WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve, a day before meeting with executives from the cryptocurrency industry at the White House.
The reserve will be capitalized with bitcoin owned by the federal government that was forfeited as part of criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings, the White House crypto czar, billionaire David Sacks, said in a post on social media platform X.Attendees at Friday’s White House crypto summit expect the event to serve as a stage for Trump to formally announce his plans to build a strategic reserve containing bitcoin and four other cryptocurrencies.Earlier this week, Trump announced the names of five digital assets he expects to include in this reserve, spiking the market value of each. The five are bitcoin, ether, XRP, solana and cardano, the president said.It is not clear how such a reserve would work or how it would benefit taxpayers. Sacks said the federal government will have a strategy to maximize the value of its holdings in such a reserve, without offering details.The U.S. will not sell any bitcoin deposited into the Reserve. It will be kept as a store of value. The Reserve is like a digital Fort Knox for the cryptocurrency often called “digital gold”,”Sacks said.Trump’s moves to support the crypto industry, which spent millions backing him and other Republicans in the November elections, have drawn concern from some conservatives and crypto backers over giveaways to an already wealthy community and delegitimizing the digital currency industry.Proponents argue that a reserve would help taxpayers benefit from crypto’s price growth.Trump’s executive order directed the secretaries of Treasury and Commerce to develop “budget-neutral strategies” for acquiring additional bitcoin that have no “incremental costs” on taxpayers.Sacks estimated the U.S. government owns about 200,000 bitcoin and premature sale of the cryptocurrency has cost the American taxpayer $17 billion. It wasn’t clear how Sacks arrived at these estimates.The president’s support for the crypto industry has also sparked conflict-of-interest concerns. Trump’s family has launched cryptocurrency meme coins, and the president also holds a stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform.
His aides have said Trump has handed over control of his business ventures, which are being reviewed by outside ethics lawyers.
‘ ‘SpaceX-Starship-failure-prompts-diversions–Florida-airports-ground-stops’: ‘author’: ‘David Shepardson, Reurters’ ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T10:22:48.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:1e679524-468b-4188-972c-21b8014a1260’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ‘37924f40-234e-4219-b6ab-0b5c062d170a’ ‘lead’: ‘The failure of a SpaceX Starship test flight scattered debris over parts of the Caribbean, prompting numerous flight diversions around Turks and Caicos and temporary ground stops at four Florida airports.’ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T10:24:11.692+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T10:32:39.072+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘SpaceX Starship failure prompts diversions, Florida airports ground stops’ ‘visualType’: ‘image
(Reuters) – The failure of a SpaceX Starship test flight on Thursday scattered debris over parts of the Caribbean, prompting numerous flight diversions around Turks and Caicos and temporary ground stops at four Florida airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued ground stops for flights departing for Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Palm Beach airports for more than an hour before resuming normal operations at around 8 p.m. ET (0100 GMT on Friday).Departures at those airports were delayed by an average of 45 minutes due to the SpaceX incident, the FAA said.During the event, the FAA activated a debris response area “and briefly slowed aircraft outside the area where space vehicle debris was falling or stopped aircraft at their departure location. Normal operations have resumed.The FAA also said it is requiring SpaceX to perform a mishap investigation into the loss of the Starship vehicle.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra Maler)
‘ ‘US-Justice-Dept-to-ramp-up-staffing-for-immigration-cases’: ‘author’: ‘Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch, Reuters’ ‘caption’: ‘U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks after a meeting with Republicans in Congress at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 8. (Jeenah Moon/File Photo/Reuters)’ ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T10:27:17.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:98e03d15-455b-4c2e-ab30-ed4f85a48531’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ‘b22c264a-7400-45af-91be-4f842be98e88’ ‘lead’: ‘The US Justice Department will focus on hiring prosecutors in offices near US borders to enforce President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, despite a federal hiring freeze, according to the new US deputy attorney general.’ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T10:36:29.842+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T10:47:35.770+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘US Justice Dept to ramp up staffing for immigration cases’ ‘visualType’: ‘image
Washington, US – The US Justice Department will focus on hiring prosecutors in offices near U.S. borders to enforce President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, despite a federal hiring freeze, according to the new U.S. deputy attorney general.
