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Property prices slow in Q4
The growth in property prices has been sustained for 10 straight quarters, albeit at a slower pace in the fourth quarter last year, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas......»»
March inflation may pick up amid high food prices
Inflation likely accelerated for the second straight month in March, mainly driven by high rice prices, prompting the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to keep borrowing costs unchanged at its next policy review in April, analysts said......»»
Brawner, US envoy, USAF chief to visit EDCA sites in Cagayan, Pampanga
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., United States Ambassador to the Philippines Marykay Carlson and US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral John Aquilino will be visiting facilities within the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites located in Lal-lo Airport and Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan and in Basa Air Base, Pampanga tomorrow, Wednesday. AFP Public Affairs chief Lt.Col. Enrico Gil Ileto said Brawner, Carlson and Aquilino will conduct an “extensive tour” at the completed EDCA projects in Basa Air Base, along with other high-ranking AFP and U.S. Armed Forces officers. “The tour will also provide an opportunity for the senior military officials to gain firsthand knowledge of the bases' potential for the development of key facilities to support HADR operations and modernization priorities of the AFP,” Ileto told reporters on Tuesday. After the visit, the Philippines and US delegations will attend the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board meeting at the Camp Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Thursday, 14 September. Ileto said: “These underscore the continued partnership and collaboration between the Philippines and United States militaries in enhancing national defense capabilities, as well as the shared commitment to regional security and disaster response efforts,” while Brawner and Aquilino’s visit to EDCA sites “signifies the commitment of both AFP and US Armed Forces to further strengthen its mutual cooperation.” This also ensures that both militaries are “prepared and well-equipped to respond to evolving security challenges and humanitarian crises,” he added. “The AFP looks forward to sharing insights from this visit and the MDB-SEB meeting, which together contribute to the enduring partnership between the two nations,” Ileto said. The post Brawner, US envoy, USAF chief to visit EDCA sites in Cagayan, Pampanga appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
N. Korea reopens its borders to citizens living abroad: KCNA
North Korea has moved to further open up from strict pandemic-era isolation, with state media reporting Sunday that citizens living abroad have been allowed to reenter the country. State-run KCNA said that the State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters had announced that "citizens abroad have been allowed to return home". "Those returned will be put under proper medical observation at quarantine wards for a week," the report said. It added that the decision had been made "in reference to the eased worldwide pandemic situation." North Korea shut its borders in early 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but there have been increasing signals the country has moved towards reopening. Chinese and Russian officials attended a military parade in Pyongyang last month -- the first foreign dignitaries to visit the country in years. Last week a delegation of athletes was allowed to attend a taekwondo competition in Kazakhstan, while state-run Air Koryo made its first international commercial flight in three years. The flight arrived Tuesday morning at Beijing's Capital Airport, with AFP reporters only seeing two North Koreans -- recognizable by their distinctive badges bearing the faces of former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il -- come through the arrival gate. Neither spoke to media. Another Air Koryo flight bound for Pyongyang departed just after 1:00 p.m., a tracking website showed. The Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency published photos of a number of North Koreans lining up to check luggage for that flight. Asked about the flights, China's foreign ministry said that it had approved restarting commercial air travel between Beijing and Pyongyang. "During the summer and autumn flight season... the Chinese side approved flight plans for passengers such as the Pyongyang-Beijing and Beijing-Pyongyang routes of Air Koryo," foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular briefing on Monday. des/nro © Agence France-Presse The post N. Korea reopens its borders to citizens living abroad: KCNA appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China vows ‘forceful’ response over Taiwan VP’s US visit
