The Philippines said on Thursday it has terminated talks with China for a joint energy project in the South China Sea (SCS) after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered an end to negotiations.Manila signed an agreement with Beijing in 2018 to cooperate on oil and gas development as a way to benefit from the resources in the waterway while setting aside the territorial dispute.Duterte, who has taken a softer approach to Beijing's claims over most of the sea, allowed Philippine companies to res

Speaking at a virtual business forum, the Chinese president also questioned the utility of sanctions against Russia.

China will host the 14th BRICS Summit on Thursday in what analysts see as a chance for Beijing to promote its governance and development model at a time of global instability.Chinese President Xi Jinping will join with the leaders of Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa via video link to discuss issues of mutual concern as part of the summit themed around ushering in a “new era” for global development. Ahead of the summit in Beijing, Chinese state media have praised the BRICS – an

Health trackers worn on the wrist could be used to spot COVID-19 days before any symptoms appear, according to researchers.Growing numbers of people worldwide use the devices to monitor changes in skin temperature, heart and breathing rates.

Thailand legalised cultivating and consuming cannabis this month, reversing a hard-line approach of long prison sentences or even the death penalty for drug offences. 21 years ago, I had one of the more searing experiences of my journalistic career.

The United States (US) on Tuesday promised enforcement as a landmark ban took effect on most imports from Xinjiang, the Chinese region where rights groups say the Uyghur people are being forced into slave labour.The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which will be felt especially in the textile industry, took effect six months after it was signed into law by President Joe Biden following bipartisan support in Congress."We are rallying our allies and partners to make global supply chains

Suechi Kido was five years old when he lived through the bombing of Nagasaki.

The eldest daughter of outgoing Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has been sworn in as vice-president.Sara Duterte vowed to unite the Philippines at a ceremony in Davao.It was there that the 44-year-old took over from her father as the city's mayor over a decade ago – before pursuing a career in national politics.She took the oath beside her running mate, Ferdinand Marcos Junior, who will soon replace her father as president."The days ahead may be full of challenges that call fo

Sri Lanka closed schools and halted non-essential government services on Monday, starting a two-week shutdown to conserve fast-depleting fuel reserves as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) opened talks with Colombo on a possible bailout.The country of 22 million people is in the grip of its worst economic crisis after running out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports including food, fuel and medicines.On Monday schools were shut and state offices worked with skelet

Two new fast-spreading subvariants of Omicron are causing fresh surges of COVID around the world.BA.4 and BA.5 were first identified in South Africa and may soon become the dominant strains in Europe and the United States (US), health experts say.What Exactly Are BA.4 And BA.5?Ever since it first emerged, COVID has been mutating or shape-shifting.