The directive is designed to boost staffing for cases involving illegal entry into the United States, drug and human trafficking and activity by drug cartels, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in a memo to department staff on Thursday and seen by Reuters.Border Districts have a unique role to play in these efforts,” Blanche wrote in the memo.The exemption from the hiring freeze will apply to U.S. attorney’s offices in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and southern California along the U.S.-Mexico border. It will also apply to districts in Florida as well as in New York and Vermont near the Canadian border, where Blanche said illegal immigration had increased in recent years.The move is the latest indication that the Justice Department under Trump plans to prioritize immigration-related crimes. Department officials have already directed prosecutors to scale back enforcement in areas such as foreign bribery and covert influence to focus on immigration issues.Justice Department leadership has told prosecutors to bring the most serious charges available in cases related to immigration.Blanche, a former top criminal defense lawyer for Trump, was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday and sworn in as the department’s second-highest ranking official on Thursday.He urged lawyers at the Justice Department’s Washington headquarters to voluntarily accept transfers to border districts and suggested some prosecutors would be required to go if there were not enough volunteers.Federal prosecutors in those areas will seek to bring terrorism-related cases against certain cartels that Trump designated as foreign terrorist groups, Blanche wrote in the memo.They will also pursue cases against local officials and advocacy groups accused of impeding federal immigration enforcement and harboring undocumented immigrants, according to the memo.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Michael Perry)
‘ ‘japan-ambassador-ph-us-alliance-vital’: ‘author’: ‘Tristan Nodalo, NewsWatch Plus’ ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T10:47:07.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:cae87d98-23e6-4b0d-8da8-ff08117f3b46’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ‘b1561e8d-4735-4567-a741-8436b0196f69’ ‘lead’: ‘As the foreign policy of United States President Donald Trump takes shape, the Japanese government has raised the importance of maintaining US engagement with the Philippines in the region, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya said on Friday. ‘ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T10:51:11.910+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘tristan-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T10:51:12.175+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘Engagement with PH of ‘vital interest’ to the US – Japan diplomat ‘ ‘visualType’: ‘image
Metro Manila, Philippines – As the foreign policy of United States President Donald Trump takes shape, the Japanese government has raised the importance of maintaining US engagement with the Philippines in the region, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya said on Friday.
The diplomat said Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba raised with Trump the importance of continuing the trilateral partnership between the three countries in an in-person meeting in Washington last Feb. 10.
“We communicate with the new US administration from the perspective that constructive US engagement in the region is in the vital interest of the US itself,” the envoy said in a speech during a Stratbase Forum in Makati City on Friday, March 7.
The envoy recalled that the trilateral partnership between Manila, Tokyo and Washington has reached new heights from the trilateral maritime dialogue held last December: the trilateral leaders’ phone call has institutionalized the partnership in a series of multilateral maritime cooperative activities in the South China Sea.
It is also encouraging that the two leaders of Japan and the US agreed to advance cooperation among like-minded countries, including the trilateral collaboration with the Philippines,” he added.Kazuya said Trump and Ishiba also expressed concerns over the unlawful maritime claims to militarization of reclaimed features, and threatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea. In a previous interview on NewsWatch Plus with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, the DFA chief said he sees ‘brighter prospects’ for Philippine-US relations under Trump. Well, based on my conversations… I think the Philippine-U.S. relationship may even become more enhanced or stronger. Especially as we are, as I mentioned earlier, we’re thinking now we’ve been having more economic cooperation,” said Manalo.
“And so that’s certainly a good sign. And even on defense and security, I haven’t heard anything that it would be less than what it is. So I think all in all, you’re looking at a relationship that has good prospects. Good prospects, bright prospects, but we were already bright before, so, brighter prospects,” he added.
