KAKAMMPI News

By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News Incoming Migrant Workers chief Susan “Toots” Ople on Wednesday said she would first work on figuring out what possible assistance can be given to overseas Filipino workers in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, Ople noted that cases of COVID-19 as well as monkeypox infections are rising in some areas abroad. “Ang uunahin ko 'yung parang panoramic view kung ano ba talaga ang kalagayan ng mga OFWs natin sa panahon ng pandemya, anong uri ng saklolo ang kailangan nila,” she said. (I will prioritize studying the panoramic view of the situation of our OFWs during the pandemic, and determining what kind of help they need.) “Magkakaroon kami ng systems review. Magkakaroon din kami ng performance audit para 'yung mga tamang tao nasa tamang lugar,” she said. (We will have a systems review. We will also have a performance audit so that the right people are in the right place.) Ople, a long-time advocate of migrant work...

DFA opens courtesy lane for Muslim Filipino hajj pilgrims

Published May 22, 2022 2:38pm The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday said it will allow Muslim Filipinos intending to join the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year to use the courtesy lane at its consular offices for passport processing. The courtesy lane will be open to Muslim Filipinos for walk-in accommodation from May 23 to June 3, the DFA announced. Those intending to avail of the courtesy lane accommodation need to show a certificate of Muslim Filipino tribal membership (CTM) issued by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos. The CTM should show that it was issued for the purpose of hajj visa application. The DFA said passport applicants should have the necessary documentary requirements as listed on its website. It added that all passport applications will be scrutinized by the DFA prior to passport issuance. —KG, GMA News

South Korean Embassy to resume issuing tourist, other visas on June 1

By JAMIL SANTOS, GMA News The South Korean Embassy will resume issuing tourist and all types of visas, as well as accepting applications for them, on June 1. In a notice posted on the embassy website on Thursday, the South Korean government also said that multiple entry visas issued before April 5, 2020 that did not expire may still be used without the need for a re-application. The Submission of Consent for Isolation will also no longer be required by the embassy. "Detailed information, such as visa application procedure, will be announced soon," the embassy said in its notice. — DVM, GMA News

More countries willing to discuss reform on 'kafala' system, DFA exec says

By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News More countries in the Middle East are willing to discuss adjustments on their “kafala” or sponsorship system for foreign workers, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday. “There is already the willingness on the part of these countries to reform. They are not totally there yet but they need the support of country of origin,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said at a press conference. “Never before have we ever seen the openness of these countries to listen to us, to open their doors, to build a bridge because they want to do better,” she added. She said that in 2016, reforms on kafala had not been mentioned in United Nations activities because the term became like a taboo word for diplomats and countries who were worried of offending the Arabs. According to Arriola, the Philippines, led by President Rodrigo Duterte, started the “biggest” campaign on kafala reform after the death of overse...

39 cases of hate crime vs. Pinoys reported in US —DFA exec

By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News Some 39 incidents of hate crime targeting Filipinos have been reported in the United States, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday. At a press conference, DFA Assistant Secretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Paul Raymund Cortes said Philippine authorities are "very careful" in determining hate crimes from regular assaults. “Sa pakikipagpulong namin [Based on our meeting] with the Philippine Consulate General Consulate in New York, there are about 38 or 39 documented cases,” he said. Cortes did not mention the time period when these incidents occurred, but assaults on Filipinos have been recently reported in the US, among them the 67-year-old Filipino woman who was hit over 100 times in New York. According to him, an incident can only be considered as hate crime when the attacker mentioned the country or race of the victim during the confrontation. "Very careful ang konsulado at ang gobyerno to determine n...

DFA exec: Pandemic, abuse, wage theft among common problems OFWs faced in last 4 years

By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News Published May 20, 2022 10:30am An official of the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday said the pandemic, abuse, and wage theft are the common problems that overseas Filipino workers encountered in the last four years. At a press conference, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest challenge for OFWs, who became jobless and were stranded. “That was the biggest challenge talaga during the pandemic,” Arriola said. Arriola said OFWs cannot go home due to the closure of borders. Although the government can provide chartered flights, she said OFWs were still stranded due to the mandatory14-day quarantine before travel. She said the kafala system aggravated the situation of OFWs because they cannot return to the Philippines without an exit visa. Under "kafala," all foreign workers require a local sponsor—an individual or company—and they also need the permission...

