Barbers, Abante: Lower conviction threshold can’t be ‘weaponized’

Inquirer.net - Sep 18, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — House impeachment team adviser and spokesperson Ace Barbers and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. on Friday rejected a warning from Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp that lowering the conviction threshold in her impeachment trial could allow the government to target senator-judges and influence the outcome. Duterte spokesperson Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. had

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Barbers: Senate has final say on VP Sara conviction threshold

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate impeachment court itself must resolve the disputed number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Z. Duterte because the Constitution gives the Senate the sole power to try and decide impeachment cases, House impeachment team adviser and spokesperson Ace Barbers said Friday. Barbers said the competing interpretations presented by

Sep 18, 2026

Barbers, Abante: Lower conviction threshold can’t be ‘weaponized’

Sep 18, 2026

Suing senators during VP trial may just be ‘wrong timing’ – Barbers

MANILA, Philippines — Filing criminal cases against some senators during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment proceedings may be just a case of “wrong timing, ” not manipulation to gather the votes needed to convict her, says former Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Friday. In an online news conference, Barbers made the distinction when asked whether

Sep 18, 2026

Marcos condemns, orders thorough probe into South Cotabato shooting

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned yet another school shooting incident, this time in South Cotabato, and directed agencies to report on school security measures being implemented. At least three students died in a shooting at Banga National High School, which happened inside the school shortly after 1 p.m. One of the fatalities is

Sep 18, 2026

No jackpot winners in Sept. 18 PCSO lotto draws

MANILA, Philippines — No ticket won the jackpots in the Ultra Lotto 6/58 and Mega Lotto 6/45 draws Friday, Sept. 18, according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). The Ultra Lotto 6/58 winning combination was 07-51-39-30-49-02 for a jackpot of ₱307.76 million. PCSO said there was no jackpot winner. The Mega Lotto 6/45 winning

Sep 18, 2026

Woman under probe for allegedly eavesdropping on singer Cha Eun-woo

A woman is being investigated on suspicion of eavesdropping on singer-actor Cha Eun-woo by installing a recording device under a cafe table last month, police said Friday. The woman in her 50s was caught by police on Aug. 30 while removing the device from the cafe in Seoul's Yongsan Ward where Cha was meeting with an acquaintance, according to the Yongsan Police Station. She allegedly used the same method twice last month to eavesdrop on Cha's conversations. Police are reportedly determining whether she had any accomplices and how she got hold of the device by conducting a forensic analysis of her phone, among other measures.

Sep 18, 2026

Toxic humidifier survivors face daily struggles, discrimination

"I want to take my shirt off and exercise like my friends do, too!" Lim Jae-i, 80, cannot forget her grandson's anguished cry years ago. Lee Hyun-seo, 25, was exposed to humidifier disinfectant — an antibacterial liquid added to humidifier water — while still in the womb and was born prematurely. He cycled in and out of hospitals with nontuberculous lung disease, a chronic lung condition unrelated to tuberculosis, and he almost never complained. Then adolescence arrived and he reached a breaking point. Facing a mirror, he saw a chest left concave by years of drug treatment and labored breathing and a body that remained thin. He realized that his life would never resemble those of his peers. The infants who bore the brunt of Korea's humidifier disinfectant disaster have reached young adulthood. A 2025 Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment survey of victims drew 1,213 responses, 321 (26.5 percent) of which came from victims in their 20s or younger. A tragedy the public still associates primarily with infant fatalities now runs through its survivors as an unfinished daily grind o

Sep 18, 2026

Coupang turns to Taiwan as key hub for global growth

Taiwan has emerged as a key strategic hub for Coupang’s global growth, as the company brings fast delivery to more regions and develops AI-powered logistics technologies. Taiwan is a relatively new market for the New York Stock Exchange-listed company, which began expanding into the country in October 2022. The move came after the e-commerce giant established a strong presence in Korea, where it has operated since 2010. In just a few years, Coupang connected more than 300,000 sellers on its platform in Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Hong Kong with consumers in the Taiwanese market. Coupang recently completed its fourth fulfillment center in Taiwan, which opened in April. Located in the Bausan Guanyin Logistics Park in Taoyuan City in northwestern Taiwan, the facility was designed to accelerate exports, particularly from U.S. businesses, to the Taiwanese market. “By removing traditional barriers such as complex logistics, long shipping times and high costs, we made it easier for U.S. companies to expand internationally," the company said in a statement released after the

