The Philippines’ largest-ever education budget has been hailed by teachers and education advocates, but many have also warned that money alone cannot reverse years of weak learning outcomes and chronic teacher and classroom shortages.
Last month, the Senate approved a 1.37 trillion peso (US$23 billion) allocation for education, the largest in the country’s history.
It is equivalent to about 4 per cent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product, aligning for the first time with UN recommendations…
Myanmar polls open amid civil war as junta seeks to prolong power
Overshadowed by civil war and doubts about the credibility of the polls, voters in Myanmar were casting their ballots in a general election starting on Sunday, the first since a military coup toppled the last civilian government in 2021.
The junta that has since ruled Myanmar says the vote is a chance for a fresh start politically and economically for the impoverished Southeast Asian nation.
But the election has been derided by critics – including the United Nations, some Western countries and…
Indonesian rescuers search for Spanish father, 3 children after tourist boat sinks
Indonesian rescuers searched for four members of a Spanish family on Saturday after a tour boat carrying 11 people sank overnight near Padar Island, a popular destination within Komodo National Park, officials said.
The boat was carrying the family of six, four crew members and a local guide when it went down on Friday evening after suffering engine failure on a trip from Komodo Island to Padar, said Fathur Rahman, who heads the Maumere Search and Rescue Office.
He said three people were rescued…
Safety fears as Japan prepares to restart nuclear plant ‘built on tofu’
Campaigners against nuclear energy have condemned Japan’s decision to resume operations at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant, claiming that the facility will be unable to withstand a major earthquake as it was “built on tofu”.
Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the operator of the Niigata prefecture plant, on Wednesday applied for a final examination of the facility to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA). Approval is likely to be a formality as the prefectural assembly already gave the nod on…
‘Lost my future’: Myanmar’s ‘charade’ election dims hopes of diaspora
Taya says her life was looking up as Myanmar crept out from decades of isolation.
She had a job in marketing, enough money to shop in Yangon’s new malls and fuel her quiet dreams of opening a small bakery, as her generation enjoyed unprecedented economic and personal freedoms.
But that was before Myanmar’s short-lived experiment with greater democracy ended in a coup in 2021.
With the military once more in charge, the economy is in free fall, and inflation has surged to well over 20 per cent….
Is North Korea’s new nuclear sub reveal a bid to counter US-South Korean naval power?
North Korea’s move to publicly reveal the full hull and displacement of its first nuclear-powered submarine under construction appears to be a strategic counter to bids by the US and South Korea to expand their undersea capabilities.
North Korea’s state media on Thursday released images of leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine” being built at an undisclosed location. Kim was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Kim Ju-ae, believed to be…
With 1MDB verdict due, will Malaysia’s Najib have to ‘prepare for the worst’?
Malaysia’s High Court is poised on Friday to deliver its verdict in the final criminal trial of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak, bringing to a close one of Southeast Asia’s most far-reaching corruption sagas.
The case centres on allegations that the disgraced 72-year-old misappropriated 2.3 billion ringgit (US$490 million) from the scandal-ridden Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Najib is currently in Kajang Prison, over halfway through a sentence…
Safety gaps, outdated facilities hobbling Malaysian tourism: minister
Traveller safety and outdated facilities remain pressing issues that could undermine Malaysia’s tourism ambitions if left unaddressed, according to Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing.
Tiong said many attractions lack basic infrastructure upgrades, particularly in destinations frequented by repeat visitors.
“Some foreign visitors tell us that when they came 10 years ago, the facilities were like this, and 10 years later, nothing has changed,” he added.
While Malaysia has produced…
Indonesian fishermen’s climate lawsuit in Switzerland against cement giant to proceed
A decision by a court in Switzerland this week to hear a climate lawsuit brought by four Indonesian fishermen against cement giant Holcim has been welcomed by campaigners as an important step for climate justice, even as they warned the legal fight could still stretch on for years.
On Monday, the Cantonal Court of Zug ruled that it would admit the lawsuit, allowing the case to proceed to a full assessment on its merits.
The complaint accuses Holcim, a Swiss company based in the town of Zug, of…
Singapore Airlines passenger jailed for in-flight theft targeting business class
A man who took a passenger’s luggage on a Singapore Airlines flight from Dubai to Singapore was jailed for 20 months on Tuesday.
Liu Ming, a 26-year-old Chinese national, pleaded guilty to one charge of theft.
The act was financed by a criminal syndicate and Liu had boarded the flight specifically to steal high-value items from business class passengers, the prosecution said.
His case follows other convictions for on-board theft this year, including one case of an offender who had accomplices on…