NEW YORK: Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) have ratified the in-principle labor agreements promising sweeping pay increases that were reached with US car companies Ford, Stellantis and General Motors, a union source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) Saturday. "All three are ratified," the source said of the agreements, which were reached after an unprecedented strike that lasted more than six weeks. According to information published on the union's website Thursday, around 55 percent of hourly staff at GM voted in favor of the four-year contract. The striking workers returned to work after the agreements-in-principle were announced, rather than following the usual process of waiting for their ratification. The union had demanded a 40-percent salary increase over four years, to keep up with corporate compensation over the same period.

180 families affected by Magnitude 6.8 Davao Occidental quake — NDRRMCInvestigators are examining the location where Danny and Jane Ginung were caught under debris from a concrete fence damaged by the earthquake on Nov. 17, 2023. As of 3 p.m. on Sunday, the NDRRMC said that a total of 1,509 individuals have been affected in Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, South Cotabato and Sarangani. Sarangani has four fatalities while South Cotabato and Davao Occidental have three and one, respectively. The NDRRMC also reported that 12 roads were affected by the tremor. The NDRRMC also listed a total of 54 damaged houses and 71 damaged infrastructures in the mentioned areas.

9,000 cops deployed for transport strikeGovernment, police, and military officials attend the personnel and resources turnover ceremony at Camp Crame on October 23, 2023. MANILA, Philippines — Around 9,000 police personnel and 920 mobility assets will be deployed today for the transport strike, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP). In an interview with The STAR, Floranda identified 19 areas in Metro Manila that will be impacted by the transport strike. According to LTFRB’s spokesperson, LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III will personally monitor the first day of the transport strike at Commonwealth Avenue eastbound. Floranda expressed hope that the transport strike would reach President Marcos, who is still in the United States.

Police arrested two people at the Hong Kong International Airport for drug trafficking. The duo were arrested on suspicion of trafficking in dangerous drugs. The arrested man is a 19-year-old Thai teenager born and raised in Hong Kong; the other is an 18-year-old local woman. The two are currently remanded under police custody for investigation and were charged with trafficking in dangerous drugs. The reward for drug trafficking and its original source are still under investigation.

MANILA, Philippines: Matthew Montebon drained a game-winning triple as Adamson nipped UE, 63-61, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, November 19 to force a playoff against Ateneo for the last Final Four berth in the UAAP Season 86 men's basketball tournament. Following a Jack Cruz-Dumont trey in the last 6.4 seconds that gave the Red Warriors a 61-60 lead, Montebon retaliated for the Soaring Falcons with a tough stepback corner triple for a two-point lead with 2.7 seconds left. Adamson’s Matthew Montebon (left) UAAP PHOTOCruz-Dumont had a chance to win the game for UE but he missed badly in his last-ditch triple off a timeout. Adamson and Ateneo, tied at no. 4 with identical 7-7 slates, thus battle for that last semis slot on Wednesday, November 22.

A minibus driver died after the vehicle rolled forward and pinned him underneath in Ho Man Tin Saturday night, as he forgot to put the handbrake on after getting off. The accident happened around 10.45 pm near Sheung Lok Street and Sheung Wo Street as the green minibus skipped forward and knocked down the 75-year-old driver, surnamed Chong. A taxi driver, surnamed Lee, said he brought food for Chong and arranged the pick up on Sheung Wo Street. He said Chong parked it at the back of the cab and met him next to the taxi, but the minibus suddenly rolled forward. Chong tried to stop the minibus with his bare hands and was eventually pinned underneath the vehicle.

SHANGHAI: US restrictions on advanced computer chips are forcing China's tech giants to rethink their ambitious artificial intelligence (AI)-powered projects, analysts say. The curbs now also target cloud computing to prevent Chinese companies from accessing powerful AI chips hosted elsewhere. "China's tech champions face an uncertain future in the wake of the October 17 controls." 'Recalibrate their bombasts'The US chip controls are yet another blow to China's tech sector, which was already suffering from the economic impact of the Covid pandemic and Beijing's regulatory crackdown against some of the country's biggest firms. But the impact of the sanctions has been brought into sharp focus by the cloud spin-off scrapping by Alibaba, and China's once high-flying tech companies are facing major uncertainty going forward.

Several transport groups in Central Visayas said they would not join the nationwide strike that would run from Monday to Wednesday, LTFRB Chair Teofilo Guadiz III said in a statement on Saturday. ADVERTISEMENTGuadiz disclosed that Regional Director Ed Montealto of LTFRB’s regional office in Central Visayas submitted to his office copies of manifestos from different transport groups showing their commitment not to join the transport strike. “We firmly believe that joining the transport strike or any form of activity that will impede the mobility of our services is not in the best interest of our organization, the community, and the overall transportation system,” said the manifestos of transport cooperatives under Kaluha Twin Trading & Services Corp., LUTG Lapu Lapu City United Transport Group, and the Federation of Cebu Transport Cooperative. But on Saturday, Piston president Mody Floranda stood firm that the three-day strike would push through despite the appeal from the LTFRB to call it off. He said some 100,000 members of Piston and their local federations would participate in the transport strike to protest the Dec. 31 deadline for the franchise consolidation of the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program.

