The Latest Breaking News from Manila

Philippine jeepney drivers staged a noisy protest in the capital Manila on Tuesday over the government's plan to phase out the smoke-belching vehicles and replace them with modern mini-buses.

The Philippine government is looking to "improve" the living conditions of its personnel stationed in the disputed South China by upgrading island features – a move that will likely irk Beijing.

Manila will upgrade islands and acquire more ships to modernise its military amid tensions with China.

Germany’s top diplomat says China’s actions in the South China Sea violate the rights of Asian coastal states like the Philippines and threaten freedom of navigation, but adds that the territorial disputes have to be resolved peacefully because “the world doesn’t need another crisis.”