Philippine News

October 29 ------ A sanctioned Russian crude oil tanker traveling as part of the southbound convoy in the Suez Canal broke down on Tuesday, October 28, briefly interfering with transits. The Suez Canal Authority is emphasizing its quick response to get the tanker, which had grounded, back underway. The ship, which is currently trading under the name Komander, is another flagrant example of the tactics of the shadow fleet. Built in 2004, the 150,580-dwt tanker has had four nam

October 29 ------ Salvage efforts are continuing eight months after the containership MSC Baltic III went aground in a remote cove on the west shore of Newfoundland, Canada. While the majority of the fuel and cargo have been removed from the vessel, they are focusing on additional cleanup as the vessel is prepared for the onset of winter weather in the region. The 207-meter (679-foot) vessel (33,767 dwt) was driven ashore in a fierce winter storm in February 2025 with a darin

October 29 ------ Dry bulk cargo carrier ESL Shipping has received approval from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for its near and long-term emission reduction targets. ESL Shipping was granted approval as the first company in the general cargo segment, meaning that its targets align with the latest climate science to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris Agreement. The company has committed to reducing its well-to-wake GHG emissions by

NEW YORK, October 29 ------ The Japanese yen gained rebounding from seven consecutive days of losses against the U.S. dollar, after comments from a Japanese minister and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent eased some concerns about more expansionary fiscal and monetary policy in the country. Japan's new economic revitalization minister, Minoru Kiuchi, said that Japan can boost its long-term potential growth by stimulating demand and keeping the labor market tight while bein

JERUSALEM/CAIRO, October 29 ------ Israeli planes launched strikes in Gaza after Israel accused the militant group Hamas of violating a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory, the latest test of a fragile deal brokered earlier this month by U.S. President Donald Trump. Local health authorities said the strikes killed at least 26 people, including five in a house hit in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, four in a building in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood, and

KYIV, October 29 ------ Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv needs European financial support to continue fighting Russian forces for another two or three years. Kyiv has been largely dependent on military and financial support from allies abroad to hold off Moscow’s army, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “I emphasized this again to all European leaders. I told them that we are not going to fight for decades, but you must show that

MEXICO CITY, Mexico, October 29 ------ McLaren’s Lando Norris avoided early mayhem to cruise to a dominant Mexico City Grand Prix win and retake the Formula One championship lead by a single point from teammate Oscar Piastri. Australian Piastri, who started the race seventh and 14 points clear of the Briton, finished fifth after a virtual safety car in the last two laps denied him a shot at fourth after a thrilling chase. Charles Leclerc was runner-up for Ferrari, a hefty 30.

MANILA, Philippines, October 28 ------ Kapamilya star Kathryn Bernardo is the newest Filipina actress to be immortalized in wax at the world-renowned Madame Tussauds Museum in Hong Kong. Kathryn’s wax figure will be permanently displayed at the iconic museum’s Hong Kong branch, where the actress filmed “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” one of the highest-grossing Filipino movies of all time. The 28-year-old star is also the youngest Filipino celebrity to receive a wax figure, joining t

MANILA, Philippines, October 28 ------ As someone who grew up in a family admired for their beauty and good looks, Lorin Gabriella Gutierrez Bektas admitted that she once struggled with the feeling of looking different or not being good enough when she was younger. That, however, changed when she hit her 20s. But that’s getting ahead of the story. Lorin is currently a senior student majoring in Advertising at Pepperdine University, one of the top-ranked Christian liberal arts

October 28 ------ THE phrase seven-year itch is defined as “supposed infidelity on the seventh year of marriage.” Clearly, and strictly, it is one inevitable phase that occurs — or is expected to occur — in most wedded couples. There are isolated cases, though, where it applies to romantic relationships. Speaking of which, celebrity sweethearts Bianca Umali and Ruru Madrid marked their seventh year a couple of months back. Fortunately for them, or as fate would have it, they

