TAGBILARAN CITY— Bars, pubs, nightclubs, karaoke and videoke bars, and other similar nighttime entertainment establishments in Panglao, Bohol must close to customers by midnight under a new executive order issued by Mayor Edgardo “Boy” Arcay on Monday. Arcay issued Executive Order No. 44, Series of 2026, citing the need to maintain peace and order, public

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday said that the Philippines needs to undergo a cultural shift amid the series of high-profile flood control corruption cases that rocked the nation.

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Joel Villanueva on Thursday filed several resolutions commending and honoring Filipino athletes who participated in the 2026 Asian Games. In Senate Resolution No. 704, Villanueva noted the Philippine delegation’s historic achievement at the 20th Asian Games in Japan, where they earned 29 total medals — four gold, nine silver and 16

China’s flagship talent visa can be found in the official application system, but most of the specifics on who can apply, and how to do so, are still missing.

MARIVELES, Bataan – The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) lost one of its key officials with the passing of lawyer Michael Angelo Paderanga, 54, deputy administrator for operations, on Wednesday.  The FAB public information page on social media announced his passing. No other details were provided. Paderanga took part in all AFAB

INCHEON — An elephant without a trunk invites visitors to learn with their hands before their eyes at an exhibition marking 100 years of Korean braille. Artist Oum Jeong-soon’s “Elephant Without a Trunk no. 7” opens “From Dots to the World: 100 Years of Korean Braille” at the National Museum of World Writing Systems, challenging the convention that museum objects are for looking at, not touching. “We kept explanations to a minimum so visitors could experience the exhibition through touch,“ curator Gu Dan-bi said during a press preview, Tuesday. The approach introduces its central message of “a world everyone can read together.” Jointly organized with the National Hangeul Museum and Songam Braille Library, the exhibition celebrates and seeks to raise awareness of the Korean braille system's 100th anniversary. The story began in France. Valentin Hauy’s 1786 “Essay on the Education of the Blind,” currently on loan for the exhibit from the National Library of France, argues for educating blind people through raised characters. Tactile replicas of the book allow visi

The freshly launched agency dedicated to investigating "major crimes" may be headed for a turf war with the police due to a still unclear line between their jurisdictions, observers said Thursday. The new Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) set sail at the start of this month under a recent revision to the Criminal Procedure Act that effectively dismantled the previous prosecution system, leaving the prosecution with only the right to indict and maintain indictments against criminals. The right to investigate has been split between the SCIA and the police, with the SCIA tasked with investigating seven major crimes. The revision defines such crimes as those related to corruption, business and economy, defense procurement, narcotics, national security, cybercrimes and distortion of the law, but there still exists ambiguity, such as what constitutes a "major" crime or should the SCIA be required, if not allowed, to investigate what may be considered petty crimes if related to corruption, narcotics or any other crimes stated in the law. Also, the police, which have already been investi

U.S. cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said an unidentified hacker believed to be a Chinese speaker used artificial intelligence (AI)-powered hacking tools to breach multiple Korean financial institutions and steal data. In a report released Wednesday (U.S. time), CrowdStrike said the attacker used ARTEX, an open-source AI-powered penetration-testing tool developed in China, alongside large language models (LLMs) to carry out cyberattacks between late September and early October. The findings come amid a series of data breaches at Korean financial institutions, including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank, prompting financial authorities and investigators to launch probes into the incidents. According to CrowdStrike, the compromised systems included a bank's loan inquiry service used by financial brokers and another bank's mobile work-support system for employees. "While this activity has not been attributed to a named adversary, the threat actor is likely a Chinese speaker and financially motivated," CrowdStrike said in the report. "This assessment is made with moderate confidence

A vibrant mix of centuries-old tradition, hypermodern technology and unstoppable pop culture has officially shifted Asia’s travel center of gravity. Seoul has taken the crown as the world's best big city. In the 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards published this week by Condé Nast Traveler, the capital of Korea dethroned Tokyo to secure the No. 1 spot for the very first time. The victory marks a dramatic surge from its fifth-place finish last year, placing Seoul ahead of established global hubs like Shanghai, Sydney, Paris and Singapore. More than 798,000 readers cast votes in this year's 39th annual survey, signaling a clear shift in how global travelers view the Asian metropolis. While the worldwide frenzy surrounding K-pop, K-dramas and skin care initially put Seoul on the bucket list for millions of travelers, voters cited the city’s complex, 2,000-year history and its balance of contrast as the real key to its enduring appeal. Within a single neighborhood, visitors can step from a neon-lit smart district straight into a quiet courtyard surrounded by traditional Korean architecture.

The veterans ministry has issued guidelines advising local governments to increase their honorary allowances for veterans of the 1950-53 Korean war and the Vietnam War to help reduce discrepancies in payouts between regions, officials said Thursday. Under the guidelines, the ministry recommended that basic local governments and metropolitan governments gradually raise their monthly payments to 119,000 won ($88.97) and 109,000 won, respectively, by early 2029. The veterans ministry offers a monthly compensation of 490,000 won for veterans above the age of 70 who fought in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Additional allowances are separately given to the war veterans by basic local governments and the metropolitan governments, but the amounts of payouts have varied significantly between regions. For instance, the southwestern cities of Jeonju and Jeongeup offer a sum of 140,000 won, the lowest among cities and provinces, whereas Hwacheon county in the eastern Gangwon Province offers the highest amount of 660,000 won each month. The recommendations are not binding, but if implemented, the