Breaking News

      MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said a total of 35 local residents, who evacuated due to Mayon Volcano's unrest, experienced respiratory issues. However, these cases are not all attributed to the adverse effects of sulfur dioxide and ashfall of the volcano. "As of June 13, there are reported 35 cases presenting with respiratory problems such as cough, colds and sore throat at the evacuation centers," the DOH said in a statement. "However, the reported cases are not verified as adverse effects of sulfur dioxide and ashfall." "We would like to assure the general public that the DOH is on the ground and continuou...

Keep on reading: DOH: 35 evacuees due to Mayon unrest experience respiratory issues 

MANILA, Philippines --- President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was invited by envoys of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Dubai for the 2023 United Nations climate change conference in December 2023, according to Malacaang Palace on Wednesday. According to the Malacaang, UAE Ambassador H.E. Mohamed Obaid Salem Alqataam Alzaabi and the envoys extended the invitation on behalf of their government during a visit to Marcos on Tuesday, where they spoke about the Philippines' green projects. "The UAE official also relayed the invitation for President Marcos to attend the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework ...

Keep on reading: Bongbong Marcos invited to Dubai for UN climate conference

BACOLOD CITY --- Two suspected communist rebels were killed Tuesday in a series of encounters with government troops in Barangay Macagahay, Moises Padilla town, Negros Occidental. The 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB), acting on information from a civilian, launched combat operations against six New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Macagahay, which resulted in a 20-minute firefight. While attempting to escape, the rebels encountered the blocking force of the 62nd IB at Sitio Cupad resulting in another 15-minute firefight. Another platoon of the 62nd IB also engaged the retreating rebels in a third clash in Sitio Mantauyan, also in Macagahay, the 303rd Infantry Brigade reported. T...

Keep on reading: 2 NPA rebels dead in Negros Occidental town encounters

HOUSTON/BEIJING - Oil prices inched up on Wednesday as investors awaited the outcome of the U.S. Federal Reserve's June meeting, key economic data from China and government data on U.S. crude stockpiles. Brent crude futures were up 32 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $74.61 a barrel by 0610 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was at $69.64 a barrel, up 22 cents, or 0.3 percent. Both benchmarks climbed more than 3 percent on Tuesday on hopes of rising fuel demand after China's central bank lowered a short-term lending rate. "It seems that the short-term hot monies (speculators) are hesitant to bid prices higher due to impending key data and events such as China's industrial pr...

Keep on reading: Oil rises slightly as market awaits US Federal Reserve rate outlook

  SEOUL -- Pawn shops have been seen as relics of the past, from a time when instant cash loans were not so readily available with just a few clicks. But though many perished, a new breed of shops has emerged, catering to clients who possess expensive gadgets or luxury goods but are temporarily cash-strapped. Mr Lee Yong-seok's shop in Seoul's bustling Hongdae specialises in loans secured against tech gadgets. In contrast to the traditional image of pawn shops with iron bars and stringent security measures, his shop resembles an ordinary store, featuring boutique-style showroom cases displaying luxury wallets, smartphones and tablet PCs. Clients are mostly in thei...

Keep on reading: Cash-strapped young South Koreans turn to pawn shops, using tech gadgets as collateral

JAKARTA - Economists surveyed in a Reuters poll expect Indonesia's May trade surplus to shrink from the previous month, following a decline in exports because of weakening commodity prices. The median expectation of the 19 economists was for the trade surplus in Southeast Asia's biggest economy to fall to $3.02 billion from $3.94 billion in April. Although Indonesia has enjoyed a monthly trade surplus since mid-2020, economists expect the trend to gradually decline this year due to the fall in commodity prices. Economists in the poll predicted May exports to fall 8.7 percent on an annual basis, although the contraction is less than 29.4 percent the previous month, because of...

