Latest Manila News

Philippine court jails 17 militants for life for mass kidnapping of tourists

Oct. 21, 2024 11:59 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine court has convicted and sentenced to life 17 Islamic militants for kidnapping for ransom 21 people, including European tourists and Asian workers, from a dive resort in Malaysia more than two decades ago, officials said Monday. The Filipino...

US missile deployment to Philippines 'incredibly important' for combat readiness, US general says

Oct. 21, 2024 11:43 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The U.S. Army’s recent deployment of a midrange missile system to the northern Philippines was “incredibly important” and allowed American and Filipino forces to jointly train for the potential usage of such heavy weaponry in Asian archipelago conditions, a U.S....

UN asks Asia-Pacific countries to invest more in preventing damage from disasters

Oct. 15, 2024 20:59 PM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Disasters, including those wrought by fiercer storms, are threatening more people and could derail economic progress in the Asia Pacific region if governments don't invest more in disaster mitigation and prevention, a U.N. official said Tuesday. U.N....

Saudi Arabia executes Filipino convicted of murder despite Philippine presidential appeal

Oct. 08, 2024 03:53 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Saudi Arabia has put to death a Filipino citizen convicted of murder despite years of efforts by the Philippines to prevent the execution, including a presidential appeal, officials said Monday. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other...

US missile system will remain in the Philippines despite China's alarm

Sep. 25, 2024 01:44 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — American and Filipino security officials have agreed to keep a U.S. mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines indefinitely to boost deterrence despite China's expressions of alarm, two Philippine officials said Wednesday. The U.S. Army...

Philippine senator says China should do more to help fight cybercrime gangs

Sep. 20, 2024 08:04 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — China should do more to battle the illegal online gambling and scam call centers run by Chinese criminal syndicates in Southeast Asian countries often using forced labor, a Philippine senator who led an investigation into the centers said Friday. The U.N....

Filipino televangelist pleads not guilty to child abuse and human trafficking charges

Sep. 13, 2024 03:44 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine televangelist, who calls himself the “anointed son of God” and once claimed to have stopped an earthquake, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of abuse of minors and human trafficking in a court arraignment that's the latest mark of his reversal of...

UAE arrests and turns over suspected child sexual exploiter to the Philippines, officials say

Sep. 12, 2024 11:10 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Filipino man suspected of victimizing more than 100 children in the Philippines with his gang by selling their nude pictures online, including some while being raped by his cohorts, has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates and flown back Thursday to Manila,...

A Filipino preacher on the run from sexual abuse charges surrenders

Sep. 09, 2024 02:23 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Filipino preacher accused of sexual abuse and human trafficking in the Philippines and similar charges in the United States surrendered Sunday to authorities in his religious complex in the south and flown to Manila where he was put in police detention, officials...

A million people are relocated as Typhoon Yagi makes 2 landfalls in southern China

Sep. 06, 2024 11:48 AM EDT

HONG KONG (AP) — A powerful typhoon made two landfalls in southern China Friday after it swept south of Hong Kong, bringing many aspects of life in the region to a halt and forcing about a million people in the country’s south to leave their homes. The Hainan province’s...