China on Sunday vowed "resolute and forceful measures" over a weekend trip by Taiwan Vice President William Lai to the United States it said it was closely monitoring. Lai -- the frontrunner in Taiwan's presidential elections next year -- is officially making only transit stops in the United States en route to and from Paraguay, where he will attend the inauguration of president-elect Santiago Pena. Taiwan is claimed by China, which has vowed to take the island democracy one day -- by force, if necessary -- and ramped up political and military pressure. "China is closely following the development of the situation and will take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," an unnamed spokesperson for the foreign ministry said in a statement published online. Lai has been far more outspoken about independence than Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, to whom Beijing is already hostile as she refuses to accept its view that Taiwan is a part of China. The Harvard-educated doctor-turned-politician has previously described himself as a "pragmatic Taiwan independence worker", and reiterated this week when speaking with a local television channel that Taiwan was "not part of the People's Republic of China (PRC)". "The Republic of China and PRC are not subordinate to each other," he said, using Taiwan's official name. On landing in New York on Sunday, Lai said on Twitter, now rebranded as X: "Happy to arrive at the Big Apple, icon of liberty, democracy and opportunities," adding that he was greeted at the airport by representatives of the American Institute in Taiwan, the United States's de facto embassy for the island. "Looking forward to seeing friends and attending transit programs in New York," he wrote. Lai is expected to continue to Paraguay, then stop in San Francisco on his way back. - Airspace incursions - In the week leading up to Lai's departure, incursions by the Chinese military around Taiwan's waters and airspace -- which have been happening near-daily in the past year -- were larger than usual. On Wednesday, the defense ministry said 33 Chinese warplanes and six vessels had been detected around the island in a 24-hour window. "China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between the US and Taiwan, is resolutely opposed to separatists seeking 'Taiwan independence' entering the US under any name and for any reason, and firmly opposed to any form of official contact between the US government and the Taiwanese side," China's foreign ministry spokesperson said. "China expresses strong dissatisfaction with and strongly condemns the US insistence on arranging William Lai's 'transit' to the US," the spokesperson added, labeling Lai a "downright troublemaker". ehl-je/cwl © Agence France-Presse The post China vows ‘forceful’ response over Taiwan VP’s US visit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Recruiters warned: Shape up or else
The Bureau of Immigration on Thursday issued a warning to recruiters in the country to stop the practice of enticing people looking for jobs abroad to present visas for tourism. BI commissioner Norman Tansingco’s warning comes following the agency’s intercepted cases of human trafficking at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, where victims were made to pose as tourists bound for Singapore but upon secondary inspection, the victims were found to be actually bound for the United Arab Emirates where they were illegally recruited to work. The BI chief said that their officers were able to access a system that allows them to verify certain concealed visas. The BI chief disclosed that on 16 July, a 19-year-old female victim was intercepted at NAIA Terminal 1 after presenting herself as an employee of a local company in the Philippines, but it was found out that she was recruited via social media to work in Dubai for a club resort. On the following day, a 26-year-old female victim was also intercepted in the same terminal after initially claiming to be a businesswoman traveling to Singapore to attend the APEC international conference on recent developments in business marketing strategies. However, she later admitted to presenting dubious documents, which were all given to her by her recruiter outside the airport terminal. She was found to have a concealed visa to the UAE, where she was hired to work as a waitress. The BI chief said that their officers were able to access a system that allows them to verify certain concealed visas. Tansingco added that in this modern day and age, the old method of hiding sheets of folded visas can now be detected. “Our kababayans are warned not to agree to this illegal practice, which only puts them at risk of exploitation,” Tansingco said. Both women were immediately referred to the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking for debriefing and assistance in filing cases against their recruiters. The post Recruiters warned: Shape up or else appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden arrives in Britain ahead of NATO summit, Finland visit
President Joe Biden arrived in Britain Sunday where he will meet King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before continuing to Vilnius for a NATO summit, then a final stop in new NATO member Finland. Air Force One touched down at Stansted Airport north of London late in the evening, an AFP journalist reported. On Monday, he meets the British monarch at Windsor Castle, one of the royal residences, for the first time since Charles III's coronation. The US president did not attend the ceremony, sending First Lady Jill Biden instead. Their talks are expected to focus on environmental issues, the White House said. Biden will also be meeting with Sunak at 10 Downing Street. The main part of Biden's Europe trip will be the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Tuesday and Wednesday, where the Western allies will discuss helping Ukraine to oust Russian occupation forces. Ukraine is pressing for admission to the military alliance but Biden said in an interview aired Sunday with CNN that this cannot happen until the war is over. Bringing Ukraine in now would mean NATO is at war with Russia, Biden said. Under its Article 5, NATO is committed to defending any member that comes under attack. "It's a commitment that we've all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we're all in war. We're at war with