Philippine News

November 18 ------ US actor Tom Cruise received an honorary Oscar, the first golden statue of his decades-long career, to a standing ovation from Hollywood’s elite. To the sound of the “Mission Impossible” theme tune, a hallmark of the 63-year-old actor’s career, Cruise took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to applause from peers including Colin Farrell and Emilio Estevez, with whom he has shared the screen, and the renowned Steven Spielberg, who directed him

November 18 ------ Five new Mutya ng Pilipinas queens were crowned during the conclusion of the national pageant’s 57th anniversary edition at the FilOil Center in San Juan City, and three of them will compete in international competitions. Miss Intercontinental second runner-up Alyssa Redondo relinquished her Mutya ng Pilipinas-Intercontinental crown to Christina Vanhefflin of Leyte, who will fly to Egypt in January next year for the international pageant. And just before sh

November 18 ------ Ahtisa Manalo, the Philippines’ delegate to the Miss Universe 2025 pageant, is all set for the high-stakes competitions ahead of the coronation show on November 21 in Thailand. One hundred and 20 ladies, including Manalo, competing in the international tilt are now all back in Bangkok after going on a tour of Phuket and Pattaya, where they took part in several pre-pageant activities. The closed-door interview with all 120 delegates had already been conducte

TURIN, Italy, November 18 ------ Italy’s Jannik Sinner retained his ATP Finals title sending the Turin crowd wild as he battled past Spanish world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, 7-6 (4), 7-5, in the decider to the season-ending championships. Sinner, backed by a raucous Italian crowd, fell to the floor after breaking his rival’s serve in the final game before racing to celebrate with his team as chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole, Sinner, Sinner’ rang around the Inalpi Arena. “Finishing in fron

MANILA, Philippines, November 18 ------ Major oil companies are set to hike gasoline and diesel prices by P1.20 per liter today, triggered by tightening supply and growing regional demand. The adjustment, implemented by Jetti, Petron, Seaoil, Caltex and PTT Philippines, marks the seventh straight week of increase for gasoline and the fourth for diesel. A price freeze, meanwhile, continues to be in effect for kerosene following the declaration of a national state of calamity d

November 18 ------ ABS-CBN ushered in the holiday season with the launch of its star-studded 2025 Christmas ID, "Love, Joy, Hope: Sabay Tayo Ngayong Pasko," which celebrates the heartwarming tales of everyday heroes and the Filipino culture of togetherness and bayanihan. Inspired by the stories of real-life heroes such as "Pilipinas Got Talent" season seven winner Ricardo “Cardong Trumpo” Cadavero who will do anything for his family; Dumagat tribal chieftain Perlita Guerrero

HOUSTON, November 18 ------ Kevin Durant scored 35 points and Alperen Sengun had 30 points and 12 rebounds to help the Houston Rockets rally for a 117-113 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic. Orlando led by a point when Amen Thompson put the Rockets on top on a dunk with an assist from Durant with less than a minute left in overtime. Jabari Smith Jr. blocked a layup by Franz Wagner and Durant’s step-back jumper made it 113-110 with 9.2 seconds left. Wagner made two free t

MANILA, Philippines, November 18 ------ Philippines-based church Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) concluded its planned three-day “anti-corruption” rally a day early, ending the protest on Monday, November 17. INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said the group achieved what it aimed for with the mass action ahead of schedule. The rally began on Sunday, November 16, and was initially expected to run until November 18. “It did not need three days to achieve the goal of sending the message tha

November 18 ------ The 21-member crew of the seized tanker Talara are safe after their capture by Iranian forces, according to third-party manager Columbia Shipmanagement. "All crew members are reported to be safe and accounted for. The vessel is now safely anchored off the coast of Bandar Abbas," the company said in a statement. "Columbia Shipmanagement is working with regional partners to urgently resolve the situation and secure the release of our crew." Talara was seized

MANILA, Philippines, November 18 ------ Cash remittances grew by 3.7 percent in September, its fastest pace in five months, as overseas hiring remained steady, Middle East deployments continued to normalize and households began preparing for school and holiday expenses. Latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that cash remittances rose to $3.12 billion in September from $3.01 billion a year earlier. This brought the nine-month total to $26.03 billion, up