‘ ‘Stephen-Curry-leads-Warriors-to-22-point-comeback-win-over-Nets-‘: ‘author’: ‘Reuters’ ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T12:31:35.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:6ecd5102-cf92-4062-b070-d4ec4305b055’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ’94dbb2c2-a443-43fb-b1f7-130ffb1f8df2′ ‘lead’: ‘Stephen Curry scored 40 points as the Golden State Warriors erased a 22-point deficit and capped a five-game road trip by holding on in the final minute for a 121-119 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.’ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T12:37:39.366+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T12:39:11.686+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘Stephen Curry leads Warriors to 22-point comeback win over Nets ‘ ‘ ‘visualType’: ‘image
(Reuters) – Stephen Curry scored 40 points as the Golden State Warriors erased a 22-point deficit and capped a five-game road trip by holding on in the final minute for a 121-119 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.
In front of 18,413 fans — the largest crowd in Barclays Center history –, Curry led the Warriors to their 10th win in 12 games and their second-biggest comeback this season. Nearly a month after erasing a 24-point deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls, the Warriors overcame a deficit of at least 20 points for the third time this season.Curry hit seven 3s much to the delight of the many fans cheering for him and his final triple was a corner 3 just before Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson could defend. Curry gave a hand gesture as if to signal “good night” after his shot staked the Warriors to a 119-109 lead with 61 seconds left.Curry’s 3 did not clinch the win as Cameron Johnson converted a 3-point play with 47.1 seconds left to make it 119-114 following an errant inbounds pass by Jimmy Butler III. After a timeout, Curry was called for a backcourt violation with 15.2 seconds remaining and Cam Thomas made a 34-foot 3 to make it 119-117 with 10.1 remaining.Curry made two free throws with 8.1 seconds left and the game ended when Cameron Johnson converted a putback at the buzzer.Curry made 12-of-20 shots and notched his second 40-point game this season. Butler added 25, reserve Gary Payton II contributed 16 and Draymond Green finished with 10 assists as the Warriors outscored Brooklyn 106-84 over the final three quarters and shot 48.8 percent.Cameron Johnson scored 26 and Thomas added 23 but the Nets dropped their sixth straight. Tyrese Martin added 17 and Keon Johnson chipped in 12 as the Nets shot 50.6 percent.The Nets scored 17 straight points and opened a 27-5 lead on a hook shot by Nic Claxton with 4:39 left. Brooklyn held a 35-15 lead after the opening quarter, which ended with Ziaire Williams and Gary Payton II receiving technical fouls for a brief shoving match near the Nets’ basket.Curry returned with 6:08 left in the second quarter and the guard sank three 3s in the final 2:40, including a 38-foot heave near midcourt over Ziaire Williams to cut the deficit to 60-55 by halftime.Golden State took the lead for the first time when Butler hit a wide-open corner 3 to snap a 65-65 tie with 9:20 left. The Nets countered Curry’s 3 while falling out of bounds by taking an 83-77 lead on a drive by Martin with 3:32 left and held an 89-86 lead into the fourth.
Curry’s reverse layup around Claxton capped an 11-2 run and gave the Warriors a 101-93 lead with 6:16 left. Curry then hit another 3 and sank two free throws to give Golden State a 108-98 lead with 4:27 left.
‘ ‘South-Korea-court-cancels-President-Yoon-s-arrest-warrant–Yonhap-says’: ‘author’: ‘Ju-min Park and Joyce Lee, Reuters’ ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T13:17:17.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:72f908d6-fdcb-4323-8f54-6399402ad2f7’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ‘8a048712-f402-4426-b051-8b19ad66cfd8’ ‘lead’: ‘A South Korean court cancelled impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest warrant on Friday, potentially paving the way for his release from jail while he faces trial on insurrection charges over a brief imposition of martial law.’ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T13:29:53.106+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T16:53:48.330+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘South Korea court paves way for President Yoon’s release from jail’ ‘updated’: 2025-03-07T16:51:11.000+08:00 ‘visualType’: ‘image
Seoul, South Korea – A South Korean court cancelled impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest warrant on Friday, potentially paving the way for his release from jail while he faces trial on insurrection charges over a brief imposition of martial law.
The Seoul Central District Court said in a statement that its ruling was based on the timing of the indictment that came after the initial detention period had expired, and noted “questions about the legality” of the investigation process that involved two separate agencies.
The ruling did not dismiss the criminal charges that led to Yoon’s arrest on January 15, and the case is separate from his impeachment which is still pending before the Constitutional Court.
Both were triggered by his December 3 martial law declaration that also led to the impeachment of the prime minister, who had taken over as acting president.
