MANILA,Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s trips have resulted in the generation of more than 200,000 job opportunities. ADVERTISEMENT“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has brought home not only billions of pesos worth of investment pledges in the Philippines, but has also brought over 200,000 job opportunities for the Filipino people from his official foreign trips from the last quarter of 2022 until 2023,” it said. Following reports of the President’s travel fund rising by 58 percent in the 2024 National Budget, Palace cited data from Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). 2023China, January 3 to 5: 32,722 jobsJapan, February 8 to 12: 24,000 jobsUnited States, April 30 to May 4: 6,386 jobsMalaysia, July 25 to 27: 8,365 jobsSingapore, September 14 to 17: 450 jobsUnited States, November 14 to 17: 2,550 jobsYour subscription could not be saved. Subscribe to our daily newsletter SIGN ME UPJapan, December 15 to 18: 15,750 jobs

SEOUL: North Korea has opened a year-end ruling party meeting attended by leader Kim Jong Un, state media said Wednesday, with key policy decisions for 2024 expected to be unveiled. Abandoning a once-traditional New Year's Day speech, Kim has in recent years used the Workers' Party of Korea's plenary meeting as a platform to outline policies in areas such as security, diplomacy and the economy.

Moscow, Russia: The Kremlin on Tuesday acknowledged a Ukrainian attack had damaged a warship in the occupied Crimean port of Feodosia in what Ukraine and its Western allies called a major setback for the Russian navy. Ukraine said its air force destroyed the Novocherkassk landing ship, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joking on social media that the vessel had now joined "the Russian underwater Black Sea fleet".

DA: Rice supply enough until March harvest seasonIn this photo taken July 19, 2023 a worker prepares varieties of rice being developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)to be planted at one of its fields in Los Banos town, Laguna province. MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture said that the country’s rice supply will remain sufficient until the next harvest season in March, adding that it is expecting almost half a million metric tons of imports by early January. Navarro said that nearly 500,000 metric tons of rice imported by the private sector will arrive by December and early February. Imported rice from Taiwan and India are also expected to arrive within the last week of December and early January. “The 75,000 metric tons due in the coming weeks is part of the 295,000 metric tons of rice India has allocated to the Philippines,” Navarro said.

The cases at Beaulieu Peninsula in Tuen Mun, left, and Redhill Peninsula in Tai Tam show that irregularities are more likely to occur in remote areas, says Vincent Ho, inset. That made for a situation more challenging than the recent scandal at Redhill Peninsula in Tai Tam, said Vincent Ho Kui-yip, a former president of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors. "The departments currently only require owners to demolish unlawful structures, but its deterrent effect is insufficient," he said. Ho also said substantial rock formations on the Beaulieu Peninsula's slopes provide a more stable foundation, reducing the risk of landslides compared to Redhill Peninsula. In addition, the two departments completed inspections of all Redhill Peninsula's seafront houses last month.

MANILA, Philippines: Phoenix Super LPG is closing 2023 as the surprise team for the PBA Season 48. The Fuel Masters had a busy offseason after selecting four rookies led by first round pick Ken Tuffin, followed by second-round choices Raffy Verano and Ricci Rivero, and Matt Daves in the third round. Heading to the Christmas Day game, the Fuel Masters had a six-game winning streak and are looking to add the Beermen as their next victims. Jarin shared the Fuel Masters may be surprising so many teams in the elims, but he humbly admitted they take each game with a "learner's hat." Phoenix returns to action on January 10 when the team tangles with third-running Meralco (6-2), before closing the eliminations against TNT four days after.

Adelyn LauA decontamination building at the airport will be in operation next year for people exposed to radiation, the Fire Services Department said. The world's first such facility within the restricted area of an airport, can accommodate up to 280 people per hour. After decontamination, individuals will put on protective clothing and undergo checks for contaminants. At that time, decontamination equipment was used [at the airport's restricted area] to prevent chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear accidents." Lam also said locating the decontamination and rescue facility near the North Fire Station of the airport makes it more convenient for manpower support and management.

