Liam Demafelix
Reporting from the TSR newsroom.
Philippine rail network to carry 5 million passengers a day when all lines are complete
The Philippine rail network will carry 5 million passengers every day when all rail lines are fully operational, a figure that Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John “TJ” Batan said Saturday represents a transformation in how Filipinos move around Metro Manila and its surrounding…
Metro Manila Subway tunnels fully bored, NAIA Terminal 3 station groundbreaking expected this month
The tunnel boring machines for the Metro Manila Subway have completed 100% of their tunneling work on two key sections, the northbound and southbound tunnels from Valenzuela to Quirino Station, and from Tandang Sora to North Avenue, marking a significant milestone in what Transportation Secretary…
‘Flood-proof,’ ‘fully-elevated’ North-South Commuter Railway targets partial operations from Valenzuela to Malolos in Q4 2027
The North-South Commuter Railway’s first segment, running from Valenzuela to Malolos across seven stations, is targeting partial operations in the last quarter of 2027, with the fully elevated design ensuring the line remains operational even during the heaviest rains and flooding that have…
LRT Line 1 heading to Bacoor as Cavite Extension to complete remaining stations
The LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension is pushing forward toward Bacoor, with five additional kilometers and three more stations set to open after the resolution of a long-standing right-of-way issue at the Las Piñas Station site, Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John “TJ” Batan said…
Traffic relief in Commonwealth? MRT-7 to begin partial operations in Q2 2027, set to open 12 stations
The Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) is set to begin partial revenue operations in the second quarter of 2027, opening 12 stations from Sacred Heart in Quezon City all the way to North Avenue, in what Transportation Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez said will bring long-overdue traffic relief to…
Dogs are not just companions, they act as a ‘gateway to the good life’ — study
A 2025 study has found that dogs are more than just companions, showing that ownership can drive personal growth, strengthen social connections, and build emotional resilience. The qualitative research, conducted by the University of Brighton in the United Kingdom and published in Human-Animal…
Trump renames Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ amid Canada trade war
U.S. President Donald Trump renamed Lake Ontario “Lake America” on Thursday, escalating a feud with Canada that has already spawned tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade. Trump’s executive order on Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes of North America, applies to U.S.…
The Merck/Moderna cancer vaccine: How does it work and what are potential barriers to wide use?
The personalized cancer vaccine being developed by Moderna (MRNA.O) and Merck (MRK.N) has boosted hopes that mRNA technology could open up a new avenue of treatment, but the available evidence is still limited. Interim data from a large trial showed the experimental vaccine, when combined with…
FDA approves breakthrough drug to treat pancreatic cancer, doubling patients’ survival rate
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a landmark drug to treat advanced pancreatic cancer, a development expected to significantly improve patient survival. The drug, Rasonque (daraxonrasib), developed by Revolution Medicines, is a once-daily oral tablet that targets multiple forms of…
What scientists know so far about Nepal’s deadly floods
Lethal surges of mud and water that hit “like liquid concrete” are nearly impossible to predict and can’t be outrun. The cause of the deadly landslide and flood along the Nepal-Tibet border isn’t yet certain, but experts say the risk of such events is compounded by the extreme topography of the…
Glacier collapse may have triggered deadly Nepal flash flood, experts say
A deadly flash flood near Nepal’s border with Tibet on Wednesday may have been triggered when the lower part of a glacier broke off and crashed on to the valley floor hundreds of metres below, experts said citing satellite imagery from Planet Labs. It was not clear what caused the glacier to…
72% of Filipinos feel safe in their neighborhoods, with Visayas recording the highest — OCTA
A recent survey by OCTA Research found that 72% of adult Filipinos said they feel safe in their neighborhoods. The survey, conducted from July 4 to 11, 2026 among 1,200 Filipino adults, also showed that 68% said they are not afraid to walk alone at night, while 54% said they are not worried about…
Canada slaps retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth $20 billion as trade war intensifies
Canada hit back on Tuesday with retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of U.S. annual imports and rolled out aid for businesses and workers, matching Washington’s latest duties dollar-for-dollar. The counter-tariffs on U.S. goods take effect on September 8 and impose duties of 15%, 25% and…
Two pastors fined 1 million won each for disrupting flight with loud preaching
Two pastors were fined 1 million won ($723) each for disrupting a domestic flight by loudly preaching to passengers and refusing repeated requests from cabin crew to stop, local media reported on August 24. The pastors, 64 and 68, were convicted of violating the Aviation Security Act over an…
Cool Japan: Human fridge chills workers in extreme heat
Feeling dizzy and unwell after cycling to work in Japan’s punishing summer heat, warehouse worker Isao Tabuchi headed for his company’s newest acquisition: a refrigerator for humans. The phonebooth-sized machine, where jets of chilled air ensure ice-cold comfort, only launched this year but has…