INQUIRER.net photo MANILA, Philippines — Fuel retailers will raise the prices of their products a day before Christmas Day, with motorists seeing an increase of up to P1.45 per liter. In separate advisories issued on Monday, Petro Gazz, Shell Pilipinas, CleanFuel, Seaoil and Jetti announced a P1.45 per liter jump in the price of diesel effective on Dec. 24. The prices per liter of gasoline and kerosene prices will also go up by 50 centavos and 75 centavos, respectively. READ: Oil price hike of 80¢/L starting Dec 17 Rodela Romero, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oil Industry Management Bureau assistant director, said the increases could be blamed on the strengthening of the US dollar as well as the drop in US crude stocks. Last week, oil companies imposed an increase of up to 80 centavos in their petroleum products. Data from the DOE as of Dec. 17 showed that since January, gasoline and diesel prices had posted a net increase of P12.55 and P9.85 per liter, respectively. Kerosene, on the other hand, had a total net decrease of P2.55 per liter. —Lisbet K. Esmael Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy .

US Stocks-S&P 500, Nasdaq close up in Santa Claus Rally

Trump's TikTok love raises stakes in battle over app's fatePushpa 2 Kissik Not Even 1 Percent Of Oo Antava: Netizens Call Sreeleela-Allu Arjun Song A Downgrade

Seibert misses an extra point late as the Commanders lose their 3rd in a row, 34-26 to the CowboysNigeria and South Africa have reaffirmed their resolve to enhance regional security through the development of a critical Early Warning Mechanism aimed at addressing mutual security challenges. The agreement is expected to be finalised by March 2025, coinciding with the visit of South Africa’s minister of International Relations and Cooperation to Nigeria for political consultations. This announcement was made at the 11th Session of the South Africa-Nigeria Bi-National Commission (BNC) held in Cape Town. The meeting, co-chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria and President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, underscored the shared commitment to fostering peace and stability across Africa while deepening bilateral ties. In their joint communiqué, the leaders reaffirmed the historic bond between the two nations and emphasised the importance of strategic partnerships to address security, economic, and development challenges. They urged their respective agencies to intensify collaboration in these areas for mutual benefit. The also acknowledged the significant investments by South African companies in Nigeria and encouraged reciprocal Nigerian investments in South Africa. Both countries agreed to foster a business-friendly environment to boost trade and investment. They further committed to leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to achieve balanced trade growth. Key sectors identified for collaboration include mining, rail, road, and port infrastructure, with Nigeria inviting South African development finance institutions to co-finance major projects. Recognising shared challenges, the leaders unveiled plans to collaborate on initiatives addressing food security, digital connectivity, and artificial intelligence. These initiatives aim to expand digital literacy, enhance data protection, and ensure online safety for citizens. Both nations expressed deep concern over the Sudan crisis and reaffirmed their commitment to the African Union’s goal of “Silencing the Guns.” On the global stage, the leaders condemned ongoing violence in Gaza, advocating for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid. They reiterated support for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Similarly, they reinforced their backing for Western Sahara’s right to self-determination. Both nations further pledged to collaborate closely in international organizations, with Nigeria backing South Africa’s G20 presidency priorities, including inclusive economic growth and artificial intelligence governance. As South Africa assumes the G20 presidency, Tinubu congratulated Ramaphosa on his nation’s focus on addressing inequality, industrialization, and food security. Both leaders vowed to champion Africa’s Agenda 2063 on the global stage.Aston Villa march on in Champions League after beating RB Leipzig

Trump's TikTok love raises stakes in battle over app's fateAustralia Judo Bank Services PMI came in at 50.5, above expectations (49.6) in November

