December 2021
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, and his then aide Christopher "Bong" Go are seen in Manila in this Oct. 15, 2018 photo.
Philippine elections

Duterte pick Bong Go drops out of presidential race, boosts Marcos

Philippine president's long-time aide opens door for former dictator's son

30 November 2021
Passengers walk on the tarmac at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta on Oct. 20. 
Coronavirus

Philippines, Vietnam and others tighten travel rules over omicron

Indonesia imposes ban on entries from southern Africa, Hong Kong

29 November 2021