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Philippines recognized as rising Muslim-friendly destination at halal travel summit

Special Philippines recognized as rising Muslim-friendly destination at halal travel summit
Philippines’ Tourism Undersecretary Myra Paz Abubakar joins Megaworld Hotels & Resorts’ Managing Director Cleofe Albiso and Group General Manager Arturo Boncato Jr. as they accepted the Muslim-Friendly Hotel Chain of the Year Award in Singapore, for a photo with Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of Crescent Rating and HalalTrip, in this photo shared on June 14, 2025. (Megaworld)
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Updated 14 June 2025

Philippines recognized as rising Muslim-friendly destination at halal travel summit

Philippines recognized as rising Muslim-friendly destination at halal travel summit
  • Developing halal travel has been key part of the Philippines’ tourism strategy
  • Muslim travel market expected to reach 245 million international arrivals by 2030

MANILA:The Philippines has been recognized as a rising Muslim-friendly destination at this year’s Halal in Travel Global Summit, where one of the country’s officials and a Filipino hotel chain were also honored for their work in promoting halal tourism.

The Philippines stands among three other countries — Thailand, Ireland and Spain — in the Rising Muslim-friendly non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation Destinations in the latest edition of the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index.

The index is an annual report benchmarking destinations in the Muslim travel market.

At the summit in Singapore earlier this week, Philippine Tourism Undersecretary Myra Paz Abubakar was named Halal Travel Personality of the Year, while the country’s largest hotel operator, Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, won the Muslim-friendly Hotel Chain of The Year Award.

“This means that the DOT (Department of Tourism) is on the right track with our programs for Muslim-friendly and halal tourism. We have already done a lot but there is still so much to be done,” Abubakar, who was recognized for her “instrumental role” in advancing Muslim-friendly tourism in the Philippines, told Arab News on Saturday.

The archipelagic country, known for its white-sand beaches, diving spots and rich culture, has in recent years stepped up efforts to cater to Muslim tourists by ensuring that they have access to halal products and services.

“We have to continue moving forward and upward as the Muslim Market is a big market waiting to be tapped,” Abubakar said.

The Muslim travel market is on the rise, with international Muslim arrivals reaching 176 million people in 2024, according to the GMTI. The report estimates that the market will grow to 245 million arrivals by 2030, with their travel expenditure reaching $235 billion.

The index has noted the Philippines’ efforts to become a Muslim-friendly destination since 2021, and awarded the country the Emerging Muslim-friendly Destination accolade at the halal travel summit in 2023.

While the category has been removed for the 2025 edition, the GMTI covered the Philippines and its efforts to promote halal tourism, such as establishing more Muslim-friendly airports, to create a more inclusive travel experience.

The predominantly Catholic country — where Muslims constitute about 10 percent of the almost 120 million population — also launched last year a beach dedicated to Muslim women travelers in Boracay, the country’s top resort island and one of the world’s most popular.

Those efforts, part of the Philippines’ move to diversify its economy away from dependency on the declining Chinese market, have led to a recent surge in international tourism arrivals from countries in the Middle East and the Gulf Cooperation Council.


Thai minister resigns after alleged scam center links

Updated 2 sec ago

Thai minister resigns after alleged scam center links

Thai minister resigns after alleged scam center links
BANGKOK: Thailand’s deputy finance minister resigned on Wednesday following allegations linking him to Cambodia-based cyberscam centers.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered Vorapak Tanyawong, a veteran financier who took office just last month, to submit a written explanation this week over the accusations.
Vorapak came under scrutiny after a report this week tied him to an alleged foreign fraudster linked to cross-border scam operations in Cambodia.
The “Whale Hunting” newsletter alleged that Vorapak’s wife was paid $3 million in cryptocurrency this year by Chinese-Cambodian criminal networks that he was tasked to investigate as part of a government committee.
The newsletter has also reported that Vorapak was once listed as an adviser to BIC Bank, a Cambodian bank linked to an alleged money-laundering network.
Vorapak denied any involvement in illicit activities on Wednesday, telling reporters he was quitting to focus on his legal defense.
“To fight this legal battle, I need time and I am afraid it will interfere with my main role at the ministry of finance,” he told a news conference.
Vorapak spent most of his career in the private financial sector before entering politics last year as an adviser to the then-finance minister.
He previously held senior roles at the Thai branches of top global banks including Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase.
Corruption allegations are not uncommon in Thailand, where close ties between business and politics often blur lines.
But scandals linking Thai officials with the multibillion-dollar scam industry, which has ballooned in Southeast Asia in recent years, have been rare.

