Safe handsYou are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble. — Psalm 32:7Like the unraveling of a rope, the threads of Doug Merkey’s life were breaking one by one. These collective events, combined with living in a cramped attic, became the setting from which his sculpture The Hiding Place emerged. It depicts Christ’s strong, nailed-scarred hands openly cupped together as a place of safety. Doug explained the design of his artwork this way: The “sculpture is Christ’s invitation to hide in Him.” In Psalm 32, David wrote as one who had found the ultimate safe place—God Himself.

5 things you didn’t know Filipinos designed, inventedFrom left: Local goods made of Pinyapel and other pineapple by-products; chair with arm rests made of Permacane technologyMANILA, Philippines — For many years, Filipinos believed that it was their fellowmen who invented the fluorescent lamp, the Moon Buggy and yoyo, and these were even taught in schools or printed in textbooks. At the recent opening of “Art x Design: A Special Reception of the 50 Years of Philippine Design and Beyond” exhibition in National Museum of Fine Arts, it was revealed that there are at least five things that Filipinos indeed designed and invented and have since been useful not only to Filipinos, but to humankind. Safe abaca fiber-extracting machinePhilstar.com/Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo Unlike plastic, the abaca net disintegrates into the soil, making the net instrumental for sustainable replanting and reforestation. Unlike plastic, the abaca net disintegrates into the soil, making the net instrumental for sustainable replanting and reforestation. The main challenge in mass-producing Pinyapel, however, is that it requires very expensive technology to produce, said Roces.

The UST Golden Tigresses pulled off a reverse sweep, 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-7, against the FEU Lady Tamaraws at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, March 3, to go 4-0 in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament. Angge Poyos tied her career-best of 24 points laced with five excellent digs and five receptions to lead the Golden Tigresses, who ran rampage in the fifth set after taking the third and fourth stanzas. UST got off to a 10-3 start and never looked back as Xyza Gula eventually sealed the win with a kill. Video by Niel Victor Masoy

Senator Loren Legarda and Agrarian Reform Undersecretary Niña Taduran honored women farmers and employees for their contributions to society during the Department of Agrarian Reform's celebration of Women's Month in Quezon City on Monday, March 4, 2024. Legarda called on Filipinos to continue fighting for women's rights to ensure equality for all. Video by Ismael De Juan

At 41, he's struggling to find work in a labor market where companies tend not to hire anyone over 35. The downturn in the property market followed a crackdown on excess borrowing by real estate developers. Many cities have relaxed controls on property deals imposed earlier to cool price bubbles, and some 6,000 property projects have been green-lighted for lending. “The property market has been such a significant source of China’s growth and now it has gone into reverse,” Wright said, though he noted there are signs the market is stabilizing. One strategy would be to shift more national wealth into workers’ pockets, says Michael Pettis, a leading expert on the Chinese economy and professor at Beijing University.

WATCH: Heart Evangelista slays Paris Fashion Week runwayMANILA, Philippines — Kapuso star Heart Evangelista slayed the runway at the Paris Fashion Week. In her Instagram story, Heart posted a video of her strutting the catwalk as she opened the show for Vietnamese designer Phan Huy. Apart from walking the runway, Heart also attended the shows of Yves Saint Laurent, Giambattista Valli and Hermes, among others. She also attended several shows in Milan Fashion Week before going to Paris. RELATED: ‘Like it’s my first time again‘: Heart Evangelista reveals renewal of vows with Chiz Escudero

It has been difficult to attract FDIs because investors lack confidence in our economy, in our government and in our future. Nowhere is this lack of investor confidence expressed daily as in our stock market. If these investors are not enthusiastic about our equities market or lack confidence, potential FDIs may think they must have good reasons for staying out. For the local bourse to get exciting again, it needs foreign portfolio investors to join the fun. Once portfolio investors are convinced our country has a bright economic future, their confidence may rub off on potential FDIs.

MANILA, Philippines — No tropical cyclone is likely to occur within the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) for the rest of the week, state meteorologists said on Monday. (Possibly for this week, there is a small chance that we will have a tropical cyclone that will form or enter the Philippine area of responsibility.) To date, the country has yet to have a tropical cyclone occurring inside the country’s PAR. Should it occur this March, Pagasa said the tropical cyclone would be named “Agaton.”READ: Pagasa: PH expecting 1 tropical cyclone this MarchADVERTISEMENTPagasa data showed that March — along with February — recorded the least frequent occurrence of tropical cyclones, with an average of 0.3 from 1948 to 2023. The country experiences most of the tropical cyclones in July, with an average of 3.2 within the same period, according to Pagasa.