The Philippines and China need to continue to communicate, with the meeting a key part of the process to maintain peace, and keep open sea lanes and airways over the South China Sea, Marcos told reporters on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in San Francisco. "We tried to come up with mechanisms to lower the tensions in the South China Sea," Marcos said, without elaborating. Marcos said he and Xi were in agreement that geopolitical problems should not be the defining element of the two countries' relationship. Marcos granted the United States greater access to its military bases, including in provinces facing the South China Sea and democratically-ruled Taiwan, drawing the ire of Beijing. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated Beijing's expansive claim.

DEHRADUN, India: Indian rescuers said on Saturday they had paused efforts to reach 40 men trapped in a collapsed road tunnel after a cracking sound created a "panic situation" over the possibility of a further cave-in. Excavators have been removing debris from the road tunnel in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand since last Sunday after a portion of the tunnel the workers were building collapsed. WAITING FOR WORD People stand near the entrance to the site of an under-construction road tunnel that collapsed in Uttarakhand state, northern India on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. Rescuers have been communicating with the trapped men using radios. Engineers are trying to drive a steel pipe about 90 cm (nearly 3 ft) wide through the debris — wide enough for the trapped men to squeeze through.

No forgiveness needed for ouster of father, says Marcos Jr.President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. attends the mass commemorating the 105th birth anniversary of his father, the late former chief executive Ferdinand Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on Sept. 11, 2022. MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said he does not feel the need to forgive those who ousted his late father and namesake, former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., during the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986. They don’t need my forgiveness, if they want it, I’ll give it to them,” he added. They don’t need my forgiveness, if they want it, I’ll give it to them.) The clan, including Marcos Jr., hastily vacated the presidential palace on February 25, boarding US military aircraft laden with bags and boxes filled with jewels, gold, and cash.

The World Health Organization (WHO) office in the Philippines on Friday denied there was a cyberattack on its COVID-19 vaccination records, saying the WHO collects only “aggregated” numbers, and not personal information. ADVERTISEMENT“During the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO collected from national health authorities around the world data that is aggregated at a population level, for example, on the total numbers of COVID-19 infections, deaths and vaccine doses administered in the country,” he explained. The National Privacy Commission initially found that a “staggering” amount of data equivalent to more than 730 gigabytes had been stolen from the state insurer. Subscribe to our daily newsletter SIGN ME UPFor more news about the novel coronavirus click here. For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

PH-China relations go beyond West Philippine Sea issues — MarcosMANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday that the ongoing challenges in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) should not be the sole factor shaping the relationship between the Philippines and China. When asked about potential agreements to ease tensions in the South China Sea, Marcos said that he and Xi Jinping agreed that the West Philippine Sea issues should not overshadow their diplomatic relationship. He also mentioned plans for another meeting with Xi to address recent incidents and find solutions to reduce tensions in the South China Sea. Essentially, we tried to come up with mechanisms to lower the tensions in South China Sea,” the president said. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated Beijing's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea in a 2016 ruling.

Can hospitals be military targets? Israel has denied the accusation, saying its operation falls within the boundaries of international law. AFP looks at whether hospitals can be considered a legitimate military target, and under which conditions. Usually safe, but some exceptionsThe Geneva Conventions, adopted in the aftermath of World War II, form the core of international humanitarian law and "are particularly protective of civilian hospitals", according to Mathilde Philip-Gay, an expert in international humanitarian law at Lyon-3 university in southeast France. "It is forbidden to turn recognised civilian hospitals into a conflict zone.

The Japanese carmaker is set to literally open its doors for customers to try and drive its iconic cars during the Autofocus pre-Christmas Test Drive Festival at the Mall of Asia Concert Grounds in Pasay City from Nov. 16-19, 2023. Get the chance to drive Suzuki cars such as the new Suzuki Ertiga Hybrid and Suzuki XL7 at the Autofocus pre-Christmas Test Drive Festival in the Mall of Asia Concert Grounds from Nov. 16-19, 2023. Refreshments and free coffee will be available for customers, who will avail of the test drive opportunities. The Suzuki Kids Scout Corner will also hold games and informative activities for children, including a basic traffic safety course for kids. For more information, visit any authorized Suzuki Auto dealerships nationwide or its website at http://suzuki.com.ph/auto/.