MANILA -- Two people were killed and another wounded on Thursday after unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, according to local media reports on Saturday.
The shooting took place in Maguindanao del Sur province, and the victims were traveling to Cotabato City when motorcycle-riding suspects shot them in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town, local media GMA News cited the Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region as saying. (Philippines-Shooting-Death)
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VIENTIANE -- The Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL), the Lao central bank, reduced its 7-day base interest rate from 8 percent to 7 percent to help maintain monetary stability, according to a BOL report on Saturday.
The central bank made the decision while convening its third Monetary Policy Committee meeting of 2026 on Thursday. (Laos-BOL-Lower Interest Rate)
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MANILA -- The Philippine government has distributed 1.66 million food packs and other relief items worth 1.09 billion pesos (about 17.6 million U.S. dollars) to families affected by recent heavy rains and the southwest monsoon, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Saturday.
More than 2.12 million families have been affected, with about 11,600 staying in evacuation centers and nearly 20,000 outside shelters. Some 3.79 million food packs have been stockpiled in warehouses nationwide for ongoing relief operations, according to the DSWD. (Philippine-Disaster)
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TOKYO -- Budget requests from Japanese government ministries and agencies for fiscal 2027 are expected to exceed 130 trillion yen (around 818 billion U.S. dollars), a significant increase from the current fiscal year's initial budget of 122.31 trillion yen, Kyodo News reported on Friday.
The report said that the actual budget could rise further when finalized at the end of this year, as spending for many items is yet to be determined. (Japan-Budget Request) ■
