How a hospital ship helps buoy China’s strategic mission in Africa

South China Morning Post - Oct 18, 2026

By the time the Chinese navy hospital ship had docked in the Guinean capital Conakry earlier this month, patients were already queuing for free consultations. The queues in front of the Auspicious Ark were so long that some people were told to come back the next day, according to Guinean media reports. The ship, operated by the PLA Navy, offers a range of medical services wherever it stops, including surgery to treat cataracts, appendicitis and hernias as well as gynaecological care. On this...

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Marawi hospital nears completion; LGU allots P200M for 2027 operations

Oct 18, 2026

Marawi hospital nears completion; LGU allots P200M for 2027 operations

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur — The local government here has allocated P200 million for the operations of the nearly completed Marawi City General Hospital next year. Vice Mayor Majul Gandamra said the hospital, designed to accommodate 50 to 100 beds, is already 97% complete. “The local government of Marawi is ready to accept the

2 rescued from partially submerged fishing boat off Palawan

Oct 18, 2026

2 rescued from partially submerged fishing boat off Palawan

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — Two people were rescued after their fishing boat was reported partially submerged in waters off Wedge Island in San Vicente, Palawan, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Saturday, Oct. 17. Personnel of Coast Guard Sub-Station San Vicente, together with the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office, conducted search

Inquirer report on PH debt burden wins Best News Coverage at 48th CMMA

Oct 18, 2026

Inquirer report on PH debt burden wins Best News Coverage at 48th CMMA

MANILA, Philippines — The Inquirer’s two-part special report on the country’s growing debt burden won Best News Coverage at the 48th Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA). The reports, “Debt service eats up biggest slice of budget pie” and “PH debt stock projected to hit P19T by end of 2026,” were written by Krixia Subingsubing, Nyah

Groups launch campaign to defend Sariaya farmers’ land rights

Oct 18, 2026

Groups launch campaign to defend Sariaya farmers’ land rights

LUCENA CITY — Multi-sectoral groups have joined forces to intensify a campaign supporting more than 250 farming families in Sariaya, Quezon, who have been stripped of their rights to lands awarded to them under the government’s agrarian reform program. The “Save Sariaya Now!” campaign was launched at the Diocese of Lucena’s Sentro Pastoral in Lucena

Baguio’s Cordillera festival seeks to boost tourism amid El Niño threat

Oct 18, 2026

Baguio’s Cordillera festival seeks to boost tourism amid El Niño threat

BAGUIO CITY — Delegations from across the Cordillera performed their signature festival dances before residents and weekend tourists here on Saturday, Oct. 17, as the region marked Indigenous Peoples Month and sought to sustain tourism. The fifth Cordillera Festival of Festivals comes as the region faces economic pressures from rising fuel and food prices and

Ilocos Sur town rolls out cashless payments in markets, transport

Oct 18, 2026

Ilocos Sur town rolls out cashless payments in markets, transport

SAN ILDEFONSO, Ilocos Sur — The municipal government of Santa Lucia in this province recently launched the Paleng-QR PH Plus program to promote cashless transactions among market vendors, transport operators, small businesses and consumers. The initiative, spearheaded by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government

Psychologists slam podcast over remarks on Kris Aquino’s son Josh

Oct 18, 2026

Psychologists slam podcast over remarks on Kris Aquino’s son Josh

MANILA, Philippines — The Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) has condemned a podcast’s discriminatory remarks about Kris Aquino’s son Josh, who is on the autism spectrum, and urged content creators to produce sensitive and ethical content. In a now-deleted podcast episode, Tito P, one of the five male hosts of “Machong Chismisan,” mocked Josh

Qian Jiang, former Johns Hopkins’ eye institute expert, joins hospital in China

Oct 18, 2026

Qian Jiang, former Johns Hopkins’ eye institute expert, joins hospital in China

Professor Qian Jiang, a senior eye expert at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, has moved back to China full time to pursue research on eye transplants. For more than two decades, Qian built and ran the genetic data hub at Johns Hopkins’ renowned Wilmer Eye Institute. He was welcomed at a ceremony on October 5 at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital in Hangzhou, part of Zhejiang University, the hospital said. At the ceremony, Qian said he would also work on “virtual cells” – computer models...

5 Questions with NBA insider Brian Windhorst

Oct 18, 2026

5 Questions with NBA insider Brian Windhorst

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[Inside the Newsroom] China’s envoy: Sounds like a threat, walks like a threat

Oct 18, 2026

[Inside the Newsroom] China’s envoy: Sounds like a threat, walks like a threat

The reality on the ground and at sea is that a 'peace-loving' China can still inflict harm — economically and physically

Super Typhoon Champi to enter PAR on Oct. 20; to be named Rosal

Oct 18, 2026

Super Typhoon Champi to enter PAR on Oct. 20; to be named Rosal

MANILA, Philippines — Super Typhoon Champi is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and will be named Rosal, bringing strong winds and heavy rains to northern Luzon and Bicol, according to the weather bureau. In its 5 a.m. bulletin on Sunday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services

Motorcycle-riding men rob gas station in Ilocos Norte

Oct 18, 2026

Motorcycle-riding men rob gas station in Ilocos Norte

SAN ILDEFONSO, Ilocos Sur — Police are investigating a reported holdup at a gasoline station in Currimao, Ilocos Norte, where two motorcycle-riding men allegedly threatened a pump attendant with a gun and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash early Saturday, Oct. 17. The Currimao Municipal Police Station said the incident occurred at 12:10 a.m.

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