International News

PARIS, France, November 30 ------ The bird flu virus that has been spreading among wild birds, poultry, and mammals could lead to a pandemic worse than COVID-19 if it mutates to transmit between humans, the head of France's Institut Pasteur respiratory infections center said. The highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds in the past few years, disrupting food supplies and driving up prices, though huma

WASHINGTON, USA, November 30 ------ The Trump administration announced that it would review every permanent residency status, known as Green Cards, for people from over a dozen countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington." I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern," said Joseph Edlow, director of the US Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS), on X. President Donald Trump p

SYDNEY, November 29 ------ Asian shares are set to end a tough November on steadier ground as revived hopes of an imminent U.S. rate cut helped soothe valuation jitters and sent Treasuries rallying for a fourth straight month. U.S. markets, which were closed overnight for the Thanksgiving holiday, are due for a shortened session on Friday, so activity is more muted than usual across the major asset classes. European stocks traded mostly higher, while currencies were much more

MANILA, November 29 ------ The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is ramping up its delivery efforts of thousands of long-delayed balikbayan boxes abandoned by erring forwarders. In a press briefing, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac warned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to be mindful of the cargo forwarders they entrust with their balikbayan boxes. He said the DMW is working with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and that in the following days, the department would name

November 28 ------ The U.S. dollar headed for its steepest weekly drop in four months as investors bet on further monetary easing, amid pressure from President Donald Trump to cut rates. The yen edged 0.10 per cent higher to 156.33 per dollar, helped by a hawkish turn in tone from Bank of Japan officials. U.S. markets are shut for Thanksgiving, leaving liquidity thin and amplifying trading moves. "That could be an attractive environment for Japanese authorities to intervene i

NEW YORK/LONDON, November 28 ------ Oil prices rose as market participants weighed the likelihood that talks to end the war in Ukraine will yield an agreement, with trading volume thin due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. Brent crude futures settled up 21 cents, or 0.2 per cent, at $63.34 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 45 cents, or 0.8 per cent, at $59.10 a barrel by 1:46 p.m. ET (1846 GMT). The market is swinging between hope and skeptici

November 28 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian and U.S. delegations are to meet this week to work out a formula discussed at talks in Geneva to bring peace and provide security guarantees for Kyiv. "Our team, together with American representatives, will meet at the end of this week to continue to bring closer the points we have as a result of (talks in) Geneva in a form that will lead us on the path to peace and security guarantees," Zelensky sa

November 28 ------ A surprise US plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine stunned Kyiv and Europe last week, as they viewed it as echoing Russia’s demands. Over the weekend, officials from the United States, Ukraine, and Europe scrambled at emergency talks in Geneva to revise the 28-point blueprint. Moscow, which in turn held talks with Washington in Abu Dhabi this week, described the ongoing negotiations as “serious”. Though the amended plan has not been disclosed, it