China says it warned US warship as it transited Taiwan Strait

SHANGHAI/TAIPEI - China's military said on Wednesday that it had monitored and warned a US warship that had sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a mission that happened shortly after China carried out drills near the island. The US Navy's 7th Fleet said the guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal conducted a "routine" Taiwan Strait transit through international waters "in accordance with international law" on Tuesday, the second such mission in two weeks. The United States has been carrying out such voyages about once a month, angering China, which views them as a sign of support for Taiwan, the democratically governed island that Beijing views as Chinese territory. The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement that its forces had monitored the ship throughout and "warned" it. "The United States frequently stages such dramas and provokes trouble, sending wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces,...

Half of new UK nurses ‘from abroad,’ including Philippines —council

LONDON — Nearly half of new UK nurses and midwives are from abroad, Britain's Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said on Wednesday, prompting concerns of an over-reliance on foreign workers. The NMC's annual report showed 48 percent of the 48,436 new nurses and midwives were from other countries, totaling 23,408. Of this number, 66 percent were from India or the Philippines. Between 2017 and 2018, 2,719 nurses and midwives from other countries joined, making up 11 percent of the new workforce at the time. Andrea Sutcliffe, chief executive and registrar at the NMC, said the new figures showed the workforce "has become more reliant on internationally trained professionals joining our register." "These professionals make a welcome and vital contribution to our nation's health and wellbeing. But we can't take them for granted," she said. "Two years ago, we felt the pandemic's impact on global travel, the number of international joiners to ...

Currency Exchange Facility (CEF) Program of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for Overseas Filipinos (OFs) returning from Ukraine

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict affects the lives of our OFs. As part of the BSP’s initiative to assist OFs displaced/affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Monetary Board approved the opening of a Ukrainian Hryvnia (UAH) CEF. The facility allows returning OFs from Ukraine and their families to exchange their UAH holdings equivalent to not more than PHP20,000.00 per eligible person, except for highly meritorious reasons and subject to approval of the BSP. With the available program for affected OFs and their families, we would like to encourage the SC-IMD member-agencies to disseminate and promote BSP's program to your respective stakeholders, colleagues, and partner agencies. For more information on the program, please see attached memo and BSP's circular 1145, series of 2022.

Philippine foreign mission in UAE sends condolences on passing of UAE president

May 18, 2022

By JOJO DASS DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The Philippine foreign mission here joined the rest of the diplomatic community in mourning the death of UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who passed away on Friday, May 13, 2022. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who assumed his post on Nov. 3, 2004, was elected to succeed his father, the late His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s first president since the country was formed in 1971. Sheikh Zayed passed away on November 2, 2004. In a statement, Ambassador Hjayceelyn M. Quintana, head of the Philippine missions in the UAE, said: "With profound sadness, the Filipinos join our Emirati brothers and sisters in deeply mourning the passing of the beloved leader of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan." The ambassador said Sheikh Khalifa “steered UAE towards becoming a global economic powerhouse, thus securing a bright futur...

Expect higher toll rates at NLEX, Cavitex

MANILA, Philippines — Starting tomorrow, Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. subsidiaries NLEX Corp. and Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. (CIC) will charge higher toll rates for the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) Parañaque toll plaza, respectively. In a statement, NLEX said the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) granted the company’s request to increase its toll rate by P2 in the open system and P0.34 per kilometer in the closed system. The open system starts from Balintawak in Caloocan to Marilao in Bulacan, while the closed system covers the portion between Bocaue in Bulacan and Barangay Sta. Ines in Mabalacat, Pampanga, including the Subic-Tipo. Under the new toll fee matrix, motorists traveling anywhere within the open system will pay an additional P2 for Class 1 vehicles (regular cars and SUVs), P6 for Class 2 (buses and small trucks) and P8 for Class 3 vehicles. Motorists traveling the NLEX from end-to-end points between Metro Manila and Mabalacat will...

