[Vantage Point] Drowning in concrete: Why our flood control fails

PH foreign reserves rose to $104.8B in August 2026 -- BSP data

The Philippines' gross international reserves (GIR) increased in August due to the rise in gold prices and the central bank's higher earnings from its overseas investments.

Australia’s backpacker visa cuts threaten working holiday dream

Briton Johnny Gibbs has been in Australia for six months, surfing and working part-time – like countless other young people drawn to the country’s pristine beaches and laid-back way of life. He is one of thousands that venture Down Under on so-called “working holiday visas” – a chance to work, and play, in Australia for as long as three years. But the future for some backpackers is now in doubt, following the government’s announcement of plans to cut the number of visas issued – and detain...

Crouching dragons: the suicide divers Japan never sent to war

Japan’s wartime kamikaze pilots remain among the most recognisable symbols of the Pacific war: young men flying aircraft into Allied ships on missions from which they were not expected to return. Far less well-remembered are the fukuryu – suicide frogmen trained in the closing months of World War II to walk into the sea with mines on bamboo poles, then wait beneath the waves for an Allied invasion fleet. Kanade Hamamoto was one of many Japanese people who had never heard of them, despite...

Did the NCAA really partner with a gambling site?

The NCAA denies entering into a partnership with PlayTime Entertainment, an online gambling platform, yet the brand appeared multiple times during the league's opening-day broadcast

DA eyes conservation, breeding of ‘giant’ carabao in N. Samar

TACLOBAN CITY— The Department of Agriculture (DA) is assessing an unusually large carabao in Northern Samar for possible use in a breeding and conservation program aimed at improving the province’s livestock production. Assistant Secretary for Ruminant Livestock Benjamin Albarece led a DA technical mission to San Roque, Northern Samar, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, to inspect

Perfect Diary owner Yatsen doubles down on skincare, R&D after business overhaul

Yatsen Group, the Chinese beauty company behind Perfect Diary cosmetics, plans to deepen its push into skincare and new product research to sustain its growth, after a years-long overhaul of its business that has seen the firm acquire a string of overseas brands. The Guangzhou-based company will slow its acquisition spree for now and instead focus on expanding its existing portfolio of skincare offerings, while maintaining – and potentially raising – its research and development spending, which...

From Session Road yarn to Guinness, Baguio artist crochets her way into world record

Adelaida Guia, the woman behind Baguio’s giant crocheted mandalas, crosses from Baguio’s streets and community spaces into the Guinness record books

Amid school shootings, Baguio probes revolver found with 13-year-old

The incident occurs amid a series of deadly school shootings elsewhere in the country, raising concerns about school safety and security measures in Baguio City

India’s Modi caught between much-needed Russian oil and US trade threats

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is caught in an energy policy bind with no easy exit. Cutting Russian oil imports to avoid potential new US tariffs could increase fuel prices ahead of key regional elections, or stress government finances. Maintaining such purchases could cripple Indian exports to its largest market. India, the world’s third-largest oil importer and among the biggest buyers of Russian crude, reacted unusually strongly on Thursday to a US congressional bill that would allow...

Love Knots, September 19, 2026

Tuldok, September 19, 2026