Most Americans support US recognition of Palestinian state, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows

Most Americans support US recognition of Palestinian state, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows
Updated 9 min ago

Most Americans support US recognition of Palestinian state, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows

Most Americans support US recognition of Palestinian state, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows
  • The six-day poll, which closed on Monday, found 59% of respondents backed U.S. recognition of a Palestinian state, while 33% were opposed and the rest were unsure or did not answer the question

WASHINGTON: Most Americans - including 80% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans - think the U.S. should recognize Palestinian statehood, a sign that President Donald Trump's opposition to doing so is out of step with public opinion, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The six-day poll, which closed on Monday, found 59% of respondents backed U.S. recognition of a Palestinian state, while 33% were opposed and the rest were unsure or did not answer the question.
About half of Trump's Republicans - 53% - opposed doing so, while 41% of Republicans said they would support the U.S. recognizing a Palestinian state. A growing number of countries - including U.S. allies Britain, Canada, France and Australia - have formally recognized Palestinian statehood in recent weeks, drawing condemnation from Israel, whose founding in 1948 led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and decades of conflict. Israeli bombardments have leveled vast swaths of Palestinian neighborhoods in Gaza following an October 2023 surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel.
Some 60% of poll respondents said Israel's response in Gaza was excessive, compared to 32% who disagreed.
Trump, who returned to the White House in January, has largely backed Israel in the war and this month brokered a ceasefire, raising hopes that lasting peace could be in reach.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll gave signs the U.S. public was ready to give Trump credit should his plan work. Some 51% of poll respondents agreed with a statement that Trump "deserves significant credit" if peace efforts are successful, compared with 42% who disagreed.
While only one in 20 Democrats approve of Trump's overall performance as president, one in four said he should get significant credit if the peace holds. Success on that front appears far from certain. An explosion of violence over the weekend threatened to derail the week-old truce and U.S. diplomats stepped up pressure on Israel and Hamas to get Trump's plan back on track. Key questions of Hamas disarming, further Israeli troop pullbacks and future governance of the Palestinian enclave remain unresolved.
Trump's approval rating on foreign policy appeared to be on a modest upswing, rising to 38% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, compared to 33% in a poll conducted earlier this month just ahead of the ceasefire deal. The latest rating was Trump's highest since July.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online and gathered responses from 4,385 people nationwide. It had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

The long road to Palestinian statehood
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UK king to be first to pray with pope in five centuries

UK king to be first to pray with pope in five centuries
Updated 43 min 4 sec ago

UK king to be first to pray with pope in five centuries

UK king to be first to pray with pope in five centuries
  • King Charles and the Pope will pray together in the first such public religious moment since Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church after the then pope refused to annul his marriage to the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon

LONDON: King Charles III leaves for a state visit to the Vatican Wednesday, where he will meet Pope Leo XIV and make history as the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with the pontiff since the schism between the churches 500 years ago.
The visit comes at a delicate time for the British king following new revelations about his brother, Prince Andrew, who is mired in a scandal surrounding late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Charles and Queen Camilla will meet Leo for the first time since he succeeded the late pope Francis in May.
On Thursday, Charles and Leo will pray together in the first such public religious moment since Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church after the then pope refused to annul his marriage to the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon.
In 1961, the king’s mother, the late queen Elizabeth II, became the first British monarch to visit the Holy See since the 16th-century fracture.
The two-day visit will “mark a significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England, of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor,” Buckingham Palace said.
Thursday’s ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel will be held under the magnificent ceiling adorned with the paintings by Michelangelo.
Its main theme will be conservation and protecting the environment, a cause which has been Charles’s life work.
It will bring together Catholic and Anglican traditions, with the choir from the Sistine Chapel being joined by that from Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, one of the residences of the king and queen.

- ‘Spiritual communion’ -

“It is a historic event principally because the king is supreme governor of the Church of England and required by law to be a Protestant,” said William Gibson, professor of theology at Oxford Brookes university.
“From 1536 to 1914 there were no formal diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See, and the mission was only upgraded to an embassy in 1982,” he told AFP.
Charles and Queen Camilla are also set to take part in an ecumenical religious service at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, part of a symbolic visit underscoring ties between the Anglican and Catholic Churches.
During the Vatican visit, the king will be formally made a “Royal Confrater” of the abbey adjoining the basilica — a gesture Buckingham Palace described as recognizing a “spiritual communion” between the two denominations.
A specially designed seat for Charles III will be installed in the basilica and preserved for use by future British monarchs.
The visit coincides with preparations for the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, held every 25 years, which draws millions of pilgrims to the Vatican.
It also comes a day after the publication of the posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre who alleges she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with the king’s younger brother Prince Andrew on three occasions, including twice when she was just 17.
Andrew announced on Friday he would relinquish his title as Duke of York, reportedly under pressure from Charles. He had already stepped back from royal duties in 2019.
The 76-year-old king meanwhile continues to receive treatment for cancer, which was publicly disclosed in early 2024.
The monarch is no stranger to the Vatican having visited the Holy See several times in the past.
He and Camilla met privately with pope Francis on April 9, just days before the pontiff’s death, during a state visit to Italy.


