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MANILA, Philippines---Coach Chot Reyes has never been one to hold back when it comes to fashion. Say what you want about his coaching but one thing's always for sure, Reyes will do his job and he will do it in style. So even when the decorated tactician said he had "dressed down" when he pulled up to the PBA Awards Night, his ensemble still didn't miss. Reyes drew the attention of several reporters who were very much ingrained with the basketball sneaker culture. He donned a black silk Dior top and matched it with a pair of black trousers, which wasn't surprising by any means. This was, after all, the same guy who had an affinity for Thom Browne tailored suits durin...

Keep on reading: Chot Reyes’ style never misses: From Dior to Travis Scott

"Encantadia" star Diana Zubiri recently returned to the Philippines from Australia and got to reunite with her fellow original Sang'gres. But something seemed missing in her homecoming. In a media interview, Zubiri said she wanted to appear in Bubble Gang again, even as a guest star, but her schedule did not permit it. "Kinukuha nga ako ng Bubble Gang last week, kaso lang hindi talaga ako puwede. Sayang talaga. Noong time na nagbakasyon ako sa kanila, yun talaga ang wini-wish ko, na sana makabalik ako," she said. The Filipino actress stated that being part of the comedy show was one of the best moments of her career because of the cheerful experience she had with the team. ...

Keep on reading: Diana Zubiri recalls happy ‘Bubble Gang’ experience

LONDON -The dollar rebounded from a 2-1/2 month low on Wednesday as the minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting hinted that interest rates would likely remain restrictive for some time, even as the rate-hike cycle appeared to be over. The Fed minutes showed the central bank would proceed "carefully"and that "all participants judged it appropriate to maintain" the current rate setting. Fed officials agreed they would only raise interest rates if progress in controlling inflation faltered, reiterating recent comments by policymakers that left the door open for more tightening even as markets have moved to price rate cuts from early next year. Markets are all but certai...

Keep on reading: Dollar rebounds from 2-1/2 month low after Fed minutes

https://youtube.com/live/Uw7YW1N-zjw?feature=share Here's a quick roundup of today's top stories: Bautista: Consolidation of jeepney drivers, operators is non-negotiable Amid a week-long transport strike, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday said that the consolidation of jeepney drivers and operators is a "non-negotiable" component of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). "One very important issue that is non-negotiable is industry consolidation because we really need the players to consolidate into cooperatives or corporations," said Bautista on the sidelines of the Stratbase ADR Institute Pilipinas Conference on Wednesday. Over 300K affecte...

Keep on reading: INQToday: Consolidation of jeepney drivers, operators is non-negotiable, says Bautista

MANILA, Philippines --- A bill that seeks to create a Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM) and establish a legal framework ensuring safe access and use of nuclear energy in the country has been approved in the House of Representatives on the third and final reading. During the session on Wednesday, House Bill (HB) No. 9293, or the proposed Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act, was approved, with 200 lawmakers voting in the affirmative, seven in the negative, and two abstained. If enacted, the bill would have the following objectives: Establish a legal framework to govern and facilitate the peaceful, safe, and secure uses of nuclear energy Pr...

Keep on reading: House Oks on 3rd reading bill creating PH Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority

  GAZA/TEL AVIV -- Israel's government and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days, to allow in aid and release at least 50 hostages captured by militants in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel. The first truce in a brutal near seven-week-old war, reached after negotiation mediated by Qatar, was hailed around the world as a sign of progress that could ease the suffering of Gaza's civilians and bring more Israeli hostages home. Israel said the ceasefire could be extended further, as long as more hostages were freed. Hamas and allied groups captured around 240 hostages when gunmen rampaged through southern Israeli towns ...

Keep on reading: Israel, Hamas agree 4-day truce for hostage release and aid into Gaza

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Energy (DOE) has declared a price freeze for household Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and kerosene products in Northern Samar as the province was placed under a state of calamity. The DOE said the price freeze will take effect for 15 days, or from November 22 to December 5. The shear line affecting the eastern parts of Southern Luzon and Visayas has brought heavy rains in Northern Samar, resulting in floods that prompted authorities to impose a state of calamity declaration over the province. A shear line is the convergence of warm and cold winds. READ: Rains to persist in some flood-hit areas due to shear line -- Pagasa "Thus, ...

