Azerbaijan slammed Russian state news agency Tass on Thursday over what it described as an “act of disrespect and insult” to the country’s territorial integrity. Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada said in a statement that the news agency’s reference to the city of Khankendi in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region as “Stepanakert” is considered by Baku as…
An Israeli aid distribution program for the starving residents of the besieged Gaza Strip is being run like a dystopian novel, a former security contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said Thursday. “The best way that I can describe how the Palestinians reach the site to receive aid is akin to the Hunger Games,…
Oil prices are likely to increase again next week due to developments in the global market, including the recent US-EU trade deal that reduced tariffs on European exports to the United States to 15 percent, as well as various supply-related factors. Leo Bellas, president of Jetti Petroleum, Inc., cited the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS)…
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has reiterated his administration’s commitment to supporting initiatives and projects aimed at enhancing the power supply in the Philippines. On Thursday, Marcos met with business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan of MGen and ACWA Power founder and chairperson Mohammad Abunayyan at Malacañan Palace in Manila. In a Facebook post on Thursday…
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 5 (Bicol) has extended financial assistance to 10 vendors impacted by a fire that devastated a public market in Iriga City, Camarines Sur, on July 11. DSWD-5 Director Norman Laurio reported that nine vendors whose stores were completely destroyed received PHP 10,000 in cash each, while the…
The estimated damage to agriculture and infrastructure caused by tropical cyclones Crising (international name Wipha), Dante (Francisco), and Emong (Co-May), along with the enhanced southwest monsoon, has reached PHP 12.84 billion, according to the latest official government tally. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) released a situation report on Friday, indicating that…
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced on Thursday that it will expand the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) to include an additional 300,000 beneficiaries within the year, followed by another 150,000 food-poor families next year. Undersecretary Eduardo Punay of the DSWD’s Innovations and Programs Development Group (IPDG) shared this update during the Thursday…
The Climate Change Commission (CCC) has highlighted the critical need for research and development, as well as science and innovation, to safeguard the Philippines from the escalating impacts of climate change. In a news release on Thursday, CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert Borje warned that the country could incur over PHP 1.2 trillion…
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) stated on Thursday that the responsibility for filing new bills regarding additional wages for workers lies solely with Congress. DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma emphasized that if a bill is enacted into law, it becomes the department’s duty to implement it. “Refiling and filing of new bills, including wage…
The Philippine tourism sector has generated USD 4.2 billion (PHP 242 billion) in visitor receipts from January 1 to June 18, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT). Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco announced on Thursday that this figure represents a year-on-year increase of 0.48 percent. As of July 30, the DOT recorded a total of…