The official opening of the Pinglu Canal on September 16 is a milestone in modern Chinese history. More than an infrastructural feat, it signals a strategic recalibration of how China’s inland economies connect with the sea and Southeast Asia, and augurs the next phase of regional growth. Designed for vessels of up to 5,000 tonnes, the 134.2km (83.4 mile) waterway stretches from the Xijin reservoir in Hengzhou, an emerging city in Guangxi, to the Gulf of Tonkin (known as the Beibu Gulf in...

Regardless of what people thought of Dr M, latter's friends and critics adored Hasmah.

"Ang akin lang naman bilang dumakila sa isang Pilipina na nagbibigay-dangal sa ating bansa. Ang mensahe ko kay Alex Eala, pasensya ka na kung hindi mo eksakto kamukha." - June Ducat

(1st UPDATE) Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte complies with the impeachment court's subpoena to take the witness stand at the trial of his sister

What began with a few pieces of Pilates and physiotherapy equipment inside a home in Fairview, Quezon City, has grown into a multi-branch wellness brand, with ESpace Wellness Club bringing Pilates, yoga, barre, spin and recovery services to BF Homes.  During the height of the pandemic, entrepreneurs Mico Vallejo and Euriz Bagtas-Vallejo started the business from their home, gradually acquiring equipment as they pursued their shared interest in wellness.  For Bagtas-Vallejo, a licensed physical therapist, the venture also provided an opportunity to apply her knowledge of movement, rehabilitation and physical well-being in a more accessible setting.  What started at home has since grown into ESpace, which now has multiple branches across Metro Manila. Its latest location in BF Homes, Parañaque, is a two-floor wellness club that brings several fitness and recovery disciplines under one roof.   The club has dedicated studios and facilities for Pilates, yoga, barre and spin, along with recovery amenities including a cold plunge and sauna.  “I’ve always believed that taking care of your body shouldn’t only happen when something is already wrong. Movement, recovery and prevention can be part of everyday life,” Bagtas-Vallejo said.   For the founders, the growth of ESpace has been less about building another fitness studio and more about creating a wellness space that people can incorporate into their daily routines.  “We started with what we had at home and simply kept building from there. The equipment came little by little, and eventually the idea became much bigger than what we initially imagined,” Vallejo said.     Bringing ESpace to the South  The BF Homes opening marks ESpace's expansion into southern Metro Manila, where the founders said they saw an opportunity to bring its combination of fitness and recovery services closer to residents.  The founders said expanding to Parañaque was not simply about adding another location but about introducing the ESpace concept to a new community while maintaining their focus on accessibility and convenience.  “We wanted to bring ESpace to the South because we saw an opportunity to make the kind of wellness experience we’ve built over the years more accessible to people in this community,” Bagtas-Vallejo said. “Wellness should be something you can easily make part of your life, not something you have to go out of your way to find.”     ESpace opens 11th branch in Pasay  The expansion continued on Sept. 26 with the official opening of ESpace Wellness Hub in Pasay City, the brand's 11th branch and a larger location compared with the BF Homes club.  The Pasay branch continues to offer Pilates, yoga, barre, spin and recovery services while adding an in-house cafe where members and their companions can have drinks and spend time before or after their sessions.   The addition reflects the founders' broader view of wellness as extending beyond exercise to include movement, recovery and community.  For the Vallejo couple, reaching 11 branches remains connected to the same idea that began in their Fairview home: creating spaces where people can move better, feel better and enjoy taking care of themselves.  “When we look back at where we started, it’s incredible to see how far ESpace has come. But the vision is still very similar to what we had in that home in Fairview: We want to create spaces where people can move better, feel better and enjoy taking care of themselves,” Vallejo said.   From a few pieces of equipment in a pandemic-era home to 11 branches across Metro Manila, ESpace continues to expand its wellness concept while keeping its origins in mind.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday said it drove away a Chinese maritime militia vessel (CMMV) and 24 small boats allegedly fishing in Kota Island waters in the Kalayaan Island Group on Monday.

