Philippine News

October 24 ------ The Swedish government’s grant of $1.3 million for the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas (SCMB) railway project under the Luzon Economic Corridor underscores the strengthened cooperation between Sweden and the Philippines, its ambassador said. The Swedish Embassy in Manila, in a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 22, cited Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Anna Ferry’s remarks during the official presentation of the signed agreement at the Malacañan Palace. “This ad

October 24 ------ The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) warned the public of debris from China’s launch of its Long March 5 rocket that may have fallen in waters off Cagayan and Ilocos Norte. In an advisory, the PhilSA confirmed that the People’s Republic of China launched its Long March 5 rocket at 10:31 p.m. Thursday from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Wenchang, Hainan. “Expected debris from the rocket launch was projected to have fallen within the identified drop zones a

MANILA, October 24 ------ Around 1.35 million passengers are expected to travel via the country's main gateway NAIA this Undas season, the airport operators said. The Department of Transportation and the New NAIA Infra Corp (NNIC) led a joint inspection of NAIA Terminal 3, showcasing new developments that will "improve customer experience." There are new check-in kiosks, innovative self bag-drop counters, and a new food hub that officials likened to airports of other countrie

October 24 ------ The cruise industry has roared back since the pandemic, as almost everyone in the travel industry is well aware. AAA and Tourism Economics, however, published new numbers to show just how strong the industry is, and specifically the significance of the U.S. market to the industry. In a new report, they highlight that the industry is expected to mark the fourth consecutive year of record cruise passenger volume in 2026. They note as well that 2025 is turning

October 24 ------ European, Chinese, and South Korean financiers have over half of their portfolio tied to oil and gas carriers that are most at risk of becoming stranded assets in the global rush to shift to a low-carbon energy system, a new report by UCL’s Energy Institute Shipping and Oceans Research Group suggests. As the global economy moves toward decarbonization, the maritime transport industry is staring at the abyss of stranded assets, i.e., vessels that lose value b

October 24 ------ A growing trend to ship combustible cargoes such as lithium batteries in refrigerated containers has prompted VIKING Life-Saving Equipment to develop HydroPen Reefer – a new version of its widely adopted ‘drill and spray’ solution for fighting container fires inside the box. In contrast to conventional exterior firefighting methods, HydroPen’s unique drill and nozzle attaches to a ship’s hose and uses water pressure to drill through the container shell and f

October 24 ------ Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 has yet again demonstrated its determination to fight illicit activities in the waters of the Middle East. The international task force, which is under the command of Saudi Arabia, seized drugs worth a staggering $972.4 million during two operations in the Arabian Sea in the span of 48 hours. During an operation code named Al Masmak, Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Yarmook conducted boarding operations of two dhows that led to the seiz

October 24 ------ Oil prices jumped around 2.5%, extending gains from the previous session, as supply concerns resurfaced after the United States imposed sanctions on major Russian oil suppliers Rosneft (ROSN.MM), opens new tab and Lukoil (LKOH.MM), opens new tab over the Ukraine war. Brent crude futures were up by $1.56, or 2.49%, at $64.15 per barrel by 0303 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up $1.53, or 2.62%, at $60.03. The U.S. said it was prepar

TEL AVIV, Israel, October 24 ------ As top U.S. officials and envoys visit Israel this week to try to bolster the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Vice President JD Vance sought to publicly ease concerns within Israel that the Trump administration was dictating terms to its closest ally in the region. “We don’t want in Israel a vassal state, and that’s not what Israel is. We want a partnership, we want an ally,” Vance said beside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in response to a r

LONDON, October 24 ------ Britain called for a raft of measures against Russia to strengthen Ukraine's hand ahead of any future peace talks, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky heads to London for discussions with key allies. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said he would press a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" countries that have pledged to strengthen support for Ukraine to take Russian oil and gas off the global market, use frozen Russian assets