South Korea’s Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is now acting head of state, and has sought to calm economic markets and reassure international partners amid chaos in government leadership.
Yoon’s lawyers and his presidential office welcomed the district court decision, saying it showed the case against Yoon had been pursued for political purposes with no legal justification.
“The court’s decision to cancel the arrest showed this country’s rule of law is still alive,” Yoon’s lawyers said in a statement.
Yoon’s lawyers called for his immediate release, though conceded he may not be immediately freed because prosecutors could appeal. The prosecutors’ office did not immediately comment on the ruling.
Yoon’s defense team had argued that a warrant issued on January 19 that extended Yoon’s detention was invalid because the request filed by prosecutors was procedurally flawed.
It has also claimed that the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which conducted the first stage of the criminal investigation against Yoon, had no legal authority to do so on insurrection charges.
Not a vindication
Legal experts said that while Friday’s decision by the district court was not a vindication for Yoon, it did raise questions about the integrity of the indictment and touched on legal issues that do not have a clear precedent.
If “questions about the legality of the investigation process” are not cleared up, it may become grounds for a higher court to overturn any trial court ruling, the Seoul Central District Court said in its statement.
Arguments ended in the separate impeachment trial last week and the court was expected to issue a decision in the next few days on whether to remove Yoon from office permanently or reinstate him.
If Yoon is removed, a new presidential election will be held within 60 days to elect a new leader.
“This court decision has nothing to do with the Constitutional Court’s impeachment trial of Yoon Suk Yeol,” opposition Democratic Party spokesman Han Min-soo said. “There will be no impact.”
Yoon said his martial law declaration was needed to root out “anti-state” elements but lifted the decree six hours later after parliament voted to reject it. He has said he never intended to fully impose emergency military rule.
Weeks later he was impeached by the opposition-led parliament on accusations he had violated his constitutional duty by declaring martial law.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park, Jack Kim, Hyunsu Yim and Joyce Lee; Editing by Ed Davies, Josh Smith and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
‘ ‘Diddy-new-indictment-forced-labor’: ‘author’: ‘Jonathan Stempel, Reuters’ ‘caption’: ‘Sean “Diddy” Combs reacts as he receives the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards 2022 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on June 26, 2022. (David Swanson/File Photo/Reuters)’ ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T13:46:36.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:5af0f4f2-bda4-4d6a-b474-1307444250ed’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ‘4e29a3d2-046c-4267-9947-b0a09fab26d0’ ‘lead’: ‘US prosecutors on Thursday unveiled a new indictment against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, accusing the hip-hop mogul of forcing employees to work long hours and threatening to punish those who did not assist in his two-decade sex trafficking scheme.’ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T13:57:41.740+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘sophiasioco-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T13:57:42.078+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces new indictment, is accused of ‘forced labor” ‘visualType’: ‘image
New York, US – US prosecutors on Thursday unveiled a new indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing the hip-hop mogul of forcing employees to work long hours and threatening to punish those who did not assist in his two-decade sex trafficking scheme.
Combs, 55, still faces a scheduled May 5 trial in Manhattan on federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
“Mr. Combs has said it before and will say it again: he vehemently denies the accusations” made by federal prosecutors, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement. “He looks forward to his day in court when it will become clear that he has never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will.”
Combs has also denied all wrongdoing in dozens of civil lawsuits by women and men who accused him of sexual assault and other misconduct.
While the new indictment added no new charges, it described what prosecutors called the “forced labor” that Combs demanded in connection with the racketeering conspiracy.
It said Combs and his associates “maintained control” over some employees by forcing them to work long hours with little sleep, through the use of or threats to use physical force, financial harm, psychological harm and reputational harm.
“In doing so, Combs, assisted by members and associates of the enterprise, caused these employees to believe they would be harmed–including by losing their jobs–if they did not comply with his demands,” the indictment said.
Such pressure caused one unnamed employee “to engage in sex acts with Combs,” the indictment added.
In a letter to US District Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversees the case, prosecutors said they expect to provide Combs’ lawyers with additional details by March 10.
They asked that Combs be arraigned on the new indictment on March 14.
