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  QUILLON, Chile -- Chilean authorities on Tuesday warned of a "very complex" situation as a new heat wave in the country's south-central region threatened to further fan the flames of dangerous forest fires that have already left 24 dead. Over 293,000 hectares (724,000 acres) have been ravaged by fires this season, and forecasts for higher temperatures stretching from Santiago to the southern regions that have been the focal point of the flames have raised concerns about the 82 active fires. Another 174 fires are under control. High temperatures are forecast through Friday and could rise above 35 degrees Celsius (95F) in the central Maule y uble regions, "creating a...

Keep on reading: Chile heat wave could further fan the flames of deadly wildfires

MANILA, Philippines --- The Binibining Pilipinas pageant has presented the 40 candidates vying in its 2023 edition, many of whom are familiar faces who have graced the stage of other beauty contests, both national and local. Six candidates came from the Miss World Philippines pageant, with 2021 Miss Tourism Philippines Trisha Martinez leading the pack. She is joined by 2018 contestants Elaiza Dee Alzona and Paulina Labayo, 2021 aspirants Andrea Marie Sulangi and Lea Macapagal, and Anje Mae Manipol from 2022. Miss Philippines Earth titleholders are also in the fray---2021 Miss Philippines Ecotourism Sofia Lopez Galve, 2020 Miss Philippines Water Gianna Margarita Llanes, and 2016...

Keep on reading: Crossover beauties troop to 2023 Binibining Pilipinas pageant

The Ty family's banking giant Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) deepened its partnership with the Aboitiz Group as it announced the signing of P20.5 billion worth of loan deals to support the family conglomerate's expansion. Metrobank said in on Thursday it extended the loans to Therma Luzon Inc., part of Aboitiz Power Corp., and LIMA Land Inc. for its ecozone project in Batangas province, located south of Metro Manila. The P15-billion 10-year loan to Therma Luzon will be used to finance a portion of its remaining Independent Power Producer-Administrator-related obligations to government-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. LIMA land, which is...

Keep on reading: Metrobank extends P20.5B in loans to Aboitiz Group

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene yelled from the crowd at President Joe Biden as he delivered the State of the Union address.

• US Navy releases photos of Chinese spy balloon recovery • Analysis: 'Total miscalculation' as China goes into crisis management mode

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Agriculture has allotted some P326 million for the onion industry for 2023 to boost production, Malacaang said Wednesday. The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the interventions are under the DA's High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP). Some P69 million is earmarked for onion production support services, including provision of seeds, seedlings, and other farm inputs while P3.2 million is allotted for irrigation network facilities and P1.9 million for extension support, education, and training. In addition, the program allotted P6.486 million for farm production-related machinery and equipment distribution; P2.359 millio...

Keep on reading: DA allots P326M for onion industry in 2023

  SYDNEY -- Australia will roll out a fifth dose of COVID-19 vaccine later this month to all citizens aged 18 and above who have not contracted coronavirus or been vaccinated in the past six months, Health Minister Mark Butler said on Wednesday. The decision expands eligibility for the booster shot to include about 14 million people, more than half the country's population, who will be offered Omicron variant-specific vaccines from Feb. 20, Butler said. Only severely immuno-compromised people had been recommended to take a fifth dose until now, the advice being to receive the booster three months after their fourth shot. Australia, which is among the most heavily vac...

Keep on reading: Australia to expand rollout of fifth COVID-19 vaccine shot

Microsoft announced an updated version of its Bing search engine using a more advanced version of the tech behind ChatGPT.

SINGAPORE - Asian equities rose, while the dollar wobbled on Wednesday after less hawkish than feared comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell boosted risk appetite and investor hopes that the central bank may soon ease monetary policy. Investors will also watch the State of the Union speech from U.S. President Joe Biden, in which he will declare U.S democracy is bruised but "unbowed and unbroken" and cite progress in a post-pandemic economy after massive infrastructure and inflation bills passed in 2022. In an eagerly awaited speech earlier on Tuesday, the Fed's Powell reiterated that disinflation has begun but warned that Friday's eye-popping jobs report showed why the b...

Keep on reading: Asian shares rise, dollar staggers after ‘dovish’ Powell comments

  The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of long-range missiles, rockets and launchers to Poland in a deal valued at up to $10 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. Poland has been on a spending spree to modernize its military while simultaneously donating older weapons to its neighbor Ukraine to fight Russia's invasion. The potential sale includes High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which Kyiv has praised for their battlefield successes such as destroying Russian warehouses and command posts. The package includes 18 HIMARS launchers, 45 of the 185-mile (297-km) range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles and more than 1,559 ...

Keep on reading: US approves up to $10 billion sale of HIMARS rocket launchers, ammunition to Poland

MANILA, Philippines --- Friends, family, and former colleagues of late President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III sent him greetings on what was supposed to be his 63rd birthday. Aquino, who served as a congressman and a senator before becoming the 15th president of the Philippines, was born on February 8, 1960. In a Facebook post, Aquino's cousin, former Senator Bam, thanked him for his love for the country. "Maraming salamat sa inspirasyon, katapatan, at malalim na pagmamahal sa bayan. Sa iyong ala-ala, sisiguraduhin naming hinding hindi maiiwan ang kahit sino man. Maligayang kaarawan, PNoy!," Bam Aquino said. (Thank you for the inspiration, honesty and the deep love for the cou...

