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Passenger from Dubai held at Clark airport for undeclared cellphones

A woman recently went viral after she went live on social media while being held by the Bureau of Customs at the Clark International Airport for bringing home undeclared cellphone units. According to a 24 Oras report by Jun Veneracion on Friday, the viral video showed the woman confronting BOC personnel on a livestream. She was reportedly held by BOC personnel for repackaged cellphone units that were found on her carry-on luggage. “Yung phone...

2024-05-10T18:11:01Z

Butcher business mistakenly kills US couple's pet pigs

A mobile butchering company accidentally killed two pet pigs after going to the wrong home.

2024-05-10T22:05:36Z

26 Chinese charged over Pasay sex hub

MANILA, Philippines — Criminal charges have been filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against 26 Chinese for their alleged involvement in the operation of a prostitution hub in Pasay that was raided in October last year. In a statement issued yesterday, the DOJ said the police Women and Children Protection Center filed charges of serious illegal detention and various violations of the anti-trafficking law against the 26 foreigners....

2024-05-10T16:39:05Z

What explains the BJP's rise?

NEW DELHI – India, with 968 million eligible voters, is currently holding the largest exercise of democratic rights in the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — the world's largest political party — is widely expected to win. The BJP has come to dominate India's electoral landscape for several reasons: it focused relentlessly on building its organizational strength, promoted meritocracy within its ranks,...

2024-05-10T23:28:07Z

No need for loyalty checks among police, military – President Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — Amid claims of destabilization plots against his administration, President Marcos does not see the need to conduct loyalty checks among the active members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). In an interview in General Santos City on Friday, the President expressed his trust and confidence in the PNP and the AFP. “I don’t see… we don’t have any reports in the ranks. Those who...

2024-05-10T16:38:51Z

Countries with the easiest citizenship options

Does the allure of living abroad call to you? Have you thought more about leaving your home country and pursuing life elsewhere but find yourself stumped at how to accomplish this? While citizenship in other countries can be challenging in many ways, this guide will sort through the countries where it’s comparatively easier to get citizenship. From the different types of citizenship options to exactly where you can move and the respective general requirements for each, you’ll have the knowledge and power to choose which option works best with your goals and life circumstances. Start planning your new life today! Click through this gallery to explore where you might call home next.

2024-05-07T14:15:34Z

Man wanted for multiple child rape cases held

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Police have taken into custody a man charged with 10 rape and statutory rape cases in Bukidnon. Radio reports quoted Brig. Gen. Bowenn Joey Masauding, Zamboanga peninsula police director, as saying that Jimmy Balaba, 45, was arrested in Barangay Tuburan in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur. Balaba did not resist when arrested by members of the Bukidnon and Zamboanga peninsula police in Barangay Tuburan. The arrest...

2024-05-10T16:39:03Z

‘Balikatan gives pause to adversaries of open Pacific’

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and the United States officially ended yesterday the 39th joint Balikatan military exercises, which they called a success, as the event had attracted other allies and delivered a warning to those standing in the way of a free and open Indo-Pacific. While both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the US military had repeatedly insisted that the 18-day exercises were not directed at any country, China...

2024-05-10T16:38:53Z

China warns PH against expelling its diplomats over leaked recording

MANILA, Philippines: China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned the Philippine government against expelling its diplomats in Manila, saying that "any hasty action" could "potentially harm" the Philippines amid tensions over territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea. Lin Jian, spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, issued the statement on Friday night after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año urged...

2024-05-11T01:46:26Z

Duque, Lao face raps over COVID-19 supplies

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of a graft case against former health secretary Francisco Duque III and former Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (PS-DBM) executive director Lloyd Christopher Lao. The order was in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Department of Health’s transfer of P41.46 billion to PS-DBM at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In a 49-page...

2024-05-10T16:38:54Z

Año: Expel those behind China embassy ‘new model’ recording from PH

MANILA, Philippines — Chinese Embassy personnel claiming to have an audio recording of the “new model” agreement in the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal should be kicked out of the country for wiretapping and “serious breaches of diplomatic protocols and conventions.” National Security Adviser Eduardo Año made this remark on Friday, echoing Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.’s call to investigate the Chinese Embassy’s claims. READ: China...

2024-05-10T11:41:49Z

Former Mutya ng Pilipinas accepts Miss USA title after winner’s resignation

Former Mutya ng Pilipinas-Overseas Communities Savannah Gankiewicz has accepted the Miss USA title after 2023 winner Noelia Voigt’s resignation several days ago, the national pageant organization and the Hawaii-based Filipino American model herself have confirmed on social media. “We are proud to crown Savannah Miss USA 2023, a true representation of vision, intelligence, and compassion,” Miss USA Organization CEO and Pres. Laylah Rose was...