MANILA, Philippines — In a recent House hearing on proposed minimum wage hikes, research group Ibon Foundation stressed that an across-the-board increase is urgently needed. Ibon executive director Sonny Africa said the actual value of the minimum wage today is lower than 35 years ago, in 1989, in 16 out of 17 regions. ADVERTISEMENTHe pointed to a 22 percent contraction in the average real minimum wage since 1989, even as worker productivity has increased by 88 percent over the same period. Africa argued that wage hikes need not be inflationary if employers accept a small profit cut rather than pass on costs. ‘Urgent, just and doable’The research group urged legislators to approve an across-the-board minimum wage increase, calling it “urgent, just and doable.”Meanwhile, Gabriela, a women’s rights group, said in a statement on Sunday that regular work opportunities, increased wages, and equal pay for women are needed.

Report notes rise in Chinese militia vessels in South China SeaThis photo taken on February 15, 2024, shows an aerial view of Chinese vessel identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as “maritime militia” (upper C) , Philippine fishing boats and BRP Datu Tamblot (C) during a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-led mission to bring supplies and assistance to the fishermen over Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. MANILA, Philippines — The number of Chinese maritime militia vessels around key features in the South China Sea increased by 35% in 2023, a Washington-based think tank said, as Beijing bolstered its presence in the disputed waters. An analysis by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) based on satellite imagery found an average of 195 Chinese militia ships around nine features in the sea on any given day last year. Beyond Panganiban Reef, AMTI identified Hughes Reef and Julian Felipe Reef, also known as Whitsun, as having the largest consistent militia vessel presence. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, and has ignored a landmark ruling that its assertions have no legal basis.

Marcos visits Australia again for ASEAN summitPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a speech before departing for Melbourne, Australia to attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit on March 3, 2024. MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday made his second trip to Australia in just one week to attend a special summit with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states. Marcos said the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne is an opportunity for the government to reiterate the country’s position on regional and international issues. Marcos will hold bilateral meetings with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. He also met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and signed agreements to strengthen cooperation on cyber technology, civil and defense maritime matters between the Philippines and Australia.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for an end to the conflict in Gaza, as he showed signs of recovery after suffering from bronchitis. Addressing believers in St Peter’s Square, Francis stressed the consequences of the conflict on children and asked for the release of all the hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7 raid. “Do you really think you can build a better world in this way? Do you really think you will achieve peace? Stop!” Francis saidFrancis has had a number of health issues in recent months.

"WHAT we've got here is failure to communicate." The contract also requires the Miru group, the lone bidder, to provide 104,345 ballot boxes, 2,200 laptops and printers, the paper for printing 73.88 million ballots, and a system for verifying ballots. But the watchdog group Democracy Watch raised some valid questions that demand some answers. These findings were corroborated by the Carter Center's international election observers, who allegedly witnessed technical issues in 22 percent of the polling stations they visited, Democracy Watch said. An electronic voting system, after all, isn't just any ordinary automated system.

NEW DELHI — What happens when the son of Asia’s richest man is about to get married? All eyes were on Anant Ambani, 28, and his long-time girlfriend Radhika Merchant, 29, who will tie the knot in July. READ: Asia’s richest man advises millennials: Dream bigWho is Mukesh Ambani? Mukesh Ambani, 66, is currently the world’s 10th richest man with a net worth of $115 billion, according to Forbes. Earlier this week, Disney struck an $8.5 billion deal to merge its India business with Ambani’s Reliance Industries, forming a new media giant.

The scariest scenario is whether these accidental armed conflicts will lead not only to a war, but worse, to a nuclear war. In the more than seven decades of conflicts since World War II which included at least one nuclear power, nuclear weapons have never been used. However, despite this bloody and protracted war, the nuclear powers avoided the use of nuclear weapons. The Philippines must therefore prepare itself for the likelihood of a protracted war. The Philippines must realize the effect of a great power war that would last for many months or years and must prepare to have the staying power in what could be a long war.