Facebook and Google are planning two new undersea internet cables to connect Southeast Asia to North America.The project with regional telecoms companies aims to supply faster internet speeds to Singapore and Indonesia.This comes after Facebook withdrew three projects to connect the United States (US) to Hong Kong with similar cables, following government concerns over spying.The cables require regulatory approval from the national governments involved.“Named Echo and Bifrost, those

The Philippines’ air force has been conducting daily aerial patrols over Chinese fishing vessels moored near a disputed reef, the country’s defence chief said, as he repeated a call to Beijing for their withdrawal from the area.The diplomatic row was touched off earlier this month when some 220 boats were first spotted at the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef, west of Palawan Island.The Philippines ordered China to recall the vessels, describing their presence as an incursion into its so

The recent skirmish in the South China Sea (SCS) between the Philippines and China that some personalities belonging to the political opposition coined as a prelude to the Chinese invasion of the Philippines is a far-fetched, and exaggerated way of describing the incident. It can be recalled that in early March, around 200 Chinese fishing vessels were spotted anchored at Whitsun Reef, a disputed territory in the South China Sea (SCS), which had flickered apprehensions and anxieties i

It’s hard to tell whether the Philippine government intentionally sought to mark exactly one year since the 2020 Metro Manila COVID-19 lockdown by tightening quarantine restrictions once again, first on 15 March, and then further on 22 March.New COVID-19 cases have been piling up at an alarming rate recently, with the capital as the epicentre, home to roughly a tenth of the national population.City mayors, with the backing of the administration, resolved to impose stricter checkpoints, a 10:0

The Philippine military ordered the deployment of more navy ships to the South China Sea Thursday amid a growing diplomatic row over a fleet of Chinese boats parked near a disputed reef.China claims almost the entirety of the resource-rich sea, and was accused by the United States (US) this week of efforts to "intimidate and provoke others" by parking its vessels near Whitsun Reef.Manila has ordered Beijing to recall 183 boats at the boomerang-shaped reef around 320 kilometres (175

The deployment of 220 Chinese vessels to the Julian Felipe Reef (aka Whitsun Reef), which lies in the Spratly Islands, well within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), has once again alerted Southeast Asian nations to China’s ever-growing assertiveness in the South China Sea (SCS).Criticising this unilateral, aggressive act, Delfin Lorenzana, Philippine Defense Minister called on the Chinese ships to back off, claiming that they are violating his nation’s

Every year, approximately 12 million girls aged between 15 to 19 years, and at least 777,000 girls under 15 years, give birth in developing regions of the world.In 2016, a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report stated that the Philippines has the highest number of teen pregnancies across Asia. Multiple partners and low condom use were some of the factors cited for the increase in birth rates.

The Philippines on Sunday accused China of "incursion" after more than 200 militia boats were spotted near a disputed reef in the South China Sea, in a rare rebuke of its superpower neighbour.The Philippine coast guard detected the boats "in line formation" at the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef around 320 kilometres (175 nautical miles) west of Palawan Island on 7 March."We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our mari

In the last couple of days, the Philippines has been experiencing a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases most especially in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Currently, in a dining room of a house in a city, a nine-year-old child sits in front of his laptop engaging in a class through Zoom or Google Meet. Next to him is his little sister, slightly younger, on her new tablet with earphones on, attentively listening to her English teacher.