DPWH execs relieved as Lopez cleans up ranks

Inquirer.net - Nov 10, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Newly appointed Public Works Secretary Giovanni Lopez’s first order of business was to clean up ranks in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Lopez on Monday relieved four district engineers from their posts over corruption allegations and the submission of false supporting documents for projects proposed for inclusion in the

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Legazpi City declared insurgency-free

Nov 10, 2026

Legazpi City declared insurgency-free

LEGAZPI CITY, ALBAY, Philippines — The Philippine Army has declared Legazpi City under Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status after recording no armed encounters or insurgent activities in the city over the past 12 months. The declaration was made on Monday, Nov. 9 during a ceremony at the Legazpi City Convention Expo Hall A,

Bataan drug buy-bust operation uncovers alleged drug den; 7 arrested

Nov 10, 2026

Bataan drug buy-bust operation uncovers alleged drug den; 7 arrested

MARIVELES, BATAAN, Philippines — A police buy-bust operation that was supposed to target a suspected drug peddler led to the discovery of an alleged drug den inside a residential house along De Guzman Boulevard in Barangay Poblacion on Monday afternoon, Nov. 9. Seven people, whose ages ranged from their mid-20s to 30s, were arrested, according

Hold protests after Asean Summit, security official tells groups

Nov 10, 2026

Hold protests after Asean Summit, security official tells groups

MANILA, Philippines — A security official overseeing preparations for the country’s hosting of the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit has appealed to groups planning protests to hold their protests after the regional gathering as a way for Filipinos to show respect to visiting foreign leaders. Retired Major Gen. Potenciano Camba, deputy director

What’s the status of your agency’s 2024 PBB processing?

Nov 10, 2026

What’s the status of your agency’s 2024 PBB processing?

MANILA, Philippines — Only two out of 315 government agencies have received their 2024 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) funding, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). Based on its online tracker released on Nov. 6, the DBM has released the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) on Oct. 29 for Central Luzon State University amounting

16 short-form playwrights to face off in Seoul Players' 10-Minute Play Festival

Nov 10, 2026

16 short-form playwrights to face off in Seoul Players' 10-Minute Play Festival

Seoul's international theater community prepares for battle once again, as the 10-Minute Play Festival (10MPF) takes to the stage to find this year's top playwright. This will mark the 13th year of the contest, brought to the stage at Dulwich College in southern Seoul by Seoul Players, a not-for-profit, volunteer-run English-language theater group founded in 2001. For this year's contest, they received 410 submissions sent in March and April from 354 playwrights based all over the world. The number of submissions has exploded in recent years, peaking at more than 500 for last year's festival in just two weeks, before submissions had to be closed early. "Last year, one of the board [members] felt that many of the hundreds of plays we got were AI-generated," said Lorne Oliver, a producer for Seoul Players. He didn't disagree with the assessment, but he explained why it didn't affect their final decisions: "I just thought most of them were not up to snuff." He added, "We did not bother to run them through an AI check; we just went with the assessment results, since cream floats." This year, th

Korea's economy is booming. Why isn't President Lee's popularity?

Nov 10, 2026

Korea's economy is booming. Why isn't President Lee's popularity?

On paper, Korea's economy looks strong. Fueled by a semiconductor export boom, the country's annual exports are projected to top $1 trillion for the first time this year, making Korea only the fourth country to reach the milestone, after the United States, China and Germany. Forecasts from eight major investment banks put Korea's real gross domestic product growth at an average of 3.5 percent this year, with some expecting growth as high as 4 percent. Per capita gross national income is also expected to surpass $40,000 for the first time, potentially placing Korea sixth in the world by that measure. By those numbers, President Lee Jae Myung's approval ratings should be soaring. The economy, after all, is widely regarded as one of the biggest drivers of presidential popularity. Yet that is far from the case. A Realmeter survey of 2,528 adults nationwide, conducted from Nov. 2 to Friday for the Asia Business Daily, put Lee's approval rating at just 35.9 percent. His ratings have hovered between the high 30s and low 40s since October, a sharp decline from 67 percent seven months earlier. More

