Philippine News

December 12 ------ Alden Richards spent a whole day doing his care-a-van, visiting charities in celebration of his 15 years in showbiz. According to Athena Imperial’s report on “24 Oras,” Thursday, the Asia’s Multimedia Star offered help and brought joy to Tahanang Walang Hagdan in Rizal, the orthopedic department of East Avenue Medical Center, and the Philippine Animal Welfare Society in Quezon City. “Para lang ma-champion din natin ‘yung purpose and spreading kindness in do

December 12 ------ Sofia Mallares of Project Z, Yana Goopio of Team Bilib, Marian Ansay of JuleSquad, and Giani Sarita of Benkada are gearing up to take the stage as finalists in “The Voice Kids.” In Nelson Canlas’ report on “24 Oras,” on Wednesday, the young contestants and their coaches shared how they are balancing excitement, nerves, and the lessons. “Kami ni Sofia po, sobrang excited and kinakabahan kasi first time namin parehong sasabak sa finals. Ako, before po kasi nu

MANILA, December 12 ------ Meralco power rates are going down this December. In a statement, the power distributor said electricity rates were falling by P0.36/kwh due to a dip in transmission and generation charges. This means electricity bills may go down by the following amounts. Consumption Decrease 200 kwh P71 300 kwh P107 400 kwh P142 500 kwh P178 Source: news.abs-cbn.com

MANILA, December 12 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States Indo-Pacific Command held their 9th Bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity in the West Philippine Sea on December 9 and 10. The two sides demonstrated operational competence and highlighted their shared commitment to safeguarding regional stability, the Philippine military said in a statement. The AFP said the MCA "reaffirms the enduring defense partnership between the Philippines and

MANILA, Philippines, December 12 ------ The Philippine government is ready to communicate with Portugal or any country to track down resigned lawmaker and fugitive Zaldy Co, one of the politicians tied to the multibillion-peso flood control mess. Co, who is facing an arrest warrant in relation to an allegedly anomalous road dike project in Oriental Mindoro, left the Philippines days before President Marcos ordered a probe into subpar and ghost flood control structures last Ju

MANILA, December 12 ------ The Philippine government, through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), has acknowledged the continued support of of Japan in the country’s infrastructure modernization. According to Secretary Vince Dizon, Japan’s support to the Philippines will speed up the completion of infrastructure projects that will bring immediate benefit to the Filipino people. In a news release on Monday, he expressed his gratitude to the government of Japan,

December 12 ------ The Renewable Hydrogen Coalition (RHC), as the voice of the value chain, encompassing renewable energy suppliers, start-ups, investors, and industrial offtakers dedicated to making Europe the global leader in renewable hydrogen solutions, has called on the European decision-making realms and leaders to scale up incentives, funding opportunities, and market fundamentals for clean technology, especially the landscape surrounding hydrogen made from renewable s

December 12 ------ After one of its vessels was hit and damaged in a suspected Ukrainian attack, Turkish tanker owner Besiktas Shipping has decided to quit all trade with Russia. The business decision suggests that Ukraine's covert and overt strikes have created a strong perception of ongoing risk to Russia-linked energy shipping, and not just in the Black Sea. On the night of November 27-28, the Besiktas-owned tanker Mersin was at anchor off the coast of Senegal when floodin

December 12 ------ Japan is set to launch service aboard its first autonomous navigation ferry. The vessel Olympia Dream Seto recently completed the licensing process and will start sailing with the autonomous system as part of an ongoing government-sponsored project to advance autonomous navigation technology. The Nippon Foundation hosted a demonstration of the autonomous system on Wednesday, highlighting it as a major milestone in the development of the technology. Reporter

December 12 ------ The Northern Lights joint venture (JV), encompassing oil majors Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies, has issued the first storage certificates for CO2 permanently stored in the Aurora reservoir in the North Sea, documenting the quantities of CO2 transported and stored. The first CO2 volumes were transported in August through the 100-kilometer pipeline and injected into the Aurora offshore reservoir 2,600 meters below the North Sea seabed offshore Norway. Foll