In his statement, Agnifilo said many of Combs’ former employees “stand by his side, prepared to attest to the dedication, hard work and inspiration they experienced while helping build groundbreaking, award-winning businesses.”
Prosecutors said Combs’ sex trafficking scheme ran from 2004 to 2024.
Many of the civil lawsuits were filed under a 2022 New York City law giving alleged victims of gender-motivated violence a window to sue even if statutes of limitations had expired. The deadline to sue expired at the end of February.
Combs is in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)
‘ ‘Fuel-price-cut-DOE’: ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T14:09:08.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:32e05f39-7b09-4298-b0f7-6faeb5bf6913’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ‘7f8b71b7-8efa-4777-b441-dfae99987ac9’ ‘lead’: ‘Motorists may see a big cut in fuel prices next week, the Department of Energy said Friday, March 6.’ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T14:17:06.753+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘sophiasioco-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T14:17:06.959+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘Big fuel price cut next week – DOE’ ‘visualType’: ‘image
Metro Manila, Philippines – Motorists may see a big cut in fuel prices next week, the Department of Energy said Friday, March 6.
The agency says prices may be resided by P1.40-P1.70 per liter for gasoline, P0.90-P1.20 for diesel, and P1.50-P1.70 for kerosene.
Oil companies lowered prices as well this week.
Oil Management Bureau Assistant Director Rodela Romero said the forecast price movement may be the result of the build up of United States commercial crude oil stockpiles.
Other factors are plans of the Organization of Petroleum Export Countries Plus (OPEC+) plans to raise output in April and the trade war between the US on one hand, and Canada, China, and Mexico on the other.
‘ ‘free-rides-womens-month’: ‘caption’: ‘Female passengers line up at the MRT-3 (DOTr-MRT-3/Facebook)’ ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T14:02:31.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:5141805c-46e4-41bd-a791-cf63cf8f0560’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ’73a1c670-1786-4823-a21d-03524dd5d67d’ ‘lead’: ‘A number of train stations and a bus terminal will offer free rides for women passengers in observance of International Women’s Month.’ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T14:20:06.491+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘lance-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T14:20:06.775+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘Where to catch free rides on International Women’s Month’ ‘visualType’: ‘image
Metro Manila, Philippines – A number of train stations and a bus terminal will offer free rides for women passengers in observance of International Women’s Month.
In an announcement, the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) and Light Rail Transit (LRT-2) said the free service will be available on Saturday, March 8. The offer is from 7am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm.“Ang libreng sakay po ay simpleng paraan ng MRT-3 upang maipakita ang suporta sa bawat Juana at mabigyang-pugay ang kanilang mga sakripisyo para sa kanilang mga pamilya,” Oscar B. Bongon, MRT-3 general manager, said in a press statement.[Translation: The free ride is MRT-3’s simple way to show support to women and honor their sacrifices for their family.]Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard is providing free rides for female commuters at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, and Cubao in Quezon City, and vice versa.The offer is available on all Tuesdays of the month from 6am to 5pm.
Commuters may proceed to the terminal’s Gate 10 (Bay 5), the PITX management said.
‘ ‘donald-trump-philippines-united-alliance’: ‘author’: ‘Tristan Nodalo, NewsWatch Plus’ ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T15:06:58.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:0ab24df8-9a4e-43be-91a3-ffffb63548ae’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ’74ac5ac5-c25f-4477-8971-9d0effe236c3′ ‘lead’: ‘The United States has focused on treaty ally the Philippines over the rest of Southeast Asia, indicating the country’s significance in the Trump administration’s engagement in the region, an expert said on Friday, March 7. ‘ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T15:12:09.424+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘tristan-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T15:21:51.655+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘US focusing on PH over rest of Southeast Asia – expert’ ‘visualType’: ‘image
Metro Manila, Philippines – The United States has focused on treaty ally the Philippines over the rest of Southeast Asia, indicating the country’s significance in the Trump administration’s engagement in the region, an expert said on Friday, March 7.
