World

US and Britain announce new Iran sanctions after missile and drone strike on Israel

By David Brunnstrom and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday announced new sanctions on Iran targeting its unmanned aerial vehicle production after its attack on Israel, and U.S. President Joe Biden said G7 leaders were committed to acting together to increase economic pressure on Tehran. Britain announced that it was also introducing sanctions on Iran in

Malampaya gas deliveries rise as Luzon grid placed on alert status

MANILA, Philippines—The Malampaya offshore field was able to deliver more than its target gas volume to key power plants as the Luzon grid was placed on red and yellow alert status by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). Prime Energy Resources Development B.V. (Prime Energy), operator of Service Contract (SC) No. 38 which governs the Malampaya project, said gas supply to customers peaked at 290 million standard cubic feet per...

Philippine inflation remains most urgent concern —OCTA survey

Majority of adult Filipinos believe that inflation remains the most urgent national concern for the first quarter of 2024. The most recent Tugon ng Masa survey by OCTA Research found that 66% of adult Filipinos see as an urgent concern "controlling the increase in prices of basic goods and services." It is also the top concern across major areas and income classes. The concern on access to affordable food (44%), increase in wages (44%), creating...

Florida will open schools to volunteer chaplains

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school districts will soon have the option of allowing volunteer chaplains to counsel students under a bill signed Thursday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who dismissed critics opposed to mixing religion with public education. The only requirements for a chaplain to participate would be passing a background check and having their name and religious affiliation listed on the school website. The chaplains would...

Oxford street food market given green light in war on American candy stores

Oxford street food market given green light in war on American candy stores - More than a dozen restaurants will set up in the former Evans’ store near Marble Arch

Preparations made for Government takeover of Thames Water, reports say

Preparations made for Government takeover of Thames Water, reports say - Thames Water could be effectively nationalised if it goes bust, according to reports in the Guardian newspaper.

China is using civilian space exploration to mask its military efforts

NASA warned China is using its civilian exploration program as a cover for its military programs claiming territory on the moon. The US now is in a race to put Americans on the moon.

Road closures on April 21 in Lapu-Lapu, Cordova, SRP, CCLEX

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Expect major roads in Mactan Island, South Road Properties (SRP), and the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) to be closed to traffic as the Ironman 70.3 Lapu-Lapu will unfold on Sunday, April 21, at the Mactan Newtown grounds. The Lapu-Lapu City Traffic Management System (CTMS) and the IronMan 70.3 Lapu-Lapu organizers already issued a traffic advisory for the race on Sunday. READ MORE: Lapu-Lapu City to close roads...

Middle East crisis: Mirror on the ground in Israel - as fears mount over fresh Iran attack

As concerns grow over another attack from Iran, Israelis in Tel Aviv's Hakarmel Market tell The Mirror's defence correspondent Chris Hughes their thoughts on the conflict

USC tense after valedictorian speech cancelled

The university said it cut the Muslim student's speech over security concerns tied to Middle East.

China: US missile system in PH worsens tensions in Asia Pacific

China has expressed "grave concern" over the US' deployment of a medium-range missile system in the Asia Pacific, saying it worsens tensions in the region and increases the risk of misjudgment and miscalculation. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian made the remark when asked for China's comment on the mid-range capability missile system known as Typhon being placed in the Philippines amid joint military exercises in the...

China told: ‘Peace-loving’ nations won’t take US-PH-Japan meet as threat

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the recent trilateral summit of the Philippines, Japan, and the United States should not be deemed as a threat “by any peace-loving country.” It explained anew that the goal of the historic three-way talks was to promote peace as it responds to the Philippines’ development needs. “It is the sovereign choice and decision of the Philippines to strengthen our alliance with the...

District attorney says Memphis police officer may have been killed by friendly fire

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A 17-year-old suspect charged in the fatal shooting of a Memphis police officer has not been accused of first-degree murder because information obtained by the district attorney's office shows the officer was killed by friendly fire, officials said. In a statement, the office of Shelby County's top prosecutor said the 17-year-old has been charged with 13 counts including attempted first-degree murder and assault against a...

US to oppose Palestinian bid for full UN membership

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United States will on Thursday vote against a Palestinian request for full United Nations membership, a U.S. official told Reuters, blocking the world body from effectively recognizing a Palestinian state. "It remains the U.S. view that the most expeditious path toward statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between

Candidates challenged on controversial busway plan

Villagers challenge parliamentary candidates about plans to build a new busway in Cambridgeshire.

