The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) will run after the recruiters of a 20-year-old Filipina who was recruited as a househelp but who ended up as a “sex worker” and was arrested and jailed in Malaysia. “Definitely po kailangan managot ng mga recruiter na ito (Definitely these recruiters should be …
Read More »China says took ‘control measures’ vs Philippine ships in its waters
Footage of a Chinese Coast Guard ship using a water cannon against a Filipino resupply vessel is shown during a press conference at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila on August 7, 2023. (Ezra Acayan / Pool / AFP) BEIJING, China — China demanded Friday that Manila stop infringing …
Read More »President names 3 more officials to gov’t posts
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed three new officials to various offices, Malacañang said on Thursday. In a Facebook post by the Presidential Communications Office, former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) executive director Angelito De Dios was named the new commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG). The …
Read More »Philippines scraps China funding for rail projects
THE Philippines has decided to scrap a $4.9-billion funding deal with China for three rail projects. Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the sudden withdrawal came after Beijing failed to respond to funding requests on the projects. The cancellation comes amid rising tensions in the South China Sea between the Philippines …
Read More »Duterte gives up OVP confidential fund
VICE President Sara Duterte has given up her office’s request for a P500-million confidential fund (CF) to end the divisiveness it has generated. Duterte on Thursday attended the Senate plenary debate for the proposed 2024 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP). The House of Representatives had slashed …
Read More »Gaza officials say hospitals under fire from Israeli airstrikes as Iran warns of wider war
Iran warned the scale of civilian suffering caused by Israel’s war on Hamas would inevitably lead to an expansion of the conflict, as officials in Gaza reported Israeli air strikes on or near several hospitals in the Palestinian enclave. Israel says Hamas has tunnels beneath Al-Shifa hospital but says it …
Read More »Hints of a military breakthrough for Ukraine overshadowed by concerns about the future
In its fight against Russia, Ukraine has managed to establish a modest but significant bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro River near the village of Krynky. But Ukraine’s top general says his country needs more help from the West, particularly advanced technology, to cement gains. Ukraine’s top general …
Read More »Australia offers to help South Pacific island residents escape rising seas
Australia on Friday offered the island nation of Tuvalu a lifeline to help residents escape the rising seas and increased storms brought by climate change. Plan would allow up to 280 Tuvaluans to come to Australia each year. Australia on Friday offered the island nation of Tuvalu a lifeline to …
Read More »Thousands more flee north Gaza, as U.S. says Israel agrees to daily humanitarian pauses
There was no let-up in the fighting between Israel and Hamas in northern Gaza on Thursday, as thousands more civilians fled south in a bid to reach a presumed area of comparative safety. No let-up in fighting between Hamas and Israel. There was no let-up in the fighting between Israel …
Read More »Trudeau government unveils plans to cut $500 million in spending
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government unveiled details of its plan to cut $500 million from government spending Thursday — and not all departments are going to be feeling the same impacts. While some agencies like the Canadian Space Agency and the Invest in Canada Hub will see more than one …
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