Speaking at a Stratbase Forum in Makati City, Gregory Poling, senior fellow and director of the Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said the collaboration extends to Japan trilateral and bilateral partnerships. Poling noted the exemption of military aid for the Philippines, along with Taiwan and Ukraine.The Philippines is the only country in Asia that explicitly had its military assistance unlocked as a result of Secretary [Enrique] Manalo’s meeting with Secretary [Marco] Rubio. That’s a pretty good sign.“It means that there’s a recognition within the US Department of State and Department of Defense that the military alliance and the US capacity-building assistance for the Philippines is a critical national interest, one that can’t wait or whatever process is ongoing right now to try to rationalize US foreign assistance,” said Poling.He noted the number of engagements the Philippines had weeks into the Trump administration compared to other countries in Asia, based on meetings with the US.This tells us that the (Trump) administration is committed to putting the time and energy into developing these relationships. That is particularly important given the relative lack of interest that the administration has so far shown toward the rest of Southeast Asia,” said Poling.We have seen almost no attention to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Malaysia, as ASEAN chair, has received no phone calls or visits at the cabinet level, and there doesn’t seem to be much interest from either party,” he added.Polling said there appears to be no clear Asia or Southeast Asia strategy for the US.The Philippines, by getting so much attention – both funding and high-level attention – is being singled out as a partner and an ally, not as part of a Southeast Asia strategy, but for its unique relationship with the US bilaterally,” he said.The expert noted that the US will likely pursue more focused cooperation.Their engagements are going to be bilateral, or they’re going to focus on preferred ‘minilaterals’ like the Quad or perhaps like the US-Japan-Philippines trilateral,” he said.In an earlier interview, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said the “ironclad” alliance between the Philippines and the US will remain strong under the Trump administration, but the country must always be prepared for any eventuality.It seems both are interested in continuing our mutual defense treaty, which is supposed to be ironclad. Remember, again, this ironclad moniker was actually put in place by the first Trump administration,” Romualdez said in a virtual interview with reporters on Tuesday, March 4He added that the Marcos administration is committed to strengthening defense capabilities and its self-defense posture amid growing challenges in the region.It is ironclad. But we have to always be ready for, you know, there’s only one thing that’s permanent in this world, and that’s change. And so, everything changes as time goes by,” he said.
Romualdez also noted that modernizing the armed forces remains a priority for the administration.
‘ ‘Animal-cruelty-Makati’: ‘caption’: ‘Screenshots from CCTV footage showing a Chinese national kicking a community cat in Makati have sparked outrage and could lead to legal action from animal welfare advocates. (Photo courtesy: CARA Welfare Philippines)’ ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T15:13:19.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:bb583400-becb-45b9-a5b8-88630812b15b’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ‘5022f087-00c3-426e-a3d9-bbbca68b0c67’ ‘lead’: ‘Cruel treatment by an unidentified Chinese national killed a community cat at a park in Makati, an animal welfare group said as it vowed legal action. ‘ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T15:15:35.787+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘eimor-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T15:15:36.045+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘Chinese national kicks cat to death in Makati – animal welfare group’ ‘visualType’: ‘image
Trigger warning: Animal cruelty
Metro Manila, Philippines – Cruel treatment by an unidentified Chinese national killed a community cat at a park in Makati, an animal welfare group said as it vowed legal action.
“This man was caught on CCTV (closed-circuit television) kicking a frail and defenseless community cat at Ayala Triangle Gardens, resulting in the cat’s death,” the group CARA Welfare Philippines said in a Facebook post.
“When confronted and brought to the barangay, the man was arrogant and refused to provide his address. He told us to write to the Chinese embassy. Because of this, he remains free to roam the streets, to roam the gardens,” the group added.
The post included a photo of the alleged animal abuser, along with screenshots of the CCTV footage.
“We seek your help to know the man’s identity and whereabouts in order to proceed with the filing of a case against him,” the group said, noting that the crime violated the Animal Welfare Act.
The group also offered monetary reward for information leading to the perpetrator, though the amount was not disclosed.
Senator Grace Poe, sponsor of a proposed amendment to the Animal Welfare Act aimed at imposing heftier fines on violators, condemned the incident.
“We ask the concerned authorities to hold the cat killer accountable for violation of the animal welfare law,” she said in a statement.
“A stronger and more responsive animal welfare law in place would have immediately caught the perpetrator and made him answerable to his crime,” Poe said.