The United Nations, Microsoft and Kenya’s Ministry of Information last week launched a digital and artificial intelligence center in Nairobi to train African public servants and accelerate the development and use of online services. Officials said the program — the Timbuktoo GreenTech Hub and Africa Centre for Competence for AI and Digital Skilling — aims to improve the skills of 100,000 government workers. U.N. Development Program Regional Director Ahunna Eziakonwa said at the launch that better digital skills and resources will enable Africa to achieve technological progress. "An inclusive public sector digital transformation drives efficiency and effectiveness and helps governments to enhance coordination of resources and information and strengthen data and code policymaking and implementation," she said. Kenyan President William Ruto said that more than 20,000 government services can be accessed online and that the digital transformation has made government work easier. "This will help us streamline public service delivery and enhance transparency and efficiency, minimize opportunities for corruption and maximize visibility and mobilization of public revenue,” he said. “The transformative impact of this single initiative on citizens' experience in accessing public services, along with the government's capacity to effectively manage public resources, clearly illustrates the immense value of digital transformation." Governance experts say digital services offered online have improved citizens' trust in public services and made the work of government employees faster, more accurate and more transparent. However, the frequent power and internet blackouts that plague some African countries sometimes force government workers to resort to traditional paper and file systems. Some workers have little experience with computers and feel that online glitches are slowing them down. Michael Niyitegeka, team leader at Refactory, a software academy in Uganda that prepares youth for global tech work, said authorities must push workers to use the technology. "Leadership has to be extremely firm in knowing how they want to use these technologies and invest in ensuring that people are working with it,” Niyitegeka said. “We need to work on the entire system so the citizens can be brought to speed, and different users of these technologies as we are building need to be brought on board so that we are building together,” he said. “Otherwise, it will probably become a white elephant." Tech experts say that if developed correctly and with proper investment, then digital technology and artificial intelligence can transform communities.

Vikings right guard Dalton Risner says he’ll continue to get better at new position

Thousands of protesters marched through Barcelona on Saturday demanding lower rents in Spain's second city. Barcelona, which has already taken action to stop the spread of holiday rental apartments, is the latest Spanish city to see protests for cheaper housing. Backed by left-wing parties and unions, the demonstrators gathered in central Barcelona behind a giant banner declaring "Lower the rents". "Today a new political cycle starts concerning housing," Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for the Catalan Tenants Union, the main organiser, told reporters. "Investors must not be allowed to come to our cities and play with the apartments like a game of Monopoly," she added. The union would target "profiteers" who are taking "half of our salaries", Arcarazo said. The demonstrators demanded a 50 percent cut in rents, leases with an unlimited term and a ban on "speculative" sales of buildings. They threatened to start a rent strike. An estimated 22,000 people took part in a similar demonstration in Madrid on October 13. Campaigns have been launched in other cities. According to the Idealista specialised website, rental prices per square metre have risen 82 percent across Spain over the past decade. The average salary has gone up by 17 percent in that time, according to the national statistics institute. Facing pressure over a housing crisis, the government in 2023 passed legislation calling for more social housing, greater restrictions on rents in high demand areas and penalties for owners who do not occupy properties. But rents have continued to rise while the government has battled city and regional authorities to get some parts of the law applied. vid-vab/tw/jmFrom wealth and success to murder suspect, the life of Luigi Mangione took a hard turn

