PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCASBy Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson, ReporterThe National Government’s budget deficit ballooned to P99.1 billion in October, as state spending outpaced revenue collections, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) reported on Friday.In its latest cash operations report, the BTr said the October

REUTERSOne of the UK’s biggest pork producers has spent £4 million ($4.8 million) hiring butchers from the Philippines, after a staffing crisis threatened to hamper production.Cranswick Plc, which supplies supermarkets with pork and poultry, is paying for 400 butchers to travel from the Asian islands

REUTERSGOSPORT, England/LONDON — Chukwudubem Ifeajuna, a nurse in the south of England, loves his job, but next month will walk out for two days as part of British nurses’ biggest ever strike action, which he says is necessary for staff and patient welfare alike.The industrial

FREEPIKAn experimental vaccine provided broad protection against all 20 known influenza A and B virus subtypes in initial tests in mice and ferrets, potentially opening a pathway to a universal flu shot that might help prevent future pandemics, according to a US study published on

REUTERSFRANKFURT — The Federal Reserve’s signaling of a slowdown in the pace of US interest rate hikes takes pressure off global peers to keep on raising rates and offers relief to emerging markets, which have suffered their biggest rout in over a decade this year.Central

152mm artillery ammunition. — MIL.IN.UA/FLICKRPRAGUE/WARSAW — Eastern Europe’s arms industry is churning out guns, artillery shells and other military supplies at a pace not seen since the Cold War as governments in the region lead efforts to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia.Allies have

REUTERSWhen Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo sat together last week to watch a trial run of a new China-backed high-speed railway, it was a clear sign of their expanding economic involvement. “Begin,” was the command they gave, as the train

GRAB SINGAPORESINGAPORE — Singapore will extend work injury insurance and pension coverage to food delivery and ride-hailing workers under proposed legislative changes that it aims to implement as early as late 2024, the Manpower Ministry said.The new rules will affect about 73,000 workers who deliver

Spanish artist Betsy Westendorp, who made a name in the Philippines for her portraits and her atmosferografias, passed away on Nov. 23 in her home in Aravaca, Madrid. She was 94 years old.  Born on Feb. 22, 1927, and raised in Spain, Ms. Westendorp was named after

In today’s economy, oil and gas are vital resources. They generate energy to power critical facets of the economy, such as transportation and electricity. Oil is also an important material to create products like plastics and chemicals. Thus, the stability of the oil supply, as