2024-05-10T07:29:54Z

US report punts on possible Israeli violations of international law in Gaza

Report says that incomplete information from Israel made it difficult to assess specific cases of possible violations.

2024-05-10T23:22:40Z

Alleged Rushdie attacker, awaiting trial in New York, could still face federal charges, lawyer says

MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — The lawyer for the New Jersey man charged with stabbing author Salman Rushdie is in talks with county and federal prosecutors to try to resolve existing charges of attempted murder without a trial — as well as potential terrorism-related charges that could still be coming, he said Friday. Hadi Matar, 26, has been held without bail since his 2022 arrest, immediately after allegedly attacking the internationally acclaimed...

2024-05-10T21:44:59Z

30-meter bridge linking Cordova, Lapu-Lapu breaks ground

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu – A 30-meter prestressed concrete bridge that would link Cordova town to Lapu-Lapu City has broken ground on Friday, May 10, 2024. The project includes building a 30-meter prestressed concrete bridge linking the Pilipog-Gabi causeway to the proposed Babag-Basak-Subabasbas Bypass road. Additionally, a 150-meter bypass road will be constructed perpendicular to the bridge, featuring four lanes for vehicles, bike lanes, and...

2024-05-10T08:35:57Z

Jardeleza: There’s way to make China pay for WPS damage

MANILA, Philippines — Retired Supreme Court Justice Francis Jardeleza on Friday suggested a mechanism for the Philippine government to make China pay for the damage it caused to Filipinos and areas in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. In a radio interview, Jardeleza said it can only be done once the Philippines files a follow-up arbitration case against China — this time to claim damages. READ: File new arbitration case vs China But if...

2024-05-10T12:26:49Z

Federal judge orders Florida man held without bond in his estranged wife's disappearance in Spain

MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge ordered the Florida man charged with his estranged wife's disappearance in Spain held without bond on Friday, rejecting his lawyer's argument that the prosecution case is entirely circumstantial and shouldn't be tried in the United States. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres said the decision to hold David Knezevich until trial was “a close call,” but he said the Fort Lauderdale business owner's wealth and close ties to...

2024-05-10T22:10:09Z

Mega Millions winning numbers for May 10 drawing: Jackpot rises to $331 million

Mega Millions players, are you feeling lucky? The winning numbers are in for the May 10 drawing.

2024-05-11T01:05:27Z

Albayalde on ICC arrest: My conscience is clear

MANILA, Philippines — Stressing that his conscience is clear, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde said he is ready to face investigation in the previous administration’s war on drugs, but maintained that it should not be by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Albayalde said on Friday that he would cooperate if the Department of Justice (DOJ) would summon him, but not if it is the ICC, which he stressed has no...

2024-05-10T16:38:54Z

Putin's election a Pyrrhic victory?

THE United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and most European Union member countries (21 out of 27) boycotted the inauguration of President Vladimir Putin to underline their view that his election as leader of Russia for the fifth time was a sham. This meant that even their ambassadors accredited to Moscow did not attend the inauguration upon explicit instructions from home. Those envoys would normally be invited to such events and attend. But...

2024-05-10T23:28:08Z

Ukraine ground force commander expects Russian push ahead of arms supplies

(Reuters) - The commander of Ukraine's ground forces, in an interview published on Friday, said he expected the 26-month-old war against Russia to enter a critical phase in the next two months as Moscow tries to exploit delays in supplying weapons to Kyiv. "Russia knows that if we receive enough weapons within a month or two, the situation could turn against them," General Oleskander Pavliuk told

2024-05-11T00:47:09Z

US says it was reasonable to assess Israel used US weapons inconsistent with humanitarian law

By Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration on Friday said it was reasonable to assess that Israel has used U.S.-supplied weapons in instances that are "inconsistent" with its international humanitarian law obligations. However, the administration said it still found credible and reliable Israel's assurances that it will use U.S. weapons in accordance with

2024-05-10T22:01:45Z

Pacquiao eyeing Senate return in 2025? Marcos thinks so

MANILA, Philippines — Worldwide boxing great Manny Pacquiao may be looking for a Senate comeback in the 2025 midterm elections, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday. During Marcos’ visit to Pacquiao’s hometown of General Santos City for the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF), the President gave a shout-out to the sporting legend by saying he would return to the Senate. READ: A golden era can trace its roots to Manny Pacquiao and his...

2024-05-10T13:18:23Z

Pyongyang to deploy new multiple rocket launcher this year: KCNA

North Korea will equip its military with a new 240mm multiple rocket launcher starting this year, state media said Saturday, adding a "significant change" for the army's artillery combat capabilities was under way. It also said a "significant change will be soon made in increasing the artillery combat ability of our army", without providing details.