Next admin should focus on implementation of Universal Health Care — DOH

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health said the next administration should focus on the implementation of the Universal Health Care Act, which seeks to expand people’s access to health services. In a briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the agency will brief President Rodrigo Duterte’s successor on its strategies for the implementation of the UHC Act, which was signed into law in 2019. “When the pandemic started, medyo na-temporarily delay tayo sa sinasagawa natin for UHC. But it became an opportunity for all of us. Na-realize natin toward the end na 'yung ginagawa natin during this time of pandemic were all attuned sa implementation strategies ng UHC,” Vergeire said. (When the pandemic started, what we were doing for UHC was temporarily delayed. But it became an opportunity for all of us. We realized toward the end that what we're doing during the pandemic were all attuned to the implementation strategies of UHC.) The department will also p...

UN chief warns pandemic not over, decries vaccine inequality Agence France-Presse

AFP / Ted Aljibe UNITED NATIONS, United States — After two years, the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over and could be prolonged further due to "scandalously unequal" vaccine distribution, the UN secretary-general warned Wednesday. "The pandemic’s most tragic toll has been on the health and lives of millions, with more than 446 million cases worldwide, more than six million deaths confirmed, and countless more grappling with worsening mental health," said UN chief Antonio Guterres in a statement marking the second anniversary of the global crisis. "Thanks to unprecedented public health measures, and the extraordinarily rapid development and deployment of vaccines, many parts of the world are bringing the pandemic under control," he said. "But it would be a grave mistake to think the pandemic is over." Guterres noted that the "distribution of vaccines remains scandalously unequal," and that while 1.5 billion doses of vaccine are produc...

Thailand to giveaway one million free cannabis plants to households, minister says

By Heather Chen, CNN Updated 0720 GMT (1520 HKT) May 11, 2022 (CNN)The Thai government will distribute one million free cannabis plants to households across the nation in June to mark a new rule allowing people to grow cannabis at home, its health minister has said. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced the move in a Facebook post on May 8 in which he expressed his intention for cannabis plants to be grown like "household crops." The new rule, which comes into force on June 9, will allow people to grow cannabis plants at home after notifying their local government, but the plants will have to be of medical grade and used exclusively for medicinal purposes. Additionally, the cannabis cannot be used for commercial purposes without further licenses. The move is the latest step in Thailand's plan to promote cannabis as a cash crop. About a third of its labor force works in agriculture, according to the World Bank. In a region notorious for harsh penalties towards i...

Trillanes, Magdalo group accept defeat in May 2022 polls

ABS-CBN News Posted at May 11 2022 02:47 PM MANILA — Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said Wednesday that he and the Magdalo group have accepted defeat in the May 2022 polls. "Hindi man pabor sa amin ang resulta, pero ramdam namin na buhay na buhay ang diwa ng Demokrasya sa ating bansa. Pinili ng mga Pilipino ang mga gusto nilang maging leader ng ating bansa," Trillanes said in a series of tweets. (The results may not be in our favor, but we feel that the spirit of democracy in our country is alive. Filipinos have decided who they want to lead the nation.) Based on the partial and unofficial tally, Trillanes is a distant 21st place in the senatorial race, with more than 8.5 million votes as of 1:38 p.m. Wednesday. He has failed to make it to the Senate "Magic 12," but his ally Risa Hontiveros is so far clinching a spot. The Magdalo party-list group, which is being represented by Manuel Cabochan III, is in 88th place, garnering 115,478 votes, or 0.32 percent ...

DFA: 'Record-high' 550,000 Pinoys participated in overseas absentee voting

Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News MANILA - Some 550,000 overseas Filipino voters cast their ballot for Halalan 2022, a record high in recent years, a Department of Foreign Affairs official said Wednesday. Director Zoilo Velasco of the DFA's overseas voting secretariat said that out of nearly 1.7 million registered overseas voters, some 33 percent or up to 550,000 cast their ballot. "Nalampasan na natin in terms of bilang rin ng mga boto na natanggap natin, mas mataas sa voter turnout na nakuha natin noong 2016 elections. So napakaganda at successful ang ating botohan," said Velasco in a televised briefing. (We have a higher voter turnout compared to the 2016 elections. We already surpassed the number of votes we received that year. It's good that we had a successful elections.) "Masasabi natin na this is a record-high in terms of voter turnout maliban sa noong unang-unang implementation ng overseas absentee voting... In terms of number, ito na ang pinakamataas so ...

