Philippine News

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, January 4 ------ Thailand released 18 Cambodian soldiers held for five months as prisoners of war, days after a fresh truce between the nations ended weeks of deadly fighting along their contested frontier. A decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbors erupted into military clashes several times this year, with the latest round of fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing more than a million. Some of the 18 soldier

January 4 ------ Maris Racal took to social media to express her gratitude on launching four roles this year. On her Instagram page, the Kapamilya star wrote: "We launched 4 roles this year. What a year. Always grateful, universe!" Among the roles Maris portrayed were Sunshine in the film Sunshine, Gab in the series Incognito, Jessa/Penelope in the Netflix movie Sosyal Climbers, and Ponggay in the series FPJ's Batang Quiapo. Back in February, Sunshine won the Crystal Bear for

January 3 ------ Collisions between marine vessels and stationary structures, like offshore oil platforms and depleted wellheads, are becoming increasingly common. These collisions come with a cost — including the financial burden of lost goods and potential loss of life. Ocean engineering researchers at Texas A&M University are developing a smarter system to combat these collisions and their costs. By combining raw radar imaging data with advanced machine learning, researche

January 3 ------ Kevin Durant totaled 22 points and 11 assists against one of his former teams as the Houston Rockets pulled away in the third quarter for a 120-96 wire-to-wire victory over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets in New York. Amen Thompson made 10 of 12 shots and led Houston's potent offense with 23 points, including 12 in the third when the Rockets outscored the Nets 37-25 en route to their fourth straight win. Durant, who was a Net from 2019-23, made 8 of 15 shots,

SEOUL, January 3 ------ South Korea will extend the waiver on visa processing fees for group tourists from six countries, including the Philippines, for another six months, Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol announced. Under the plan, the exemption for C-3-2 group tourist visas—originally set to expire Wednesday—will remain in effect until the end of June next year. Aside from the Philippines, the visa fee waiver also covers group travelers from China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia a

MANILA, Philippines, January 3 ------ The P-Pop Kings SB19 confirmed they will stage the "Wakas at Simula" homecoming concert to wrap up a trilogy set of shows. The concert is scheduled on April 18 at the SMDC Festival Grounds. Ticketing and other details will be announced at a later date. "Daming sakuna, 'di ko ininda, andito na tayo sa wakas,” SB19 wrote on social media in making the announcement. The group wrapped up their "Simula at Wakas" world tour with four stops in Au

MANILA, January 3 ------ Oil prices are set to go down next week based on three-day trade monitoring in the Mean of Platts Singapore, the Department of Energy said. DOE Oil Industry Management Bureau Assistant Director Rodela Romero said the following price cuts may be expected next week: Gasoline - P0.50 per liter Diesel - P0.15 per liter Kerosene - P0.20 per liter Romero said the decreases are not likely to widen as the costs of businesses are still excluded. "Mukhang hindi

January 3 ------ Apart from their new year’s resolutions, these local celebrities also have lots to look forward to when it comes to 2026 in terms of their personal lives, career plans, and other endeavors. They shared with PUSH ABS-CBN what things excite them the most when they think of the new year. Richard Gutierrez “In terms of career-wise, I’m looking forward to my new series with ABS-CBN and a new movie with Regal. Sa personal life, just overall good health for me and m

MANILA, Philippines, January 3 ------ The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recorded 52.02 million passengers last year, the highest ever, signaling that Philippine air travel is far from slowing down. Airport operator New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) said the gateway posted a passenger volume of 52.02 million in 2025, breaking the 50.1 million in 2024. The NAIA also registered its busiest month in history in December 2025, when the airport handled 4.86 million gu

January 3 ------ Ukraine’s Black Sea ports are experiencing unrelenting daily attacks by Russian drones and missiles during the current offensive despite the push by the United States and European leaders to complete a peace agreement. Ukraine’s Navy reported the mounting damage to port infrastructure while commercial vessels continue to also be caught in the line of fire. Reports said the drone attacks focused overnight on Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi. The two ports emerged wit