Keep on reading: Indonesia’s May trade surplus to shrink to $3.02B – Reuters poll

Blackpink's Jennie said sorry to her fans after leaving mid-way through the girl group's concert in Melbourne, Australia last June 11, due to her "deteriorating condition." Jennie caught the attention of fans during the second night of Blackpink's "Born Pink" show in Melbourne, as she left mid-performance and didn't return for the rest of the concert, according to Korean entertainment platform Soompi. The report also noted that she was absent during the soundcheck on the same day. Following her sudden departure from the stage, YG Entertainment confirmed in a statement that the "Solo" singer was unable to perform during the entirety of the concert due to health concerns. "Jen...

Keep on reading: Blackpink’s Jennie apologizes to fans after leaving mid-concert in Melbourne due to health concerns

MANILA, Philippines --- For now, the only way to stop the toll rate increase on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) is through a temporary restraining order or if the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) would defer its implementation. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian joined the call to pause the imposition of higher toll rates on NLEx until a performance evaluation and the traffic problems in the major expressway are resolved. The increase of P7 to depending on the type of vehicle and distance, is set to start on Thursday, June 15. "Ang instinct ko, ang analysis ko dyan, magtataas ka pero ang serbisyo na binabalik mo sa amin hindi maganda. Kaya nga tayo may expressway para mabilis but it's ...

Keep on reading: Sen. Gatchalian: Only TRO, regulatory board can stop NLEx toll hike

  MANILA, Philippines --- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reaffirmed its commitment to support the Philippine economy and its environmental programs, said Malacaang Palace on Wednesday. During a courtesy call to the President on Tuesday, the UAE envoys spoke with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. "In a courtesy visit to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary H.E. Mohamed Obaid Salem Alqataam Alzaabi said that they value how the Philippine government perceived the UAE as a country that has no enemies and a country that is a good friend to everyone," said Malacaang Palace in a statement. According to Ma...

Keep on reading: UAE reaffirms strong support for PH economy, green projects — Palace

Lionel Messi on Tuesday confirmed he "doesn't think" he will play at another World Cup in an interview with Chinese media, after the 35-year-old led Argentina to victory at last year's tournament in Qatar. "I have said several times before that I don't think so, that that (2022) was my last World Cup," he said when asked by China's Titan Sports in a video interview if he might feature at the 2026 tournament in North America. "I will see how things go but in theory I don't think I will be around for the next World Cup," he added in Spanish in the video published on the app Kuaishou. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is currently in Beijing where Argentina will play a friendly...

Keep on reading: Lionel Messi confirms triumphant 2022 World Cup was probably his last

FRANKFURT -Greenpeace activists on Wednesday scaled Deutsche Bank's headquarters in Frankfurt and strung a large yellow banner to protest the climate investment policies of the German lender and its asset management company DWS. The action came a day ahead of the annual shareholder meeting of DWS, which is mostly owned by Deutsche Bank and has drawn attention from activists and regulators over allegations that it misled investors about "green" investments. DWS has disputed the allegations. The German-language Greenpeace banner was unfurled shortly after 6 a.m. CEST (0400 GMT) and stretched across part of the glass facade on the lower section of Deutsche Bank's twin office towers. T...

Keep on reading: Greenpeace activists climb Deutsche Bank building to protest investment policies

  SINGAPORE -- One of Singapore's most recognizable icons, the Merlion can be found depicted on many things -- from T-shirts and mugs to fridge magnets and plush toys. Now, the mythical mermaid-lion hybrid has also had a newly discovered orchid named after it. A specimen of the Claderia leontocampus was first collected in Singapore by researchers from the Singapore Botanic Gardens during a routine survey in 2020, the National Parks Board (NParks) said on Wednesday. "The plant later flowered in cultivation and bore small, pendulous, cream-yellow flowers, which differed from the upright, bright green flower of the Claderia viridiflora," the board added. "Leontocampu...

Keep on reading: New ‘Merlion’ orchid discovered in Singapore

NEW YORK - The dollar dropped to a three-week low on Tuesday on news of the smallest annual increase ininflationlast month in more than two years, cementing expectations that the Federal Reserve will pause interestratehikes at its two-day meeting ending on Wednesday. The dollar index slid as low as 103.04 following the data, and was last down 0.3 percent at 103.29. The euro rose 0.3 percent to $1.0793 after climbing to $1.0824, its highest since May 22. Against the yen, the dollar rose 0.4 percent to 140.17 yen. Tuesday's data showed theU.S. consumer price index (CPI) edged up 0.1 percent last month after increasing 0.4 percent in April. In the 12 months to May, the CPI climbed ...