Far-right streamer Nick Fuentes, who usually welcomes publicity, received the type he probably didn’t want after Donald Trump’s election victory. The 26-year old white supremacist and antisemite, who has been banned from multiple social media sites for violating hate speech policies, posted on X: “Your body, my choice. Forever.” Although Fuentes has denied being a white supremacist, the U.S. Department of Justice characterized him as such in a brief related to the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. And, judging from the snippets of his opinions that I have heard, Including his trolling about women’s bodies, he appears to fit the description of an all-around bigot. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks online hate speech, reported this consequence of Fuentes’ tweet: a 4,600 percent increase in the usage of the terms “your body, my choice” and “get back in the kitchen” on X during a 24-hour period, according to the Washington Post. In response, women started trolling the troll, posting messages aimed at Fuentes and “doxxing” him with suggestions to send tampons, sex toys and other appropriate gifts to his home. “His address, my choice,” one clever user wrote. Kids, do not try this at home. Two wrongs don’t make a right, no matter how amusing it may seem. Such is the price of carefully cultivated infamy. A long-time denizen of the internet’s dark fringes, Fuentes’ renown has grown by leaps after his suspended account on Elon Musk’s X was reinstated earlier this year. A known leader among the angry grievance gangs in the online hive of far-right and neo-Nazi trolls widely known as the “manosphere,” among other labels, Fuentes should not be viewed as anything more than a nuisance, in my view. And, in fairness — and under advice offered forcefully by my millennial generation son — I don’t want to give the impression that every fan of Joe Rogan, Andrew Tate or other hairy-chested manly-men streamers is a member of the angry manosphere. Rather, the manosphere conversation is a product of the widespread anger, frustration and disenchantment that has led to the surprisingly large drop-off in support AND votes for the Democratic Party’s candidates. Trump’s winning strategy involved luring and enlisting mostly a male-oriented following that was largely voting for the first time. That formerly apathetic group paid off well for Trump in his previous campaigns. But it worked for him even more in his contest against Democrat Kamala Harris. He pulled out all the stops and it paid off even more. Scott Galloway, a New York University marketing professor who has studied disengaged young men for decades, told CNN that this election should be remembered as the “testosterone podcast election.” For the first time in U.S. history, a 35-year-old man without a college diploma is making less than his parents were, Galloway observed, citing averages. ”Against that, do (such issues as) trans rights or the territorial sovereignty of Palestinians even register on your screen?” In other words, Galloway is saying what many other critics, including me, have said about today’s Democrats and Harris’ campaign: With its late start, unclear agenda and unfocused message, it failed to excite a critical number of otherwise persuadable voters as, day after day, the polls hardly moved from a 50-50 tie. Kamala Harris’s campaign was “predicated on the dominance and continuance” of a presumed “monoculture,” Jon Caramanica wrote in the New York Times. As a member in good standing of the monoculture, Harris could bask in the endorsements of Oprah, Beyonce and Taylor Swift. Meanwhile, Caramanica continued, “Trump, denied access to this monoculture, took an approach that was both fragmentary and more modern — and in many ways more attuned to the rhythm of a young person’s media diet. He leaned into the evanescent, the niche, the lightly scandalous.” Harris did do some fun podcasts like “Call Her Daddy” and “Club Shay Shay,” but as Caramanica pointed out, they did little to change the narrative of her campaign. Ever since Barack Obama made effective use of Twitter and other social media in the 2008 presidential race, we have seen new technology create new media that have played a central campaign role. But, contrary to Marshall McLuhan’s famous line, the medium is not always the message. Sure, give Trump credit for finding a medium through which to reach disaffected young men. In a tossup race, they helped put him on top. But one wonders if the result would have been different if Harris had reached out to this group with even a marginally more effective message, regardless of the media in question. To win over voters, you have to show them that you understand their problems and that, even when you may not have all the answers, you still truly want to solve those problems. As hard as it may be for Democrats to admit, Trump made a more persuasive case to those outside the monoculture. Email Clarence Page at cpage@chicagotribune.com.United Airlines has had what will likely go down as one of its best years on record, with its stock providing investors with impressive returns of over 130% this year alone, something which has raised many questions about whether this level of success can continue. United Airlines shares closed today at a value of $95.79, approaching the carrier's record highs from the years before the COVID-19 pandemic. Get all the latest aviation news from Simple Flying! With such impressive growth in the market this year alone and competitors that are looking to challenge United in many of their key markets, many observers have begun to question whether the airline's success can continue. With investments continuing across the carrier's network, including $500 million being sunk into an expansion at the airline's principal east coast hub at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), United certainly seems to have bold ambitions . Earlier today, Scott Kirby made one of his most direct public discussions regarding the company's impressive performance and its ambitions for future growth, when he appeared on CNBC. From today's appearance, we can get a better idea of exactly how Kirby and United's upper management team are charting their path forward and what they think investors should know about their ambitions to remain on the profitable path. The airline's pathway forward involves continued investment in its hubs Kirby was quick to indicate today that the airline, while happy with its current performance, has strong plans to continue expanding and providing returns to investors. Traditionally, airline stocks have been seen as volatile investments, and carrier performance can only be successful for so long. Delta Air Lines, an Atlanta-based legacy airline, has historically set the standard for profitability, largely thanks to a lucrative partnership with American Express. Scott Kirby believes that, amid a post-pandemic environment that has changed industry dynamics, United remains in a strong position to push toward its biggest competitor. Kirby particularly believes that expanding transatlantic capabilities will be the key to the airline's continued success. In the years following the pandemic, international travel has boomed and airports have struggled to meet this increase in demand and capacity. As a result, airlines, like United, that invest heavily in their facilities will be able to thrive. United Airlines recently announced a $500 million expansion plan at Washington Dulles (IAD), according to Quartz . The carrier is looking to build fourteen new international gates, which Kirby says will be used to support transatlantic expansion. Industry dynamics have changed The structure of the commercial airline industry has changed significantly, as airlines have begun to remold schedules to meet the needs of remote travelers and higher-end leisure customers, with loyalty programs playing an increasingly important role. When addressing this, Kirby had the following words to share: "I think this industry has structurally changed coming out of COVID, and it has turned into a couple of winners and everyone else. The gap is very wide." Kirby alludes to his belief that United is one of these "winners" he identified, citing the fact that the airline had the best revenue day in its history this past Sunday. He also projected that the carrier would have the best December in its history from a profitability standpoint. These bold expectations have led the market to continue projecting growth for the company, which has led to the stock's continued increase in valuation. However, should the company perform below these lofty expectations for the holiday season, United shareholders might be in for weaker returns in January.