FULL compliance with the fuel marking program is expected by February, with oil companies on notice that any unmarked fuel discovered after the deadline is subject to seizure.

TRADE SECRETARY Ramon M. Lopez said that negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the US could be hampered by the mood in the US Congress, which backed sanctions against Philippine officials, leading Malacañang to threaten to withdraw from the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

THE Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said Wednesday that it supports a crackdown on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) due to non-compliance with various tax, business-registration, and immigration laws.

As of this writing, there were about 4,600 reported cases of Novel Corona Virus worldwide, and with about 100 deaths attributed to it specifically in China, where it all started. The world is worried, perhaps even more worried than when SARS or MERS wrought havoc years back. Incidentally, all these deadly viral infections started to occur only in the last 20 years.

I always visit the konbini whenever I visit Japan. Japanese convenience stores or konbini are not only open 24/7 and have quintessential Japanese snacks such as nikuman, karaage, oden, and onigiri; they also provide much needed services such as ATMs, delivery services, and bill payments. Indeed, konbini are inextricably linked to my Japanese experience: my first memories as an exchange student was eating curry bread from a konbini, I often practiced my Japanese whenever I bought and talked to the owner of our neighborhood konbini, and still I love to hear the “Irasshaimase” greeting as I enter a konbini.

The Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is new and hence, no existing vaccine and treatment can fight and control it. As of noon, Jan. 29, some 132 people have died and 6,000+ people are ill.

OLYMPIC weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz fortified her push for a spot at the Tokyo 2020 Games after hauling gold medals at the Roma Weightlifting World Cup on Tuesday night (Manila time).

MELBOURNE -- Garbine Muguruza stormed back into the Grand Slam big time with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to reach her first Australian Open semi-final on Wednesday.

FALLING short in its quest to make it to the main draw of AFC Champions League (ACL) 2020, top local club Ceres-Negros FC now turns its focus to the AFC Cup which begins next month.

LOCAL SHARES continued to slip on Wednesday as the novel coronavirus continue to kill and infect more people across the globe.

JAPAN has offered to help the Philippines screen a new strain of coronavirus that has killed more than a hundred in China and sickened thousands more, the Health department said on Wednesday.

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has ordered his Cabinet members to temporarily “boycott” trips to the United States following his recent pronouncement that he will be revoking the Philippine’s Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with its long-time ally.