Philippine News

VIENNA, Austria, December 1 ------ OPEC nations and oil-producing allies reaffirmed plans to keep current oil output levels unchanged until March, and agreed on a mechanism to assess members' maximum production capacity, without giving any details. The announcements were made after ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied nations (OPEC+) held a string of virtual meetings, including the alliance's biannual ministerial meeting. The meetings

JAKARTA/BANGKOK, December 1 ------ The death toll mounted to over 600 from floods and landslides caused by torrential rains across three countries in Southeast Asia, officials said, as relief efforts for tens of thousands of displaced people continued over the weekend. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand faced large-scale devastation after a rare tropical storm formed in the Malacca Strait, fueling heavy rains and wind gusts for a week. There were 435 deaths in Indonesia, 170 i

HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida, December 1 ------ US and Ukrainian officials sat down in Florida to discuss outlines of a peace deal with Russia, talks that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he expected to yield progress toward ending the more than 3-year-long war. “It’s about creating a pathway forward that leaves Ukraine sovereign, independent, and prosperous, and so we expect to make even more progress today,” Rubio said in Hallandale Beach, Florida, where the meeting took pl

KYIV, December 1 ------ Ukrainian negotiators are due to hold talks in the United States on Washington’s plan to end the war with Russia, with Kyiv facing pressure on both the military and political fronts. As Russia advances on the front line, its forces targeted Ukraine’s capital and the region for two nights in a row ahead of the talks in the US. A drone attack in the outskirts of Kyiv killed one person and wounded 11 on Saturday night, the regional governor said. Hours ea

PARIS, France, November 30 ------ The bird flu virus that has been spreading among wild birds, poultry, and mammals could lead to a pandemic worse than COVID-19 if it mutates to transmit between humans, the head of France's Institut Pasteur respiratory infections center said. The highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds in the past few years, disrupting food supplies and driving up prices, though huma

WASHINGTON, USA, November 30 ------ The Trump administration announced that it would review every permanent residency status, known as Green Cards, for people from over a dozen countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington." I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern," said Joseph Edlow, director of the US Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS), on X. President Donald Trump p

SYDNEY, November 29 ------ Asian shares are set to end a tough November on steadier ground as revived hopes of an imminent U.S. rate cut helped soothe valuation jitters and sent Treasuries rallying for a fourth straight month. U.S. markets, which were closed overnight for the Thanksgiving holiday, are due for a shortened session on Friday, so activity is more muted than usual across the major asset classes. European stocks traded mostly higher, while currencies were much more

MANILA, November 29 ------ The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is ramping up its delivery efforts of thousands of long-delayed balikbayan boxes abandoned by erring forwarders. In a press briefing, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac warned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to be mindful of the cargo forwarders they entrust with their balikbayan boxes. He said the DMW is working with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and that in the following days, the department would name

November 28 ------ The U.S. dollar headed for its steepest weekly drop in four months as investors bet on further monetary easing, amid pressure from President Donald Trump to cut rates. The yen edged 0.10 per cent higher to 156.33 per dollar, helped by a hawkish turn in tone from Bank of Japan officials. U.S. markets are shut for Thanksgiving, leaving liquidity thin and amplifying trading moves. "That could be an attractive environment for Japanese authorities to intervene i

NEW YORK/LONDON, November 28 ------ Oil prices rose as market participants weighed the likelihood that talks to end the war in Ukraine will yield an agreement, with trading volume thin due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. Brent crude futures settled up 21 cents, or 0.2 per cent, at $63.34 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 45 cents, or 0.8 per cent, at $59.10 a barrel by 1:46 p.m. ET (1846 GMT). The market is swinging between hope and skeptici

November 28 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian and U.S. delegations are to meet this week to work out a formula discussed at talks in Geneva to bring peace and provide security guarantees for Kyiv. "Our team, together with American representatives, will meet at the end of this week to continue to bring closer the points we have as a result of (talks in) Geneva in a form that will lead us on the path to peace and security guarantees," Zelensky sa

November 28 ------ A surprise US plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine stunned Kyiv and Europe last week, as they viewed it as echoing Russia’s demands. Over the weekend, officials from the United States, Ukraine, and Europe scrambled at emergency talks in Geneva to revise the 28-point blueprint. Moscow, which in turn held talks with Washington in Abu Dhabi this week, described the ongoing negotiations as “serious”. Though the amended plan has not been disclosed, it

BANGKOK, November 27 ------ The death toll from days of widespread flooding in southern Thailand rose to 33 with tens of thousands displaced in the country and neighboring Malaysia, officials said. The Thai government declared a state of emergency in southern Songkhla province with torrential rains since late last week inundating the tourist hub of Hat Yai and the southern region. An image from Wednesday published by Agence France-Presse (AFP) showed murky brown floodwaters s

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, November 27 ------ Brazilian authorities approved the world's first single-dose dengue vaccine, which they hailed as a "historic" achievement as cases of the mosquito-borne disease soar globally due to rising temperatures. Dengue, known for intense flu-like symptoms, crushing fatigue, and body aches, reached record global levels in 202,4 and researchers have attributed its spread to climate change. Brazil's health regulatory agency ANVISA authorized th

WASHINGTON, November 27 ------ President Donald Trump said his plan to end the war in Ukraine has been “fine-tuned” and he’s sending envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with Ukrainian officials. Trump suggested he could eventually meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but not until further progress has been made in negotiations. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday evening aboard Air Force

November 27 ------ The Finnish defense ministry announced that Finland will join a maritime capability coalition of 17 countries tasked with supporting the development of Ukraine’s naval forces. In a press release, the Finnish defense ministry said that the decision to join had been made by Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen. “Finland has joined capability coalitions based on careful case-by-case consideration, always ensuring that our contribution is sufficient and effective an

November 26 ------ Oil prices settled over 1% lower on Tuesday after Ukraine hinted that an intense diplomatic push by the U.S. administration to end Russia's war against it could be yielding fruit, News. Az reports citing Reuters. An end to the war in Ukraine could pave the way for the unwinding of Western sanctions against Moscow's energy trade, potentially adding more supply at a time when commodity prices have been battered by expectations of a glut next year. Brent crude

November 26 ------ The Occupied Palestinian Territory is now in its deepest economic crisis ever recorded, with Gaza suffering an “unprecedented and catastrophic” collapse, according to a new report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) presented in Geneva. Speaking at the launch of UNCTAD’s 2025 Report on the Economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the agency’s Deputy Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno said decades of movement restrictions, combi

BRUSSELS, November 26 ------ European Union lawmakers voted to deepen integration of the bloc's defense industry with Ukraine as a U.S. peace plan remains in flux and Russia's unconventional warfare operations rattle the 27-nation bloc. European Parliament legislators voted 457-148, with 33 abstentions, to approve a 1.5-billion euro ($1.7 billion) program, with 300 million euros ($345 million) slated for the Ukraine Support Instrument. Raphaël Glucksmann, an EU lawmaker from

KYIV, November 26 ------ Russia rained missiles and drones overnight on Kyiv, killing at least six people, authorities said while three people died in Russia’s Rostov region in massive Ukrainian strikes. The heightened attacks came after United States President Donald Trump initially gave Ukraine until Nov. 27 — the US’ Thanksgiving holiday — to respond to his proposal to end the fighting, a timeline and blueprint that European leaders have baulked at. The overnight barrage w