The winners of the Model OFW Family of the Year Awards (MOFYA) — who won the annual search for the best practices on nurturing their family amid challenges — expressed their gratitude to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) for the honor and to BDO Unibank as well for instilling the value of saving among Overseas Filipino (OF) families. “BDO has provided us with assistance especially through Kabayan Savings. My mom encouraged me and my younger sibling to open our own account then. It was really a big help because by the time our mother retired from her work abroad, we had enough ..read more

Ratings agency S&P Global on Thursday cut Israel’s long-term ratings to A-plus from AA-minus after the confrontation with Iran heightened last weekend and amidst the already elevated geopolitical risks for Israel. “We forecast that Israel’s general government deficit will widen to 8% of GDP in 2024, mostly as a result of increased defense spending,” S&P Global said in its statement. The negative outlook reflects the risk that the Israel-Hamas war and the confrontation with Hezbollah could escalate or affect Israel’s economy more than the agency currently expects. “We currently see seve ..read more

From the early days of open-roofed motorized transportation to the technologically advanced self-driving sustainable vehicles of today, the evolution of comfort and design in modern cars has been a captivating journey inspired by innovation and creativity. Widely considered as the world’s first automobile, Carl F. Benz’s model no. 1 of the Benz Patent Motor Car ran for the first time on New Year’s Eve 1879. The three-wheeled two-seater vehicle ran through a stationary gas engine and was kept together by a tubular steel frame that exposed its passengers to their environment. In these early days ..read more

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is a preventable cancer and highly treatable if diagnosed early. In 2020, cervical cancer claimed the lives of over 300,000 women globally. In the Philippines, 11 women die of the disease each day. This stark reality is a wake-up call for getting to the bottom of cervical cancer and taking steps to eliminate it, so it affects women no further. Women and their loved ones need to be equipped with the knowledge on how to prevent the disease, identify its initial symptoms all wh ..read more

Social media has been on fire speculating about Puregold collaborating with the hottest names in the local music scene. The buzz started after Puregold made two teaser posts on their social media this past April 12th that seemed to hint at an announcement involving major Pinoy pop artists. Teaser posts on social media invite everyone to “Get ready for something big!” The first post from that morning showed the following letters flashing on screen: SL, SB, FG, and BN. Finally, the following letters settled on the screen: GRFSB. These same letters were also in the video’s official title, #Purego ..read more

Nashville, Tennessee – Chinese government-linked hackers have burrowed into U.S. critical infrastructure and are waiting “for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Thursday. An ongoing Chinese hacking campaign known as Volt Typhoon has successfully gained access to numerous American companies in telecommunications, energy, water and other critical sectors, with 23 pipeline operators targeted, Wray said in a speech at Vanderbilt University. China is developing the “ability to physically wreak havoc on our critical infrastructure at a time of it ..read more

WASHINGTON – The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits was unchanged at a low level last week, pointing to continued labor market strength that is driving the economy. Labor market resilience, together with elevated inflation have led financial markets and some economists to expect that the Federal Reserve could delay cutting interest rates until September. A few economists doubt that the U.S. central bank will lower borrowing costs this year. “Overall, layoffs remain low,” said Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics. “We expect a continuati ..read more

MANILA – Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon agreed on Thursday to deepen defense cooperation and expressed serious concern over the South China Sea, where the Philippines and China have had maritime run-ins. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. The Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei have competing claims over some parts of the South China Sea. Mr. Marcos and Mr. Luxon also “recognized the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strai ..read more

By Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson, Reporter HIGHER FOR LONGER interest rates will keep inflation at bay but at the cost of slower economic growth, analysts said. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona, Jr. earlier this week signaled the central bank may delay rate cuts amid persistent inflation risks. “The recent statements from Mr. Remolona suggest a cautious approach to monetary policy adjustments. If rate cuts are smaller and delayed, it could imply that the central bank is prioritizing inflation control over stimulating growth,” Security Bank Corp. Chief Economist Robert ..read more

By Sheldeen Joy Talavera, Reporter THE MAIN ISLANDS of Luzon and the Visayas on Thursday experienced red and yellow alerts for a third day in a row as the operating margins remained insufficient to meet the grids’ regulating requirement. Analysts said the forced outages, which involve some aging power plants, were a result of the previous administration’s failure to facilitate the construction of new power plants. “This can be attributed to past administration’s failure to facilitate new power plants. The uncertainty of power supply can discourage new investments, especially for power intensiv ..read more