Duterte, Abe to sign deal for subway in Philippines

MANILA • President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are set to sign an agreement in November that would jump-start the construction of the first subway system in the Philippines, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

The US$4.5 billion (S$6.3 billion) project is to be funded by the Philippine government and through official development assistance from Japan.

Mr Tugade said that the subway system promises to bring commuters from Quezon City to Taguig in just 31 minutes.

PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Stricter rules for China officials to report assets

BEIJING • China has issued stricter regulations requiring officials to report personal information, including assets, to the ruling Communist Party, state media said, in the country's latest effort to tackle corruption.

The rules, jointly issued by the General Office of the party's Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet, will be accompanied by random audits, increased in frequency to one in 10 reports, Xinhua said.

"The report of personal information is an important assessment of loyalty to the party," a Xinhua report said, adding that it would be linked to the promotion process.

REUTERS