October 24 ------ Spain will join a NATO initiative to jointly procure US weapons for Ukraine, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, framing the move as part of Madrid’s broader backing for Kyiv and commitment to the Alliance. Trump’s Renewed Criticism of Madrid’s Defense Spending “Spain is a country committed to the Atlantic Alliance and to supporting Ukraine at all levels,” Sánchez told reporters ahead of an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, as cited by El País, adding that Madr

October 23 ------ KEVIN Alas proved to be the ace that NLEX badly needed, scoring 26 points off the bench to help pull off an 87-81 win over Phoenix in the PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Alas buried one crucial shot after another in the endgame to lift the Road Warriors to their second win in three outings, allowing the team to get back on track after a stunning loss to minnow Terrafirma last October 12. Phoenix suffered second loss in three games

October 23 ------ Jimmy Butler III scored 31 points, and Stephen Curry added 23 as the visiting Golden State Warriors opened the season with a 119-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jonathan Kuminga produced 17 points and nine rebounds, and Buddy Hield also had 17 points for the Warriors, who took control with an 18-4 scoring burst to open the second half. Golden State finished 17 of 40 (42.5%) from 3-point range as Kuminga went 4 of 6 from distance and Hield went 5 of

October 23 ------ THE Ryukyu Golden Kings spoiled the first game of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in a Meralco jersey, hacking out an 81-72 victory over their Philippine rival to make it to the win column of the EASL Home and Away Season 3. The Golden Kings went on a finishing 7-0 run inside the final two minutes to take the fight out of the rallying Bolts side left without Justin Brownlee and Asian import Mohammad Sina Vahedi before a full-house crowd at the Okinawa Suntory Arena.

LOS ANGELES, October 23 ------ Blake Snell will start Game 1 of the World Series on Friday and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will follow in Game 2 for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Toronto Blue Jays, manager Dave Roberts said. It's a repeat of the pitching order the Dodgers used for the first two games of their four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Championship Series. Snell had 10 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings in Game 1 on Oct. 13. He became the first Dodge

MANILA, Philippines, October 23 ------ The long awaited 2025 Wonderful Moments Music Festival revealed its 17-act lineup of Filipino artists with P-pop girl group BINI and Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia headlining the show. A collaborative effort between event organizers iMe Philippines and actor Alden Richards’ Myriad Entertainment, the Filipino music festival will go live for two days at the SMDC Festival Grounds on December 6 and 7. As of this writing, set times have yet

October 23 ------ Kathryn Bernardo took to social media to pen a message as she marked a new milestone in her career. The actress is set to be immortalized in a wax figure at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. On Instagram, Kathryn shared a peak of the making of her wax figure. "The 'Kath' is finally out of the bag! 👀 So excited to finally share this with everyone. Thank you @madametussaudshongkong for this huge honor," she posted. Fans online were quick to congratulate Kathryn for

October 23 ------ Binibining Pilipinas Myrna Esguerra is gearing up for the 63rd Miss International pageant that will take place in Japan next month. And her grit has become even more pronounced with the recent victories that the Philippines has been enjoying in the global arena. The country scored an unprecedented back-to-back in the 2025 Miss Grand International pageant when Emma Tiglao inherited the title from Christine Juliane “CJ” Opiaza in the competition on Oct. 18, an

October 23 ------ Janine and Diego Gutierrez gave a heartfelt thanks to the Filipino Music Awards (FMA) for recognizing the legacy of the late Pilita Corrales, whom they referred to as their Mamita, as the latter was awarded the Tribute Award. The siblings accepted the trophy on behalf of Corrales at the inaugural FMA, with the actress saying the late singer’s career started with a determination to succeed in music as a means to help her family survive. “On behalf of our fami

October 23 ------ Tropical Storm Salome has maintained its strength while traversing the waters of Sabtang, Batanes, according to the state weather bureau PAGASA's 5 a.m. Thursday bulletin. Salome was packing maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 90 km/h as of 4 a.m. It was traveling south southwestward at 20 km/h. Batanes is still under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2. The western portion of the Babuyan Islands (Calayan Is., Dalupiri Is