Dubai Police warned residents against fraudulent advertisements and unlicensed agencies offering domestic worker recruitment, citing risks of financial loss and security threats. A single unverified advertisement can signal a scam targeting households seeking domestic staff, police said in a social media video.
Fraudulent schemes often use unusually low prices to lure employers, according to the advisory. Authorities cautioned that dealing with unauthorized recruiters can strip victims of legal protections and expose homes to theft.
Residents should verify that recruitment agencies hold licenses from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation before transferring funds or hiring staff, police said. The ministry provides a searchable directory of authorized agencies on its official website, Filipino Times (Gulf) reports.
An artificial intelligence-powered patient safety system now connects all hospitals across Abu Dhabi to identify healthcare risks before incidents occur, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi said.
The unified platform also covers long-term care facilities, dialysis centers and fertility centers, with more than 60,000 people using the system one year after its launch, according to the department, Filipino Times (Gulf) reports.
The Department of Foreign Affairs assured the safety of Filipinos living near the West Bank on Friday following escalating tensions from Israel's E1 settlement plan.
Undersecretary Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega said Philippine diplomatic posts in the Middle East were monitoring the situation and issuing timely advisories, according to the Manila Times.
New Zealand Police are urging the immediate return of a stolen veterinary medication containing pentobarbital, warning that the liquid drug can be lethal if ingested.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Greaves said the medication was inside a pink handbag stolen from a vehicle parked in Glendowie overnight on Wednesday 16 September, according to a police release.
Most Filipinos believe they can protect themselves from scams despite remaining anxious about fraud, a new consumer report showed.
Filipinos are "absolutely worried" about being scammed according to data from the GSMA 2026 Consumer Scam Report for Southeast Asia, Inquirer data scientist and University of the Philippines associate professor Dr. Alicor Panao said, Inquirer Global Nation reports.
New Zealand's immigration authority has added 10 trades occupations in the metals and automotive sectors to the Green List Work to Residence pathway, Legit News reports.
The changes took effect on 18 August 2025, following a government announcement in June 2025, according to the publication. The additions cover roles including metal fabricators, welders, fitters, panel beaters and vehicle painters.
The government also announced updates to median wage thresholds for skilled resident visas, Legit News reports.
Police commissioner accepts findings of Phillips children inquiry
New Zealand Police accepted the findings and recommendations of the Public Inquiry into the Disappearance of the Phillips Children, according to a statement released by Police Commissioner Richard Chambers.
Chambers said the police investigation initially lacked the required focus and resources, and that significantly more resources should have been deployed earlier to find Tom Phillips.
Actions are underway to update the Child Protection Protocol and the Police Missing Persons policy, Chambers said.
Migrant bus drivers who moved to New Zealand during the post-COVID workforce shortage rallied in Auckland on Tuesday to call for changes to residency pathway language requirements, RNZ reports.
Drivers gathered in Te Komititanga Square to protest the requirement to score 6.5 or higher on the international English language test, which organisers say is too difficult for many high school graduates to achieve.
New Zealand recorded 256,600 overseas visitor arrivals in July 2026, an 8.5% increase compared with July 2025 that surpasses pre-pandemic 2019 levels, according to figures released by Statistics New Zealand.
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said in a statement that arrivals from Australia reached a record 134,900 in July, representing a 6% increase from the previous year, NZ Government reports.
More than 1,500 people applied for a new skilled migrant visa in its first fortnight, RNZ reports.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said more than 200 early childhood education teachers were among the applicants following the introduction of the new pathways on 24 August.
Stanford also announced the government would review the green list of straight-to-residence roles as New Zealanders struggle to find work in those sectors, according to RNZ, RNZ Politics reports.
New Zealand will introduce a Short-Term Graduate Work Visa and expand eligibility for the existing Post-Study Work Visa starting 16 November 2026, Immigration New Zealand announced on 9 September.
The new short-term visa is designed for graduates whose qualifications do not meet the criteria for the Post-Study Work Visa, according to immigration officials, NZ visas & immigration rules reports.
The National Bureau of Investigation is probing the death of a woman who died after undergoing four cosmetic procedures performed by a celebrity surgeon in San Juan City, Inquirer.net reports.
Her son, Filipino-American reality television star Ronn Tristan Perez, asked the NBI's Homicide Division on Thursday to investigate the March 2 procedures, which cost P570,000 and lasted seven hours, Inquirer Global Nation reports.
New Zealand will allow foreign investors applying for the Active Investor Plus visa to direct funds into Build to Rent housing developments through approved managed funds, the Financial Express reports.
The change takes effect in December 2026, according to the report, NZ visas & immigration rules reports.
Immigration New Zealand is launching a new Short-Term Graduate Work Visa on 16 November 2026, offering six months of open work rights for eligible international graduates.
Applicants must hold a qualification at NZQCF Level 5 to 7 studied full-time for at least 24 weeks, hold at least NZD $5,000 in available funds, and apply within three months of their student visa expiring, the agency announced.
Emergency services responded to an incident at the Baldwin Ave train station in Auckland's Mt Albert after the report was received at 3.28pm on Wednesday, according to police.
Police said there was no ongoing risk but asked the public to avoid the station as the area and level crossing remained closed for some hours, RNZ reports.
