Philippine News

WASHINGTON, December 10 ------ Ukraine should hold elections, Donald Trump said in an interview published, calling into question whether the country is truly democratic, as he reiterated his sharp criticism of the Ukrainian leader. Speaking to Politico, the US president accused Kyiv of "using war" to avoid elections, which have been postponed under the imposition of martial law since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "I think it's an important time to hold an

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, December 10 ------ Pope Leo called for continued dialogue to seek a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Vatican said. His comments echoed Zelensky's frequent demands for a "just" peace as the Ukrainian leader tries to ensure that any agreement to end Russia's war in Ukraine is balanced and does not overly favor Moscow. The pope "reiterated the need for the continuation of dialogue and ex

CHONBURI, Thailand, December 10 ------ It took more than three decades, but the Philippines is back in the final four of the Southeast Asian Games men’s football tournament. The Nationals returned to the semifinals for the first time since 1991 after a pulsating 1-0 win over Indonesia at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Otu Banatao scored just before the first half ended as the Philippines, which earned a 2-0 victory over Myanmar three days prior, comple

MANILA, Philippines, December 10 ------ The peso slumped to another all-time low yesterday, closing at 59.22 to the dollar as markets braced for a possible interest rate cut by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and tracked stronger movements in the greenback overseas. Data from the Bankers Association of Philippines showed that the local currency dipped by 28.5 centavos from its 58.935 finish on Friday. This is higher than the close recorded on Nov. 12, when the peso reac

ABU DHABI, UAE, December 10 ------ McLaren’s Lando Norris sobbed tears of joy and relief as he won the Formula One championship for the first time and ended Max Verstappen’s four-year reign with a nervy third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Red Bull’s Verstappen, whose eighth triumph of the campaign was one more than the new champion managed, won the season-ender with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri runner-up and 12.5 seconds behind at the checkered flag. Norris, Britain’s 11th Fo

MANILA, December 10 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has monitored two Chinese naval task groups transiting the northeastern part and eastern seaboard of the Philippines beyond its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) over the past week. Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the monitoring is part of the AFP’s move to expand its maritime domain awareness (MDA) operations “to the region.” “With the shift of the

WASHINGTON, December 10 ------ A balanced scoring attack helped Phoenix outlast Minnesota 108-105 despite a 40-point NBA performance by Anthony Edwards while San Antonio held off New Orleans 135-132. Phoenix, missing top scorer Devin Booker due to a groin injury, improved to 14-10 by snapping the Timberwolves' five-game win streak with Mark Williams scoring 22 points to top six double-digit scorers for the Suns. The Spurs, still without French star Victor Wembanyama due to a

MANILA, December 10 ------ No Filipino casualties have been reported so far after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. In a statement, the DFA said it is also "closely monitoring" the situation through the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. "At this time, the Embassy has not received any reports of Filipino casualties. The Embassy and the Migrant Workers Office in Tokyo continue to coordinate with their cont

MANILA, December 10 ------ Brazil lived up to its billing overwhelming Portugal 3-0 to make history as the first ever champions of the FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup. In front of a packed PhilSports Arena, Brazil secured the inaugural championship behind goals from Emilly (10'), Amandhina (23') and Debora Vanin (38'). The masterclass performance in the finale capped a spotless run over six matches for top-ranked Brazil in the event backed by the Philippine Sports Commission an

MANILA, Philippines, December 10 ------ The Department of Tourism (DOT) should urgently address skyrocketing domestic airfares, Sen. Erwin Tulfo said, as he pointed out that the prohibitive costs are driving Filipino travelers to foreign destinations rather than local spots. He issued the call at the Senate plenary debates on the 2026 DOT budget, during which he also highlighted the pricing disparity that makes international travel more attractive than domestic tours. “Our pe

December 9 ------ The US has halted the processing of all immigration applications linked to 19 countries already subject to a travel ban, according to an internal official memo seen by BBC partner CBS News. Immigration agents have been told to "stop final adjudication on all cases", and pause naturalization ceremonies for migrants on the cusp of gaining citizenship. It comes amid reports that Donald Trump is considering expanding a June order restricting travel from 19 count

MANILA, December 9 ------ The Philippines posted a slower inflation rate of 1.5 percent in November, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. This was slower than the 1.7 percent clip seen in October and September, and was within the 1.1 to 1.9 percent forecast of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. From January to November, inflation averaged 1.6 percent, which was lower than the 2 to 4 percent target range of economic managers. The PSA said food inflation at the national leve

December 9 ------ The NBA Cup quarterfinal field was set with Miami going to Orlando and New York going to Toronto on the Eastern Conference side, followed by an Oklahoma City-Phoenix rematch and San Antonio facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference. And the defending Cup champions won't have a chance to go back-to-back in Las Vegas. New York got the last of the four available quarterfinal berths from the East topping the reigning Cup champion Milwaukee Bucks 11

December 9 ------ Wind-assisted propulsion continues to make advancements into more segments of the shipping industry, with Norsepower reporting it has signed its first contract for newbuild VLCCs and its first newbuilds in Japan. The company offers a modernized, data-driven evolution of the century-old Fletter rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus Effect to create a propulsive force that lowers engine power and fuel consumption. Idemitsu Tanker Co., Ltd., the shipp

December 9 ------ Alden Richards, one of the country’s A-list stars, a sought-after heartthrob, and widely recognized as “Asia’s Multimedia Star,” is marking his 15th year in show business with a milestone fan meet he says comes straight from the heart. The fan meet dubbed “ARXV: Moving ForwARd” is scheduled for Dec. 13 at the City of Santa Rosa Laguna Multi-Purpose Complex. In a press conference, Richards said he has been personally involved in shaping every detail of the ce

December 9 ------ Gambia’s maritime administration has begun removing tankers flagged through its privately run ship registry, reports Maritime AI data analytics firm Windward. It says the effort is part of a broader crackdown on weak governance and follows similar efforts by other governments against false flag and shadow fleet tankers. Windward’s analysis says that there are 20 tankers now listed in the IMO’s database as falsely flagged with Gambia in the International Mari

MANILA, Philippines, December 9 ------ Dawn Chang’s search for her biological father could make a compelling plot for a screenplay or a book. Sometime in 2011, shortly after landing a job as a parade dancer at Hong Kong Disneyland and while she was in Australia, she began searching for her father’s name on Google. “I was directed to LinkedIn Australia. I was 21 or 22 at that time. So, pinili ko yung 40-plus (age) pataas. Three of them replied to my query,” she recalled to The

TOKYO, December 9 ------The pledge by Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year. The ultraconservative Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. Accepting her award from a private committee this week, Takaichi said she only wanted to str

MONACO, December 9 ------ Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Armand “Mondo” Duplantis have won the World Athlete of the Year titles for 2025. The international governing body for track and field announced the winners at ceremony in Monaco, with McLaughlin-Levrone also winning the women's track award and pole vault world-record holder Duplantis winning the men's field events award. McLaughlin-Levrone has been undefeated for two years in both the 400 meters and the 400-meter hurdles

MANILA, Philippines, December 9 ------ Transport group Manibela will stage a strike nationwide starting today to December 11 to protest against what it described as escalating penalties, extortion and delays in government processes affecting public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators. During a press briefing yesterday, Manibela chairman Mar Valbuena said the group would push through with its planned protest action from Tuesday to Thursday next week. “This transport st