LIST: Yuletide season 'staycation' optionsMANILA, Philippines — Come holiday season, people look forward to get some "R and R" (rest and relaxation). Philstar.com lists down some "staycation" options for those looking for new ways to enjoy the Yuletide season. Farm getawayThe holiday season is a time of joy and celebration, but it can also be one of the busiest times of the year. It is an essential Filipino Christmas décor and a real reminder of the true meaning of season. For P9,900 net per night, enjoy a relaxing overnight stay in our Fort Suite, inclusive of breakfast for two persons.

MUMBAI, India: India's Navy said it is deploying three warships and reconnaissance aircraft to the Arabian Sea to "maintain a deterrent presence" after a string of recent shipping attacks. Three guided-missile destroyers, as well as P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, were being deployed following "the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea," it said in a statement on Monday night.

NEW HAVEN: I have been in the forecasting business for more than 50 years. Over that period, I have heard the constant refrain that the world is in the midst of "unprecedented changes." This popular trope frequently resulted in equally hyperbolic corollaries: breathless claims that we have never faced greater risks or such an uncertain future, that forecasting has never been harder. Confession: my crystal ball has been cracked so many times by purportedly unprecedented developments that I have lost count. The 1970s was a decade of extraordinary turmoil: the oil shock of 1973 was swiftly followed by the "Great Inflation" and a period of stagflation, setting the stage for the first seemingly unprecedented phase of the post-World War 2 era.

Sorsogon province today. I would not have said this statement if I had not traveled by road to get to Sorsogon province. In Sorsogon City, two non-transport improvements that impressed me are the athletic village and the new cultural museum. The improved access to the Bicol Region with the airport in Legazpi is a great boon to the province and to wider Bicol Region tourism. With his national prominence and connections to the political powers at the center, Escudero was able to secure funding for Sorsogon’s need.

(UPDATE) LOS ANGELES: The Boston Celtics used a hot start and a strong finish to put away the Los Angeles Lakers 126-115 on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) in a Christmas clash of storied NBA franchises. Kristaps Porzingis scored 28 points and pulled down 11 rebounds and Jayson Tatum added 25 points for the Celtics, who withstood a 40-point effort from Lakers star Anthony Davis.

“Very dense fog” was observed in the city, where the temperature was just 9 degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit), India’s weather department said, adding “dense to very dense fog” was likely in the early hours of the day in some areas until Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT“Dense fog” contains particulate matter and other pollutants, according to the weather department, which warned of the impact this may have on the health of the city’s 20 million residents. At least 30 flights that were to land at or depart from the Delhi airport, including on international routes, experienced delays because of the dense fog, according to Indian news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake. “While landings and takeoffs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected,” the Indira Gandhi International airport said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Airlines like India’s SpiceJet also took to social media to warn passengers that departures and arrivals from New Delhi may get affected “due to bad weather”.

Bureau of Immigration bars entry of 2 foreign pedophilesThis undated photo shows the Bureau of Immigration main office in Intramuros, Manila. MANILA, Philippines — Two foreign pedophiles have been barred entry to the country during the holiday season after being tagged "undesirable aliens," the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday. “We have noticed an upsurge in the arrival of foreign sex offenders in our ports. Tansingco stated that passengers were disallowed from entering the country in accordance with a provision outlined in the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940. The bureau also said that two foreign nationals have been blacklisted.

If the executive talent is a shareholder of a successful private company, he is obliged to divest his interests. Because of the income-loss and the many hazards of serving government, our technocracy is often recruited from public universities. It is therefore remarkable, considering the odds, that President BBM managed to attract to government service two competent executives over the past several weeks: Francis Tiu Laurel Jr. and now Frederick Go. Ben Diokno either did not have enough executive energy or complete access to the Chief Executive to continue playing this role. No ifs and buts about it: Go will be guided by real-world business concerns in reforming our economic policy architecture.