Russia, if that were the case," Biden said. Biden hopes to use the summit to pressure Turkey to drop its opposition to Sweden's all-but-cleared NATO membership bid. Entry requires unanimous consent from all members. In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said. The two leaders "expressed their shared commitment to continue supporting Ukraine," the statement added. Erdogan's office said separately that he would meet with Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius. The talks will focus on "Ukraine's position in NATO, Sweden's NATO membership, and the delivery of F-16" fighter jets, which Turkey hopes to secure from the United States, the Turkish presidency said. - Ukraine and NATO - In the interview with CNN, Biden had said he was considering supplying Turkey and Greece with new or upgraded US-made fighter aircraft as an enticement for Turkey to let Sweden join NATO. "And so, what I'm trying to, quite frankly, put together is a little bit of a consortium here where we're strengthening NATO in terms of the military capacity of both Greece as well as Turkey and allow Sweden to come in," Biden said. "But it's in play. It's not done." Erdogan's office said, however, that it was "not correct" to link Turkey's desire to acquire the fighter jets, which need congressional approval, with Sweden's membership drive. While in Vilnius, Biden will also deliver a major foreign policy speech at the city's university. His trip comes in the wake of a controversial decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, which most NATO member countries have banned but which the United States continues to hold in its arsenal and says will help Ukraine destroy heavily dug-in Russian forces. Biden's final stop before returning to Washington on Thursday will be Finland, which ended its historic neutrality to enter NATO in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine. Biden will be the first US president to visit Helsinki since Donald Trump went five years ago to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. sms-acl/kjm © Agence France-Presse The post Biden arrives in Britain ahead of NATO summit, Finland visit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Russian reporter ‘savagely’ beaten in Chechnya
An award-winning Russian investigative journalist is in hospital after being badly beaten by armed assailants during a trip to Chechnya, her newspaper and a rights group said. The attack happened early on Tuesday as well-known journalist Elena Milashina and Alexander Nemov, a lawyer, were traveling from the airport. Her newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, published a video of Milashina in hospital with her head shaven and covered in a green-colored dye -- used to target Kremlin critics -- and her hands bandaged. She said the attack, which included having a gun held to her head, was linked to her "professional activity in Chechnya." Milashina has covered rights abuses in Chechnya, the Caucasus republic ruled by former warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, for years. She came to Grozny on Tuesday to attend the sentencing of Zarema Musayeva, whose husband and sons have fallen foul of the Kadyrov regime but did not make it there. "It's a sensitive case," she said, calling Musayeva a "hostage." Musayeva later was handed 5-and-a-half years on fraud charges widely seen as political revenge against her family. Milashina recounted the attack in a video shared by Novaya Gazeta: "They came, they threw out the driver, the taxi driver from the car. They jumped in, pushed our heads down, they tied my hands, put us on our knees with a gun to the head," she said. "They did everything nervously. They didn't manage to tie my hands properly." The Memorial human rights group said the pair were "savagely" beaten. She said she was taken to neighboring Ossetia for safety and the newspaper said she will go back to Moscow once a medical team examines her. Not welcome Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a briefing that President Vladimir Putin had been informed. "We are talking about a very serious attack that requires vigorous measures," Peskov said. Kadyrov, who has been accused of persistent rights abuses in his restive region, said in a statement online he had instructed officials to determine who was behind the attack. "The authorities began to work immediately after the announcement of the incident," the statement read. But his rights ombudsman Mansur Soltayev said Milashina was "not welcome by a large part of the public" in Chechnya. He said this was especially true during Moscow's Ukraine offensive, during which "the Chechen nation supports the efforts of the president of Russia." The media rights group Reporters Without Borders said it was "horrified by the savage attack" on Milashina. And the rights group Amnesty International urged Russia to investigate the "vicious" beating. Milashina's paper Novaya Gazeta, Russia's top independent publication, said she and Nemov were in a hospital in the Chechen capital Grozny. Novaya Gazeta in February last year said that Milashina had to leave Russia temporarily after receiving death threats from the Chechen leadership. The paper, whose chief editor Dmitry Muratov won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, has since 2000 seen six journalists and contributors killed, including investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya. By focusing on rights abuses in Chechnya, Milashina has followed in the footsteps of Politkovskaya, a fierce critic of the Kremlin's policies in Chechnya, who was shot dead in 2006. Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that the incident "should be carefully investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice". The post Russian reporter ‘savagely’ beaten in Chechnya appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden knocks Trump as rivals barnstorm heartland in election finale
