MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has retired its last six operational UH-1H helicopters after newer Black Hawks took over most of their transport and disaster-response missions. PAF spokesperson Col. Alvin Jay Capinguian said on Friday that all six helicopters were still operational before their formal decommissioning on Thursday at Brig. Gen. Benito

MANILA, Philippines – The defense panel in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial has withdrawn its subpoena request for former law dean Ralph Sarmiento. In a manifestation submitted to the impeachment court on Thursday, Nov. 5, the defense panel requested that the court either cancel or recall the subpoena for Sarmiento. “Respondent-Accused, by counsel, respectfully

MANILA, Philippines —  A leading member of the People’s Budget Coalition (PBC) welcomed Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III’s commitment to greater transparency and accountability in the national budget process and to working with civil society groups to achieve those goals. In a Facebook post, Kenneth Isaiah Ibasco Abante, a PBC member, thanked Dy for meeting

San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan kicked off the Christmas season with a special tribute to Special Education (SPED) teachers and students through its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

After the dead bodies of 29 cats and dogs were found carelessly dumped in parts of Bulacan when they were supposed to be cremated, a lot of fur parents began to fear that the ashes given to them by pet crematoriums were actually their pets.

The Democratic US Congress may push for faster arms sales to Taiwan following the party’s resounding midterm election victories, but there will be no fundamental shifts in broader US policy towards the island, according to analysts. And if the likely next House speaker, Hakeem Jeffries – a long-time supporter of Taiwan – “crosses the red line” on the issue, Beijing was expected to take strong countermeasures, one analyst said. “A Democratic-controlled Congress will ramp up pressure on Trump to...

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Friday encouraged the public to keep the upcoming holiday celebrations simple as the country braces for the peak of Super El Niño. At a briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said government agencies concerned are preparing for the effects of Super El Niño, which include drought and possible water supply interruptions.

MANILA, Philippines — Here are INQToday’s top stories this afternoon: The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecution is seeking protective and special measures for 55 witnesses who are set to testify in the crimes against humanity cases against former President Rodrigo Duterte. Meanwhile, the outcome of the US midterm elections could lead to a drop of

Hong Kong’s education secretary has said she will seek additional funding if a HK$10 billion loan scheme falls short of the needs of institutions setting foot in the Northern Metropolis’ first university town, while warning that their financial plans must be feasible and they must not “take chances”. A task force jointly established by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Association of Banks will designate 11 tertiary institutions as public sector entities to help them secure bank...

MANILA, Philippines — Free rides will be offered at the Light Rail Transit 1 (LRT-1) on November 9 (Monday), 11 (Wednesday) and 13 (Friday). This comes amid road closures for the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit. According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), commuters may avail of the free rides next week

As Republican losses in the US midterm elections highlight how unpopular the war in Iran is, all eyes are on Washington’s next moves and whether the election results could set the stage for a quicker end to the conflict. However, experts remain sceptical, arguing that while the results will cripple the Trump administration and force it to rethink its strategy, they leave the broader US position unchanged, making a protracted war far more likely than diplomatic talks. Democrats seized full...

For people living with refractory epilepsy, the brain is like a city that can suffer a blackout any time lightning strikes. Without warning, an abnormal neural discharge can sweep through the intracranial circuits, leaving behind convulsions, loss of consciousness and years of lingering panic. Around one-third of epilepsy patients worldwide are completely unresponsive to existing medications, while traditional craniotomy resection surgery often carries the risk of irreversible neurological...

Malacañang said on Friday that water supplies remain sufficient despite the ongoing El Niño phenomenon.

The Family Business Summit wrapped up on Friday with delegates weighing China-US relations, Southeast Asia’s growth trajectory and the Russian economy, against a backdrop of geopolitical flux shaped by Washington’s post-midterm political landscape and expected high-level diplomacy at this month’s Apec forum. The South China Morning Post and Blue Pool Capital co-hosted the fourth edition of the summit, with UBS as the presenting partner. The two-day closed-door event in Hong Kong served as a...