New Zealand fully reopens to the world in August: Ardern

Daniel Gilhooly, Agence France-Presse Posted at May 11 2022 02:15 PM | Updated as of May 11 2022 02:44 PM WELLINGTON — New Zealand will fully reopen to the world in August, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday, ending one of the toughest anti-COVID-19 border restrictions. Border safeguards will be lifted fully and all pre-departure testing dropped from 11:59 pm on July 31, with Ardern saying "New Zealand is in demand and now fully open for business". The controls dating back to March 2020 have been hailed as world-leading in some quarters, with New Zealand boasting one of the lowest coronavirus death rates among developed nations. However, critics have decried the system as lacking flexibility and compassion, as well as curtailing the economy. For much of the pandemic, all international arrivals had to undergo 2 weeks of quarantine in government-run hotel facilities patrolled by the military. Those restrictions have already been dropped for New Zealand resid...

Removing China’s Covid controls could result in 1.5 million deaths: study

Holly Chik, South China Morning Post Posted at May 11 2022 09:20 AM A projection says that an unchecked wave of Omicron could lead to a ‘tsunami’ of cases that infected more than 112 million people This number would overwhelm the country’s health system and the researchers say vaccine uptake among the elderly needs to be improved China could see more than 1.5 million deaths from a wave of Omicron infections without Covid-19 controls and the use of antiviral therapies, a new study has forecast. A model by Chinese and US researchers suggested that, given China’s vaccine efficacy and coverage, an unchecked outbreak that began with 20 cases of Omicron in March could “generate a tsunami of Covid-19 cases” between May and July. Such an outbreak is projected to cause 112 million symptomatic cases, or 80 cases per 1,000 people, with 2.7 million of them requiring treatment in intensive care. They estimated that unvaccinated people aged over 60 would account for three quarters (74.7 pe...

UK floats minimum wage for seafarers using its ports

Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom - Ferries sailing regularly in and out of UK ports will be required to pay their employees the equivalent of the country's minimum wage, the government announced Tuesday. The Department for Transport said new laws, if passed, would protect tens of thousands of seafarers and crack down on companies who refuse to comply. The UK's minimum wage is currently at £9.50 (approximately 612.81 pesos) an hour. "The new legislation will ban ferries that don't pay their workers the equivalent minimum wage from docking at UK ports," it said in a statement. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps first floated the idea of a minimum European wage after unrepentant P&O bosses defended their actions and said the low rates were still above international standards. "P&O Ferries' disgraceful actions do not represent the principles of our world-leading maritime sector, and changing the law on seafarer pay protection is a ...

Havana hotel blast death toll rises to 43

Agence France-Presse MANILA — Three more bodies were pulled Tuesday from the rubble of a Havana hotel that was destroyed days earlier in an explosion, taking the death toll to 43. The ministry of health said another 54 people were injured and 17 of those are receiving hospital treatment. The latest confirmed deaths included a 77-year-old woman and a popular local councilor. Juan Carlos Diaz, 55, was held in high regard by local residents for his efforts to improve their lives. "We felt everyone's pain but especially his because he worked as a delegate in the moments that were necessary," Havana resident Lazara Phinney told AFP. A third body recovered later on Tuesday was still in the process of being identified, authorities said. The luxury Saratoga hotel in the old quarter of Havana was destroyed on Friday morning, seemingly due to a gas leak. The 5-star hotel was being renovated at the time and had no guests. It had been closed for 2 years, initially due to the...

SEA Games: Filipinas take on Vietnam in battle of World Cup-bound squads

Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News The Philippine women's national football team is gearing up for a crucial clash against host nation Vietnam in the 31st Southeast Asian Games, in what will be a battle between two teams headed for next year's FIFA Women's World Cup. Both teams qualified to their maiden World Cup appearances through the AFC Women's Asian Cup earlier this year, with the Filipinas making it to the semifinals while Vietnam advanced through the repechage playoffs. They get to test each other's strength in the SEA Games, with a capacity crowd expected to welcome the Filipinas at the Cẩm Phả Stadium in Quảng Ninh on Wednesday night. Kick-off is at 8 p.m., Manila time. "Look, we've obviously watched each other for a long time. We spent a whole Asian Cup together where they could watch us, and we could watch them," Philippines coach Alen Stajcic said of their upcoming match. "Ultimately, there's no more secrets in football, with vi...

