China converts Wanshan from mining town to tourist destination
Tourists visit an old mining cave on Thursday at Cinnabar Ancient Town in Tongren city, China. Wanshan has a history of mining and smelting for nearly a thousand years and once hosted China’s largest mercury mine, the Wanshan Mercury Mine. In the 1950s, Wanshan produced over 30,000 tons of mercury and cinnabar, but mineral resources depleted in recent years and it was listed among resource-exhausted cities by the government. Since 2015, Wanshan underwent ecological restoration and now is a tourist destination. Wu Hao, EPA-EFE
Police conduct crowd control drill for SONA 2023
Members of the Quezon City Police District conduct civil disturbance drills at Camp Karingal in Quezon City on Friday, in their preparation for the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24. Various groups are expected to converge on Commonwealth Avenue leading to the House of Representatives as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his SONA in his second year. Jire Carreon, ABS-CBN News
Pink carpet event for 'Barbie' movie in Mexico
Australian actor Margot Robbie (right) signs autographs during the pink carpet event for the movie 'Barbie', at Parque Toreo Central, in Mexico City, Mexico on Thursday. The movie's Philippine premiere remains hanging in the balance after the Vietnamese government banned the movie for showing a Chinese version of a map of the South China Sea with the "nine-dash lines." The movie is still under review by the Philippine Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Isaac Esquivel, EPA-EFE
Agrarian reform beneficiary waits five decades for his land title
Loreto Bautista, 76, waits for the ceremonial distribution of land titles to agrarian reform beneficiaries led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacanang Palace in Manila on Friday. After tilling a parcel of land in Calaca, Batangas for five decades, Bautista on Friday received its title. Like many beneficiaries, Bautista had previously failed to pay the amortization for the land awarded by government through the agrarian reform program. Marcos signed a law on Friday writing off around P57 billion in land-related debt owed by some 600,000 farmers. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News
PH employment rate rises
Queues at recruiting booths are reflected on the sunglasses of a job applicant at a sports facility used as a staging area for a job fair in Caloocan City on Friday. According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority released the same day, the employment rate in May 2023 was estimated at 95.7 percent, higher than the reported employment rate in May 2022 at 94.0 percent and in April 2023 at 95.5 percent. Meanwhile, the country's unemployment rate dropped to 4.3 percent in May 2023 from 6.0 percent in May 2022 and 4.5 percent in April 2023. Rolex Dela Pena, EPA-EFE
Friends, family pay respects to journalist Mario Dumaual
Friends and family attend mass and pay their respects during the wake for entertainment journalist Mario Dumaual at the Loyola Memorial Chapel in Quezon City on Friday. The veteran journalist known as the 'reporter to the stars' passed away at the age of 64 on July 5. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