October 28 ------ A long-awaited collaboration between actor Gerald Anderson and producer Dondon Monteverde has finally come full circle. Reality MM Studios, co-founded by Monteverde and director Erik Matti, has officially partnered with Anderson’s production company, The Th3rd Floor Studios, marking his debut as a film producer. The partnership, years in the making, reunites Anderson with Reality MM after their acclaimed work on “On The Job” in 2013. Their shared goal is to

KINGSTON/HAVANA, October 28 ------ Hurricane Melissa began lashing Jamaica with violent gusts as the U.S. National Hurricane Center upgraded it to a Category 5 storm packing sustained winds of 165 mph, the largest on record to slam into the Caribbean Island. Cuba, the eastern Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos also lie in the expected path of the storm, which will make its way north and east towards Bermuda later this week. The hurricane is expected to stay well offshore of the Un

LONDON/MOSCOW, October 28 ------ OPEC+, the world’s largest grouping of oil-producing nations, is leaning towards a modest output boost in December, four sources familiar with the talks said, as they push on with monthly increases aimed at clawing back market share. Having curbed production over several years in a bid to support the oil market, the group, which includes Russia and Saudi Arabia, started easing those curbs in April. In a series of monthly increases, eight OPEC+

KYIV, October 28 ------ Ukraine and its allies agreed to work on a ceasefire plan in the coming ten days, President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios, following the U.S. president's proposal to stop the war at the current lines. "Some quick points. Like a plan for a ceasefire. We decided we will work on it in the next week or ten days," he told Axios in an interview published on Monday. Source: reuters.com

AIR FORCE ONE, October 28 ------ U.S. President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin should end the war in Ukraine instead of testing a nuclear-powered missile, and that the United States had a nuclear submarine positioned off Russia's coast. Putin said on Sunday that Russia had successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a nuclear-capable weapon Moscow says can pierce any defence shield, and will move towards deploying the weapon. M

October 28 ------ Singapore and China have agreed to collaborate on establishing a green and digital shipping corridor, with the aim of fostering innovation, enhancing maritime connectivity, and supporting the global transition towards a more sustainable maritime sector. To formalize the collaboration on the Singapore-China Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC), the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Singapore and the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic

October 28 ------ The Port of Seattle announced today the completion of the 2025 cruise season. The record cruise season delivered an estimated $1.2 billion in regional economic benefit, while providing more than 5,120 individuals direct and indirect jobs throughout the season. The season also saw a record number of passengers and sailings, plus significant shore power use by ships in berth: • 298 total ship calls across 8 home port cruise brands operating 14 different ships

October 28 ------ A car carrier transiting the English Channel reported a fire and subsequently requested a tow. Unlike other recent incidents, however, the fire appears to have been limited to the engine room and not involving the cargo aboard the vessel. Grimaldi Euromed’s car carrier Grande Roma (14,483 dwt) departed Antwerp, Belgium, on October 24, reporting a destination of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. The following day, October 25, the captain reported a fire

October 28 ------ The British press and maritime authorities are reporting that a crewmember was killed yesterday aboard the P&O cruise ship Arvia. The ship was two days into a two-week cruise to the Caribbean from the UK. The Arvia, which is 185,581 gross tons, is one of the largest cruise ships in the world, and with her sister ship Iona, is the largest operating from the UK. The Arvia was introduced by the UK’s P&O Cruises in 2022 and is 344 meters (1,128 feet) in length w

MANILA, Philippines, October 28 ------ Pump prices of petroleum products are set to climb by as much as P2 per liter today as tensions abroad continue to rattle the global oil market. In separate advisories, Petron, Jetti and Seaoil announced a per-liter price hike of P1.20 for gasoline, P2 for diesel and P1.70 for kerosene. With these adjustments, the year-to-date net increases for gasoline, diesel and kerosene now stand at P16.30, P19.15 and P6.55 per liter, respectively. A