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MANILA, Philippines --- National Security Adviser Eduardo Ao on Wednesday urged China to respect Philippine sovereign rights after it accused the country and the United States of "stirring up trouble" after its joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea. Manila and Washington conducted the third maritime cooperative activity (MCA) inside the western section of the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in second phases on Feb. 9 and Feb. 19. China's military criticized the mission, saying that the Philippines has "stirred up trouble" by conducting a joint air patrol with "extraterritorial countries" and then publicly "hyping it up." Ao rejected this assertion, saying that the act...

Keep on reading: China told: Respect PH sovereign rights in conducting lawful joint patrols

MANILA, Philippines --- The owner of the blue Bugatti Chiron --- one of the two sports cars that were flagged by authorities --- has surrendered the vehicle to authorities, according to the Bureau of Customs (BOC). The BOC, in a statement on Wednesday, said that the allegedly smuggled sports car was turned over earlier to the bureau's Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) agents and personnel from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). "Today, we are happy to report that the blue Bugatti sports car we've been looking for was finally surrendered to the BOC," Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio sa...

Keep on reading: Second Bugatti Chiron car turned over to BOC

MANILA, Philippines---Lito Adiwang likes Joshua Pacio's chances against strawweight champion Jarred Brooks in their upcoming world title rematch in ONE 166: Qatar on March 1 at Lusali Sports Arena. Adiwang, in fact, thinks a well-trained Pacio is capable of knocking out Brooks. "For sure, he knows how strong Jarred is now, he knows the precarious positions he has to avoid, and I expect his game to show up this time," said Adiwang, who has won his last three fights after beating Danial Williams last Friday at ONE Fight Night 19 in Bangkok, Thailand. "I've been training with Joshua and I fought Jarred, and all I can say is that if Joshua got the proper training and adjustments...

Keep on reading: ONE: Adiwang confident about Pacio’s chances in Brooks title rematch

Danica Sotto drew laughs from netizens after she quipped that as a mom, she makes sure her "children"---including her youngest and newborn sister Thia Marceline---get a good sleep. Danica---who has a 41-year age gap with the newborn daughter of her dad Vic Sotto and his wife Pauleen Luna---was carrying Thia as she hopped on the "as a mom" trend. The trend includes mothers sharing their relatable experiences and moments in their motherhood journey. The now-expired video of Danica was originally posted by Mara Sotto-Fortuna on Instagram on Tuesday, Feb. 20, but it has been re-uploaded by fan account @team_bosleng. "As a mom, I really make sure na talagang mahimbing ang tulog n...

Keep on reading: Danica Sotto jokingly calls Thia her child: ‘Kapatid ko pala’

MANILA, Philippines --- Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo has clarified that while the House is not against daily minimum wage hike proposals, these should be studied intently to achieve equitable distribution of increased salaries. Quimbo, in a press briefing on Wednesday, explained that they are worried that the P100 across-the-board increase may not be enough for some workers, like those in the National Capital Region (NCR) because the cost of living is higher in Metro Manila than in some provinces. According to the lawmaker, a P100 per day increase for minimum wage earners in NCR corresponds to a 16 percent increase, but for Zamboanga Peninsula, it is a 26 percent increa...

Keep on reading: Quimbo: House backs wage hike, but will study proposals intently

MANILA, Philippines --- Senator Pia Cayetano fumed over the notorious Dirty Ashtray Award accorded to Philippine delegates who supposedly blocked global tobacco efforts on the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in Panama. Speaking at the Senate Blue Ribbon committee's hearing on Wednesday, Cayetano explained that the Dirty Ashtray Award is a publicly recognized award to "call out those influenced by lobbying for the tobacco industry." In her opening remarks, Cayetano said the Dirty Ashtray Award was accorded to the Philippine delegation for the 5th time on the last day of the 10th session of WHO FCTC. READ: PH gets 5th 'Dirty Ashtr...

Keep on reading: Cayetano: Why would we want to be associated with ‘Dirty Ashtray’ award?

