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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.

Prisoner not checked on overnight, inquest hears

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

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...

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

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

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...

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.

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

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.

Ex-Scottish leader Sturgeon's husband charged with embezzlement of party funds

LONDON (Reuters) -Police have charged Peter Murrell, the husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon, with embezzlement of funds from her pro-independence Scottish National Party, the BBC and other media reported on Thursday. Police Scotland said, without naming Murrell, that a 59-year-old man who was arrested earlier on Thursday in an investigation into the SNP's finances, had now been

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

UN chief: limited, 'sometimes nil' improvement from Israel action on Gaza aid

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Israel's commitments to improve aid access in the Gaza Strip have had "limited and sometimes nil" impact, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday as he pushed for urgent, meaningful and measurable progress to avert famine. The United Nations has long complained of obstacles to getting aid in and distributing it throughout

Why don’t animals attack humans more often?

Candidates challenged on controversial busway plan

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

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...

‘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.

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

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...

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...

Gatchalian asks CHEd: Probe ‘sale’ of degrees to foreign students

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday asked the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) to investigate and sanction people involved in the alleged sale of diplomas or degrees to foreign students in the country. He made the call following reports that some Chinese students in Cagayan are paying P2 million to obtain their degrees. “CHEd must impose appropriate penalties or sanctions on HEIs (higher education institutions) and...

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...

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

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.

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.

Dozens arrested as US college Gaza protest cleared

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

Heat index at ‘danger’ levels seen to strike 18 areas on April 18

MANILA, Philippines — Heat index at “danger” levels of 42 to 45 degrees Celsius were forecast to hit 18 areas of the country on Thursday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said. The state weather agency said in an advisory that these areas are: Aborlan, Palawan – 45 degrees Celsius Dagupan City, Pangasinan – 44 degrees Celsius Puerto Princesa City, Palawan – 44 degrees Celsius Catarman,...

Man, 64, jailed for hoax terror threats

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

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.

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.

USC tense after valedictorian speech cancelled

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

A man who served 17 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit dismisses apology from UK review body

LONDON (AP) — A British man who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit dismissed an “unreserved apology” on Thursday from a review body that twice turned down his attempts to have his conviction referred to the Court of Appeal. Andrew Malkinson, 58, had his conviction quashed last July by the appeals court after DNA evidence linked another suspect to the crime. He had applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, or CCRC, which...

Chinese cities sinking under their own weight

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

The Supreme Court Just Complicated Employer Diversity Initiatives

The US Supreme Court’s ruling that a St. Louis police sergeant can sue over a job transfer she claims was discriminatory was championed by human rights groups as “an enormous win for workers.”

Luzon, Visayas grids still on red and yellow alerts on Thursday

MANILA, Philippines — National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) raised red and yellow alerts in Luzon and Visayas for the third straight day today, April 18, due to the unavailability of several power plants. In an advisory, NGCP said a red alert status will be up in the Luzon grid from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Before that, the Luzon grid will be placed under yellow alert from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and from 10...

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...

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

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

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.

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...

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.

Dubai: Floods submerge roads, affect airport after record rains

Dubai’s giant highways were clogged by flooding and its major airport was in chaos as the Middle East financial centre remained gridlocked on Wednesday, a day after the heaviest rains on record. Tailbacks snaked along waterlogged, six-lane expressways after up to 259.5 millimetres (10.2 inches) of rain, the most since records began 75 years ago, fell on the desert United Arab Emirates on Tuesday. READ MORE: ‘Iron Man’ pilots race in jet suits...

UN says solutions exist to rapidly ease debt burden of poor nations

GENEVA, Switzerland — The heavy debt weighing on developing countries can be alleviated through readily available measures, the UN’s trade and development chief said, pleading for bold international action. Rebeca Grynspan compared the debt burden facing poorer countries to “a reverse blood transfusion”, with money flowing “from the ones that need it to the ones that don’t”. In 2022 — the last year for which there are clear statistics —...

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...

Armenian victims group asks International Criminal Court to investigate genocide claim

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A human rights organization representing ethnic Armenians submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court on Thursday, arguing that Azerbaijan is committing an ongoing genocide against them. Azerbaijan’s government didn't immediately comment on the accusations. The neighboring countries have been at odds for decades over the territory of Karabakh, and are already facing off in a separate legal case stemming...

College staff threaten new strikes over pay

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

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.

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...

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...

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

Manila Water service cutoff set in Taguig, Marikina this April

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Water customers in some areas of Taguig City and Marikina City will experience temporary water supply interruption from April 18 to 19 and April 24 to 25 due to scheduled maintenance activities. The water company on Thursday advised affected residents to reserve water for their use as maintenance works will be carried out on the following: Taguig City – April 18, 10 p.m., to April 19, 4 a.m. Parts of Barangay New...

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...