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LEGAZPI CITY --- Two suspected drug personalities were arrested Monday in buy-bust operations in Albay and Camarines Sur provinces, the police reported Tuesday, Oct. 18. In Camarines Sur, Juan Berdan, 33, was arrested at 8:10 p.m. in Barangay Caranan in Pasacao town. Berdan, a street level peddler, sold a sachet of shabu (crystal meth) worth P500 to an undercover agent, the Pasacao police reported. During the body search, the authorities recovered four more sachets of shabu. A total of P2,500 worth of shabu was confiscated from Berdan, the report said. In Albay, Gil Salvador Roces, 22, was arrested around 4:45 p.m. in Barangay Gabon in Polangui town. Police Lieutena...

Keep on reading: 2 drug suspects nabbed in Bicol buy-busts

  TOKYO -- Speculation has smoldered that Chinese leader Xi Jinping might take steps to unify Taiwan with China during his third five-year term in power. The Xi administration is seen as lacking historical accomplishments, and in 2027 it will mark the centennial of the founding of the Chinese military. That year will also bring the end of Xi's third term, which is expected to be endorsed at the ongoing National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. In March last year, the then commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said at a U.S. congressional hearing that China might invade Taiwan by 2027. A U.S. military official later revised the projected timing of an invasio...

Keep on reading: Speculation rife over possible invasion of Taiwan during Xi Jinping’s 3rd term

  TOKYO -- Japan will impose additional sanctions against North Korea by freezing assets of groups involved in the development of missiles, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regular briefing on Tuesday. "We cannot tolerate North Korea's repeated provocative actions which threaten Japan's security and international peace and safety," Matsuno said. RELATED STORIES North Korea fires missile over Japan, stopping trains and sparking warning message Japan on alert amid provocations by China, North Korea, Russia...

Keep on reading: Japan to impose additional sanctions against North Korea

LUCENA CITY --- Malacaang has declared Nov. 4 a special non-working day in Quezon province to commemorate the death anniversary of local hero Apolinario de la Cruz, popularly known as "Hermano Puli." "It is but fitting and proper that the people of the Province of Quezon be given full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies, subject to the public health measures of the national government," Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in Proclamation No. 73 signed on Oct. 14. Nov. 4 falls on a Friday. A copy of the proclamation was posted on the Facebook page of the provincial government on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Each year, local government...

Keep on reading: Nov. 4 a special day in Quezon province to remember hero ‘Hermano Puli’

MANILA, Philippines --- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared October 31, 2022, as a special non-working holiday. This was announced by Office of the Press Secretary officer-in-charge Cheloy Garafil on Tuesday, saying the President has already signed the proclamation for it. "Gusto ko lang i-announce today that the President has already signed the proclamation declaring October 31 as a special non-working holiday," she said in a Palace briefing. (I just want to announce today that the President has signed the proclamation declaring October 31 as a special non-working holiday.) "Para na rin mas marami tayong time kasama ang ating pamilya at para ma-promote na rin ang...

Keep on reading: Bongbong Marcos declares October 31, 2022 as special non-working holiday

To ensure that agriculture programs are effectively carried out, the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) enjoins interested civil society organizations (CSOs) to register themselves and get accredited as partners of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the co-implementation of programs, projects and activities. Accredited CSOs become either implementing partners or beneficiaries of the DA's programs and projects. By tapping citizen's engagement through the accredited CSOs, the DA hopes to improve the agency's absorptive capacity, promote transparency and accountability, and enhance good governance in the agriculture sector. As the attached agency committed ...

Keep on reading: PCAF: CSO accreditation essential in community development, participatory governance

        LA PAZ -- Rescuers using boats and drones worked for three days last week in a lush stretch of Bolivia's Amazon rainforest to find a pair of trapped pink river dolphins, a species endangered by steady encroachment along the waterways the colorful mammals call home. The two dolphins were found languishing in still water ponds cut off from the Bolivian Amazon's Rio Grande after they swam inland and the main channel dropped, according to Claudia Venega, a biologist with a rescue program. She explained that many pink dolphins lose access to the river because of their reproductive instincts. "When the females go to give birth they seek out ...

Keep on reading: ‘Magical’ pink dolphins rescued in Bolivia in push to boost species

MANILA, Philippines---A quick precipitation drenched the small garden at A Home for the Angels in Manila on Oct. 4. But instead of a rainbow after the rain, what the orphans under the facility's care saw was a shower of international beauties including 2015 Miss Earth Angelia Ong from the Philippines, and 2018 Miss Universe finalist H'Hen Nie and 2022 Miss Supranational second runner-up Nguyen Huynh Kim Duyen from Vietnam, among others. The Vietnamese beauties had flown to Manila for a photoshoot, but they took advantage of their overseas gig to extend their queenly duties beyond their turf. The activity, dubbed "Xin Chao, Manila," also had 2014 Miss Manila KC Halili and 2022 M...

Keep on reading: Vietnamese beauties bring cheer to Manila orphans

  Several European Union foreign ministers on Monday called for sanctions against Iran over the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia, as the bloc agreed a separate set of asset freezes and travel bans over Tehran's crackdown on protests. The sanctions and threat of more will pile pressure on Iran's rulers who have struggled to contain demonstrations sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was detained for "inappropriate attire". Ukraine has reported a spate of Russian attacks with Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks, saying on Monday that Tehran was responsible for the "murders of Ukrainians". Iran says it has not sen...