2024-05-11T01:30:31Z

WWII soldiers posthumously receive Purple Heart medals 79 years after fatal plane crash

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — The families of five Hawaii men who served in a unit of Japanese-language linguists during World War II received posthumous Purple Heart medals on behalf of their loved ones on Friday, nearly eight decades after the soldiers died in a plane crash in the final days of the conflict. “I don’t have words. I’m just overwhelmed,” Wilfred Ikemoto said as he choked up while speaking of the belated honor given to his older...

2024-05-11T01:56:38Z

Mali talks propose junta rule for three more years

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Participants in Mali's national dialogue on Friday recommended extending the military-led transition to democracy by three years and allowing junta leader Assimi Goita to stand in the eventual election. The West African country has been under military rule since a coup in 2020, and tensions have risen over the junta's failure to stick to a promised timeline for the return to

2024-05-10T21:46:39Z

Peru president’s brother held in corruption probe

Nicanor Boluarte’s arrest comes weeks after President Dina Boluarte's home was raided over corruption allegations.

2024-05-11T00:21:05Z

Plane crash lands and overturns in field

A pilot suffered minor injuries when the plane he was flying crash lands in a field near Austwick.

2024-05-10T15:34:37Z

One of four Pinoy seafarers held by Iran freed

MANILA, Philippines — One of the four Filipino seafarers being held by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has been released, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday. Efforts to have the remaining three freed continue with the help of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and other nations providing assistance. “The Philippines welcomes the good news that one of the four Filipino seamen at the MSC Aries has been released and is arriving...

2024-05-10T16:38:50Z

Peasant’s daughter from Surigao tops 2024 PMA Class

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City, Philippines — She could have gone into farming as this was her family’s livelihood in Barangay Tubbungon, Surigao City. But Jeneth Elumba, 24, this year’s topnotcher of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA)’s graduating class, chose to become a Philippine Army officer. Her father, a barangay captain with a degree in criminology but unable to pursue a career in the uniformed service, became her inspiration to enter...

2024-05-10T16:38:53Z

Navy spox: China linking ‘new model’ to AFP exec is ‘Marites’ warfare

MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine Navy spokesperson has shrugged off the Chinese embassy’s allegations linking the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ western command chief Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos to the purported “new model” of conduct in the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. “I call it part of ‘Marites’ warfare,” Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said in a public briefing regarding China’s claims....

2024-05-10T09:26:44Z

Man pleads guilty in theft of bronze Jackie Robinson statue from Kansas park

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 45-year-old man has pleaded guilty in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that was cut off at the ankles and found days later smoldering in a trash can in a city park in Kansas. Ricky Alderete entered the plea during his arraignment Thursday. A judge signed off on it Friday. Authorities arrested him in February, with court records alleging he entered a Wichita home with the intent to kidnap someone as part of an...

2024-05-10T22:04:16Z

Lithuania defies Russia and launches missiles

The Lithuanian army has carried out manoeuvres in the Baltic Sea as part of operation 'Steadfast Defender 24′. "This is an important deterrent exercise," Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurinas Kasciunas said. Steadfast Defender 24 is "NATO's largest military exercise since the Cold War". This is how the alliance defines the bond between Europe and North America, aiming to demonstrate that the allies will defend every inch of their territory and...

2024-05-10T16:37:46Z

Sadiq Khan earns more than Prime Minister as salary rises to £160,000 with pay hikes for top aides

Sadiq Khan earns more than Prime Minister as salary rises to £160,000 with pay hikes for top aides - The Mayor and at least 13 of his City Hall staff earn more than the wage Rishi Sunak last declared

2024-05-10T11:02:08Z

Seven killed as bus falls into river in Russia's St Petersburg

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) -Seven bus passengers died and several others were injured after their bus careered off a bridge and into the Moika river in the Russian city of St Petersburg on Friday, the local department of the emergencies ministry said. Russia's Investigative Committee said seven people died in the incident. Earlier reports said six people had been injured on the bus, which

2024-05-10T22:01:48Z

Russian attack forces frustrated, hungry residents from Ukraine border town

By Vitalii Hnidyi NEAR VOVCHANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Residents of a Ukrainian border town, frustrated and angry at an armoured ground attack by Russian troops trying to secure a new foothold, were evacuated from their homes on Friday with an uncertain future ahead. Officials brought together dozens of inhabitants of Vovchansk and surrounding villages during breaks in the fighting and took them

2024-05-10T23:52:05Z

1 Filipino crew of seized MSC Aries released

THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Friday that a Filipino crew of the seized ship MSC Aries was released by Iranian authorities. "We send our sincerest thanks to Secretary Enrique Manalo and his entire team at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), who spared no efforts to secure the release of our brave seafarer," DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in a statement. He added that the DMW, DFA and Overseas Workers Welfare...