Celebrities, AI giants urge end to superintelligence quest

Celebrities, AI giants urge end to superintelligence quest
Updated 59 min 5 sec ago

Celebrities, AI giants urge end to superintelligence quest

Celebrities, AI giants urge end to superintelligence quest
  • More than 700 scientists, political figures and celebrities called for an end to the development of artificial intelligence capable of outsmarting humans

PARIS: More than 700 scientists, political figures and celebrities including Prince Harry, Richard Branson and Steve Bannon on Wednesday called for an end to the development of artificial intelligence capable of outsmarting humans.
“The initiative calls for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence until the technology is reliably safe and controllable, and has public buy-in,” according to an open letter published by the Future of Life Institute, a US-based NGO that campaigns against the dangers of AI.
Signatories include the “Godfather of AI” and 2024 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics Geoffrey Hinton; Computer Sciences Professor at the University of California in Berkeley Stuart Russell; and the world’s most-cited AI scientist Yoshua Bengio of the University of Montreal.
A raft of other public figures have signed: Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, US President Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon, and former president Barack Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice.
The initiative is also endorsed by the Vatican’s AI expert Paolo Benanti and celebrities such as Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, and the US singer will.i.am.
Most major AI developers are striving for artificial general intelligence (AGI), a stage where AI would match all human intellectual capabilities, and even superintelligence, which would exceed them.
Speaking at an event organized by the media group Axel Springer in September, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, whose company created ChatGPT, said that superintelligence could be achieved within the next five years.
Future of Life Institute President Max Tegmark told AFP that companies should not aim for such an objective without any regulatory framework.
“Many people want powerful AI tools for science, medicine, productivity, and other benefits,” the co-founder of the institute Anthony Aguirre added on Wednesday.
“But the path AI corporations are taking, of racing toward smarter-than-human AI that is designed to replace people, is wildly out of step with what the public wants, scientists think is safe, or religious leaders feel is right.”
The open letter echoes another, published one month ago by AI researchers and sector workers during the United Nations General Assembly, which called for governments “to reach an international agreement on red lines for AI” by the end of 2026.


Ukraine unveils upgraded sea drone it says can strike anywhere in the Black Sea

Ukraine unveils upgraded sea drone it says can strike anywhere in the Black Sea
Updated 22 October 2025

Ukraine unveils upgraded sea drone it says can strike anywhere in the Black Sea

Ukraine unveils upgraded sea drone it says can strike anywhere in the Black Sea
  • Ukraine has used the unmanned naval drones to target Russian shipping and infrastructure in the Black Sea
  • The Sea Baby has evolved from a single-use strike craft into a reusable, multipurpose platform

KYIV: Ukraine’s state security service has unveiled an upgraded sea drone it says can now operate anywhere in the Black Sea, carry heavier weapons and use artificial intelligence for targeting.
Ukraine has used the unmanned naval drones to target Russian shipping and infrastructure in the Black Sea. The Security Service of Ukraine, known by its Ukrainian acronym SBU, has credited strikes by the unmanned vessel known as the “Sea Baby” with forcing a strategic shift in Russia’s naval operations.
The range of the Sea Baby was expanded from 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) to 1,500 kilometers (930 miles), SBU said. It can carry up to 2,000 kilograms (about 4,400 pounds) of payload, SBU officials said.
At a demonstration attended by The Associated Press, variants included vessels fitted with a multiple-rocket launcher and another with a stabilized machine-gun turret.
SBU Brig. Gen. Ivan Lukashevych said the new vessels also feature AI-assisted friend-or-foe targeting systems and can launch small aerial attack drones and multilayered self-destruct systems to prevent capture.
Developing a new kind of naval warfare
Drone strikes have been used in successful attacks against 11 Russian vessels, including frigates and missile carriers, SBU said, prompting the Russian navy to relocate its main base from Sevastopol in Crimea to Novorossiysk on Russia’s Black Sea coast.
“The SBU became the first in the world to pioneer this new kind of naval warfare – and we continue to advance it,” Lukashevych said, adding that the Sea Baby has evolved from a single-use strike craft into a reusable, multipurpose platform that expands Ukraine’s offensive options.
Authorities asked that the time and location of the demonstration not be made public for security reasons.
The craft are operated remotely from a mobile control center inside a van, where operators use a bank of screens and controls.
“Cohesion of the crew members is probably the most important thing. We are constantly working on that,” said one operator who was identified only by his call sign, “Scout,” per Ukrainian military protocol.
Ukrainian sea drones helped push back Russia’s navy
The SBU also said sea drones helped carry out other high-profile strikes, including repeated attacks on the Crimean Bridge, most recently targeting its underwater supports in a bid to to render it unusable for heavy military transport.
The Sea Baby program is partially funded by public donations through a state-run initiative and is coordinated with Ukraine’s military and political leadership.
The evolution from expendable strike boats to reusable, networked drones marks an important advance in asymmetric naval warfare, Lukashevych said.
“On this new product, we have installed rocket weaponry that will allow us to work from a large distance outside of the attack range of enemy fire. We can use such platforms to carry heavy weaponry,” he said. “Here we can show Ukrainians the most effective use of the money they have donated to us.”