A Chinese team has set a world record for the most autonomous underwater drones operating at the same time, deploying more than a hundred of the small robots in a swimming pool test. The Guinness World Record for “most autonomous underwater vehicles operating simultaneously” was set by a team from Northwestern Polytechnical University in collaboration with Xian Tianhe Maritime Technologies. The trial involved a swarm of 116 autonomous underwater vehicles – called TH-618s, the university said in...

Rappler brings live updates, analysis, and commentary from reporters and experts as the historic impeachment trial unfolds

I hope more older Filipinos return to classrooms. We need places where generations can meet — where experience encounters new knowledge, where assumptions can be challenged.

Despite the lack of substantial agreements, the summit is viewed as a 'PR win' for China, showcasing their diplomatic leverage and allowing them to avoid making concessions on contentious issues like Taiwan and Iran

MANILA, Philippines — ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio has joined calls to investigate the proposed joint venture agreement (JVA) between the South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (Socoteco II) and a private firm, saying that Congress should ascertain whether consumer welfare remains as the priority. In a statement on Monday, Tinio said that he is

'A general cannot let his soldiers face bullets while he sits behind.'

Transport group MANIBELA has suspended its strike to hold talks with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Tuesday.

US President Trump indicates a willingness to continue talks despite previously rejecting Iran's proposal, while Iran awaits a definitive US response before deciding on its next steps

“Forgotten Island” recorded a whopping P97 million in box-office receipts during its opening weekend in the Philippines.

Senator-judges couldn't care less about Vice President Sara Duterte's gun records, but prosecutors say they are just presenting a 'complete picture' of her true wealth

Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin are officially parents!

Transport group PISTON on Tuesday started its two-day transport strike as it called for lower prices of fuel products and higher fare increase.

MANILA, Philippines — Senator-Judge Raffy Tulfo questioned on Monday why private Type 5 collectors, particularly Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, were allowed to have so many firearms. He raised the issue during the vice president’s impeachment trial after Maj. Joericson Sangalang of the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office

Hong Kong's economy has moved past pandemic-era skepticism, achieving 3.6 percent growth in 2025 with continued momentum projected at 3.4 percent in 2026.

MANILA, Philippines — The claims of a dismissed cop Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. against Vice President Duterte and her other family members may reach the Office of the Ombudsman, its chief Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Monday. Last week, Gracioso surfaced and claimed that he allegedly delivered suitcases of cash to Vice President Sara Duterte, former

MANILA, Philippines — The point of the House prosecution panel was not the value of the firearms of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, but whether they were properly disclosed in her sworn statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth, former Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, House prosecution adviser and spokesperson, said on

The Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway is set to open fully by Sept. 30, letting Mekong Delta traffic reach Long Thanh airport an hour faster without passing through downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Spending 60-70% of his free time preparing for the SAT, a 12th-grade student scored a perfect 1600 on his first attempt, placing him among the top 1% of test takers worldwide.

This country ranks the best destination for retirees in the 2026 Rumavi Global Relocation Index that assesses factores includng healthcare, safety and tax policies.

US soybean farmers have described the exclusion of US soybeans from China’s import list under the newly announced Board of Trade mechanism as a “missed opportunity”, even as Beijing ramped up purchases of the crop ahead of last week’s summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump. The trade forum, unveiled by both sides on Sunday, covered a range of US agricultural products for export to China, including meat, dairy, corn, wheat, sorghum and vegetable oils, but...

MANILA, Philippines – On Day 30 of the Sara Duterte impeachment trial, Presiding Officer and Senator-judge Francis Escudero drew attention Monday when he asked colleagues to nudge Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., who had fallen asleep while a witness was being examined, offering the lawmaker a chance to rest “but at least not behind the

The Senate impeachment court will continue with Day 31 of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, September 29. Here are the latest news and updates.

The Senate impeachment court is scheduled to proceed with cross-examining witnesses and submitting evidence regarding Vice President Sara Duterte's alleged corporate connections and undisclosed assets on Tuesday, September 29.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism needs to strengthen its efforts to attract foreign visitors, prioritizing concerns such as airport accessibility. Sen. JV Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, put that as a challenge on Monday during a Senate hearing on the proposed 2027 DOT budget. “We are facing a lot of