Beijing and Moscow are working to influence Latin America general warns

POGO ban shouldn’t be 'selective' —Bong Go

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Saturday appealed to the Marcos administration "not to be selective" in its move to ban Philippines offshore gaming operators (POGO) in the Philippines. The senator issued the statement after the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairperson Alejandro Tengco appealed to Malacañang that 12 of the 43 POGO companies in the Philippines be spared from the ban as these are customer service agents for...

Hungary's Orban says Russia stands to gain as 'irrational' West loses power

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday Russia's leadership was "hyper rational" and that Ukraine would never be able to fulfil its hopes of becoming a member of the European Union or NATO. Orban, a nationalist in power since 2010, made the comments during a speech in which he forecast a shift in global power away from the "irrational" West towards Asia and

Sabotage at the Olympics: Russian revenge?

Friday morning five electricity installations of high-speed lines around Paris were set on fire in France. Military experts do not rule out that Russia was behind this sabotage. The sabotage, just before the start of the Paris Olympics, could be the work of groups affiliated with or inspired by Moscow, according to a Belgian military expert. "After all, Russia has been excluded from the Olympics, and may be taking revenge for that." Russia also...

DPWH: Replicating BGC cistern in densely populated areas challenging

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Saturday it was open to the idea of replicating the underground water impounding structure in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) to address perennial flooding in Metro Manila, but finding a suitable location proved to be difficult. “Yes, the DPWH actually contemplated [repeating] the best practice of BCDA in BGC,” DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon...

15 public schools in Quezon City move class opening to Aug 1 and 5

MANILA, Philippines — Fifteen elementary and secondary schools in Quezon City have rescheduled their opening of classes for the School Year (SY) 2024-2025 to August. In a Facebook post on Saturday, July 27, the local government said most public schools in the city will push through with their SY 2024-2025 class opening on Monday, July 29, except for the following: To open on August 1 Sto. Cristo Elementary School Balumbato Elementary School...

Hungary’s nationalist leader warns of EU's demise and backs Trump in anti-Western speech

BAILE TUSNAD, Romania (AP) — Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Saturday that the European Union was sliding toward oblivion in a rambling anti-Western speech in which he warned of a new, Asia-oriented “world order” while throwing his support for Donald Trump’s U.S. presidential bid. “Europe has given up defending its own interests,” Orbán said in Baile Tusnad, a majority-ethnic Hungarian town in central Romania. “All...

Magat Dam released water, says irrigation exec

RAMON, ISABELA — Irrigation officials have started releasing water from the Magat Dam on Saturday morning to anticipate the bulk of heavy rains that would pour in the next few days due to the southwest monsoon (locally known as habagat) and the tropical depression that is predicted to enter the Philippine area of responsibility. Engineer Edwin Viernes, chief of the National Irrigation Administration-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System...

Ethiopia PM visits village hit by deadly landslide

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Saturday visited a remote and mountainous village hit by the country's deadliest landslide which killed over 250 people. Officials are still trying to pinpoint how many people were killed when heavy rain on Sunday triggered a landslide that engulfed the tiny locality of Kencho Shacha Gozdi, about 480 kilometres (300 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa.

How El Chapo's son helped U.S. arrest fabled narco chief "El Mayo"

By Drazen Jorgic (Reuters) - As a propeller plane on Thursday whirred towards the U.S.-Mexico border to cross illegally, U.S. agents raced to meet it at a small municipal airport near El Paso, Texas, and arrest two men who were part of Mexican drug trafficking royalty. The son of jailed former Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman planned to give himself up upon landing. The other

China's foreign minister warns Philippines over US missile deployment

BEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has warned the Philippines over the U.S. intermediate-range missile deployment, saying such a move could fuel regional tensions and spark an arms race. The United States deployed its Typhon missile system to the Philippines as part of joint military drills earlier this year. It was not fired during the exercises, a Philippine military official later said, without giving details on how long it would stay...

Russia's Lavrov says US-South Korea nuclear guideline adds concern, media reports

SEOUL (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday a recently announced guideline on the operation of U.S. nuclear assets on the Korean peninsula is certain to add security concern in the region, South Korean and Russian news agencies reported. Speaking at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Laos, Lavrov said he had not been briefed on the details of

Marcos orders creation of Bataan oil spill task force

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Saturday ordered the creation of an inter-agency task force that would address the oil spill from the sunken MT Terra Nova off Limay, Bataan. In a situation briefing on the effects of Super Typhoon Carina and the Enhanced Southwest Monsoon in Malolos, Bulacan, Marcos said the task force would be composed of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources...

PCG: No cargo spill from sunken tanker

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday has deployed floating barriers and dispersants to contain the little engine oil from the tanker that sank in the waters off Limay town in Bataan province early Thursday. Rear Adm. Armand Balilo, spokesperson for the the PCG, said there was no leak yet from the 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel that the Philippine-flagged oil tanker “MT Terra Nova” was carrying. He said what the PCG started...

This is Taiwan's secret weapon in case of an invasion from China

Israeli military expands evacuation order for Gaza’s battered Khan Younis

Israel issues new orders as it widens ground invasion in southern Gaza that has displaced thousands of Palestinians.

CCTV images released in footpath rape investigation

Police say the man pictured may have vital information in connection with the attack in Ascot.

