Asian stocks started on a positive note Monday, buoyed by gains on Wall Street last week although spiralling Covid-19 cases in China weighed on sentiment in thin holiday trade. Several markets were closed, including Hong Kong, Sydney and Singapore, but Shanghai, Tokyo, and Seoul saw cautious gains. #In60words

Christmas Day floods in the Philippines forced the evacuation of nearly 46,000 people from their homes, civil defence officials said Monday. Two people were killed and nine others were missing after heavy seasonal rain inundated parts of the southern region of Mindanao, the officials added. The disaster dampened celebrations on the mainly Catholic nation's most important holiday....

With the ultimate goal of winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) is considering hiring a foreign coach to supervise and train the national team, which includes the talented women's squad led by the young Vanessa Sarno.

The men's national team of the Philippines spent Christmas away from their loved ones as the Azkals traveled to Bangkok for their match against Thailand on Monday night in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup. The Azkals are willing to sacrifice to further their larger objective of leaving their mark on the competition, where they have performed admirably over the previous 12 years. #In60words...

At her family's annual Christmas gift-giving for the Dabawenyos on Sunday, Vice President Sara Duterte attended the event at the ancestral home of former President Rodrigo Duterte along Taal Road in the Central Park Subdivision, Bangkal, Davao City.

This came when Lilia Estillore, the OIC director for the Department of Labor and Employment-7 (DOLE-7), successfully defended the proposed budget during discussions of the Sugar Tripartite Council (STC), which were presided over by Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma.

The Philippines has detected four cases of Omicron BF.7, a sublineage of the highly transmissible Omicron BA.5 subvariant, the Department of Health said Friday. The variant was detected through genome sequencing on 133 samples conducted by the University of the Philippines - Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) Diliman and Mindanao from December 14 to December 15. #In60words...

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will implement a no work, no pay policy on dates declared as special non-working holidays, including December 26, 2022, and January 2, 2023. DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma stated that those who report for work on both days would be paid an extra 30 percent of their daily salary. #In60words

Authorities said a fire that started at midnight on Friday in a beachfront slum neighborhood of Tagbilaran City, Bohol killed a family of three, including a nine-year-old child, and forced the relocation of an estimated 73 families. #In60words

In his senior debut, Sebastian Rasmussen scored twice in the second half to help the Philippines defeat Brunei Darussalam, 5-1, last Friday night in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup at Rizal Memorial Stadium, giving the nation its first victory. #In60words

At the Philippine Sports Commission-Batang Pinoy National Championships held at the Quirino Stadium track oval in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Leonelyn Compuesto of Masbate and Mico Villaran of Bacolod City each won multiple medals in their respective events. #In60words

A wonderful Christmas gift this is how President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. described his Youtube Gold Play Button after receiving the plaque. In a video Marcos posted on his social media account, he said he waited for the Youtube plaque for so long. #In60words