Liam Demafelix
Reporting from the TSR newsroom.
‘Sagrado ang teaching time’: DepEd cuts teacher paperwork by 57%, hires officers to handle non-teaching tasks
The Department of Education has reduced the administrative and reporting burden on teachers by 57%, freeing up classroom time that was previously consumed by paperwork, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Saturday, describing protected teaching time as the sacred principle behind all of DepEd’s…
New classrooms get ₱65-billion under DepEd’s historic ₱1-trillion budget under Marcos
The Department of Education (DepEd) has allocated ₱65 billion specifically for new classroom construction under its historic ₱1.012 trillion budget, the largest classroom infrastructure investment in the department’s history, Undersecretary Edson Byron Sy said Saturday. Sy made the disclosure in…
DepEd to hire 32,000 new teachers in 2026, largest single-year recruitment in department history
The Department of Education will hire 32,000 new teachers in 2026, the largest single-year teacher recruitment in the department’s history, Education Undersecretary Edson Byron Sy said Saturday, as the government pushes to improve classroom ratios and reduce the burden on existing teachers. Sy…
First time in PH history: all Kinder and Grade 1 students in public schools to receive meals under Marcos administration
All kindergarten and Grade 1 students in Philippine public schools will receive meals under the school-based feeding program for the first time in history, as the budget for the program more than doubled from ₱8 to 9 billion to ₱25 billion under the Marcos administration, Education Undersecretary…
Marcos legacy: For first time in history, 82,000 public school teachers promoted in a short span of time; 130,000 more proposed for 2027
For the first time in Philippine history, a single administration has promoted 82,000 public school teachers in a short span of time, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Saturday, describing the mass promotion as one of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s lasting legacies. Angara made the statement…
Nuclear plants in Hungary could shut down due to low water levels, prime minister says
Nuclear plants along the Danube river in Hungary and Romania were forced to cut output this week and could be shut down completely in the coming days due to record low water levels. In France, where nuclear power provides roughly two-thirds of the country’s electricity, output has also had to be…
Japanese population below 120 million for first time in decades
Tokyo (AFP) – The number of Japanese people living in the country has fallen below 120 million for the first time in 42 years, government data showed Wednesday, as the nation confronts a low birth rate and an ageing society. As of January 1, the population of Japanese residents in Japan stood at…
‘Thirsty’ data centers threaten global freshwater supply, analysis show
An analysis by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) in 2025 found that the rapid expansion of data centers is driving not only higher electricity demand but also massive freshwater consumption. “Data centers have a thirst for water, and their rapid expansion threatens freshwater…
Russia charges Telegram founder Durov with aiding terrorism, he gives Moscow the finger
MOSCOW, July 29 (Reuters) – Russia said on Wednesday it had charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activity, alleging that his hugely popular messaging app was being used by Ukrainian spies to organise attacks inside Russia. In response, Telegram’s official account on X…
Magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Kumamoto caused ground shifts of up to 84 centimeters, analysis finds
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan on Tuesday caused ground shifts of up to 84 centimeters, according to an analysis. Japan’s Geospatial Information Authority of Japan used the Global Navigation Satellite System to assess crustal deformation resulting from the…
Is ‘sugar addiction’ real? Study reveals why sugar hits the brain differently than nicotine, other drugs
A 2026 scientific review examined the concept of “sugar addiction,” finding that while interest in sugar withdrawal and detox timelines is growing, existing research remains inconsistent. Published in Behavioural Brain Research, the review analyzed both preclinical animal models and human clinical…
Powerful magnitude 7.1 quake struck Kyushu region in Japan, deaths feared, report says
TOKYO, July 28 (Reuters) – A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands of homes, rupturing roads and leaving some trapped and others presumed dead inside a partially collapsed shopping mall. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo…
Study finds AI boosts homework grades, but hurts exam scores
A new study suggests that while artificial intelligence can boost homework performance, it may undermine students’ exam results—at a significant cost. The working paper, titled “The Generative AI Learning Penalty: Evidence from Chinese Secondary Education,” tracked 26,811 students in Grades 7 to…
How garlic ‘kills the mood’: mosquitoes stop mating, laying eggs due to garlic’s chemical compound
A new study has found that garlic, a common kitchen staple, may prevent mosquitoes from mating and laying eggs. The research, conducted by scientists from Yale University, found that garlic contains a naturally occurring compound that acts like a “birth control” for winged insects. The study, led…
World risks HIV resurgence as funding falls 18%, UNAIDS says
The world risks a resurgence of the HIV epidemic after global funding fell by nearly a fifth last year, the U.N. body fighting AIDS said on Monday. Washington previously accounted for 75% of international HIV funding before President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025. That…