Philippines

U.S. officials and Chinese officials started a second round of talks on Tuesday in Stockholm to resolve long-standing economic disputes. They also hope to halt the escalating global trade war. Meetings may not produce immediate big breakthroughs, but both sides could agree on another 90-day period of tariff truce that was agreed in mid-May. The meeting may pave the path for a possible meeting between U.S. president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping in later this year, although Trump denied on Tuesday that he was actively seeking one. The Swedish Prime Minister's Office in central Stockholm, Rosenbad, hosted the...

Senior U.S.-Chinese negotiators met in Stockholm, Sweden on Monday to discuss longstanding economic issues at the heart of a trade conflict between the two world's largest economies. They aimed to extend a ceasefire that would keep tariffs from rising sharply. China faces a deadline of August 12 to reach a durable agreement on tariffs with the administration of President Donald Trump, after Beijing reached a preliminary agreement in June. This was to put an end to weeks' worth of escalating tariffs. If there is no agreement, the global supply chain could be thrown into turmoil by duties of more than...

Prices of industrial metals rose on Monday, as fears about growth and demand eased. This was after China and the United States reached an agreement to reduce their reciprocal import duties and to end their trade war. By 0922 GMT, the benchmark copper price on London Metal Exchange (LME), rose by 0.8%, to $9,518 per metric ton, while aluminium gained a 2.1%, to $2,464. After talks with Chinese officials U.S. Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent stated that the two sides agreed to a 90-day suspension of measures, and that tariffs will be reduced by over 100 percentage points down to a...

The shares of Mexican cement maker Cemex rose on Monday, as the sale in Dominican Republic nearly tripled its net profit in the first quarter of 2025. This was despite the fact that the company's core earnings fell year-over-year. Cemex shares rose 4.5% on the morning market, becoming the largest gainer in Mexico's main index. The company reported a profit of $734 million for the first quarter, up 189%, thanks to the Dominican Republic deal. Cemex reported that 618 million dollars of its net profits in the quarter were from discontinued operations. It also reported a 18% drop in earnings...

Indigenous communities are aiming to reduce deforestation Leaders sign a carbon credit deal protect forests Illegal mining and logging are the main threats By Mariejo Ramos Some Indigenous leaders from the Western Archipelagic Province want to change this by getting investors to buy carbon credits to reduce deforestation. Last month, two ancestral domains in Palawan's Mount Mantalingahan protected landscape of 97,000 acres signed an agreement with Conservation International (CI) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples to develop a carbon finance project within their region and reduce deforestation. Panglima Silnay is the leader of the Pala'wan Indigenous Group. He hopes...

Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba asked U.S. President Joe Biden to allay concerns in the Japanese and U.S. organization neighborhoods over the status of Nippon Steel's scheduled acquisition of U.S. Steel. Ishiba made the demand in a three-way online conference with Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, which covered concerns of economic security and cooperation in maritime security in the South China Sea, according to a. spokesperson from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prime Minister Ishiba explained that cooperation amongst. allies and similar nations is vital for. establishing resistant supply chains, which it is essential. to make...

Indonesia is weighing deep cuts to nickel mining quotas and is looking at lowering the quantity of ore mined next year to as low as 150 million heaps from 227 million this year, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, as the country looks for to support rates. Indonesia has emerged as one of the world's greatest producers of nickel items following a 2020 ban on the export of raw nickel that triggered a huge expansion of its domestic processing industry. Discussions about the size of the possible cut are ongoing within the federal government, the report stated, citing individuals familiar with...

A workers' strike at B2Gold 's flagship mine in southwest Mali has decreased mining operations to just 25% of its capacity, 2 workers at the my own told Reuters on Tuesday. In between 1,875 and 2,000 employees at B2Gold's Fekola mine in Mali released the seven-day strike on Nov. 29 over the termination of some of their associates, the sources said, speaking on condition of privacy. Responding to a request for comment, the Vancouver-based miner said mining operations at Fekola were continuing at a. minimized capability, although well in excess of the 25% reported. by the sources. On Dec. 2,...

Indonesia will examine miners' compliance with environmental guidelines and other regulations and reexamine production quotas for those found to be in breach, a. senior mining official stated on Friday, amidst efforts to ensure. the sustainability of its reserves. Indonesia's huge natural deposits consist of copper, gold, tin. and nickel, and miners are approved yearly production quotas. under a document referred to as an RKAB, which is valid for three. years. The RKAB that has been released will be examined, whether. they (miners) are abiding by the guidelines, Tri Winarno, a. senior authorities at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. told...

