P12/L fuel subsidy on hold amid BSKE ban on social services spending

GMA Network - Sep 19, 2026

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has suspended the distribution of the P12-per-liter fuel subsidy for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers due to the election ban on public spending for social services ahead of the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

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LOS ANGELES — I was visiting my father’s grave on his death anniversary at a cemetery for dead soldiers in this city last Sept. 13 when I learned that my old boss and mentor Eugenia Duran Apostol, founder of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), had died in the Philippines at age 100. Suddenly, I realized

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8 years on, UP’s martial law museum still awaits construction

MANIL, Philippines — Along CP Garcia Avenue at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City, a 1.4-hectare property is reserved for a museum meant to keep alive the stories of Filipinos who suffered human rights violations under the regime of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Eight years after plans were formalized, however,

Isolated by flood, Zambales village builds its way back

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Isolated by flood, Zambales village builds its way back

SAN MARCELINO, Zambales — For the first time in what seemed like a very long while, the sky above this remote community was finally bright. On Sept. 13, there was no steady curtain of rain, no dark clouds threatening another downpour and no river swollen by another night of heavy rains. Under the morning sun,

This week’s milestones: Sept. 20 to Sept. 26

Sep 20, 2026

This week’s milestones: Sept. 20 to Sept. 26

Sept. 21, 2022 The National Historical Commission of the Philippines installed a historical marker at Basay, Negros Oriental, to commemorate “Ang Pagdaong ng USS Crevalle.” On May 11, 1944, the USS Crevalle, a submarine of the US Navy that reached various parts of the Philippines and confronted Japanese naval forces, arrived on the shores of

Generosity expressed in equality and inclusivity

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Lost in translation no more: Gangnam upgrades administrative counters with AI

Sep 20, 2026

Lost in translation no more: Gangnam upgrades administrative counters with AI

In the bustling administrative offices of Gangnam District, the sleek area of southern Seoul famous for its glamour and wealth, public service counters are undergoing a futuristic transformation. Where transparent acrylic panels once merely served as physical barriers between residents and city officials, new artificial intelligence-powered displays are now translating spoken words with real-time subtitles across 130 languages. The Gangnam District Office said that it has deployed a state-of-the-art "Real-Time Transparent OLED Communication Window" as part of its drive to eliminate communication hurdles for foreign nationals and hearing-impaired residents. Developed in collaboration with private tech partners through an open innovation initiative, the system merges transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens with advanced speech-to-text and machine translation engines. For Gangnam's international and hearing-impaired residents, the technology eliminates the tedious routine of writing notes back and forth or waiting for on-call interpreters. The interface is relatively seamles

Tired of fast fashion trends? 'Elegant minimalism' takes over this fall

Sep 20, 2026

Tired of fast fashion trends? 'Elegant minimalism' takes over this fall

Understated beauty is in. Following the rise of “quiet luxury” and “old money” style in the 2020s, “elegant minimalism” is emerging as a key fashion trend for the fall-winter season this year. According to the fashion industry, elegant minimalism is dominating the market, with brands emphasizing their identity through high-quality materials, precise tailoring and subdued colors rather than flashy embellishments or prominent logos. When minimalism was at its peak in the 1990s, black and white were the norm. This season, however, industry insiders expect neutral colors such as beige, brown and gray to take center stage. Silhouettes, too, are shifting. While slimness was the priority in the past, today’s designs are moving toward softer, more three-dimensional silhouettes. The emphasis is on fluidity that gently follows the contours of the body. The texture of fabrics is also expected to stand out this season. “The density and feel of a fabric are the foundation of elegant minimalism,” an official from the Samsung Fashion Research Institute said. “Lightweight materials

Nobel laureate Mello stresses importance of embracing challenges without fear of failure

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Sungkyunkwan University’s Biomedical Institute for Convergence hosted a special seminar featuring Craig C. Mello, a 2006 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine and professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, on Sept. 10. In his lecture, titled “RNAi: A Molecular Spark in an Information Inferno,” Mello recounted the discovery of RNA interference and how basic research evolved into therapies that can save patients’ lives. Addressing students and young researchers in particular, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of embracing challenges without fear of failure. A university official quoted Mello as saying, “Great discoveries do not come from finding predetermined answers, but from a process of constantly asking questions and going through countless failures.” Professor Mello is a world-renowned scientist who discovered RNA interference (RNAi), a “gene-silencing” mechanism that can switch off the activity of specific genes inside cells. Genes serve as blueprints for our bodies, and his discovery that specific genetic instructions could be selective

Vietnamese professionals in Korea nearly double over 4 years

Sep 20, 2026

Vietnamese professionals in Korea nearly double over 4 years

The number of Vietnamese nationals holding Korea's E-7-1 professional visa has nearly doubled over the past four years, data showed Sunday. As of August, 3,572 Vietnamese nationals held the visa, up 1.84 times from 1,938 in 2022, according to the data submitted to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea by the justice ministry. The E-7-1 visa is granted to foreign nationals working in government-designated professional fields such as information technology and robotics. Indian nationals saw a similar rise, growing 1.46 times to 1,014 during the same period. Chinese nationals holding the visa, by contrast, declined to 1,566 from 2,213 in 2022. American E-7-1 holders also slipped to 1,355 from 1,471. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals dominate a separate visa category, the semi-professional E-7-2, which covers areas such as caregiving. They accounted for 80.6 percent of all 10,759 E-7-2 holders. The lawmaker called the influx of such tech talent "a positive sign," but said the country needs to improve working and living conditions for those workers to generate "bigger synergy."

A Diplomat From Myanmar Refuses to Give Up New York City Post

Sep 20, 2026

A Diplomat From Myanmar Refuses to Give Up New York City Post

For more than five years, U Kyaw Moe Tun has refused to give up his United Nations post and a sandstone townhouse on the Upper East Side.

The cooling trap: how Asia’s air conditioners are making heatwaves worse

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As heatwaves become more frequent and intense across Asia, the region faces a dangerous power paradox. Soaring demand for air conditioning threatens to push electricity grids closer to failure just as extreme heat puts the infrastructure under greater strain, raising the risk of cooling disappearing when people need it most. That risk has been visible across the region this summer. In South Korea, President Lee Jae Myung called a record heatwave a “national disaster” in August after the death...

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I grew up in Delhi. Not Lutyens’ Delhi, that quieter, greener stretch of tree-lined avenues and high-walled colonial bungalows where the VIPs live. But close enough to know that two cities share one name. One Delhi is generally messy. Rubbish piled into small mountains by the roadside. No footpaths to walk on. Narrow streets marked as one way, with every kind of traffic coming at you from every direction, and then simply stuck. And the dust. Not a film on the windowsill, but something you...

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