<p><span data-teams="true"><strong>Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10‑day ceasefire starting Thursday,</strong> raising hopes for broader Middle East peace as negotiations toward a permanent security deal continue.</span></p>

<p><span data-teams="true"><strong>The IMF warned on Thursday,</strong> that Asia is especially vulnerable to war‑induced energy shocks due to its heavy reliance on Middle Eastern fuel, possibly affecting regional growth despite recent economic resilience.</span></p>

<p><strong>The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has approved Meralco’s recovery of over PHP 4 billion in costs</strong> tied to its affiliate’s Batangas gas plant, which will raise consumer electricity rates by about PHP 0.11 per kilowatt-hour starting September 2026.</p>

<ul><li data-list-item-id="e1fc555305ebcff2e38fb178b8af86687"><strong>The peso strengthened to PHP 59.97 per dollar on Thursday,</strong> buoyed by hawkish signals from the central bank chief and ongoing market uncertainty over the Middle East war.</li></ul>

<ul><li data-list-item-id="e0e2d98af6c94bd72e269690eccdc8b9d"><span data-teams="true"><strong>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has eased foreign investment rules by allowing up to 40% foreign ownership in small retail enterprises </strong>with paid-up capital below PHP 25 million, aimed at attracting more overseas investors.</span></li></ul>