Keep on reading: EU slaps human rights sanctions on Iran, warns of more over Ukraine

Oil pricessteadied in early Asian trade on Tuesday as a weakerU.S.dollarlent support, although rising shale production andfearsthat stubbornly high inflation could lead the world economy into arecessionlimited gains. Brent crude futures rose 9 cents or 0.1 percent to $91.71 per barrel by 1:20 GMT, whileU.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 6 cents or 0.1 percent to $85.52 per barrel. Thedollarfell against a basket of major currencies after Britain's new finance minister Jeremy Hunt axed much of the government's so-called "mini-budget", lifting risk appetite. Thedollarindex against a basket of currencies dropped 0.82 percent to 112.11. A weakerdollarmakesoilchea...

Keep on reading: Oil prices steady on U.S. dollar weakness; recession fears weigh

MANILA, Philippines --- COVID-19 positivity rates in seven provinces remained "very high" as of October 15, independent pandemic monitor OCTA Research reported Tuesday. OCTA Research fellow Guido David said that the seven provinces that posted positivity rates that were higher than 20 percent are: Camarines Sur -- 46.2% Cavite -- 22.8% Laguna -- 22.2% Rizal -- 21.0% South Cotabato -- 26.9% Tarlac -- 41.6% Zambales -- 22.0% These provinces were the same areas that OCTA Research said have shown very high coronavirus positivity rates as of October 11, although the latest numbers indicated that the proportions have notably decreased in Tarlac and Zambales which p...

Keep on reading: COVID-19 positivity rates in 7 provinces still ‘very high’ as of Oct 15 – OCTA Research

DIGOS CITY --- City councilor Juanito Morales was charged Monday with estafa, by falsifying public documents, and violating the Indigenous Peoples Right Act (IPRA) of 1997, for selling tribal lands. The charges were filed at the City Prosecutor's Office in this city after Morales was arrested Friday by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents. Morales also faces charges of illegal firearms and explosives possession after NBI agents found a handgun and an undisclosed explosive when he was arrested along with 10 others at the barangay hall of Kapatagan during an entrapment operation. He was caught signing documents selling land identified as part of an ancestral domain, w...

Keep on reading: Digos City councilor charged for selling tribal lands

Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize on Monday for his second novel "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida," about a dead war photographer on a mission in the afterlife.

SINGAPORE - Asia stocks nudged higher on Tuesday as the dramatic U-turn in British fiscal policy brightened investor sentiment, while the U.S. dollar took a breather at its lowest levels in more than a week as a revival in risk-taking lowered its appeal. Britain's new finance minister Jeremy Hunt abandoned most of Prime Minister Liz Truss' economic plan that had led to a political maelstrom fuelled by market turmoil, with the pound hitting record lows in recent weeks and the Bank of England being forced to intervene. Morgan Stanley analysts said the fiscal U-turn was likely to have significant implications for the BoE as its economists now revise their call for the November meeting...

Keep on reading: Asia stocks rise as relief rally builds after UK U-turn

After being locked out of his Twitter and Instagram accounts for anti-semitic posts, Monday's announcement Kanye West will buy the far-right social platform Parler for an undisclosed amount drove headlines. But the platform once celebrated by right-wing figures as the future of "free speech" online has quietly devolved into a social media graveyard haunted by extremists and very few others, including Kanye himself.

As the push for alternative social media sites continues, CNN's Jake Tapper joined the far-right social network site Gab, which advertises free speech, individual liberty, and the free flow of information online. Here's what he saw.

Europe's gas crisis will be "a catalyst" for Mercedes-Benz to push deeper into clean energy, says its CEO.

Investors are speculating about whether Monday's big stock surge is the start of a recovery or another pause in the market's decline, and the answer may depend in part on upcoming quarterly results from heavyweights including Tesla Inc, Johnson & Johnson and Netflix Inc. The world's most widely tracked stock benchmark jumped 2.65 percent on Monday, lifted in part by strong quarterly results from Bank of America, even as investors worry that the U.S. Federal Reserve's war against inflation may hobble the economy. Expectations are low for the September-quarter earnings season that's now underway, suggesting potential upside for shares of companies that do come in ahead of analyst...

Keep on reading: Wall Street rally throws spotlight on reports from Tesla, Netflix

Maxene Magalona opened up on the seven ways she moves on from a breakup, days after confirming her separation from her husband Rob Mananquil. The actress talked about her process in moving on while showing herself in her Vera Wang wedding gown, via her Instagram page yesterday, Oct. 17. For Magalona, there are seven ways to move on: grieving, praying, surrendering one's self to the present, being grateful, understanding one's ex, focusing on one's self and letting go. "Grieving is an integral part of the process. You cannot move on without properly grieving a loss," she explained the first. When it comes to praying, Magalona believes that people should do it "constantly, ...

Keep on reading: Maxene Magalona talks about ‘7 ways to move on’ after revealing breakup

Hong Kong is widely considered one of the most challenging cities in the world to operate a restaurant -- a roiling cauldron of changing tastes, cleaver-sharp competition and unsavory economics.