Ecuador hit by power cuts of up to 13 hours amid drought

Parts of Ecuador were facing power cuts of up to 13 hours on Thursday amid an electricity crisis sparked by a drought that has left key hydroelectric reservoirs nearly depleted. Electricity provider Emelnorte detailed power cuts in northern Ecuador of up to 13 hours.

Columbine school shooters glorified by young followers: Inside the scary online obsession

Twenty-five years after the Columbine shooting, young people who weren't born when it happened are glorifying the killers on social media platforms.

2 minor temblors felt in Batangas island town

LUCENA CITY — Two successive minor earthquakes hit the island town of Tingloy in Batangas on late Wednesday night, April 17. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported in its bulletin that a magnitude 3.1 tremor with a 5-kilometer depth of focus was recorded in Tingloy at 11:20 p.m. At 10:51 p.m. in the same town, the only island municipality in the province, a magnitude 2.7 tremor with a 3-km depth of focus was...

Teacher jailed for 1970s sexual abuse of pupil

Carol Greer carried out the offences on a pupil at Newtownbreda Secondary School between 1971 and 1978.

'Cost of Living crisis meant celebrating Ramadan was tough - it started with landlord's cruel decision'

Muslim families struggling to stay afloat have said they struggled to celebrate Ramadan this year and were reliant on the good-will of charities to survive

Protester committed contempt of court using a sign

Trudi Warner was arrested on March 27 last year for holding up a sign outside an entrance used by jurors at Inner London Crown Court.

Turtle could be sent to Cape Verde due to Brexit

A turtle that washed up in Guernsey may not be able to return to Gran Canaria, a charity says.

Another first: PCG to deploy six ships for US, PH war games

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time, the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) will deploy six vessels for the expanding Balikatan war games in view of the mounting tensions in the West Philippine Sea. PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo on Wednesday said four 44-meter multi-role response vessels (MRRVs) and two larger patrol vessels will be deployed in the exercise which will commence next week. In another first, there will be trilateral...

In Serbian village, women fight to escape encroaching mine

By Ivana Sekularac and Marko Djurica KRIVELJ, Serbia (Reuters) - Before dawn, 78-year-old Vukosava Radivojevic prepared breakfast for her husband then walked into her village in eastern Serbia to guard a barricade stopping trucks entering an open-pit copper mine that residents say is contaminating local land and water. Radivojevic is one of two dozen women who since January took shifts day and

UP professor Nemenzo on the South China Sea disputes

I AM devoting this column and the next to an article on the South China Sea (SCS) disputes by Dr. Francisco "Dodong" Nemenzo, professor emeritus in political science at the University of the Philippines (UP). Nemenzo in my view is the preeminent political scientist of his generation and the next. It is sad though, and a testament to the poor quality of UP as an academic institution, that very few if any of his students and proteges have...

At UN, Iran warns Israel against further military action

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that Israel "must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests" as the U.N. secretary-general warned that the Middle East was in a "moment of maximum peril." Israel has said it will retaliate against Iran's April 13 missile and drone attack, which Tehran says

Poland arrests man over suspected plan to kill Ukraine’s Zelenskyy

Prosecutors say Polish national suspected of supplying information to Russian military intelligence.

Man, 64, jailed for hoax terror threats

Gary Preston sent white powder and threatening letters to schools, a hotel and a shopping centre.

Ukraine seeks G7, NATO help for battered air defences

By Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante CAPRI, Italy (Reuters) -Ukraine warned foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major powers on Thursday they had to change strategy if they wanted Kyiv to withstand increasingly destructive Russian air assaults. G7 ministers meeting on the island of Capri acknowledged the need to get more air defence systems to Ukraine and applauded Ukrainian Foreign

Scottish government confirms it will abandon 2030 climate target

Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllen has confirmed the Scottish government is abandoning it's climate change target which claimed to reduce emissions by 75% by 2030.

Illuminating facts about the Age of Enlightenment

The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was an intellectual and philosophical movement that occurred in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Enlightenment thinkers in Britain, France, and throughout Europe questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through rational change. Challenging political and religious conventions, the Enlightenment produced numerous books, essays, inventions, scientific discoveries, laws, wars, and revolutions. Intrigued? Click through the following gallery for the movement's core beliefs, and even some of its common misconceptions.

