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AdvertisementThe PhilippinesThis Week in AsiaPeopleTrump stays popular in Philippines despite Iran war fuel crisisA Philippine senator wants Filipinos to hold Trump accountable for their surging fuel bills. But public anger has a different target
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenSam BeltranPublished: 8:32pm, 26 Mar 2026Updated: 8:40pm, 26 Mar 2026Even as the Philippines thrashes through the throes of an energy crisis born of the Iran war, Filipinos themselves largely appear uninterested in blaming the man who started it.Instead of Donald Trump, public ire has instead coalesced around Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his administration for failing to quell soaring prices.Fuel costs have rocketed across the archipelago since the United States and Israel first struck Iran on February 28, following the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz through which much of the Middle East’s oil and gas flows.AdvertisementPetrol station attendants across Metro Manila were manually repricing thei..

Democrat Emily Gregory won a special election in Florida for which President Donald Trump too voted.
Florida's Emily Gregory, a Democrat, defeated Republican Jon Maples who had an endorsement from US president Donald Trump, in a special election in Florida's 87th state house district. Gregory, a public health expert and small business owner, is a first-time candidate and the win did not surprise her. “When I started this nine months ago, I obviously thought it was possible,” Gregory told MSNBC on Tuesday night. “I might have done some crazy calculus to decide that this was a flip opportunity, but it was,” she later added. “And we did it. So my math worked.”Gregory had 51% of the vote to 49% for Maples with all precincts reporting.Israel Iran WarUS-Israel-Iran War News Live Updates: Amazon Web Services 'disrupted' following drone attack in Bahrain; Saudi, UAE mull joining Iran war82nd Airborne Division to be deployed in Middle East: Inside America’s fastest strike f..

Markwayne Mullin, Republican senator of Oklahoma was recently sworn in as the new Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, replacing Kristi Noem, who was fired this month after a succession of controversies. However, it seems that the new DHS leader arrives with his own villain arc followed by a series of viral and widely circulating social media posts hinting at his physically abusive past. Watch 'You Have Anger Issues…': Rand Paul Squares Off With Mullin In DHS Nomination Clash I Watch 'I can spank them…': Discipline or abuse?The most significant outcry stems from a video of Mullin speaking at a church-hosted “City Elders” event held on October 6, 2023. In his address, he talked about discipling children adding that he was raised by the “fear of a belt.” “The discipline was just, wasn’t overreacted. …So I learned respect from the discipline,” he said. He went on to share how he disciplines his twin daughters by spanking them, deepening the controversy. “I..

AdvertisementCPTPPOpinionWorld OpinionWang HuiyaoOpinionMiddle powers are taking up the mantle of multilateral leadershipWith the US in retreat, nations committed to economic integration are moving forward through partnerships like the CPTPP
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenWang HuiyaoPublished: 8:30pm, 25 Mar 2026For much of the post-war era, the architecture of global governance rested on the simple assumption that the United States would support the systems it largely designed and uphold the rules it helped to create.
The first Trump administration was no isolated incident. Now, from the vantage point of 2026, amid the US-Israel attack on Iran and the subsequent closing of the Strait of Hormuz, it is quite clear that there is little sign of an appetite in Washington for the US to once again safeguard the order it helped create.Yet the retreat of one great power does not mean the collapse of globalisation or multilateralism. Instead, the torch has passed to middle powers who are coming together..

AdvertisementHong Kong politicsHong KongPoliticsZhang Dongmei named new deputy director of office overseeing Hong Kong affairsSelection of former vice-president of All-China Women’s Federation makes her first female deputy director since office’s elevation in 2023
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenMatthew ChengPublished: 8:17pm, 25 Mar 2026Updated: 8:26pm, 25 Mar 2026Beijing has selected Zhang Dongmei, a former vice-president of the All-China Women’s Federation, as a new deputy director of the top office overseeing Hong Kong affairs, making her the first woman to take on the role since the body’s status was elevated in 2023.
Zhang’s appointment as the new deputy head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) fills the vacancy left by the departure of Xiang Bin, a party group member of the office, earlier this year.
The State Council’s decision was announced by the state news agency Xinhua on Wednesday. Her selection brings the office’s total number of deputy directors up to five.
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