Indonesia's imports of nickel ore rose to 9.3 million metric lots in the first ten months of 2024, more than 50 times the corresponding figure of 161,917 tons for the year earlier period, the data bureau stated on Friday. The world's biggest nickel producer has purchased record volumes of the ore from the Philippines because April as smelter demand increased and Jakarta postponed the problem of mining quotas with heavy rains harming mining activity, Reuters reported. Alexander Barus, president at nickel-focused Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, stated the imports were 'a. reasonable company decision' made by owners and management of. domestic...

Indonesia's imports of nickel ore rose to 9.3 million metric lots in the very first ten months of 2024, more than 50 times the matching figure of 161,917 heaps a year ago, the statistics bureau stated on Friday. The world's biggest nickel manufacturer has purchased record volumes of the ore from the Philippines since April as smelter demand rose and Jakarta delayed concern of mining quotas with heavy rains injuring mining activity, Reuters reported. Imports of nickel ore during January to October mostly came from the Philippines and China, for a total value of $406. million, up from $7.1 million...

Top nickel manufacturer China's Tsingshan has cut ferronickel production in Indonesia due to consistent shortages of ore triggered by hold-ups to mining quota approvals, two sources with understanding of the matter said. Tight ore materials this year has pushed up nickel production costs and led to Indonesian smelters buying the raw material from the Philippines, the world's second largest manufacturer of the metal used primarily to make stainless-steel. Hold-ups to releasing quotas has slowed the fast growth of nickel production in the world's top manufacturer of the metal likewise used to make electrical lorry batteries. The sources decreased to say...

The Asian Advancement Bank has approved a $500 million loan to support the Philippines' efforts to take on climate modification, it said on Tuesday. The loan will assist speed up reforms in the Southeast Asian nation to put sectors like farming, natural deposits, energy and transportation on a climate-resilient and low-carbon path, it added. The Philippines, an island chain of more than 7,600 islands, faces the greatest disaster risk worldwide. It topped the 2022 to 2024 World Threat Index which assesses populations most at threat from earthquakes, cyclones, floods, droughts and sea-level rise. The country's high vulnerability impacts its economic...

The world is emerging from its warmest northern hemisphere summer season considering that records started, the European Union's environment modification tracking service stated on Friday, as worldwide warming continues to magnify. The boreal summertime of June to August this year blew past last summer season to end up being the world's hottest, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a monthly publication. The exceptional heat increases the possibility that 2024 will outrank 2023 as the world's warmest on record. Throughout the previous three months of 2024, the world has experienced the hottest June and August, the hottest day on...

China launched on Friday its initially survey report of the South China Sea's contested Sabina Shoal, stating there was no clinical or factual basis for reef damage claims made by the Philippines. In the report by the natural deposit ministry carried out from May to July, it discovered that crucial environment index values in the reef area were within the suitable development variety of the coral reef system. When it comes to the claim created by the Philippines that China's. synthetic accumulation of coral particles at Xianbin Reef has. triggered a great deal of coral bleaching and death in the....

The trade group representing investorowned United States utilities on Wednesday announced it is joining litigation to challenge brand-new federal rules that intend to slash carbon emissions from existing coal and new gas power plants. The Edison Electric Institute said while it supports the U.S. Epa's authority to control greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector, its members oppose the EPA's determination that carbon capture and sequestration innovation must be the basis for compliance with the policy. KEY QUOTE EPA's record and the docket do not support the agency's. finding that CCS is sufficiently shown for broad implementation. across our market,...

The Philippines challenged China on Monday to open Scarborough Shoal to global analysis after it accused Beijing of ruining the shoal's. marine environment. Maritime tension has been increasing in the South China Sea. in between Manila and Beijing, as the Philippines has actually implicated China. of using water cannon and blocking manoeuvres through disputed. shoals and reefs. Control of the Scarborough Shoal, taken by China in 2012,. figured in the Philippines case at a Hague arbitration tribunal,. which ruled in 2016 that Beijing's claim to 90% of the South. China Sea had no basis in international law. We are alarmed...

The Philippines has extended its notariff policy on electric vehicles and parts through 2028 in a quote to wean the country far from nonrenewable fuel sources and increase its EV market, a federal government economic committee stated on Thursday. The committee chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also broadened the scope of preferential tax rates to include hybrid electrical cars, e-motorcycles and e-bicycles. Marcos initially approved in January 2023 cutting one of the most favoured nation tariff on EVs such as automobiles, vans and buses to 0%. Import tasks formerly ranged from 5% to 30%. The Philippine leader, whose term...