BERLIN, Germany ---Weaker exports, costly energy and a stuttering green transition have combined to form a "perfect storm" for the German economy, leaving Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition bickering over how to change course. The government will unveil its latest economic forecasts for 2024 on Wednesday, with media reports suggesting a sharp downgrade to a mere 0.2 percent growth. In its autumn projections, the government was still expecting output to expand by 1.3 percent. The country ended 2023 in recession, shrinking by 0.3 percent, and the latest data suggest the first quarter of 2024 will see another contraction. Germany also risks facing anemic growth up to 2028 if no ...

Keep on reading: German economy buffeted by ‘perfect storm’

PARIS, France ---Europe has cut its gas demand by 20 percent since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) should peak next year thanks to renewables and efficiency gains, a study published Wednesday said. The February 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia triggered a massive shift by European nations away from Russian natural gas delivered by pipelines, with prices for LNG soaring as they competed on international markets for limited supplies. With a limited number of import terminals, European nations were also forced to undertake measures to restrain consumption, but made it through the winter of 2022-2023 without cuts to residential heating or el...

Keep on reading: Europe’s gas demand at 10-year low, to peak in 2025: report

MANILA, Philippines--La Salle toppled another rival in straight sets, maintaining a straight path in its bid to defend the crown. But for Angel Canino, the Lady Spikers are still far from their championship form. "All of us feel that our movements are not yet polished, which means we have to double our efforts in training," said Canino after leading La Salle to its second straight victory at the expense of Far Eastern University, 25-20, 25-17, 25-22, on Wednesday at UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball. SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 86 volleyball first round Canino, last season's rookie-MVP during their title run, pummeled the FEU side with 13 points highlighted by 11 attacks and had se...

Keep on reading: UAAP volleyball: La Salle goes 2-0 but still far from top form

MANILA, Philippines --- The economic policy advocacy group Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) on Wednesday said that it supports the lifting of restrictions on foreign investments in vital crops such as rice and corn. According to the group, this move will support local farmers and competition and will also reduce crop prices for consumers. . "The divestment requirement is a unique restriction to the Philippines and the rice and corn sector, in particular. Foreign companies that have established operations in the country are hesitant to expand their operations as they near the divestment period since they will lose control of their investments," FEF Technica...

Keep on reading: Group backs foreign investments in rice, corn

MANILA, Philippines --- A member of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) was arrested in Cavite for indiscriminate firing of his gun. PCG commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said the personnel, whose name is being withheld, went to Barangay Latoria in Naic where he met his live-in partner on February 18 (Sunday). The PCG personnel began shouting as he and the woman engaged in a heated argument. The incident caught public attention. The personnel then pointed his PCG-issued firearm to the ground and fired indiscriminately. Police later arrested the PCG member for violation of Republic Act 11926 or the Act Penalizing Willful and Indiscriminate Discharge of Firearms. The weapo...

Keep on reading: PCG personnel arrested for indiscriminate firing in Cavite

SINGAPORE ---Boeing said Wednesday it was preparing to compete with China's first domestically produced passenger plane, which was showcased for the first time to international buyers at Asia's biggest airshow. The single-aisle C919 aircraft made its international debut this week at the Singapore Airshow, featuring in both flying and on-the-ground displays in a bid to woo international buyers. The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac), is seeking to position the C919 as a potential competitor to the market-leading A320, made by Europe's Airbus, and the 737 MAX from US-based Boeing. Dave Schulte, Boeing's commercial marketing managing director for the Asia-Pac...

Keep on reading: Boeing says ready for competition with China-made plane

  GENEVA -- More than half the world's countries will be at high or very high risk of measles outbreaks by the end of the year unless urgent preventative measures are taken, the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday. Measles cases have been increasing across most regions mainly due to missed vaccinations during the COVID-19 years when health systems were overwhelmed and fell behind on routine vaccinations for preventable diseases. "What we are worried about is this year, 2024, we've got these big gaps in our immunization programs and if we don't fill them really quickly with the vaccine, measles will just jump into that gap," the WHO's Natasha Crowcroft, a Senior ...

