Philippines

Wearing an emerald green chiffon Filipiniana gown, Duterte-Carpio took her oath of office as her mother, Elizabeth, and her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, standing next to her, watched, Xinhua news agency reported. "We should not, as we could not afford to squander the future of our children. The days ahead may be full of challenges that call for us to be more united as a nation," said Duterte-Carpio, popularly known by her nickname Inday.

The Philippines and the US on Monday began their large-scale annual joint military drills in the Southeast Asian country. The participants in the exercise, codenamed Balikatan 2022, include 3,800 Filipino and 5,100 US military personnel, as well as observers from various armed forces in the region, reports Xinhua news agency.

This is Jaishankar's first visit to the Philippines as the External Affairs Minister and it comes following the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting in Melbourne held over the weekend. Taking to Twitter, the Minister said that he held "productive discussions" with Locsin Jr., as "we are entering a new phase of our partnership. Its basis is the mutuality of national security and development aspirations".

Bohol province is the worst-hit with 72 deaths, while Negros Occidental reported 18, Cebu 16, Dinagat Islands 10, Southern Leyte six, among others, reports Xinhua news agency. The number of deaths is likely to increase further as local officials are still gathering data from the affected areas.

Duterte, 76, went to the Commission on Elections to formally withdraw his candidacy for a Senate seat, reports Xinhua news agency. Local media reported that Duterte signed the statement of withdrawal from the race. A spokesperson for the poll body also released a picture of the President when he filed the certificate of withdrawal. The presidential office is yet to issue an official statement.

President Xi made these remarks at the virtual meeting held on Monday between China and ASEAN members commemorating the 30th Anniversary of relations between the sides. China said that it would never seek hegemony nor take advantage of the smaller South Asian countries and instead would like to work with the 10 country bloc to eliminate interference.

"Today, I announce my retirement from politics," Xinhua news agency quoted the 76-year-old leader as saying to journalists. Concerning his surprise announcement, Duterte, who took office in 2016 for a six-year term of presidency, said that he is heeding the Filipinos' "overwhelming sentiment" for him to quit politics.

He arrived at the commission's office on board a bus with the Filipino slogan loosely translated to "a son of poor parents" with his wife Jinkee and running mate, House Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that at 4 p.m. on Monday evening, the storm was spotted 95 km east of Guiuan town in the Eastern Samar province, reports Xinhua news agency. The bureau said the storm was blowing westward or northwestward 20 km per hour, packing winds of 75 km per hour and gusts of up to 90 km per hour.

President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the recommendation of the inter-agency Covid-19 task force to lift the current travel restrictions on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, reports Xinhua news agency. "International travellers coming from the above mentioned countries shall, however, comply with the appropriate entry, testing, and quarantine protocols," Roque said in a statement.