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Five-star serviced residences Joy~Nostalg Hotel & Suites Managed by Accor promotes the true meaning of the holidays, reminding everyone to spread love during the most wonderful time of the year. Joy~Nostalg shares the jubilant message through its annual Christmas Tree Lighting event, titled "The Joy of Giving." This year's celebration gives special meaning to the ceremonial kick-off to the holiday season. Living up to the event's name, Joy~Nostalg exemplifies the joy of giving and extends hope and happiness to the less fortunate, in partnership with Liter of Light. The movement, led by social entrepreneur Ilac Diaz, turns inexpensive, readily available materials into high-quality so...

Keep on reading: Joy~Nostalg fosters the joy of giving this holiday season

LUCENA CITY --- Local government officials in key cities in Laguna province suspended in-person classes at all levels on Monday, Nov. 20, due to a jeepney strike. The mayors of Cabuyao, Bian, San Pedro, Sta. Rosa, and Calamba in Laguna declared that schools in their respective localities would shift to modular and online classes. Authorities in Sta. Rosa City also announced that commuters could avail themselves of the free transportation provided by the local government. Government employees in Cabuyao City will conduct work-from-home arrangements, except for those involved in disaster and emergency response. Workers in income-generating government offices will be subject...

Keep on reading: Classes suspended in 5 Laguna cities due to jeepney strike

HONOLULU, Hawaii --- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is going back to the Philippines late Sunday afternoon (local time), endinghis weeklong trip to the United States. Chartered flight PR001, which carried the President and the Philippine delegation, left Hickam Air Force Base here past 5 p.m. on Sunday. Travel time from Hawaii to the Philippines is around nine hours. Marcos is expected to arrive in Manila at about 8 p.m. on Monday (Philippine time). The Palace said Marcos will be bringing home $672 million worth of investment pledges from his third trip to the US as the country's chief executive. Marcos first landed in San Francisco a few days ago to attend the 2023 Asia Pac...

Keep on reading: Bongbong Marcos starts journey back to PH from weeklong US trip

MANILA, Philippines - Don't let Christmas sneak up on you! It will be here sooner than you think. What to do? Plan your Holiday Christmas parties as early as now. Have you considered what food to serve, where to eat or even what to bring to potluck gatherings? TGIFridays has got you covered with their newly-launched festive offerings that put the "Merry" in Christmas. The Fridays Feast Party Packages come in different price points & each package is served with side Caesar Salad and refillable iced tea. The Classic Party Package (P700/person comprised of Cajun Chicken & Shrimp Pasta, Mac & Cheese Bite, Chicken Fingers, Grilled BBQ Chicken with Rice & Brownie); Sig...

Keep on reading: Festive Christmas party packages now available at TGIFridays

TOKYO -Japan's big employers are set to follow this year's bumper pay hikes with another round in 2024, which are expected to help lift household spending and give the central bank the conditions it needs to finally roll back massive monetary stimulus. Early indications from businesses, unions and economists suggest the labor and cost pressures that set the stage for this year's pay hikes - the largest in more than three decades - will persist heading into next year's key spring wage talks. The head of major beverage maker Suntory Holdings Ltd, for example, plans to offer employees average monthly pay hikes of 7 percent in 2024 for the second straight year, to retain talent in ...

Keep on reading: Japan’s back-to-back wage bonanza would open door for BOJ exit

LEGAZPI CITY --- More local government executives in Bicol suspended classes on Monday in anticipation of the effects of heavy rains brought by the shear line and the low-pressure area, and the transport strike. In Camarines Sur, Gov. Vincenzo Renato Luigi Villafuerte said in a memorandum on Sunday that classes at all levels in public and private schools were suspended in consideration of the commuting public affected by the strike and the possible flooding and landslides in high-risk areas. The local officials advised government agencies and the private sector to provide alternative transportation services and allow work-from-home schemes for those affected. In Masbate prov...

Keep on reading: More Bicol areas suspend classes due to rains, jeep strike

BANGKOK - Thailand's economy expanded at a slower-than-expected pace in the third quarter, weighed down by weak exports and agriculture but supported by consumption and the continued recovery in tourism, the state planning agency said on Monday. Southeast Asia's second-largest economy has faced sluggish global demand while investor confidence in Thailand dropped despite the end of a political deadlock following an election in May. The new government, which took office in August, has planned various stimulus measures. Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 1.5 percent in the July-September quarter from a year earlier, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC...

Keep on reading: Thai Q3 GDP growth misses forecast amid exports slowdown

HONOLULU, Hawaii --- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday (Philippine time) said he does not want Vice President Sara Duterte impeached. "We don't want her impeached. She does not deserve to be impeached," the President told reporters here before flying back to Manila. READ: Amid impeachment rumors, VP Duterte says she and Marcos are 'OK' Asked about his relationship with Duterte, he said: "Excellent." ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro was the first to raise the issue of Duterte's impeachment, saying there were "informal discussions" about the vice president's possible removal from office among her colleagues. READ: No House-backed impeachment moves vs VP Duterte, so...

Keep on reading: Bongbong cites ‘excellent’ ties with Sara: We don’t want her impeached

SINGAPORE - Thedollarlanguished near an over two-month low against its major peers on Monday, struggling to make headway on the view that U.S. rates have peaked, with attention now on how soon theFederal Reserve could begineasingmonetary conditions. A key rate decision from China meanwhile took center stage in Asia, where expectations are for Beijing to leave lending benchmark rates unchanged at a monthly fixing on Monday. Against thedollar, the euro stood near a more than two-month high hit on Friday and last bought $1.0900, holding steady ahead of flash PMI readings in the euro zone due later this week. "(The) euro zone PMI surveys will be watched closely for further signs...

Keep on reading: Dollar on the back foot as focus turns to Fed easing

MANILA, Philippines --- The total number of deaths due to magnitude 6.8 earthquake that shook Mindanao on Friday has risen to nine. The figure is based on the report of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Monday. Most of the deaths were from Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos city). Eight fatalities were recorded in this region. The other death occurred in Davao. The reports are still up for validation. On the other hand, 15 were reported to be injured. Meanwhile, the tremor damaged 826 houses. 97 of the homes were totally damaged, while 729 were partially damaged. The tecton...

Keep on reading: Death toll from Mindanao earthquake rises to 9

LUCENA CITY --- Two Dumagat tribesmen from Sierra Madre was killed, while eight others were injured Sunday after their vehicle fell into a 10-meter ravine in Infanta town in Quezon province. The Quezon police reported Monday that a jeepney driven by alias "Loren," 45, a male American religious pastor, was traversing the Marikina-Rizal-Laguna-Quezon (Marilaque) Highway in Barangay Magsaysay around 3:30 p.m., when the vehicle suddenly lost its brakes and fell off a cliff on the side of the road. Two of the passengers, Adelina Peamante and Adrian Mercado, died on the spot. The report did not provide further information on the fatalities. The driver and the other passengers, inc...

Keep on reading: 2 Dumagats dead, 8 hurt as jeepney falls off Quezon cliff

NEW YORK -Major investors in OpenAI, the company behind hugely popular ChatGPT, are working to orchestrate the return as CEO of Sam Altman, a leader in the AI revolution who was fired in a shock move Friday, US media reported Sunday. Investors as important as Microsoft and venture firm Thrive Capital "are making efforts to bring back Sam Altman," the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources. Microsoft and Thrive are the two largest investors in OpenAI, but other investors are supportive of these efforts, the Journal said. The New York Times meantime said that Ilya Sutskever, a respected AI researcher and member of the company's board of directors, had expressed g...

Keep on reading: Investors in OpenAI seek return of fired CEO, US media report

  PLAINS, Georgia --- The Washington chattering class, often unsure what to make of outsiders, dubbed Rosalynn Carter the "Steel Magnolia" when she arrived as first lady. A devout Baptist and mother of four, she was diminutive and outwardly shy, with a soft smile and softer Southern accent. That was the "magnolia." She also was a force behind Jimmy Carter's rise from peanut farmer to winner of the 1976 presidential election. That was the "steel." Yet that obvious, even trite moniker almost certainly undersold her role and impact across the Carters' early life, their one White House term and their four decades afterward as global humanitarians advocating peace, democra...

Keep on reading: Rosalynn Carter: Always leveraging her love of politics

    JERUSALEM --- Yemen's Houthi rebels seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in a crucial Red Sea shipping route Sunday and took its 25 crew members hostage, officials said, raising fears that regional tensions heightened over the Israel-Hamas war were playing out on a new maritime front. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they hijacked the ship over its connection to Israel and would continue to target ships in international waters that were linked to or owned by Israelis until the end of Israel's campaign against Gaza's Hamas rulers. "All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets," the Houthis said. Mohammed Abd...

Keep on reading: Yemen’s Houthi rebels hijack Israeli-linked ship in the Red Sea

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip --- Health officials said 31 premature babies in "extremely critical condition" were transferred safely Sunday from Gaza 's main hospital and will go to Egypt, while over 250 patients with severely infected wounds and other urgent conditions remained stranded days after Israeli forces entered the compound to look for Hamas operations. The plight of the babies, along with the Israeli claims against Shifa Hospital, have become potent symbols in the devastating war between Israel and Hamas. An Israeli offensive has taken a heavy toll on Palestinian civilians, while Israel has accused Hamas of using Shifa and other hospitals as headquarters for military opera...

Keep on reading: 31 premature babies evacuated from Gaza’s largest hospital

MANILA, Philippines --- Transport group Manibela will be joining the transport strike of Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Piston). Manibela chairperson Mar Valbuena on Monday said that members were sent to three transport strike centers of Piston, located in Monumento in Caloocan city, San Andres Bukid in Manila, and Marikina city to join the protest. "Nag-deklara na kami na mag-strike din kami pero wala pang detalye. Baka may press conference kami sa University of the Philippines (UP) [tungkol sa transport strike]," he told INQUIRER.net via phone interview. (We have already declared that we will also conduct a strike, but there are no details yet....

Keep on reading: Transport group Manibela joins transport strike

The head of Australia's second-largest telco Optus resigned on Monday, cutting short a more than three-year tenure marred by a massive network-wide outage and one of Australia's largest data breaches. Parent Singapore Telecommunications announced the resignation of Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin days after a network-wide outage left nearly half of Australia's 26 million people without phone or internet for 12 hours. Chief financial officer Michael Venter will take over as interim CEO, Singtel said in a statement. Rosmarin said she decided to resign after time for personal reflection following a parliamentary hearing on Friday where Optus executives said the company had no co...

Keep on reading: Australian telco Optus’ CEO quits after network outage

TORVAIANICA, Italy --- Pope Francis' recent gesture of welcome for transgender Catholics has resonated strongly in this working-class, seaside town south of Rome, where a community of trans women has found help and hope through a remarkable relationship with the pontiff forged during the darkest times of the pandemic. Thanks to the local parish priest, these women now make monthly visits to Francis' Wednesday general audiences, where they are given VIP seats. On any given day, they receive handouts of medicine, cash and shampoo. When COVID-19 struck, the Vatican bussed them into its health facility so they could be vaccinated ahead of most Italians. On Sunday, the women...

Keep on reading: For trans women group, Pope’s message of inclusivity a welcome change

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE - China left benchmark lending rates unchanged at a monthly fixing on Monday, matching expectations, as a weaker yuan continued to limit further monetary easing and policymakers waited to see the effects of previous stimulus on credit demand. Recent data shows the recovery in the world's second-largest economy remains patchy with industrial output and retail sales surprising on the upside but deflation gathering pace and few signs the struggling property market will bounce back any time soon. While the economy still needs more policy stimulus, an escalation of monetary easing would add unwanted downside pressure on the Chinese currency. READ: China's Q3 GD...

Keep on reading: China keeps lending benchmark rates unchanged, as expected

Skyrocketing sugar prices left Ishaq Abdulraheem with few choices. Increasing the cost of bread would mean declining sales, so the Nigerian baker decided to cut his production by half. For scores of other bakers struggling to stay afloat while enduring higher costs for fuel and flour, the stratospheric sugar prices proved to be the last straw, and they closed for good. Sugar is needed to make bread, which is a staple for Nigeria's 210 million people, and for many who are struggling to put food on the table, it offers a cheap source of calories. Surging sugar prices --- an increase of 55% in two months --- means fewer bakers and less bread. "It is a very serious situation," A...

Keep on reading: Sugar prices rising worldwide after bad weather damaged crops in Asia