Keep on reading: Dollar skids to three-week low as US inflation data reinforces Fed pause view

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached their highest closes in 14 months on Tuesday after data showed consumer prices rose modestly in May, boosting bets that the Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates on Wednesday. Nvidia jumped 3.9 percent, becoming the first chipmaker to end a trading session with a market capitalization above $1 trillion after smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices gave an update on its artificial intelligence strategy that failed to impress investors. AMD dropped 3.6 percent. Nvidia briefly joins $1T valuation club Stocks advanced after a U.S. Labor Department report showed the consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.1 percent last month following a 0.4- percent jum...

Keep on reading: US stocks end higher as inflation data cements bets on rate hike pause

WASHINGTON -Consumer inflation in the United States cooled for an 11th straight month on an annual basis in May, the Labor Department said Tuesday, in an encouraging sign for policymakers. The figures came as Federal Reserve officials began a two-day policy meeting on the same day, and this could allow room for a pause in the central bank's interest rate hikes at the end of their gathering. While the Fed has lifted the benchmark lending rate 10 times consecutively since early last year to rein in inflation, it is widely anticipated to hold off further hikes this week on signs of cooling in the world's biggest economy. Divided Fed expected to rally around a US interest rate pause...

Keep on reading: US consumer inflation eases for 11th straight month

SEOUL - South Korea's jobless rate fell in May to a record low, official data showed on Wednesday, indicating a still robust labor market despite signs of slowing economic growth. The country's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate fell to 2.5 percent in May from 2.6 percent in April, the lowest since the data series began in June 1999, according to Statistics Korea. The number of employed people increased by 351,000 from the same month a year earlier, slightly less than 354,000 in April, extending its run of annual gains that started in March 2021. By industry, health and social welfare workers increased 166,000, followed by hospitality and catering services which gained 12...

Keep on reading: South Korea’s jobless rate in May falls to record low

With less than half of its original 21-man pool attending, Gilas Pilipinas' return to its Fiba (International Basketball Federation) World Cup preparations on Monday night was underwhelming, to say the least. National coach Chot Reyes tried to put a comical spin on the situation at Meralco Gym, telling reporters who were covering the team outnumbered the players. Turning serious, Reyes said that the program is trying to stay positive, as they take aim at three goals they hope to accomplish by the end of this leg of the buildup. "Three things for this week: People have to get into game shape because a lot of these guys are coming off a break," he said. "[The Philippine Basket...

Keep on reading: Chot wants three goals taken care of before Europe

Homegrown actor-director Joaquin Pedro Valdes has been doing us proud since he joined the touring cast of "Miss Saigon" in 2018 and relocated to the United Kingdom to try his luck in its exhilarating but hugely uncompromising theater mecca. But the seasoned artist's latest casting feat is nothing short of unprecedented. Joaqs, as what we've been calling him since we directed him in 2007's "Into the Woods," will be playing lead roles in three---yes, three---London musicals, two of them world premieres, that will be shown one after the other. Christopher J. Orton and Jon Robyns' "Then, Now & Next" will open at the Southwark Playhouse Borough from June 28 to July 29, with prev...

Keep on reading: Unprecedented feat: Joaquin Pedro Valdes cast as lead in 3 London musicals

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Kris Bernal (@krisbernal) Even when she's heavy with her first child, actress Kris Bernal didn't pass up the chance to meet her idol Chris Hemsworth as she braved the crowd who gathered for his first meet and greet event in the country recently. Bernal documented her first chance to meet Hemsworth via her Instagram page yesterday, June 12, showing off a video of it. One shows Hemsworth signing her "Thor" Funkopops. "Akala ko puputok na ang panubigan ko, naiihi lang pala ako sa sobrang kilig kay @chrishemsworth," she said in her caption. (I tho...

Keep on reading: Kris Bernal fangirls over Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth