South East Asia

WASHINGTON -The World Bank's executive board expects to select a new president by early May after last week's news that David Malpass will leave the top job well before his contract ends in April 2024, the bank said in a statement late on Wednesda...

Chip designer Nvidia Corp forecast first-quarter revenue above Wall Street estimates on Wednesday as its CEO said use of its chips to power artificial intelligence (AI) services like chatbots had "gone through the roof in the last 60 days." The sa...

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. As Alphabet Inc looks past a chatbot flub that helped erase $100 billion from its market value, another challenge is emerging from its efforts to add generative artificial intelligence to its popular Google Search: the cost. Executiv...

LEGAZPI CITY — Albay disaster officials confirmed Wednesday night, February 22, 2023, that the four people onboard the Cessna plane which crashed near Mayon Volcano were already dead. In a private message, Camalig Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo Jr., incid...

Facebook-parent Meta Platforms Inc is planning a fresh round of job cuts in a reorganization and downsizing effort that could affect thousands of workers, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. Last year, the social media company let go 13 percent of ...

MANILA, Philippines — Over 1,300 land reform beneficiaries in Central Visayas have received land titles for their plots, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. DAR simultaneously distributed 1,290 land titles t...

MANILA, Philippines — Passengers will have to pay more for their plane rides next month after the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) imposed a higher fuel surcharge to be collected by the airlines amid rising jet fuel prices. In a recent advisory, the CA...

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, declared eight coastal areas in the country positive for the red tide toxin. Among those areas included the coastal waters of Daius and Tagbi...

HONG KONG — Some Chinese provinces are giving young newlyweds 30 days of paid leave in the hope of boosting a flagging birth rate, the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily Health said on Tuesday. China's minimum paid marriage leave is t...

CEBU CITY, Philippines—We all know Filipinos love multipurpose vehicles (MPV). They are versatile vehicles that offer value for money due to their seven-seat capability. Lately, MPVs have become even more attractive. Case in point, the Hyundai Starg...

Spotify's new feature uses artificial intelligence to create a personalized playlist based on your interests and music history. Moreover, it has an AI "host" that announces your songs like a radio DJ, voiced by Spotify's Head of Cultural P...

Government agencies based at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) will be creating soon a one-stop shop to process special flights and ensure such trips are not being used in human trafficking, the spokesperson of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said ...

Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban on Wednesday said there was "nothing irregular" about the importation of sugar to the country even before the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) approved the importation of 440,000 metric ton...

MANILA, Philippines — Passengers will have to pay more for their plane rides next month after the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) imposed a higher fuel surcharge to be collected by the airlines amid rising jet fuel prices. In a recent advisory, the CA...

MANILA, Philipines — Over 300 Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) personnel who are in danger of being terminated next month for failing to earn a college degree and pass the civil service examination have asked for a two-year extension to comply with the...

Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa said on Wednesday that he confronted a Spanish legislator for "questioning"; a proposed Senate resolution defending former President Rodrigo Duterte against the International Criminal Court (ICC), insisting that...

OVER AYUNGIN SHOAL, West Philippine Sea—"Welcome to China!" Thus read a text roaming alert received by passengers of a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) aircraft on a maritime air patrol as it approached this submerged reef located within the cou...

Coach Bonnie Tan is not discounting the possibility of another NorthPort turnaround after finally getting a victory in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors' Cup."Don't take away the fact that we won three straight games in the bubbl...

The Philippines and Australia discussed the possibility of pursuing joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), only days after the former held similar talks with the United States to counter China's growing assertiveness in the region. At a joint...

MANILA, Philippines — The lone dissenter in the Senate's ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Sen. Risa Hontiveros, stood pat on her position that the country was not yet ready to participate in the trade agree...

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate approved late Tuesday night the country's entry to the world's biggest free-trade bloc, a move cheered by major business groups on Wednesday as it will boost investment and jobs. Twenty senators approved Reso...

Schonny Winston doesn't want to get too caught up on the possibility of cracking Chot Reyes' final roster for the Fiba (International Basketball Federation) World Cup Asian Qualifiers."I9;m just taking it one thing at a time," the forme...

MANILA, Philippines — Maj. Gen. Jonnel Estomo, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, ordered on Tuesday an investigation and manhunt against two men who shot dead a tourist from New Zealand in Makati City on Sunday. In a report, Estomo...

The Philippine women's football team hopes that the experience of facing highly-ranked nations in the Pinatar Cup that ended on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time) can be carried over into the Fifa (International Federation of Association Football) Women...

Vacancy rates in Metro Manila's premium office space market hit 20.3 percent in 2022, staying in the double-digit zone recorded in the last two years as the market segment continued to struggle to recover to prepandemic levels. Property consulting fir...

Technology mogul Elon Musk's SpaceX announced on Wednesday that Starlink, a satellite-based internet connectivity service, was already available in the Philippines. SpaceX made the announcement via its Twitter account, attaching a website link showing...

