The hotly contested court battle over government plans to build 12,000 public flats on Hong Kong’s oldest golf course has played its final round. The government decided not to appeal against a ruling that held its approval of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on the project to be unlawful. This is better than pursuing a further attempt to persuade the courts to uphold a fatally flawed process. Now, a broader review of the plans can be undertaken in light of the Court of Appeal’s...

REINA MERCEDES, Isabela — Allegations over the use of P66 million in tobacco excise tax shares sparked a heated exchange between the town’s vice mayor and village officials during a Sangguniang Bayan (municipal council) session on Monday. Vice Mayor Jeryll Harold Respicio questioned village officials during the council’s question hour about the status of projects

SAN ILDEFONSO, Ilocos Sur — The municipal government of Dingras in nearby Ilocos Norte is giving a P1,000 financial incentive to teaching and nonteaching personnel in public schools to mark World Teachers’ Day on Monday, Oct. 5. The incentive was granted through the initiative of Mayor Joemelle Ernesti S. Go Sy and under Municipal Ordinance

Mainland Chinese prefer coercion over military force to settle the “reunification question” with Taiwan, and their opinion of the US remains low, although they favour engaging with Washington on trade and security. These are the results from the latest survey of mainland citizens, conducted between April 16 and June 26. This straddled the first summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing but came before the second one in Washington last month. “The...

Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington in September was steeped in pageantry. The Chinese president received two 21-gun salutes in three days, watched a flyover by the powerful B-2 stealth bomber, and viewed the founding documents of American democracy at the National Archives. US President Donald Trump called his summit with Xi a “great meeting” and rated it a “12 out of 10”. Xi was also positive, saying “everything is done to the highest order of perfection, and there is thought in every...

MANILA, Philippines — Granting President Marcos emergency powers could be a quick way to solve the electric power crisis currently hounding Visayas, Deputy Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Albee Benitez said. Benitez said this during the hearing of the House of Representatives’ committee on energy, committee on Visayas development, and the committee on legislative franchises, as

Bogota mayor Carlos Fernando Galan has called on the Chinese-led consortium building the city’s first metro line to send more workers to its stations, after the country’s top auditor warned that delays in several parts of the project could push back its opening in March 2028. “We are entering a critical stage, which is the final stretch,” Galan said in an interview published by local news magazine Semana on Monday. “We have to ask Metro Linea 1 to get moving and put more staff in the...

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday said she expects the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to file charges against dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. for making false accusations against her. This came after Duterte confirmed that she has already received a copy of Gracioso’s affidavit from the NBI, together with identification

MANILA, Philippines — Traffic flow along six roads in Barangay Rosario, Pasig City, will be affected starting 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as the city holds its Araw ng Barangay Rosario procession, according to a traffic advisory from the Pasig City Public Information Office. The affected roads are Dr. Sixto Antonio Avenue, Bernal Street,

MANILA, Philippines — The local government of Tarlac City has suspended classes and school-based work for Tuesday, Oct. 6, from kindergarten to high school to commemorate Teachers’ Day. Mayor Susan Yap issued Executive Order No. 50 to provide teachers and students enough time and opportunity to participate in the National Teachers’ Day and World Teachers’