Inquirer.net

MOGADISHU, Somalia – (UPDATE) Somali pirates holding a huge oil-laden Saudi tanker on Saturday vowed to fight back should any assault be attempted to free the ship and urged its owners to pay up a $25-million ransom.

MANILA, Philippines — First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo's condition has stabilized after suffering from stomach cramps and back pains that had forced President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to make an emergency landing in Japan before midnight Friday, Malacañang said.

The peso breached the 50-per-dollar mark during trading Friday for the first time in two years but late-day bargain-hunting across Asian stock markets allowed it to firm up and close at 49.82 to the dollar, currency dealers said.

The emergency distribution of rice was funded by the expanded value-added tax. But as the crisis atmosphere concerning rice, then oil, has dissipated, to be replaced by growing concern over the global financial crisis, it seems the government threw good money after bad, with nothing to show for it as far as rice is concerned.

MANILA, Philippines—Ronjay Buenafe returned from a three-game absence to spark a fourth quarter breakaway by Coca-Cola Friday night, leading the Tigers to a lopsided 93-72 win over Purefoods and back on the winning track in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

BANGKOK, Thailand—Seven countries, 11 cities, 21,000 kilometers of mad adventures—and for the Philippine team, the final outcome of “Amazing Race Asia 3” depended on a Phuket taxi driver. Unfortunately for Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang, the cabbie had no idea where he was going to take them.

MANILA, Philippines—As far as ABS-CBN is concerned, Diether Ocampo is still a contract artist. According to a short statement provided the Philippine Daily Inquirer, ABS-CBN stressed that Ocampo remained an artist of its talent arm Star Magic and said the network was awaiting a final decision from the actor on transferring to rival network GMA 7.

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said government's plan to establish an information and communications technology hub in every province is a "good second best" to the botched national broadband network (NBN) project.