Military documents, validated by the experience of human rights activists since the Marcos dictatorship, will reveal that enforced disappearances are part of the state’s counterinsurgency plan, and appears to be an undeclared policy against its critics.

Philippine trade deals with Japan and China, which President Gloria Arroyo recently urged Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to act on, will further weaken the country’s already damaged domestic economy.

The reality is that unsustainable election-related spending, especially by the government is a major factor, that the growth is creating the wrong kinds of jobs, and that the country’s productive sectors continue to deteriorate.

“Vulnerabilities arising from environmental pressures, economic insecurity, shortcomings in governance and unequal income distribution pose a threat to the region’s future development.”

When a global anti-graft watchdog surveys the Asian landscape for corruption indicators, the continent’s forests depleted by illegal logging invariably enter the picture.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 13 (IPS) - The annual phenomenon that is oddly called the ‘haze’ is back and beginning to blanket parts of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei in thick, acrid smoke from the forest fires in Indonesia, mainly from the Kalimantan and Sumatra islands.

These days the Hamas acting government and Fatah “emergency government” are sapping the interest from any news story that might report on Israel’s criminal deeds inside Gaza and the West Bank. Both these Palestinian enclaves are still under Israel’s military occupation - one shunned and isolated by political intrigue and the other apparently working at cooperating with the occupier, and there’s the tragedy of it all.

If successful, such attempts skew international decision-making away from the common good, resulting in outcomes that will be less favorable for those in greatest need. The credibility and legitimacy, and thus the effectiveness of international bodies will be undermined. Moreover, even if voting patterns are unaffected, allocation of scarce aid resources according to donors’ geopolitical agendas rather than to need or potential effect reduces the effectiveness of aid in achieving objectives such as poverty reduction and health.

Some Pacific island countries stand to lose up to US$10 million annually in revenue due to trade liberalisation under the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations, according to a report commissioned by the Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Forum

A major loophole in US law allows fragrance manufacturers to hide potentially hazardous chemicals in product scents, including substances linked to allergies, birth defects, and even cancer.

We, the undersigned individuals and organizations call on our Senators to uphold national interest and reject the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement or JPEPA.

Seven out of ten Filipinos gave President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo a failing grade in her anti-corruption efforts, according to the latest IBON Survey.