January 3 ------ The Philippine women’s softball team continued its climb on the global stage after improving three rungs in the latest World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) rankings. According to the WBSC’s updated rankings released, the Blu Girls moved up to No. 13 with 993 points, buoyed by the 227 points they earned in 2025 which was enough to lift them to fourth place in the Asian region. The Nationals won their 11th straight gold medal after sweeping their rivals

JERUSALEM, January 3 ------ Israel has said 37 aid organizations will be banned from operating in Gaza unless they comply with guidelines requiring detailed information on Palestinian staff, drawing criticism from the United Nations and the European Union. Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on food and medical shipments to Gaza, at a time when humanitarian organizations say the amount of aid getting in is inadequate to the devastated territory's

January 2 ------ Saudi Arabia, acting in the name of what it calls the “Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen,” launched what it is terming limited airstrikes on the Port of Mukalla in southeastern Yemen on the Gulf of Aden. Saudi officials accused the United Arab Emirates of having sent a large amount of unauthorized military equipment into the port and demanded that the UAE immediately withdraw its unauthorized forces. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have long been at odds, sup

January 2 ------ A Chinese fishing vessel from a notorious illegal-fishing fleet has been hijacked off the coast of Puntland, Somalia, according to maritime security consultancy Vanguard Tech. The vessel in question, Liao Dong Yu 578, was reportedly captured at a position just off the coast near Bandarbeyla, Puntland (09 09 N 050 43 E). The hijackers struck in the early afternoon local time on New Years' Day, and are suspected to be planning to hold the crew for ransom, Vangu

January 2 ------ Pacific International Lines (PIL), Singapore’s home-grown shipping line, ushered in the New Year with purpose and compassion as 25 staff members joined more than 130 community volunteers to pack 18 tons of humanitarian relief supplies for conflict-stricken civilians in Gaza. The activity follows PIL’s sponsorship of Singaporean non-profit organization Humanity Matters’ (HM) Gaza Relief Collection on 20 December 2025. The relief packing initiative, titled Coun

January 2 ------ Turkish authorities responded to urgent calls for assistance as two tankers anchored off Istanbul became caught in an unusual situation. Because the ships were close to the shore and strong winds were blowing tugs and shoreside emergency services were dispatched. Two small product tankers were in the anchorage close to Istanbul. According to the reports, the Azerbaijan-flagged Kalbajar was empty and, due to the strong winds, was being dragged toward the Turki

January 2 ------ Julian Champagnie rattled in 11 three-pointers and Victor Wembanyama scored 31 points as the San Antonio Spurs came from behind to defeat the New York Knicks, 134-132, in a New Year's Eve thriller. San Antonio, beaten by the Knicks in the NBA Cup final two weeks ago, avenged that loss in sensational fashion after clawing their way back from a 19-point second-quarter deficit to score a superb win. French prodigy Wembanyama was instrumental in the victory, lead

MANILA, January 2 ------ Filipino tennis standout Alexandra Eala has arrived in Auckland, New Zealand to begin preparations for the WTA 250 ASB Classic, scheduled from January 5 to 11. Eala was seen practicing on court, with coach Joan Bosch by her side sharing photos of her training sessions on Instagram as she continues her buildup to the new season. The ASB Classic serves as one of the key lead-up tournaments to the Australian Open, with Eala using the Auckland event as pa

January 2 ------ Barangay Ginebra is quickly moving on from the celebrations of the new year as it looks forward to facing San Miguel once again in the best-of-seven semifinals in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup. Kings head coach Tim Cone said it’s been a working holiday for his team especially with the looming rematch against the Beermen which defeated them last season. “Back to work for us. It’s going to be a working holiday for us,” said Cone after Ginebra survived the yo

January 2 ------ INTERNATIONAL Master (IM) Christian Gian Karlo Arca of Zamboanga City added another hardware in his accolade collection after winning the runner-up trophy in standard competition of the 2025 Eastern Asian Juniors Chess Championships held in Hong Kong. In a must-win situation in his final game for a chance to win the title, the 16-year-old Arca, a Grade 11 student of Ramon Enriquez High School, defeated compatriot FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri and finished the 9-