Keep on reading: More than half the world faces high measles risk, WHO says

      MOSCOW -- Russia's top general, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, visited troops fighting in the war in Ukraine to discuss the next steps after the taking the town of Avdiivka, state media reported on Wednesday. President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday Russian troops would push further into Ukraine to build on their success on the battlefield after the fall of the town of Avdiivka where he said Ukrainian troops had been forced to flee in chaos. READ: Russia claims 'full control' of Ukraine's Avdiivka Gerasimov was shown awarding medals to Russian troops involved in taking Avdiivka and he was given a report by the commander in charge o...

Keep on reading: Russia’s top general visits troops in Ukraine to discuss next steps

Copper and gold are expected to see the largest immediate price boost in the commodities sector from potential U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, analysts at Goldman Sachs said. "The immediate price boost from a Fed driven 100 basis point decline in U.S. 2-year rates is the largest for metals, especially copper (6 percent), and then gold (3 percent), followed by oil (3 percent)," Goldman Sachs said in a note dated Feb. 20. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was trading near a three-week high of $8,548 per metric ton as of 0542 GMT on Wednesday, while spot gold was at a near two-week high at $2,030.30 per ounce. The Wall Street bank, however, said it expect...

Keep on reading: Copper, gold seen to get ‘largest immediate’ boost from Fed easing

Hollywood singer and actress Vanessa Williams is set to don the heels of Miranda Priestly, previously played by Meryl Streep in the 2006 film, as she landed the lead role for "The Devil Wears Prada" musical. The announcement was made on Instagram by Williams and the production's official account on February 19, as they posted a clip of the former Miss Americana titleholder embodying the iconic character as she walks into the offices of Runway magazine in a red slingback, tossing her things onto the assistant's desk, sitting down to work, and delivers the line, "Don't just sit there. Buy tickets or... something," in a demanding tone.   View this pos...

Keep on reading: Vanessa Williams plays Miranda Priestly in ‘Devil Wears Prada’ musical

MANILA, Philippines ---Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri prefers that the House of Representatives just adopt the upper chamber's Charter change (Cha-cha) bill. Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 (RBH 6) is currently being discussed by the Senate subcommittee on constitutional amendments led by Senator Sonny Angara. "'Pag natapos na, mas magandang i-adopt na lang para walang gulo, walang away, hindi kwestiyonable at hindi rin magkakaroon ng uncertainty," Zubiri said in an interview at the Senate on Wednesday. (When it's finished, it's better to just adopt it to avoid any confusion, conflict, questions, or uncertainty.) RBH 6, proposing changes to specific economic provisions o...

Keep on reading: ‘Para walang gulo’: Zubiri prefers House to adopt Senate Cha-cha bill

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Energy (DOE) said on Wednesday that it will conduct a business-to-business event on February 22 to match foreign investors with local enterprises for the country's push in renewable energy (RE). Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the DOE will exploit international interest in the country's potential for RE, and that the event will help both local and foreign companies start RE initiatives in the country. "There is a heightened enthusiasm from international investors for unlocking the country's RE potential, and we are linking them with financing institutions, development organizations, concerned government institutions, and engin...

Keep on reading: DOE eyeing more renewable energy investments

Grab is not authorized to participate in the pilot study on motorcycle transport services or MC taxis. It is also not allowed to operate such a service in the country. These clarifications were made by Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III. Guadiz also heads the Motorcycle Taxi Technical Working Group (MC Taxi TWG) that is conducting the study. In a letter dated February 1 addressed to Attorney Noel Valerio, Guadiz stated only motorcycle companies Joyride, Angkas, and Move It can join the project. Valerio is counsel from Maderazo, Valerio and Partners. "Prefatorily, the Motorcycle Taxi Technical Wor...

Keep on reading: Grab not allowed to join pilot study on motorcycle taxis, says LTFRB

  MANILA, Philippines --- The decision on whether or not to award lone bidder Miru Systems the supply contract for the vote counting machines for the 2025 midterm elections will be announced this week, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday. Garcia said a contract negotiation will follow if the South Korean firm gets the contract. A negotiated bidding process, however, will be conducted where another firm will be selected to participate in the project if the South Korean firm is not awarded the deal. "Malalaman ninyo po within this week kung ibibigay namin yung award sa nag-iisang bidder na ito base sa ginawang techni...

Keep on reading: Comelec decision on vote counting machines deal out this week