Philippine News

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

December 9 ------ Italy’s foreign minister said that it would be “premature” to take part in a NATO program to buy US weapons for Ukraine in light of ongoing diplomatic efforts. “If we reach an agreement and fighting ceases, weapons won’t be needed anymore,” Antonio Tajani told reporters in Brussels, according to Bloomberg. “Other things, such as security guarantees, will be needed.” His comments suggested Giorgia Meloni’s government could be recalibrating its Ukraine strateg

MANILA, Philippines, December 9 ------ Many are called, but few are chosen.” In the world of ultradistance racing, this isn’t just a saying – it’s a warning. The Ultraman World Championship exists to break even the toughest athletes. Over the weekend in Hawaii, Jennifer Tan Uy proved she was unbreakable, becoming the first Filipina to finish the Ultraman World Championship. “When I crossed the finish line, I wanted the world to see that Filipinos can,” said Uy, her voice carr

December 9 ------ The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) is bringing the hit “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” to the stage for the first time next year, with Eugene Domingo set to reprise her iconic role. PETA said in a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 2, that the theatrical adaptation set for a 2026 premiere will offer a “chaotic, sharp-witted, and laugh-out-loud look” at the inner workings of Philippine theater. “In true Septic Tank fashion, the show takes audiences behi

December 9 ------ With the maritime industry facing the pressing challenge of decarbonization, the development of alternative fuel vessels powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and ammonia is gaining momentum, as illustrated by an approval in principle (AiP) Japan’s classification society ClassNK has granted for Spray form insulation system of IMO Type B tank for LNG and ammonia fuel. While IMO Type C tanks have been the mainstream choice for LNG-fueled ships due to their ad

MANILA, December 9 ------ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. thanked the Sultanate of Oman for helping with the repatriation of 9 Filipino seafarers after they were rescued from Houthi rebels. The 9 Filipino crew members of the MV Eternity C that sunk off the coast of Yemen have arrived in Oman, where they settled their travel documents before finally returning to the Philippines this week, Marcos Jr. said in a video message posted on his social media accounts. “Magpasalamat tayo

December 9 ------ Norway’s Northern Lights project, along with Japanese ship operator “K” Line (Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha), marked the delivery of the third commercial liquefied CO2 transport vessel. The ship named Northern Phoenix will join the operation in 2026 and be part of Europe’s largest carbon capture project. The ship is a sister to the first two Northern Lights’ vessels, which were delivered in late 2024 and began the commercial CCS program in 2025. It is the first comm

MANILA, Philippines, December 9 ------ The flood control investigations have uncovered hundreds of multi-million-peso substandard and ghost projects. The Commission on Audit's latest report makes the scale even clearer after it flagged 747 "unusable or idle" infrastructure projects worth P6.5 billion in 2024 alone. Released last December 2, the COA report revealed that the Department of Public Works and Highways' oversight lapses led to hundreds of defective projects after th

December 9 ------ The UN General Assembly called for the immediate and unconditional return of Ukrainian children “forcibly transferred” to Russia – a delicate issue as Kyiv and Moscow try to negotiate an end to the fighting. The assembly adopted the non-binding resolution by a vote of 91-12, with 57 abstentions. Russia was among the states rejecting the measure. The resolution “demands that the Russian Federation ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukr

December 9 ------ Gilas Pilipinas may have just recently passed its first test with flying colors but the Nationals are already shifting their focus to the more daunting task in the second window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in February. The Filipinos were dominant in the opening window of the qualifiers, sweeping the lower-ranked Guam to go 2-0 so far in the Group A standings. But the next window will have the Nationals facing up against region powerhouses Aus

December 9 ------ Get ready for the thrilling adaptation of the webnovel with over 179 million reads on Wattpad, "Hell University," created by KnightInBlack. Co-produced by Studio Viva and Webtoon Productions, this highly anticipated series will take viewers on a wild ride. Set in a chaotic and violent school, Hell University operates outside government control, where tuition and meals are free—but survival is not. During the Bloody Night from 7 PM to 5 AM, all forms of viole

BANGKOK, Thailand, December 8 ------ The world's top wildlife trade organization increased protections on Friday for more than 70 species of sharks and rays, in a move conservationists hailed as a "historical win". Signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) backed increased trade restrictions on species from whale sharks to manta rays at talks in Uzbekistan. Conservationists and experts have warned that shark and

December 8 ------ Former beauty queen Megan Young shared insights into the current landscape of pageantry, highlighting how fiercely competitive it has become, not just in talent and appearance but also in financial investment. "If you want to try pageants, make sure it's something you really want to do. Hindi sapilitan. These days, there's a lot of money involved, like you have to buy your own clothes and makeup. If you will produce your own shoots, may bayad na rin yun. Bef