The senator said she anticipates the passage of the bill, which is now up for third reading, when Congress resumes its session in June.
‘ ‘denr-blue-star-masungi-georeserve’: ‘author’: ‘Jelo Ritzhie Mantaring, NewsWatch Plus’ ‘caption’: ‘The photo shows the popular attraction “Sapot” at the Masungi Georeserve. (NewsWatch Plus/File)’ ‘categories’: [‘47875775-1e19-4807-a703-c6d00e541860’] ‘created’: 2025-03-07T15:14:46.000+08:00 ‘imagesource’: ‘jcr:cd9a2af7-8c89-45de-902c-0b41e938ee66’ ‘jcr:primaryType’: ‘mgnl:composition’ ‘jcr:uuid’: ‘c4fd2eb2-8c00-42ef-b3e6-59cbd2c3e7a9’ ‘lead’: ‘The government has canceled its supplemental agreement with a housing contractor, which developed the Masungi Georeserve east of Metro Manila.’ ‘mgnl:activationStatus’: true ‘mgnl:created’: 2025-03-07T15:21:06.078+08:00 ‘mgnl:createdBy’: ‘jelo-nwp’ ‘mgnl:lastActivated’: 2025-03-07T18:26:06.059+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastActivatedBy’: ‘superuser’ ‘mgnl:lastModified’: 2025-03-15T10:11:46.798+08:00 ‘mgnl:lastModifiedBy’: ‘faith-nwp’ ‘mgnl:tags’: [] ‘Sierra-Madre’, ‘Masungi-Georeserve’] ‘stories’: [] ‘template’: ‘1’ ‘title’: ‘DENR cancels contract with Masungi Georeserve developer’ ‘updated’: 2025-03-07T18:21:06.000+08:00 ‘visualType’: ‘image
Metro Manila, Philippines – The government has canceled its supplemental agreement with a housing contractor, which developed the Masungi Georeserve east of Metro Manila.
In a news conference on Friday, March 7, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced the cancellation of the 2002 supplemental agreement with Blue Star Construction and Development Corp. due to “illegality, failure to go through a bidding process, and failure to execute.”
“Dito sa ating sulat sa kanila, binibigyan natin sila ng 15 days upon receipt of the letter of cancellation for them to vacate. So titignan natin, of course, mayroon naman mga available legal remedies in this situation,” Environment Assistant Secretary Norlito Eneran said.
[Translation: In our letter, we are giving Blue Star 15 days upon receipt of the letter of cancellation for them to vacate. Of course, they have available legal remedies in this situation.]
Eneran said Blue Star’s violations were:
+ imposition of fees not provided for in the Masungi Rock Eco-Tourism Plan;
+ construction of various facilities inside the park without necessary permits and clearances;
+ fencing a portion of the area
+ restrictive access to authorized DENR officials; and
+ non-completion of project within the stipulated period
In 1997, the DENR entered into a joint venture agreement with Blue Star for the “survey, design construction, development, and marketing” of the “Garden Cottages” project.
The 5,000-unit government housing project was on a 130-hectare site in Tanay, Rizal.
In 2002, a supplemental agreement was signed to expand the project by 300 hectares. In this area, known as the Lot 10 property, the Blue Star developed the Masungi Georeserve, a conservation area nestled in the Sierra Madre mountain range, known for its hikes and day trips in its discovery trail.
The Masungi Georeserve Foundation, Inc. (MGFI) said Lot 10 is home to fragile limestone formations and part of several protected and conserved areas.
“‘Yung 1997 joint venture agreement, as of now, walang housing units doon. Kung meron man, mga model units ‘yun. Pero in terms of distributing it to the beneficiaries, wala pong ganun,” Eneran said.
“As to penalties, we’re still verifying and reviewing the other contracts. Kaya naka-reserve kami dun sa civil, criminal aspects, dependent dun sa makikita namin sa evaluation,” he added.
[Translation: As of now, there are no housing units for the 1997 joint venture agreement, only model units. No units were distributed to the beneficiaries. As to penalties, we’re still verifying and reviewing the other contracts. That’s why we are reserved to civil and criminal aspects, which are dependent on our evaluation.]
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