China ‘carefully’ studying Ukraine war, as it eyes Taiwan: CIA chief

Agence France-Presse China is closely studying Russian's invasion of Ukraine and is likely adjusting its long-term plans for gaining control of Taiwan based on the lessons from the war, CIA director Bill Burns said Saturday. "Clearly the Chinese leadership is trying to look carefully at what lessons they should draw from Ukraine about their own ambitions and Taiwan," Burns told a Financial Times conference. Burns said he thinks Beijing has been "surprised" by the poor performance of Russian military forces as well as the tough resistance coming from the entire Ukrainian society. "I think they've been struck by the way in which particularly the transatlantic alliance has come together to impose economic costs on Russia as a result of that aggression," he continued. Beijing has been "unsettled by the fact that what Putin has done is to drive Europeans and Americans closer together," Burns said. "What conclusions get drawn from al...

Stranded seafarers, including Filipinos escape Ukraine, others trapped — ILO, sources

By EMMA FARGE, Reuters GENEVA, Switzerland - Some of the estimated 1,000 seafarers trapped in Ukraine have escaped, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and industry officials told Reuters, while voicing concern for those remaining trapped onboard ships or unaccounted for. Several foreign cargo ships have been struck by crossfire in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24 and UN agencies have called for urgent action to protect some 1,000 seafarers, including in the besieged port city of Mariupol that has been under bombardment for weeks. An estimated 100 vessels have been prevented from departing because of risks of drifting sea mines, industry sources say. Fabrizio Barcellona, seafarers' section coordinator at the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), said the "vast bulk" of the seafarers, from at least 20 countries including India, Syria, Egypt, Turkey the Philippines and Bangladesh, as well as Ukraine and Russia, had left, tr...

Two Million Filipino Children Abused Online during Pandemic

Fr. Shay Cullen 29 April 2022 Eleven-year-old Evangeline is one of several children rescued from child sex abusers that abused them over the internet for money from rich foreigner pedophiles. The demand is huge. The other child victims are boys and girls- six, eight, and 10 years old. They were repeatedly sexually abused in front of an internet-connected cellphone using the Philippine Internet service providers (ISPs) while the foreign pedophiles around the world paid and watched the horrific shows. A recent study conducted in 2021 by Unicef, Interpol, and Ecpat International, all great advocates of child rights, discovered that among Filipino children between the ages of 12 years and 17, one in every five suffered sexual abuse over the Internet, especially during the lockdowns. That is an estimated two million abused Filipino children in total. The live sex shows were streamed over the Internet. Other acts were recorded on video and uploaded and sent to pedophiles through the Int...

EU readies for end of Russia gas, warns won't pay in rubles

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union warned member states Monday to prepare for a possible complete breakdown in gas supplies from Russia, insisting it would not cede to Moscow's demand that imports be paid for in rubles. The European Commission will on Tuesday propose to member states a new package of sanctions to punish President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine, including an embargo on Russian oil, officials said. But energy and environment ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday addressed the larger and potentially more complicated issue of Russia's natural gas, upon which several countries — including EU top economy Germany — depend for much of their power generation. Moscow has demanded clients from "unfriendly countries" — including EU member states — pay for gas in rubles, a way to sidestep Western financial sanctions against its central bank. It has cut off Bulgaria and Poland after their firms refused to comply. After the talks,...

Israel slams Russian claims on Hitler over Ukraine war

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Monday slammed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for alleging Adolf Hitler may have "had Jewish blood" and summoned the Russian ambassador for "clarifications". Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Israel has sought to keep a delicate balance between the two sides, but remarks by the Russian foreign minister to an Italian channel sparked anger in Israel. Moscow has previously said it wants to "de-militarise" and "de-Nazify" Ukraine. Speaking to Italian outlet Mediaset in an interview released Sunday, Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "puts forward an argument of what kind of Nazism can they have if he himself is Jewish". Lavrov, according to a transcript posted on the Russian foreign ministry website, then added: "I could be wrong, but Hitler also had Jewish blood". Lapid, in a statement from the foreign ministry on the "grave rem...