NEW YORK/LONDON, December 12 ------ The U.S. dollar stumbled, hitting multi-month lows against the euro, Swiss franc, and sterling and extending losses from the previous session, after the Federal Reserve delivered a less hawkish outlook than some had expected. The Swiss franc drew support from the Swiss National Bank's decision to hold interest rates steady. The dollar fell 0.6 per cent versus the franc to 0.7947, after earlier touching its lowest since mid-November. The gre

TOKYO, December 12 ------ Japan said it held a joint air exercise with the United States in a show of force, days after Chinese-Russian patrols in the region and following weeks of diplomatic feuding between Tokyo and Beijing. The Japanese joint chiefs of staff said Wednesday’s exercise with the US Air Force was conducted in “an increasingly severe security environment surrounding our country.” Tokyo said on Wednesday that two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew a day

December 12 ------ President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted at a referendum for Ukrainians to decide whether to cede land to Russia to help end Russia’s invasion. The comment came as the US pressures Kyiv to concede the Donbas region as part of the peace settlement – a Kremlin war goal and a red line for Kyiv, as it is prohibited by the Ukrainian Constitution. Zelensky, speaking to reporters on Thursday, said it is ultimately the Ukrainians’ decision on the price for peace – hinti

December 12 ------ The Defense Forces are conducting search-and-assault operations and eliminating enemy forces in the urban areas of Pokrovsk. This was reported by the Operation Task Force “East” on Facebook, according to Ukrinform. In Myrnohrad, Ukrainian units are holding defensive lines and eliminating enemy forces on the city’s approaches. Additional logistical routes to Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad are being organized to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of all necessary supp

MANILA, December 11 ------ The Philippines secured its second gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand after its women’s swimming team won the 4x100 relay. The team, composed of Olympian Kayla Sanchez, Heather White, Chloe Isleta and Xiandi Chua clocked in 3:44.26, more than two seconds away from silver medalist Team Singapore and Team Vietnam, who took the bronze. Justin Kobe Macario delivered the first gold for the Philippines after topping the men’s individ

ANTIPOLO, December 11 ------ Meralco didn’t waste any time pulling away from Terrafirma and cruising to a 120-87 victory in its return to action in the PBA Philippine Cup. Chris Banchero sparked the Bolts’ early surge, scoring 10 of his 13 points right in the first quarter, while CJ Cansino announced his comeback from an ankle injury by pacing the team with 20 points and eight rebounds. The Bolts stretched an eight-point lead to 55-33 just before the halftime on their way to

TORONTO, December 11 ------ Jalen Brunson scored 35 points, Josh Hart added 21 and the New York Knicks advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals for the first time in three tries by beating the struggling Toronto Raptors, 117-101. Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who will face Orlando in the semifinal round at Las Vegas on Saturday. The Magic reached the semifinals by beating Miami earlier Tuesday. Towns returned after sitting out Sunday’s home win ov

MIAMI, Florida, December 11 ------ Lionel Messi won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player (MLS MVP) award after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals. Messi became the first player to win back-to-back MLS MVP awards and only the second player in the league to capture two MVP awards after Preki in 1997 and 2003. “I’m happy to receive this award and be the first in the history of this league to win it in two consecutiv

December 11 ------ The Philippines’ Cyrille Payumo drew inspiration from an unlikely creature for her preliminary evening gown at the 2025 Miss Charm pageant in Vietnam — the ant. Designer Mikee Chan shared a story about how an ant bit the beauty queen while they were discussing her competition wardrobe, and this sparked an idea. “It was such a small creature, almost laughable, yet in that instant, it felt like a message whispered by the universe. A sign. A nudge. Perhaps eve

December 11 ------ Dennis Trillo has finally received the Best Actor in a Leading Role trophy he won at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for his portrayal of Domingo Zamora in “Green Bones.” On Facebook, the Kapuso actor shared a video of himself unboxing the award, which was accepted on behalf of Dennis by GMA Network Vice President for Musical, Variety, Specials, and Alternative Productions for Entertainment Group and Philippine Ambassador for the Asian Academy of Creative