Philippines

MANILA, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The Philippines on Sunday accused China's coast guard of installing a "floating barrier" in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.

Manila's coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources "strongly condemn" China's installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesperson, posted on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter.

BATANGAS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - A small but restive volcano near the Philippine capital Manila spewed above average sulfur dioxide and volcanic smog on Friday, prompting authorities to close schools in dozens of cities and towns and to urge people to stay indoors.

The state volcanology and seismology institute said it observed upwelling of hot volcanic fluids in the Taal volcano's crater lake, resulting in the emission of volcanic gases. Heavy pollution also shrouded buildings in the capital region in haze.

MANILA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- An offshore earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 rocked Cagayan province in the northern Philippines Tuesday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

The institute said the quake, which occurred at 7:03 p.m. local time, hit at a depth of 10 kilometers, about 26 kilometers northwest of Dalupiri Island in Calayan town.

The institute said the tectonic quake will trigger aftershocks but will not cause damage.

It said the quake was felt in many areas in the main Luzon island and the central Philippines.

SOUTH CHINA SEA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The Philippines has completed a supply mission for troops stationed in a rusty World War Two-era ship, but not without a usual cat and mouse chase with Chinese vessels in the South China Sea.

Reuters went onboard one of the Philippine Coast Guard's vessels escorting the mission to the Second Thomas Shoal on Friday and witnessed how the Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels tried to chase and block the Philippine contingent from reaching their destination.

China said the vessels entered the waters without its permission.

MANILA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Philippine troops killed at least six suspected rebels in a series of clashes in the central Philippines on Thursday morning, a military commander said.

Army Major General Marion Sison said the initial fighting broke out at around 7:35 a.m. local time, followed by five other clashes in three hours as the military pursued the New People's Army (NPA) insurgents in Bohol province.

Sison said troops swooped into the area after residents tipped off the presence of the insurgents.

MANILA, Sept 1 (NNN-PNA) – Super typhoon Saola, which triggered floods and landslides in the Philippines, has left at least one dead and displaced 387,242 people across the country, the government said, today.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said, more than 21,000 are still in temporary shelters.

Saola grew into a super typhoon last Sunday, dumping heavy rain and severe winds in the main Luzon island and central Philippines.

Aug 31 (Reuters) - The Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have rejected as baseless a map released by China that denotes its claims to sovereignty including in the South China Sea and which Beijing said on Thursday should be viewed rationally and objectively.

China released the map on Monday of its famous U-shaped line covering about 90% of the South China Sea, a source of many of the disputes in one of the world's most contested waterways, where more than $3 trillion of trade passes each year.

MANILA, Aug 30 (NNN-PNA) – Super typhoon Saola, triggered floods and landslides in seven regions in the Philippines, affecting nearly 200,000 people, the government said today.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said, at least one person was reported missing. No death has been reported, so far.

The disaster management agency said, Saola flooded 193 areas and triggered 12 landslides on the main Luzon island and the central Philippines. More than 35,000 of the displaced residents are still in temporary shelters.

MANILA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. military is in talks to develop a civilian port in the remote northernmost islands of the Philippines, the local governor and two other officials told Reuters, a move that would boost American access to strategically located islands facing Taiwan.

U.S. military involvement in the proposed port in the Batanes islands, less than 200 km (125 miles) from Taiwan, could stoke tensions at a time of growing friction with China and a drive by Washington to intensify its longstanding defence treaty engagement with the Philippines.

MANILA, Aug 27 (NNN-PNA) – Saola intensified into a super typhoon at dawn today, threatening to dump heavy rain and severe winds in the northern Philippines, the Philippine state weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said, Saola could bring heavy rain in mountainous areas, which could trigger flooding and landslides.