Why don’t animals attack humans more often?

Can Ukraine’s new drone campaign change the battlefield?

Prisoner not checked on overnight, inquest hears

Craig Anderson was not subject to checks because he was not listed as vulnerable, an inquest hears.

Columbia students arrested for days-long 'solidarity with Gaza'

NYPD arrests students at Columbia University for days-long 'solidarity with Gaza.'

‘Unconscionable’: US sends dozens to Haiti on deportation flight

Deportations ‘could be a death sentence’, advocates say, as gang violence and instability grip the Caribbean country.

Marcos, Luxon eye review of PH-New Zealand deal on migrant workers

The Philippines and New Zealand are looking to review existing bilateral migrant worker arrangements for the recruitment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). According to the Presidential Communications Office, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon discussed the existing relationship between the two countries during the Luxon’s visit to the country. “The two leaders agreed to strengthen...

EU sees signs China supplying dual-use components to Russia, Dombrovskis says

By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The European Union sees signs that China is supplying components to Russia that could be used to make weapons, and fears China could be emboldened to increase shipments if the West's resolve to oppose Russia's war in Ukraine weakens, a top EU official said on Thursday. Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice president of the European Commission, the EU's

Bosnian Serb MPs adopt a report denying the Srebrenica genocide

SARAJEVO (Reuters) -Bosnian Serb lawmakers on Thursday adopted a report denying that the killing of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica during the Bosnian war constituted genocide, and thousands of Serbs later protested against a United Nation's resolution to commemorate the atrocity. The massacre in 1995, which happened in the week after the U.N. safe zone of Srebrenica was attacked by Bosnian Serb

Olongapo starts water rationing due to lack of supply

OLONGAPO CITY —The local government has started rationing free water to residents of a village in this city who have been affected by the low water supply. The Olongapo City Information Center said Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. facilitated the water ration in Barangay New Cabalan on Wednesday, April 17, with the help of the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO). Paulino said the free water ration would be available every other...

College staff threaten new strikes over pay

Members of the University and College Union on Teesside voted in favour of more strikes.

Group of instrumentalists got to try this bamboo organ in Antipolo City

From Metro Manila, the YMCA Manila Gold Triangle Club traveled to Antipolo City to try Carolina Bamboo Carden’s bamboo organ, which can be found inside their Bamboo Museum. In Vonne Aquino’s report on “24 Oras,” Thursday, the group’s musical director, Dr. Rocelle Navera, shared her delight upon trying the instrument. “Ang bamboo organ napakaganda at authentic talaga at tsaka first time to see a real bamboo organ,” she said. After trying the...

Dozens arrested as US college Gaza protest cleared

Democrat politician Ilhan Omar's daughter has also been suspended from college for participating.

Eurovision will have heightened security as police fear terror attacks

Pro-Palestinian activists are planning two large demonstrations to protest at Israel's participation in Eurovision, as the conflict in the Middle East threatens to overshadow the pop music festival.

Meet the dangerous new long-range missile Russia is firing at Ukraine

UK's prime minister Sunak to visit Poland soon to discuss security, Polish PM says

WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will soon host the British prime minister in Poland, Tusk told reporters Thursday evening as European countries eye initiatives to improve their air defences. Poland, which borders Ukraine, has already seen missiles enter its airspace and is now considering joining the European Sky Shield Initiative air defence umbrella. "I will soon be

Kenya’s military chief among 10 people killed in helicopter crash

Air force sends an investigative team to establish cause of crash that killed General Francis Ogolla.

IMF, WB urged to boost aid to developing nations

FINANCE Secretary Ralph Recto wants the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to increase their support for developing countries worldwide to accelerate a global economic recovery. "I urge the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other partners to intensify their efforts in assisting developing countries to mitigate and reverse the factors threatening our growth prospects," Recto said during the Spring Ministers and Governors...

A lab chief's sentencing for meningitis deaths is postponed, extending grief of victims' families

HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan judge on Thursday suddenly postponed the sentencing of a man at the center of a fatal meningitis outbreak that hit multiple states, dismaying people who were poised to speak about their grief 12 years after the tragedy. The judge who took a no-contest plea from Barry Cadden retired in March. But the defense attorney and the prosecutor said they still expected Michael Hatty would return to impose a minimum 10-year...

Chinese cities sinking under their own weight

Extracting ground water for growing urban populations causes half of China's big cities to sink.