Sep 18, 2026

Who helped Samsung become chip giant

Through the 1980s, Japan pushed the United States — the birthplace and longtime leader of the semiconductor industry — out of the world memory chip market, and the damage ran deep enough that Intel gave up DRAM, the short-term memory that holds a computer's working data. American chipmakers came to believe Japan could not be beaten in memory chips, and Washington and the industry began looking for ways to counter it. Two questions followed: how to contain Japan, and where to find a viable challenger to it. The country that emerged as a memory chip powerhouse in the 1990s was Korea, and Intel had a hand in how Korea overtook Japan to dominate the world market. Chip business nearly dropped "Hey, drop it." Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul shook his head in disbelief while he sat through a report on the semiconductor company his son had bought. The son was Lee Kun-hee, former Samsung chairman. Lee, then a director at Samsung's broadcasting branch TBC, had acquired Hankook Semiconductor in 1974 after the chipmaker went bankrupt due to financial strain. Hankook Semiconductor, an early Ko

Sep 18, 2026

Cho, Rubio agree to work together for 'good' results from talks on US investment projects

WASHINGTON — The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States agreed to work together for "good" results from bilateral talks on the Asian country's investment projects in the U.S. during their meeting in Washington on Friday, the foreign ministry said. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met at the State Department as the two countries have been in talks over the investment projects as part of efforts to implement last year's bilateral trade deal under which Seoul committed to investing $350 billion in the U.S. Seoul and Washington were initially expected to announce Korea's first investment project on Friday (Korea time). But the announcement has reportedly been postponed until next week after a related briefing to the National Assembly was delayed. "The minister and secretary agreed to make joint efforts to ensure that ongoing consultations related to strategic investment projects in the U.S. will yield good results, and to continue communication for the faithful implementation of both leaders' key agreements, including the Joint Fact Sheet (JFS)

Sep 18, 2026

Korean Air faces mounting mileage-related liability

Korean Air is facing a growing mileage-related liability as it moves to integrate its mileage program with that of Asiana Airlines, with higher redemption requirements adding pressure on the combined carrier’s ticket sales and profitability. Last week, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) approved the airlines’ mileage integration plan, requiring Korean Air to provide more opportunities for customers to use their accumulated miles. Under the plan, Asiana miles will remain separately available for 10 years after the merger. As of the end of June, Korean Air’s consolidated mileage-related deferred revenue stood at 4.07 trillion won ($2.94 billion), including 3.12 trillion won for Korean Air and 946.3 billion won for Asiana, according to the companies’ interim reports. The amount represents the value allocated to unused miles that have yet to be redeemed and is recorded as a liability until the related services are provided. The figure does not represent conventional debt that Korean Air must repay in cash. Rather, it reflects future service obligations. When customers redeem their mile

Sep 18, 2026

[WEEKENDER] K-defense exports enter new phase

Korea’s defense industry stands at a critical crossroads, as its export boom gives way to a new phase in which major overseas buyers are demanding local production and supply chains in their own markets. From K9 self-propelled howitzers and K2 battle tanks to Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers and air defense systems, Korean-made weapons have rapidly expanded their presence across Europe and other regions. The export boom has transformed the defense industry from a largely domestic-oriented sector into one of Korea’s emerging global growth engines. But the next stage may prove more challenging. Korean defense firms can no longer rely solely on their traditional strengths of competitive prices, fast delivery and proven manufacturing capabilities. As major customers increasingly demand technology transfers, local production and participation in their own defense industries, Korean companies are pushed to become not just arms exporters, but long-term industrial partners. That shift could determine whether the current K-defense boom develops into a sustainable global business or remains a t

Barbers, Abante: Lower conviction threshold can’t be ‘weaponized’

MORE NEWS

Barbers: Senate has final say on VP Sara conviction threshold

Barbers, Abante: Lower conviction threshold can’t be ‘weaponized’

Suing senators during VP trial may just be ‘wrong timing’ – Barbers

Marcos condemns, orders thorough probe into South Cotabato shooting

No jackpot winners in Sept. 18 PCSO lotto draws

Woman under probe for allegedly eavesdropping on singer Cha Eun-woo

Toxic humidifier survivors face daily struggles, discrimination

Coupang turns to Taiwan as key hub for global growth

Who helped Samsung become chip giant

Cho, Rubio agree to work together for 'good' results from talks on US investment projects

Korean Air faces mounting mileage-related liability

[WEEKENDER] K-defense exports enter new phase

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