The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the constitutionality of the law extending the term of office of Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials to five years, while scheduling the next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) for November 2028.

American voters have spoken. In the midterm elections, Democrats won both the House and Senate in a sweeping rebuttal of US President Donald Trump’s erratic management of domestic and foreign affairs. Despite this, the trajectory of US-China geopolitical rivalry will remain unchanged for decades, with every chance of escalation. Foreign Affairs re-examines “The Delusions of American Power” in its latest issue. The lead article, “The Limits of American Power”, concludes that even with the...

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte will travel to Hong Kong from Nov. 6 to 8 for various engagements, with all expenses to be shouldered by her personally, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said Friday. In a statement, the OVP said Duterte would attend engagements and participate in various activities, including an

A summit could bolster Xi Jinping’s stature. But talks about Ukraine’s future and limits on nuclear weapons pose uncomfortable choices for China.

LUCENA CITY – A 20-year-old man was killed after the engine hood cover of a passing passenger bus detached and struck him while he was waiting for a ride in Atimonan, Quezon, early Thursday, police said. The victim was reportedly waiting along the roadside for a Manila-bound passenger bus at 12:20 a.m. in Barangay Tagbakin

Hong Kong companies can survive intense competition in mainland China by being innovative and maintaining high standards, the head of the city’s trade promotion body has said. Hong Kong Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang said on Friday that the city was also tapping into emerging markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa to counter global trade uncertainties. “I feel that Hong Kong manufacturers need to be more innovative; think of ways to use our strengths to...

After only one and a half years as creative director at Balenciaga, Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli departs from his post

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate impeachment court has ruled that the sub judice rule will again apply to all impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte, including those withdrawn by the prosecution. In an order dated Nov. 5, the court reversed the earlier ruling of Presiding Senator-Judge Francis “Chiz” Escudero, which lifted the restriction on

The new theme and its accompanying exhibition, titled extraORDINARY, "will examine how design reveals unexpected possibilities within everyday things."

QUEZON, Bukidnon — Colleagues and peers are in profound shock following the killing of a 37-year-old municipal government employee who was gunned down while riding home at dawn on Friday. The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. in Purok 4, Barangay Libertad here. According to the initial investigation by Quezon Police Station, led by Lt. Col.

LUCENA CITY – The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) has barred security guards from feeding or sheltering stray animals, particularly dogs, and from allowing them to roam or stay inside and around university buildings.  “Internal Security Guards are assigned to ensure the security and safety of buildings, not to allow the premises under

A growing push among Indonesian lawmakers to investigate Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s academic credentials is raising questions about the influence of his father, former leader Joko Widodo, as signs of a rift within the country’s ruling elite grow. The challenge comes from within President Prabowo Subianto’s own coalition, underscoring how the political alliance that helped propel him to power in 2024 may be unravelling, analysts have said. It also follows the arrest of a prominent...

Beijing has said responsibility for the “serious difficulties in China-Japan relations lay entirely with Tokyo” one year on from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s controversial comments about Taiwan. Takaichi is planning to visit China this month for the Apec summit, but on Friday foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun accused the Japanese authorities of continuing to evade the issue and showing no willingness to correct her remarks. “A year ago, the Japanese leader made erroneous remarks on...

As rooftop solar begins to catch on in the Philippines, Pakistan shows why the country must make sure the boom reaches more Filipinos without leaving the power grid struggling to keep up

MANILA, Philippines — Research group IBON Foundation and labor group Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) have called for higher wages and stronger government intervention as inflation accelerated to 7.8% in October, saying rising prices of basic goods and services continued to erode workers’ purchasing power. In separate statements on Thursday, the two

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate impeachment court has denied the prosecution’s request to admit the Commission on Audit (COA) documents as evidence in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. The prosecution hoped to corroborate the COA documents for Article II, or Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth, despite presenting the exhibits in Article I, or the vice