It sounds like an innocuous, almost routine, event. But it's a big thing in the tightly knit community of auditors in the Philippines. We're talking about Wednesday's announcement by Ayala Land Inc.—arguably the most prestigious property...

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is looking to create a separate unit to focus on international tax collection, including onshore transactions of global e-commerce firms, to plug billions of pesos of estimated tax leakage. Revenue Commissioner Romeo L...

(First of four parts) Davao Global Township (DGT) is a long-standing vision I shared with my cousin Frederick "Fred" Huang Yuson," says Jason Po Huang, corporate secretary of Yuson Huang Excellence Soberano Tan (YHEST) Realty and Development C...

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said it has partnered with the Confederation of Wearables Exporters of the Philippines (Conwep) to fight the illicit trade of clothes counterfeiting, setting up a cooperation framework between t...

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) plunged over 100 points to close below 6,700 on Wednesday, following a similar selldown in Asia and Wall Street overnight. The PSEi fell 1.5 percent, or 101.73 points, to 6,699.23 while the broader All ...

It is about time for the government to establish a comprehensive national blueprint to decarbonize the Philippines, according to First Philippine Holdings Corp. chair and CEO Federico Lopez. "We need a comprehensive, integrated and well-studied nation...

PARIS — The war in Ukraine has become synonymous with horrific suffering and destruction, but also with fierce courage and unprecedented solidarity. Here are 10 iconic pictures that tell the story of the first 12 months of the conflict: In this file...

MANILA, Philippines--The trophy that will be handed out to the winner of the Fifa Women's World Cup will be in Manila for a promotional tour, the Philippine Football Federation announced Wednesday.A public event at Glorietta Activity Center in Makati ...

MANILA, Philippines---Magnolia notched its fourth straight win in the PBA Governors' Cup at the expense of Rain or Shine, thanks in large part to Jio Jalalon stepping up to the plate.The Hotshots had huge help from Jalalon in the Hotshots' 112-97 ...

BERLIN---The Olympics cannot be divisive and exclude athletes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday, defending its plan to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to qualify for the Paris 2024 summer Olympics.In a statement to mark th...

MANILA, Philippines---Filipinos Carlo Paalam and Junmilardo Ogayre scored dominant wins to get their campaign going in the 74th Strandja International Boxing Tournament on Tuesday in Sofia, Bulgaria.Paalam secured a spot in the quarterfinals after outclas...

MANILA, Philippines--PGJC-Navy turned back Vanguard, 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23, in the Spikers' Turf Open Conference at Paco Arena on Thursday.Greg Dolor and Christian Marcelino churned out 20 and 19 points, respectively to lead D'Navigators in t...

MANILA, Philippines--Magnolia raised its winning run to four straight games after a 0-3 start with a dominant performance to beat Rain or Shine, 112-97, in the PBA Governors' Cup on Wednesday at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.Jio Jalalon once again pu...

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — A Technical Working Group (TWG) that will monitor new cable installations in Mandaue City will be created soon. Architect Florentino Nimor, the assistant city administrator, said that their current concern is the new cabl...

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) has expressed support for the proposed ordinance granting amnesty for traffic violators but recommended a scheduled compromise penalty. Lawyer Kent Francesco Jongoy, the section hea...

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu—The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) assures fast "tracking restoration" of the damaged Line 2 of its Cebu-Mandaue 138-kiloVolt (KV) underground power line in Barangay Umapad, Mandaue City. The transmi...

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu—Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard "Ahong" Chan has signed the proposed ordinance which implements Republic Act no. 10524 and provide effective auditing, monitoring, capacity building, and placement program for persons with dis...

CEBU CITY, Philippines — An official of the Cebu City Planning and Development Office (CCPDO) has urged the city government to be more "proactive" and implement extra measures for earthquake preparedness and response. CCPDO head Architect Jo...

CEBU CITY, Philippines Three individuals suffered injuries after the pick-up truck they rode crashed into a road barrier and rolled over along the highway in Liloan town, northern Cebu on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Police from Liloan confirmed that a r...

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government awarded 78 outstanding city hall employees during this year's Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) Awards. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama led the awarding of outstanding...

CEBU CITY, Philippines Traffic investigators continue to look into what caused the fatal vehicular accident in Danao City, Cebu that claimed the lives of three family members on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. Among the angles that investigators are looking i...

CEBU CITY, Philippines — From the city's Charter in 1937, there have been only 19 women who served as councilors of Cebu City, excluding four ex officio members, with Jocelyn Pesquera and Mary Ann de los Santos as incumbent councilors. This is j...

SINGAPORE The dollar and sterling were buoyant on Wednesday, after a surprise rebound in business activity in the United States and the UK raised the likelihood that their respective central banks would have further to go in raising interest rates. Elsewh...

The Starlink Twitter page announced that its satellite internet map now includes the Philippines. However, you cannot order a system for your home yet. At the time of writing, ordering Starlink is not yet available in the country due to "pending regul...