Joe Biden intensified his attacks Friday on President Donald Trump as they battled over the American Midwest, chasing every last vote with four days to go in a region that propelled the Republican to victory in 2016. RUS President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Rochester International Airport October 30, 2020 in Rochester, Minnesota. With Election Day only four days away, Trump is campaigning in Minnesota despite the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the state. In accordance with state orders, only 250 people will be able to attend the rally with Trump while thousands of others will gather outside the airport to watch on a large television screen. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP) Trump and Biden barnstormed three heartland states each — with a resurgent coronavirus passing the milestone of nine million cases as they hit the stump — highlighting their differences in a race overshadowed by the pandemic. Trump, heralded a “big day” of campaigning as he left the White House, then held a rally in Michigan before heading to Wisconsin and Minnesota, all states battling climbing numbers of virus cases. “We just want normal,” Trump told supporters — many of them unmasked — at an outdoor rally near Detroit as he pushed states to relax public health restrictions and resume daily life. He again bucked his own administration’s health experts as he downplayed the Covid-19 threat, saying “if you get it, you’re going to get better, and then you’re going to be immune.” Covid-19 has killed nearly 230,000 people in the US, which is experiencing surges in most states as the winter flu season looms. The outbreak has ravaged the economy, and while there have been signs of recovery, millions remain jobless. Biden was also stumping in Wisconsin and in Minnesota, where he sharpened his attacks on the president on everything from Trump seeking to dismantle Obama-era health care protections and keep his taxes secret to climate change and trade policy with China. “We can not afford four more years of Donald Trump,” the 77-year-old Democrat said at a socially distanced drive-in rally in St. Paul, Minnesota. “So honk your horn if you want America to lead again!” he said, embracing the awkward pandemic-era campaign trend of rallying supporters in their vehicles. “Honk your horn if you want to have civility again, and honk your horn if you want America to be united again!” Earlier in Iowa he attacker Trump over his handling of the pandemic. “Donald Trump has given up (and) waved the white flag,” Biden told a drive-in rally with more than 300 cars in Des Moines. – ‘Less divided’ – Trump flipped Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin from the Democrats to clinch his shock victory four years ago. Now polls show Biden leading in all three, albeit narrowly in Iowa. It was Biden’s first visit to Iowa since his inauspicious campaign start in February, when he placed a dismal fourth in the opening Democratic nominating contest. So can Biden win over enough voters to prevail in the Hawkeye State? “I wouldn’t put money on it,” Iowa attorney Sara Riley, 61, said at Biden’s event, although she was more confident about him clinching the White House. “I think Americans, even Trump supporters, want to get to a place where the country is less divided,” Riley said. With voters concerned about the health hazards of crowded polling stations on November 3, a record 86 million have already cast early ballots by mail or in person. Even as the US hit a grim new high in daily Covid-19 infections Thursday, Trump has stuck to his guns, downplaying the dangers and branding Democrats as rampaging “socialists” intent on shuttering the country. And while Trump has touted the economic successes of his presidency, including positive GDP figures Thursday, US stocks closed out their worst week since March, highlighting concerns about a shaky recovery. – ‘Turn Texas blue?’ – After a campaign largely muted by the pandemic, Biden is on the offensive, pushing Trump onto the back foot in unexpected battlegrounds like Texas, a large, traditionally conservative bastion now rated a toss-up by multiple analysts. On Friday the state reported that a staggering nine million residents had already voted, surpassing its entire 2016 total. Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris visited Texas Friday in a bid to turn the state Democratic for the first time since president Jimmy Carter in 1976. “We have a chance to turn Texas blue,” the 96-year-old Carter said in a fundraising email. Biden winning there would be a dagger to Trump, but the president dismissed the notion, saying: “Texas, we’re doing very well.” Trump and Biden are focusing their greatest efforts on traditional battlegrounds that will decide the election — such as Florida, where both campaigned on Thursday. On Saturday Biden returns to the Midwest bringing with him perhaps his strongest surrogate: ex-president Barack Obama, making his first joint in-person campaign appearance of the year with his former VP. Motown music legend Stevie Wonder will join them, the Biden campaign said. Trump will spend the day campaigning in the critical state of Pennsylvania, where he narrowly trails Biden in polls. Biden will follow suit there both Sunday and Monday in a clear sign that his campaign sees the Keystone State as absolutely crucial to his victory......»»