2024-05-10T16:29:59Z

Marcos: No report PNP plotting a coup

(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said he has not received any reports that active senior officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were planning to oust him from power. Marcos issued that statement after former senator Antonio Trillanes IV warned of a brewing destabilization plot being hatched by police officials. Speaking to reporters in General Santos City, the President said, "We don't have any report of (a coup)...

2024-05-10T16:44:59Z

Family connected to house where Boston police officer's body was found outside in snow testifies

DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — A highly anticipated trial involving a woman accused of striking her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a snowbank outside a home entered its ninth day on Friday in Massachusetts. John O’Keefe died in the Boston suburb of Canton on Jan. 29, 2022. The case has garnered national attention because the defense alleges that state and local law enforcement officials framed girlfriend Karen...

2024-05-10T21:55:03Z

Morales a 'professional liar' – Marcos

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday called former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent Jonathan Morales a "professional liar," as he downplayed the veracity of the leaked PDEA documents linking him to illegal drug use. "It's hard to give him importance. You know, this fellow is a professional liar and is like a jukebox. So long as you put coins, he will sing whatever song you like," Marcos said in a statement. "I think that...

2024-05-10T16:29:59Z

Biden calls Kim Jong Un the president of SOUTH Korea

President Joe Biden called North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un the president of South Korea at a closed-door fundraiser in San Francisco Friday.

2024-05-10T22:09:13Z

PCG sees signs of possible island – building in Escoda Shoal

MANILA, Philippines — Crushed corals were dumped in Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in a development that could be a prelude to the emergence of an artificial island there. Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said this was learned during the deployment of BRP Teresa Magbanua in the area. Tarriela said the deployment was done after Jonathan Anticamara of the University of the Philippines Institute of...

2024-05-10T15:11:53Z

Teen anti-Israel protestor is arrested for defacing WWI memorial

The boy, 16, is accused of of being part of a group that vandalized the 107th Infantry Memorial in a Monday night demonstration.

2024-05-10T17:53:53Z

DepEd, Tesda sign agreement TVET in SHS

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (Tesda) signed two joint memorandum circulars (JMC) on Friday for the integration of technical skills among senior high school students in the country. The first JMC will establish an assessment process and a certification procedure for senior high school students under the technical and vocational livelihood (TVL) track....

2024-05-10T14:33:24Z

DA prepares for more destructive La Niña

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is preparing for a “more destructive” La Niña even as El Niño continues to affect the agriculture sector. At a press conference yesterday, Agriculture Assistant Secretary U-Nichols Manalo noted that the DA has started its La Niña preparations by looking into areas severely affected by La Niña in the past. “For the past 25 years, based on our record, we have had at least eight El Niño,...

2024-05-10T16:38:52Z

WPS ‘new model’ recording may be aimed at distracting public – solons

MANILA, Philippines — Claims that conversations between Chinese and Philippine officials regarding the West Philippine Sea (WPS) were wiretapped may have been meant to distract the public, several members of the House of Representatives said. In a press briefing, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre wondered why claims of a new model agreement on the Ayungin Shoal — and Philippine officials agreeing to it supposedly being recorded without their...

2024-05-10T14:48:24Z

"We have to take back Finland, Poland, the Baltic States, Alaska…"

On the Russian television station Russia 1, the pro-Putin propagandists were having a field day. The comments made by the Soloviev gang are a direct threat to Russia's neighbours. Vladimir Soloviev is one of the faces of the Russian regime's disinformation and propaganda, particularly since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. And on his show he asserted: "We need to reclaim a lot more historic land, restore historical fairness... Finland, the Baltic...

2024-05-10T16:52:44Z

Philippines calls for expelling Chinese diplomats as South China Sea row escalates

By Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines' national security adviser called on Friday for Chinese diplomats to be expelled over an alleged leak of a phone conversation with a Filipino admiral in a significant escalation of a bitter row over the South China Sea. China's embassy in Manila had orchestrated "repeated acts of engaging and dissemination of disinformation, misinformation and

2024-05-10T15:55:30Z

Louisiana court may reopen window for lawsuits by adult victims of childhood sex abuse

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana’s Supreme Court agreed Friday to reconsider its recent ruling that wiped out a state law giving adult victims of childhood sexual abuse a renewed opportunity to file damage lawsuits. The law was passed by the Louisiana Legislature in 2021 and amended in 2022. Sometimes called a “look back” law, it gave victims of past abuse, whose deadlines for filing civil lawsuits had expired, until June 14 of this year to file — a...

2024-05-10T22:49:21Z

Migrants flash hand signs as they leave on bus from Dover

Groups of people in orange life jackets were brought ashore at Dover docks in Kent after being picked up at sea, taking the number to be intercepted so far this year to 9,037.

2024-05-10T19:38:42Z