Russian propaganda arguing for nuclear weapons use: Nobel laureate

Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland - Russian journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov decried Tuesday Russian propaganda arguing for using nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, warning that would signal "the end of humanity". "I would not rule out the possibility that nuclear weapons might be used," Muratov told journalists in Geneva, speaking through a translator. The Kremlin said it had placed Russian nuclear forces on high alert shortly after its invasion of Ukraine began February 24. And amid increasing Western support to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made thinly veiled threats hinting at a willingness to deploy Russia's tactical nuclear weapons, which Russian military doctrine holds can be used to force an adversary to retreat. Speaking at an event marking the World Press Freedom Day, Muratov, whose own Novaya Gazata newspaper has been forced to suspend publication amid Moscow's military intervention, warned...

Ukraine sinks Russian patrol boats near Snake Island

Agence France-Presse Posted at May 02 2022 05:13 PM Kyiv said Monday that its drones sank two Russian patrol boats near the Black Sea's Snake Island where Ukrainian soldiers rebuffed Moscow's demands to surrender at the start of its invasion. "Two Russian Raptor boats were destroyed at dawn today near Snake Island," Ukraine's defence ministry said in a statement distributed on social media. The defence ministry also released grainy black and white ariel footage showing an explosion on a small military vessel. "The Bayraktars are working," Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was cited as saying in the statement, referring to Turkish-made military drones. Raptor patrol boats can carry up to three crew and 20 personnel. They are usually equiped with machine guns and used in reconnaissance or landing operations. Snake Island became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after a radio exchange went viral in which Ukrainia...

Pope says he wants to meet Putin in Moscow

Agence France-Presse VATICAN, Holy See , Holy See — Pope Francis said Tuesday he has requested a meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war but has heard nothing back. The 85-year-old told Italy's Corriere Della Sera newspaper that he had sent a message to Putin around 20 days into the conflict saying "that I was willing to go to Moscow". "We have not yet received a response and we are still insisting, though I fear that Putin cannot, and does not, want to have this meeting at this time," he said. The pope has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine and denounced a "cruel and senseless war" but without ever mentioning Putin or Moscow by name. The head of the Roman Catholic Church also said he would not be travelling to Ukraine anytime soon. "I'm not going to Kyiv for now. I feel I shouldn't go. I have to go to Moscow first, I have to meet Putin first," he said. Francis also said Russian Orthodo...

First foreigners flying into Hong Kong after travel rules eased

Leung Pak-hei Laura Westbrook and Lo Hoi-ying, South China Morning Post Posted at May 02 2022 06:26 AM Most of the people flying into Hong Kong on Sunday after authorities eased entry restrictions in place for more than two years were either residents or domestic helpers, with many expressing relief over finally being allowed to travel to the city. While the end to the ban on international travellers has been hailed by businesses as a good first step towards rebuilding the decimated tourism industry, some owners urged the government to further ease restrictions to jump-start the recovery. Among the first arrivals at Hong Kong International Airport was Australian Rob Wilson, who came from Singapore to start a business. He welcomed the policy change and said he had waited three months to make the trip. "It is good that Hong Kong is opening up to the outside world, although it may be a few months behind other countries and regions," he said. "As the peak of the pandemic...

Consulate in Dubai to require appointments for transactions amid long queues

By JOJO DASS DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — After days of long queues of OFWs lining up at dawn for their documents, the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai has implemented appointments-only transactions, to take effect this month. The move came after photos and videos circulating on social media showed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) queuing up outside the premises of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in the early hours of the morning in order to obtain their contract verification. The verification of employment contract is required to secure an overseas employment certificate (OEC), which OFWs need to depart for or return to their jobs overseas. The OEC, worth AED 10 or approximately P142, is required for the OFWs to be allowed to board their flights back to the UAE. It serves as travel tax and terminal fee exemption, as well as proof that they were processed at POEA. The new measure will take effect on May 4, 2022, as the POLO office will be closed on May 2 and 3 in...

DOLE: OFW hospital to start operations on May 2, 2022