The future of food
I met Ella, Singapore's first robotic barista, at Changi International Airport. Ella serves various drinks non-stop, from a classic latte to a Pandan Tea latte......»»
Power fluctuations hit NAIA
Passengers sweltered as power fluctuations hit the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 at around 10 a.m. yesterday......»»
Fisherfolk group urges gov’t to regulate fish prices amid Lent
Fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas on Wednesday urged the government to address the surge in retail prices of fish during the Holy Week......»»
Cebuano Larz Dawson first runner-up for Mister Tourism Universe 2024
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Another Cebuano is putting Cebu on the centerstage of pageants. Larz Kent Dawson, 22, from Tisa, Cebu City recently bagged the first runner-up title for this year’s Mister Universe Tourism. Dawson, who was crowned Ginoong Pilipinas 2023, added another title in his bag, this time on the international stage. “Joining Mister Universe.....»»
Holy Week 2024: A peek into 7 Metro Cebu churches for Visita Iglesia
The Lenten Season is also about reflection and prayer about the passion of Christ. There are days to fast and during the Holy Week on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, the Catholic faithful usually practice the Visita Iglesia or the tradition to visit 7 or 14 churches, where they pray and reflect and do.....»»
Gilas women off to great start in FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup
The Gilas Pilipinas women had a strong start in the 2024 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup after coming up unscathed in the first day of the competition Wednesday at the Singapore Sports Hub......»»
'MahalNaAraw2024: Mga Tradisyon tuwing Semana Santa
MAHALAGA ang paggunita ng Semana Santa o Holy Week lalo na sa mga Pilipino na may sagradong paniniwala bilang Katoliko. Sa katunayan, tinaguriang “Asia’s Bastion of Christianity” ang Pilipinas at isa rin ito sa mga bansang may malaking bilang ng mga Katoliko. Kaya naman hindi na rin kataka-taka na talagang binibigyan ng importansya ang Mahal.....»»
Davao police clueless on Quiboloy’s whereabouts
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 March) — Police authorities in the Davao region claim they are still clueless on the whereabouts of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy. The Senate had earlier ordered the arrest of Quiboloy for his continued refusal to attend its investigation of alleged human trafficking and child abuse. Police major Catheine Dela Rey, Police […].....»»
Marian ikinumpara si Gabby sa lafang: Walang itulak-kabigin sa kanya!
PINALIGUAN ng positibong mga salita ni GMA Primetime Queen Marian Rivera ang isa sa Ultimate Leading Man sa Pilipinas na si Gabby Concepcion. Sa wakas, natuloy na rin ang pinakaaabangang pagtatambal nina Marian at Gabby sa pinakabagong primetime series ng Kapuso Network na “My Guardian Alien.” Magsisimula na itong umere simula sa April 1 sa.....»»
eTravel pains
You know it’s a popular season for traveling when television news outlets are already reporting live from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to check if there are already hordes of passengers preparing to leave town or the country during the Holy Week break......»»
Blow-By-Blow Okada: Bacosa posts 3rd straight KO victory
Tall and rangy lightweight Eman Bacosa posted a third-round stoppage over Jan Clyde Langahin during a special presentation of Manny Pacquiao Presents: Blow-By-Blow Sunday at the Okada Manila......»»