Philippine News

December 10 ------ Vietnamese officials are highlighting a successful coordination with their counterparts in Malaysia to rescue the crew from a cargo ship that had taken on a dangerous list. The crew was safely transported to Malaysia while attempts are being made to tow the cargo ship Kayo (5,200 dwt). The incident began around midnight on Friday, December 5, when the Vietnamese Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center picked up a distress call from the cargo ship Kay

December 10 ------ Two Italian players, Fincantieri and Roboze, have joined forces with Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard (ASRY), a maritime repair and fabrication facility in the Arabian Gulf, to strengthen maritime capabilities in the Gulf. Thanks to this deal, ASRY expects not only to boost naval shipbuilding and repair but also to establish the Kingdom of Bahrain’s first smart plant dedicated to additive manufacturing. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of His

December 10 ------ Not even a back-to-back concert in Australia can stop SB19 from setting the Asia Artist Awards (AAA)’s ACON 2025 stage on fire in Taiwan. The P-pop powerhouse — composed of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin — was fresh from the Melbourne and Sydney legs of their “Simula at Wakas” tour, as they went straight to Kaohsiung National Stadium in Zuoying district, Taiwan for ACON 2025 on Sunday, December 7. Donning outfits with hints of denim and shades of grey,

December 10 ------ ABS-CBN Music creatives, content, and operations head and renowned songwriter and producer Jonathan Manalo receive back-to-back wins at the 2025 Awit Awards and 47th Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA). Jonathan bagged two major honors at the Awit Awards, earning Best Song Written for Media for “Pamilya Sagrado” soundtrack “Ulit-Ulit,” which he penned and produced for Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, and also clinching Best Traditional/Contemporary Folk Recording fo

December 10 ------ AZ Martinez and Vince Maristela visited young cancer patients at Bahay Aruga, where they spent time with the children and handed out Christmas gifts. According to Nelson Canlas’ report on “24 Oras,” the two Sparkle stars were also with Kira Balinger during the activity. “Sa family kasi namin, mero’n na kaming nagkaroon ng cancer. And I think isa ‘yon sa mga tumatak sa puso ko no’ng first time ko pumunta dito. Tapos, alam mo ‘yun, sa sobrang daming blessings

December 10 ------ After a year filled with milestones, power couple Jessy Mendiola and Luis Manzano shared what they’re grateful for, their plans for the year ahead, and the exciting projects on the horizon. In a relaxed conversation with members of the media, Manzano reflected on the idea of “redirection” as a form of protection from paths one is not meant to take. Asked if he was considering a return to politics, he said, “Honestly, I don’t think about it anymore. After ev

SAPPORO, Japan, December 10 ------ A big quake off Japan injured at least 30 people, authorities said, damaging roads and knocking out power for thousands in freezing temperatures. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the magnitude 7.5 quake at 11:15 pm on Monday -- downgraded from its first reading of 7.6 -- raised the chances of similar or larger tremors in the coming days. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said 30 people were injured in the quake off the coast of the northern

SYDNEY, December 10 ------ Australia will become the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet's GOOGL.O YouTube, and Meta's META.O Instagram and Facebook. The ban is being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures as concerns mount over the effects of social media on children's health and safety. Below is a summary of what other countries and tech companies are doin

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