Keep on reading: LPG, kerosene price freeze up in Northern Samar amid state of calamity

MANILA -Billionaire Ramon Ang-led San Miguel Corp. and the Zobel family's Ayala Land Inc. sealed a key access deal for the ongoing Skyway Stage 4 toll road, which aims to ease road congestion in Metro Manila. This integration agreement will allow the 32.7-kilometer Skyway 4, also known as the South East Metro Manila Expressway (SEMME), to have on and off ramps at Arca South, a 74-hectare business and residential estate being developed by Ayala Land. The Skyway 4-Arca South integration project is expected to start construction next year, a statement on Wednesday showed. "This collaboration will improve connectivity, benefiting not only the Arca South community but various stakeho...

Keep on reading: San Miguel, Ayala Land ink toll road access deal

MANILA, Philippines --- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday announced that it has moved the deadline for the submission of bidding documents for the 2025 automated elections from Nov. 28 to Dec. 12 According to Comelec chair George Garcia on Wednesday, the postponement was made to give other potential suppliers more time to prepare and submit their requirements. "Ginawa nating Dec. 12 para lahat makakapag-submit sa Commission on Elections," he said in a press conference. (We set the deadline for Dec. 12 so everyone can submit to the Commission on Elections.) Furthermore, Garcia said the postponement of the submission would allow the Comelec to resolve the "cont...

Keep on reading: Comelec: Bidding deadline for 2025 automated poll system now on Dec. 12

    ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's Supreme Court accepted on Wednesday a bail application from detained former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his lawyer said, a day after another court declared illegal his trial on charges of leaking state secrets. The former cricket star is fighting various legal battles in the hope of securing release from jail and leading his party in a campaign for a Feb. 8 general election, which his arch rival, another former prime minister, is hoping to win. The 71-year-old was jailed on Aug. 5 for three years jail for unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. His lawyer said the Supreme Court had accepted...

Keep on reading: Pakistan’s top court accepts Imran Khan’s plea for bail

Lexi Fernandez and her non-showbiz boyfriend Harry Cordingley exchanged "I dos" in an intimate church wedding in the United Kingdom, attended by their loved ones. Lexi walked down the aisle in an off white long-sleeved-off-shoulder dress, while her partner looked dapper in an earth-tone wedding suit, as seen on their respective Instagram pages. "From this day forward," Cordingley said, showing the two of them at the altar.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Harry Cordingley (@ohcharlesharry) "Mr & Mrs," Lexi wrote alongside a photo of them kissing at the church door af...

Keep on reading: LOOK: Lexi Fernandez marries non-showbiz BF in UK

  TAIPEI -- Taiwan again reported Chinese military activity around the island on Wednesday, with 11 aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait as the island's election campaign kicked into high gear. Democratically-governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for the past four years of regular Chinese military patrols and drills near the island, as Beijing seeks to pressure Taipei over its sovereignty claims. Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary polls on Jan. 13 and candidates have to register with the election commission this week in order to take part. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which Beij...

Keep on reading: Taiwan reports Chinese fighters, bombers nearby as election campaign heats up

MANILA, Philippines --- The House of Representatives has approved on third reading a bill that would mandate creating a system that deters entry of contraband items like illegal drugs and gadgets into custodial and detention facilities across the country. During the session on Wednesday, House Bill (HB) No. 9153, or the proposedContrabandDetection and Control Act, was approved, with 208 lawmakers voting in favor of the bill, with none abstaining or opposing the measure. According to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the bill would send a message to all persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) that the government is serious in keeping jails and detention facilities free from illegal...

Keep on reading: House bill aiming to block entry of contrabands in jails advances

MANILA, Philippines --- After nearly three decades, the Philippines will once again host the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri announced Wednesday. Zubiri said the Philippines last hosted APPF in 1994. He also said that the country's hosting of the 31st APPF is "an opportunity for forging resilient partnerships in the region." "Tomorrow, the Senate and the House of Representatives are going to open the 31st Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum or the APPF," the Senate leader said in a statement. APPF is a multilateral parliamentary forum between 28 member countries in the Asia-Pacific region, covering Southeast Asi...