Fourteen Filipino seafarers returned to Manila from the United Arab Emirates following a deadly attack on their oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the Department of Migrant Workers said.
The crew members arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on an Emirates flight on Tuesday after the MV SIDR was struck by projectiles on August 31, according to the department, Inquirer Global Nation reports.
New Zealand spends 4.9 percent of its health budget on pharmaceuticals compared to 12.2 percent in Australia, according to an economic study reported by RNZ.
The report was commissioned by Business NZ and helped funded by drug companies AbbVie, GSK and Roche, though BERL consultancy said the findings were its own.
Police in Christchurch are investigating the sudden death of a man found unresponsive at a Milton Street property on Sunday afternoon.
Detective Senior Sergeant Dan Overend said the death is currently being treated as unexplained while enquiries are underway on behalf of the Coroner, New Zealand Police reports.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian and Sen. Raffy Tulfo called on the Department of Migrant Workers to strengthen safety measures for Filipino seafarers in high-risk areas, after two Filipino crew members were killed when a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker was hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 31. The DMW confirmed the deaths and said 14 other Filipino crew members aboard the M/V SIDR survived unharmed.
"The DMW should ensure that the families of the victims, including those who survived the attack, immediately receive all the necessary assistance during this difficult time," Gatchalian said. Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, called for the DMW to ensure seafarers are repatriated promptly and said manning agencies and shipping companies must respect seafarers' "Right to Refuse Sailing" in high-risk areas without jeopardising their entitlements and benefits.
The DMW said it is arranging repatriation of the surviving Filipino seafarers and coordinating with authorities to support the families and colleagues affected, Inquirer Global Nation reports.
Pag-IBIG Fund is keeping its housing loan rates subsidized for Filipino workers as commercial borrowing costs rise, according to the agency.
Qualified socialized housing borrowers can access a 3% interest rate, while promotional rates range from 4.5% to 5.75% for loans up to ₱10 million, Pag-IBIG reports.
Members' savings reached ₱127.29 billion in the first 7 months of 2026, marking a 35% increase from the same period last year, the fund said, Leana Bernardo reports for Filipino Times (Gulf).
The remains of the Filipino chief engineer of the M/V Minoan Dignity who died following an incident in the Strait of Hormuz have been repatriated to the Philippines from Oman, the Daily Tribune reports.
The seafarer's remains arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City on Tuesday aboard Oman Air flight WY843, according to the Tribune. Representatives of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Department of Migrant Workers and the licensed manning agency received the remains upon arrival.
A study of Filipino musicians in Australia found that only five of approximately 40 surveyed work as full-time musicians, with most treating music as a secondary income source or hobby despite using it to maintain cultural ties to the Philippines, according to a Commission on Filipinos Overseas news release.
The research, titled "Transnational Labour Migration and Musical Performance: Filipino Musicians in Australia," was conducted by Dr. Carljohnson Anacin, a musician and researcher based in Queensland. The study surveyed Filipino permanent residents, students, visitors and temporary workers across the country, finding that most migrated primarily for broader economic opportunities, thephilbiznews reports.
Two Filipino seafarers died on August 31 when unidentified projectiles struck the Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker SIDR near the Strait of Hormuz, the Department of Migrant Workers said.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said 16 Filipino crew members were on board the vessel during the attack, which caused a fire that the crew later contained. The remaining 14 seafarers were unharmed, and the vessel is currently located off the coast of Oman.
President Marcos ordered immediate assistance, benefits and insurance proceeds for the families of the victims, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said on Thursday. The Department of Migrant Workers is currently coordinating with authorities in Oman to repatriate all crew members and the two fatalities, Inquirer Global Nation reports.
US cybersecurity firm Hunt.io said Chinese-speaking operatives accessed sensitive files from a Philippine nuclear research agency and a shipping company with Navy ties.
The breach exposed 372 megabytes of data including nuclear material records, safety protocols and employee credentials, according to the Florida-based company, Gelo Gonzales reports for Rappler.
PNP says SIM card registration law ineffective against cybercrime
The Philippine National Police said on Tuesday that the SIM Card Registration Act has failed to stop cybercrime and urged Congress to strengthen the legislation.
"The implementation of our SIM Card Registration Act has not been effective, new provisions are needed," said MGen. Wilson Asueta, director of the PNP's Anti-Cybercrime Group, speaking at a briefing in Camp Crame. Asueta told reporters that almost all cybercrimes stem from SIM cards and that legal loopholes allow online criminals to bypass registration safeguards.
To close these gaps, Asueta proposed restricting registration to the national ID with biometrics, barring unregistered SIM transfers, and capping ownership at five SIM cards per person across public telecommunication entities, Izel Abanilla reports for the Manila Times.
National Bureau of Investigation agents have arrested a Chinese national in General Trias, Cavite, for allegedly operating a mobile rogue cellular site used for phishing scams.
National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag said on Tuesday that the device, known as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity catcher, was mounted inside a vehicle to transmit fraudulent text messages and direct mobile users to a fake banking website, Inquirer Global Nation reports.
There are no reports confirming that Sen. Loren Legarda and Rep. Leandro Leviste applied for asylum in France, Rappler reports.
The Office of the Ombudsman mentioned the possibility of the two lawmakers seeking asylum overseas but didn't confirm any application, according to the fact-check report.
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