Category: Politics

Business

Thailand Cuts 11.16 Billion Baht From 2027 Budget Ahead of Crucial Parliamentary Debate

BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand's proposed 2027 national budget has been cut by more than 11.16 billion baht ahead of a crucial three-day parliamentary debate, setting the stage for intense scrutiny over how the government plans to spend nearly 3.8 trillion baht. The House of Representatives is scheduled to debate the 2027 Budget Bill during its second and third readings from Sept. 7 to Sept. 9, after a parliamentary committee completed its review of the government's spending plan. The proposed b

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Philippines

Romualdez Faces Plunder Case Over P56-B Flood Control Allegations—What Happens Next Could Be Crucial

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has formally brought its case against former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez before the Sandiganbayan, escalating the government's investigation into alleged corruption surrounding multibillion-peso flood control projects. The anti-graft agency filed the plunder case on Monday, September 7, against Romualdez and former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co. Investigators allege that the two were invol

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Philippines

37 Names Linked to Sara Duterte’s Confidential Funds Are Reported Dead—But the PSA Findings Raise an Even Bigger Question

MANILA, Philippines — The scrutiny surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte’s controversial confidential funds intensified after a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) official testified that government records show 37 people listed as alleged recipients of confidential funds were already deceased. PSA Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande told the Senate impeachment court on Monday that the agency’s re-verification found death records corresponding to names appearing in documents subm

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Philippines

PNP Chief Orders Verification of Sara Duterte’s Security Concerns as Vice President Says She Fears for Her Safety

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police Chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has assured Vice President Sara Duterte that authorities will examine and verify the security concerns she raised after saying she feared for her safety. Nartatez said the Philippine National Police would take Duterte's concerns seriously and assess any information that could indicate a potential threat to the vice president or her family. The assurance came after Duterte publicly expressed fears for her

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Business

Taiwan Defense Budget Lifts Veil on Secret Ching Tien Missile Program

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan's proposed defense budget has offered the clearest public indication yet that the military has moved a long-rumored long-range missile program into operational service — while also pointing to the development of a more advanced successor capable of reaching deeper into China. The non-classified portion of Taiwan's proposed defense budget for next year includes a new spending item for the “Fei Chi II weapons system and equipment maintenance program,” scheduled to run from

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Business

How Democracy Changed Taiwan’s Streets — and What Traffic Safety Reveals About Freedom

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan's roads are often criticized for being dangerous, chaotic and unforgiving. For years, international media and frustrated residents have pointed to poor pedestrian protection, reckless driving and the country's high number of traffic accidents as evidence that Taiwan still has a long way to go. But according to a new feature by columnist Courtney Donovan Smith, Taiwan's changing traffic culture may also reveal something far bigger than road safety. It may show how profo

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Philippines

34,000 New Classrooms Coming: Angara Reveals What Happens Next as Government Races to Fix School Shortage

MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of Filipino students could soon have more space to learn as the Department of Education (DepEd) pushes ahead with an ambitious classroom-building program aimed at easing the country’s long-standing shortage of school facilities. Education Secretary Sonny Angara has said that around 34,000 classrooms are targeted for construction in 2026, as the government accelerates infrastructure projects nationwide. The classroom drive comes as the Marcos administration puts

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Philippines

Ombudsman Steps In Over Alleged Student Mobilization in Cebu—Now DepEd-7 Is Being Asked to Act

CEBU CITY — The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas is pressing the Department of Education in Central Visayas (DepEd-7) to take action on a fact-finding request involving the alleged mobilization of students to a Cebu City Council session—an issue that has raised questions about student protection, parental consent and the use of minors in a politically sensitive setting. The controversy stems from an April 14, 2026 incident at Cebu City Hall, when buses carrying senior high school students arrive

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Politics

Iran Plans New ‘Exclusion Zone’ Near Strait of Hormuz—What Happens to Ships That Enter?

TEHRAN — Iran is preparing to announce a new “exclusion zone” outside the strategic Strait of Hormuz, raising fresh concerns over commercial shipping, global oil supplies and the possibility of a wider escalation between Tehran and Washington. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Sunday that the new zone would be announced in the coming days. According to Iranian state media, the proposed area would begin around the line of the U.S. naval blockade, extend t

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Philippines

Remulla Challenges Sara Duterte: “Show the Proof” of Alleged Police Harassment

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has challenged Vice President Sara Duterte and her camp to present concrete evidence supporting their allegations that police personnel harassed or intimidated her and her family during the implementation of an arrest warrant. Speaking at a press briefing at Camp Crame on Monday, Remulla rejected the accusation that police officers acted improperly when they served the warrant against Duterte in connection with her grave threats case. “Th

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