SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to possess “the most advanced and powerful warships” while touring a shipyard, state media reported on Nov 4, as Pyongyang accelerates an ambitious naval expansion. Kim toured the Nampho Shipyard on Nov 2, where North Korea is building a new warship, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The nuclear-equipped country has…

The Iran war is showing why the Philippines can’t afford to neglect its farmers
A war thousands of kilometers away is beginning to ripple through something as basic as the Filipino dining table. The conflict involving Iran has pushed oil prices higher, disrupted key shipping routes, and strained global supply chains—especially for fertilizer, a critical input for food production. Farmers are already feeling the pressure. Fertilizer prices have surged by as much as 30% to 40%,…