String of drug busts shatters Korea's drug-free myth

Nov 10, 2026

String of drug busts shatters Korea's drug-free myth

A string of recent drug cases is eroding Korea’s lingering reputation as a drug-free country, highlighting how both Koreans and foreign nationals are being increasingly drawn into narcotics crime. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police said Monday that it referred 66 foreign nationals to the prosecution between March and October on charges including violating the Narcotics Control Act, with 30 of them being held in custody. Many of the suspects were Southeast Asian students who entered the country on D-2 student visas or D-4 language training visas. Of the seven separate cases, one involved drug manufacturing plans and another smuggling, while five involved distribution, purchase and use. One suspect set up equipment in a studio apartment to make ecstasy pills from powder and other materials smuggled into Korea, but was caught before obtaining them. Six others were arrested in succession after investigators found evidence that they had smuggled large amounts of ecstasy, ketamine and other drugs into Korea through international mail in March. They operated in isolated cells and took order

N. Korea tests new torpedo, eyes early 2027 deployment

Nov 10, 2026

N. Korea tests new torpedo, eyes early 2027 deployment

North Korea has test-fired a new type of torpedo in the East Sea, state media reported Tuesday, saying it plans to deploy the system with its Navy in early 2027. The Academy of Defense Sciences, the Missile Administration and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau "verified the combat effectiveness" of the new high-speed torpedo system Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test was part of the "obligatory activities" of the defense research institutes to put weapons technology "on a highly-developed basis," it added. The North gave no further details on the torpedo's specifications. Pyongyang has been pushing to strengthen its naval capabilities with a string of weapons tests. Last month, it conducted an underwater test of a new high-speed, precision-guided torpedo that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology, calling it a "significant" change in its naval capabilities. It also fired two types of strategic cruise missiles from what was presumed to be a 3,000-ton submarine in the East Sea. In June, it commissioned the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer in the West Sea, followe

N. Korea's nuclear power recognition demand could hinder prospects for Trump-Kim summit: ex-US official

Nov 10, 2026

N. Korea's nuclear power recognition demand could hinder prospects for Trump-Kim summit: ex-US official

North Korea's apparent demand to be recognized as a nuclear power could complicate U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to arrange another summit with leader Kim Jong-un, a former senior State Department official said Monday. "I think my understanding, at least, is that the North Koreans have communicated to the United States that the only condition under which there could be consideration for a summit is if the United States accepted North Korea as a nuclear power," Kurt Campbell, former deputy secretary of state, said. Campbell made the remarks during a press briefing hosted by the Asia Group to preview Trump's upcoming trip to Asia, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Manila and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China. "Given the current circumstances, I think that would be almost impossible for President Trump to accept," Campbell said, noting that it could face opposition from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. "I don't think the political circumstances make it likely for anything other than maybe just a handshake of sort

5 takeaways from Trump's surprise White House briefing

Nov 10, 2026

5 takeaways from Trump's surprise White House briefing

President Trump carried out a surprise press briefing at the White House on Monday, teasing reporters with an appearance by UFC head Dana White — to whom he offered the job as press secretary — and providing a combative response to Republicans' stunning midterm election defeat. The president took a wide range of questions on...

Trump backs Nvidia’s Huang over spy allegations, says Xi may raise case

Nov 9, 2026

Trump backs Nvidia’s Huang over spy allegations, says Xi may raise case

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang had told him he did not know a woman at the centre of espionage allegations was a suspected Chinese spy, and that he believed the technology executive’s account. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had spoken to Huang earlier in the day, as the chipmaker faces scrutiny over whether its founder was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. “I asked him that question. Did you have any idea...

[Just Saying] Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda and the question of respectability

Nov 9, 2026

[Just Saying] Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda and the question of respectability

The legal burden of proof heavily rests entirely on Chief Justice Zalameda to demonstrate independence through every decision, vote, and dissent

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