Keep on reading: Friends, kin, colleagues remember late president Noynoy Aquino on his birthday

A Philippine trade delegation is set to make a fresh pitch to Gulf countries this month, showcasing the country's halal products in an effort to gain a bigger piece of this $ 3.2-trillion global industry. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Tuesday said that 26 Philippine exporters of halal-certified food, personal care and cosmetic products will join the outbound business matching mission to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries it organized from Feb 11 to 25. The DTI said the mission will cover Manama, Bahrain from February 11 to 13, Kuwait City, Kuwait from Feb 13 to 14, and Doha, Qatar from Feb 14 to 16. It will culminate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Feb 16...

Keep on reading: Philippines eyes Gulf countries for halal exports

  KYIV -- Moscow pressed its intensifying winter assault in eastern Ukraine, bringing tens of thousands of freshly mobilized troops to the battlefield, while Kyiv predicted areas in the northeast or south could be part of an expected Russian offensive. Ukraine's military said on Tuesday that 1,030 Russian troops were killed over 24 hours, the highest daily toll of the war. The figure could not be independently verified, and Russia has also claimed to have killed large numbers of Ukrainian troops in recent weeks. For its part, Russia said it had inflicted 6,500 Ukrainian casualties in the month of January. Ukraine national security chief Oleksiy Danilov said in an interv...

Keep on reading: Moscow intensifies winter assault, Kyiv expects new offensive

Rachel Peters could not help but admire her little girl Kaia who braved a medical procedure for a burn she suffered after accidentally spilling hot tea on herself---an incident the beauty queen regarded as a "big learning experience" for her. Peters gave an account of her 1-year-old daughter's ordeal which happened while they were on their Japan trip, through Peters' Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Feb. 7. "Kaika got a pretty nasty burn on her hand from pulling hot tea off a table. A freak accident and a big learning experience for us all," Peters said. "Such a horrible start to a trip but we're so thankful for all the nurses and doctors in Japan who were sweet to her everyday." ...

Keep on reading: Rachel Peters’ 1-year-old daughter suffers burn after accidentally spilling hot tea on herself

Local logistics startup Mober is keen on growing its electric vehicle (EV) fleet to 100 units this year as it seeks to ramp up decarbonization plans. The company---which envisions itself to become the country's biggest green logistics firm in five years---said it was enabling its transition toward sustainable transport by replacing carbon-intensive logistics operations with eco-friendly measures. "We aim to catalyze a transition to zero-emissions mid- and last-mile delivery in the Philippines," Mober founder and CEO Dennis Ng said. It currently has a fleet of 20 EVs and e-truck, which can travel up to 230 kilometers (km) to 280 km. The EVs are powered by fast-charging lithium-io...

Keep on reading: Logistics firm builds ‘green’ fleet

  WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden will declare U.S democracy is bruised but "unbowed and unbroken" on Tuesday in a State of the Union speech that will serve as an olive branch to skeptical Republicans and a blueprint for his 2024 re-election bid. In his first address to a joint session of Congress since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January, Biden plans to cite progress in a post-pandemic economy, highlight massive infrastructure and inflation bills passed in 2022, and stress that a bitterly divided Congress can still make laws in the year ahead. "To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no r...

Keep on reading: In State of the Union speech, Biden to pledge to work with Republicans

MANILA, Philippines --- Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva is seeking a comprehensive review of the labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait in response to the increasing cases of abuse experienced by Filipino migrant workers in the Gulf State. Villanueva cited the cases of Kuwait-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Jullebee Ranara, who was allegedly killed at the hands of her employer, and Myla Balbag, who reportedly fell from the third floor of her employer's house in an attempt to escape. "After these two unfortunate incidents, we need to carefully study if the policies are fair and being followed and clearly set the parameters on when to impose a ban and wh...

Keep on reading: Villanueva seeks review of PH labor agreement with Kuwait

MANILA - Philippine inflation "most likely" peaked in January but the central bank cannot rule out another surprise supply shock, its governor said on Wednesday. January inflation, which hit a fresh 14-year high at 8.7 percent, was higher than the top end of the central bank's forecast, Governor Felipe Medalla told reporters. The central bank on Monday reiterated its readiness to adjust its monetary policy to anchor inflation expectations. Its first rate-setting meeting is scheduled for Feb. 16, with economists now flagging a higher chance that the central bank will deliver a larger interest rate hike to tame prices....

Keep on reading: Philippine central bank says inflation likely peaked in January

      JINDAYRIS, Syria -- Extended family members pulled a newborn baby alive from the rubble of a home in northern Syria, after finding her still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother, who died in Monday's massive quake, a relative said. The infant is the sole survivor of her immediate family, the rest of whom were all killed when the 7.8-magnitude quake that struck Syria and neighboring Turkey flattened the family home in the rebel-held town of Jindayris, Khalil al-Suwadi said. "We heard a voice while we were digging," Suwadi told AFP Tuesday. "We cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord (intact) so we cut it and my cousin took...

Keep on reading: Syria newborn pulled alive from quake rubble