November 18 ------ RAY Parks made sure that Osaka Evessa will head to the FIBA break on a high after the Osaka Evessa swept the Toyama Grouses this past weekend in the 2025-26 Japan B.League season at Kurobe City Sports Center. Building confidence heading into his Gilas Pilipinas stint in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, Parks was in his element for Osaka, first erupting for 25 points and four rebounds in their 102-97 win on Saturday and had a 20-point encore in th

November 18 ------ South Korea’s Busan Coast Guard is recounting the details of a rampage staged by three crewmembers aboard a cargo ship anchored offshore. The local District Court issued an arrest warrant for three Vietnamese nationals working aboard the ship, charged with assault, threatening colleagues, intimidation, and property damage. The Coast Guard reports it acted fearing that the incidents could lead to additional crimes, including potentially a murder. The inciden

MANILA, Philippines, November 18 ------ With their names dragged into the controversy over corruption in flood control projects, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman have resigned to give way to an investigation. President Marcos accepted the resignation of the two officials, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press briefing yesterday. “Both officials respectfully offered and tendered their resignations out

November 18 ------ BLACKLIST International advanced to the Honor of Kings International Championship 2025 Knockout Stage after a decisive 3-0 sweep against Indonesia’s Vesakha Esports in the Group A upper bracket finals at Shooting Gallery Studio in Makati City. The Philippines still has a long journey ahead before claiming the coveted KIC trophy. Let’s take a look at how Blacklist and other PH squads continue the climb, one step at a time. Blacklist International and Vesakha

November 18 ------ Greenpeace is calling for an end to the uranium trade between France and Russia after reporting that it has resumed after a nearly three-year hiatus. The group released pictures of containers with spent uranium being loaded onto a cargo ship in the port of Dunkirk and bound for Russia. At least 10 containers of uranium, clearly marked with dangerous cargo symbols, were observed arriving in the port of Dunkirk, France, on Saturday, November 15, and being loa

November 18 ------ Norwegian container tonnage provider MPC Container Ships (MPCC) has entered into contracts with China’s shipbuilder Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry for the construction of four 4,500 TEU container vessels. As informed, the contract price per vessel is $58 million and the agreement includes options for two additional units at the same price. The first containership will be delivered in the first half of 2028. Each vessel will operate under a 10-year time

TOKYO, November 18 ------ A volcano on Japan's major western island of Kyushu erupted multiple times, sending a plume of smoke and ash as high as 4.4 kilometers (2.73 miles) into the air and causing dozens of flight cancellations. The volcano, which is called Sakurajima and is located on the southern tip of Kyushu near the city of Kagoshima, erupted at about 1 a.m. (1600 GMT on Saturday), the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. There were two more eruptions at about 2:

HOUSTON, November 18 ------ Oil prices eased as loadings resumed at Russia's Novorossiysk export hub after a two-day suspension at the Black Sea port that had been hit by a Ukrainian attack. Brent crude settled 19 cents, or 0.3 per cent, lower at $64.20 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude eased 18 cents, or 0.3 per cent, to $59.91. Both benchmarks rose more than 2 per cent on Friday to end the week with a modest gain after exports were suspended at Novorossiysk

PARIS, November 18 ------ Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Paris in a new bid to secure weaponry to defend his country against increasingly lethal Russian missile and drone attacks. Zelensky’s visit is part of a brief tour of his western allies that saw him seal an energy deal with Greece on Sunday, and will include a visit to Spain today. The Ukrainian leader has said that “a major deal with France” will be announced soon, but it was not known if that would be f

November 18 ------ Dutch children’s organization Emile Foundation held a press conference in Paris on Monday to raise awareness of the more than 20,000 Ukrainian children abducted and forcibly deported to Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, as per AFP. Mariam Lambert, one of its co-founders, told AFP that it was time to give the parents of abducted children “a voice.” The press conference was attended by the parents and guardians of some of the abducted chi