Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-Catholic scorn does not appear to be seriously damaging his appeal. The first polls of 2019 show the president’s approval rating is up to 80 percent, despite 8 in 10 Filipinos being Catholic.
“China, America, Europe, they continued to emit their poisonous fumes in the name of prosperity,” President Rodrigo Duterte said. “There really is climate change. But who caused it? Not us.”
The Philippines’ abortion law is among the strictest in the world. Abortion is illegal under all circumstances. Let's help brief Obama on the issue during his visit to the archipelago.
A full-scale relief effort has been slow to emerge in Tacloban, a Philippine city ripped to shreds by last week's typhoon. BBC reporter Jonathan Head describes a growing sense of panic and fear, but also the the first signs that aid is finally ramping up and on the move.
Filipino American nurse Earlbhert Fabella grew up in Tacloban City and remembers it fondly. Now, he's headed back with other nurses to help the survivors and get his mother.
The southern Pacific is home to someof the last healthy tuna populations, but they're coming under intense pressure from international fishing fleets. Shannon Service reports from Palau on the tiny country's efforts to protect its tuna populations from overfishing.