Philippine President opens Asia's largest mall

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo opened the Philippines largest mall Saturday, the third largest in the world and said to be the largest in Asia.

The Mall of Asia, developed by tycoon Henry Sy has 4.3 million square feet of floor space built on 148 reclaimed acres on the Manila Bay.


Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and business tycoon Hans Sy at the IMAX theater on Saturday, May 20, in the newly-opened Mall of Asia. AP photo from Yahoo News.

Large air-conditioned malls are popular attractions in this developing country, the equivalent of large theme parks like Disneyland in the United States.

Although modern "mega-malls" were initially concentrated in the capital Manila, they are becoming frequent in many other parts of the country.

The new Manila mall houses the Philippines' first IMAX theater with an 8-story tall screen and an Olympic-scale ice skating rink.

In addition to malls, Philippine developers have recently seen a boon in expatriate purchases of condominiums and other real estate in the country. Luxury high-rise condos in the posh Makati area of Metro Manila, and vacation homes in the unspoiled countryside are particularly popular.




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North Korea may be ready for missile tests

Japanese media reports that North Korea may be ready to test an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

The public NHK network quoted anonymous South Korean sources said satellite photos reveal activity around testing sites in northeastern North Korea.

North Korea has long possessed a secretive missile development program with unannounced missile tests.

A missile system known as Taepodong is believed to be capable with certain modifications of striking targets up to distance of 15,000 km.

Iran is known to cooperate with North Korea on ballistic missile projects and may have allowed North Korean missile tests on its soil.



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Taliban offensive continues, 105 dead

Further evidence of a Taliban resurgence emerged Wednesday with multiple attacks concentrated in southern Afghanistan.

Up to 105 people have died in the latest fighting including 87 Taliban insurgents, 14 Afghan police, an American and Afghan civilian and a Canadian soldier.

Unlike Iraq, where the resistance appeared pre-planned, the Taliban seemed taken by surprise by the coalition attacks of 2001.

Slowly though, they have organized resistance to the U.S.-backed regime of President Hamid Karzai.

Over the last few months, pro-Taliban forces have increased attacks in the south including one involving hundreds of fighters.




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