Keep on reading: Asia-Pacific legislators meet set in PH for Nov 23-25

MANILA, Philippines --- Defending champion Ateneo caught the last bus ride to the UAAP Season 86 men's basketball Final Four, eliminating Adamson with a wire-to-wire 70-48 victory on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena. It may have been the first time for the Blue Eagles to compete in a playoff for No.4 but the Tab Baldwin-coached squad displayed grace under pressure to reach the Final Four and keep their title-retention bid alive. Rookie Jared Brown rose to the occasion in a do-or-die game as he scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half to set the tone for Ateneo's lopsided win --- the biggest winning margin in a playoff game. "We kind of got some freedom in the first half, ...

Keep on reading: UAAP men’s Final Four complete as Ateneo ousts Adamson in playoff

MANILA, Philippines---"Pambansang Ginoo" David Licauco is currently enjoying his monumental rise to fame after his career-shaking portrayal of "Fidel" in the top-rating GMA primetime series "Maria Clara at Ibarra." He landed the project almost a decade since he was discovered in a pageant---the Mister and Miss Chinatown Philippines competition. The Kapuso actor, who is now playing the role of "Carding" in the television adaptation of the blockbuster movie "Maging Sino Ka Man" on GMA, waxed nostalgic when he returned to the said pageant's stage nine years since he was proclaimed as Mister Chinatown first runner-up in 2014. "Gusto ko lang magpasalamat sa [Miss] Chinatown Foundation for...

Keep on reading: ‘Ginoo’ David Licauco reminisces on pageant past at Mister and Miss Chinatown Philippines contest

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday signed an agreement with the provincial government of Misamis Oriental to expand the provision of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program in the province. According to the DSWD, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Misamis Oriental Governor Peter Unabia signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in Cagayan de Oro City. The DSWD said that the MOA signing would strengthen its partnership with the eight public hospitals in the province, wherein the services and benefits of the AICS program will further be expanded. The eight hospitals, as the department noted...

Keep on reading: DSWD inks pact with Misamis Oriental to expand assistance during crisis

MANILA, Philippines ---The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has launched a unified digital data collection platform called the E-Travel Customs System at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1. The E-Travel Customs System was introduced at the airport on November 21. The project wasa joint effort with the Bureau of Immigration, Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and Department of Information and Communications Technology. "This collaborative initiative demonstrates our commitment to innovation and efficiency in customs management. The E-Travel Customs System will play a pivotal role in ensuring the security of our borders and fostering a s...

Keep on reading: BOC unveils E-Travel Customs System at Naia

MANILA, Philippines---The Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant is calling on all Filipinos to show their support for Iona Gibbs, the country's representative in the 2023 Miss Intercontinental pageant, by casting their votes in the international tilt's online poll. "Mga kababayan (compatriots), online voting has officially begun! [Philippine flag emoji][red heart emoji]," the national pageant organization said in a social media post, directing netizens to visit www.missintercontinental.choicely.comto cast their votes for the Mutya queen. "Every vote counts at this year's Miss Intercontinental competition! With the chance to secure an automatic spot in the Top 7, let's show the continents our fi...

Keep on reading: Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant rallies support for Iona Gibbs in Miss Intercontinental ‘People’s Choice’ voting

Filipinos have one more reason to be proud as the Philippines just set the Guinness World Record for the Longest Travel Livestream lasting for over 26 hours and covering 75 kilometers from Bustos, Bulacan to Rizal Park in Manila. The milestone is part of the Petmaloop Challenge spearheaded by mobile brand TNT, the value brand of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), which called on content creators to feature highlights of their hometowns that give them 'saya' or joy using the widely popular micro-vlogging app TikTok. Here's where it got more challenging: they could only use one TNT-powered smartphone, which they should pass from one user to another in relay fashion.  Guinness ...

Keep on reading: PH sets Guinness World Record for longest travel livestream  powered by TNT