Five people released after Bristol stabbing

A man in his 30s is being treated for injuries that are not currently believed to be life-threatening.

MRT-3 on heightened alert from July 27-Aug. 3 for 'Balik Eskwela'

The Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) will be placed on heightened alert from July 27 to August 3 to ensure the safety of students as they head back to school. According to an advisory on Saturday, security and station personnel are on standby to assist students and other incoming passengers throughout the period. The MRT shall maintain its regular operating hours from 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on trains departing from North Avenue, and 5:05 a.m....

MMDA suggests waste incineration to ease Metro Manila's flooding woes

Amid the massive trash that was blamed for the massive flood brought by Typhoon Carina-enhanced Habagat, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) floated the idea of incinerating solid waste in the National Capital Region (NCR). At the Saturday News Forum, MMDA General Manager Procopio Lipana said incineration of solid waste is allowed in advanced neighboring countries such as Singapore, Korea, and Japan. “I think it’s high time to...

The US and China air global differences as their top diplomats meet for sixth time since last year

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — The United States and China on Saturday renewed their mutual grievances as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Chinese counterpart held their sixth meeting since last year amid an uncertain political situation in the U.S. and growing concerns about China’s increasing assertiveness in Asia and elsewhere. Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met for roughly an hour and 20 minutes on the sidelines of an...

O'Neill asks taoiseach to help return boy from Lebanon

First Minister asks Irish government to intervene and help Catherine Flanagan get her son David home.

Cebu City Police’s new director is a lawyer, Bantayan native

CEBU CITY, Philippines – A new city director has been appointed to lead the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO). During the turnover ceremony on Friday, July 26, Police Colonel Antonietto Y. Cañete officially took over the post as the CCPO director. The ceremony, held at the Campo Sergio Osmeña, was attended by Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) regional director Police Brigadier General Anthony Aberin and Cebu Police Provincial Office...

Think La Niña, Marcos tells Filipinos

LUCENA CITY—Despite the troubles brought about by the supertyphoon and enhanced southwest monsoon, President Marcos urged Filipinos and government officials to intensify their preparations for the La Niña phenomenon. “We have to prepare for the next flood. This is the first typhoon within the La Niña phenomenon. There’s a long way to go. So, we have to prepare. Let’s think about preparing,” Mr. Marcos told national and Quezon government...

France suffers second day of sabotage train delays

Tens of thousands of rail passengers struggled through a second day of cancelled trains Saturday as investigators tracked saboteurs who paralysed the network just ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. Tens of thousands of police and troops are on Olympics security duties.

Putin plays with fire in Finland

Finland suspects a Russian ship of violating its territorial waters, following several incidents between the two countries, which share a huge border after Helsinki joined NATO. Finland's defence ministry has said it suspects a ship of sailing off the coast of the Gulf of Finland in the eastern Baltic Sea. Relations between Finland and Russia, which share a 1,340-kilometre-long border, have deteriorated since Finland joined NATO in 2023. On 10...

Man arrested after eight geese found dead

Kent Police said eight birds were found dead, causing "considerable concern" in the community.

Ayungin arrangement will be honored, Manalo says after meeting China FM

Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting in Laos and both affirmed that a recently agreed arrangement in resupply missions in Ayungin Shoal will be honored, diplomatic sources told GMA News Online. The Philippines conducted a rotation and reprovisioning mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal on Saturday and "no untoward incident was reported," a...

French minister says foreign involvement not ruled out in rail sabotage

PARIS (Reuters) -France's interior minister said on Saturday he could not rule out foreign involvement in an attack that sabotaged signal stations and cables on the country's high-speed rail network, causing travel chaos on the opening day of the Olympic Games. Friday's pre-dawn attacks damaged infrastructure along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the

DSWD provides P132M in aid to families hit by Carina, Habagat

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided more than P132 million worth of humanitarian aid to families affected by tropical cyclone Carina and the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) earlier this week. In a press release on Saturday, the DSWD said a total of P132,943,000 worth of family food packs, family kits, hygiene kits, laminated sacks, and kitchen kits were distributed to affected families in the National Capital Region...

Under Israeli law, UNRWA is about to become a terrorist organisation

The UN must urgently take decisive action against the latest Israeli affront on the entire international community.

Rockwell Land and IPI holds groundbreaking ceremony for the Lincoln at IPI Center in Cebu City

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Rockwell Land Corporation, in partnership with International Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IPI), held earlier today the ceremonial groundbreaking and lowering of the time capsule at Lincoln at IPI Center, Rockwell’s residential tower in its newest mixed-use development in Cebu, at the heart of the Queen City of the South. This event marks the beginning of the bored piling for the foundation of the tower. “We’re excited to start...

Sacking of Met commander over drugs test overturned

Julian Bennett was dismissed from the force for refusing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test.

Poverty rate in Eastern Visayas slightly drops – PSA data

TACLOBAN CITY — Poverty incidence in Eastern Visayas – one of the poorest in the country – has declined in the first quarter of this year. Based on the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the poverty rate in the region from January to March 2024 reached 26.19 percent – which means 26 out of 100 families were classified as poor. The figure, however, was an improvement from the 28.9 percent in January to March 2023. According to...

AFP members donate 'one meal' subsistence allowance for Carina, Habagat victims

Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are each making a "one meal" subsistence allowance donation to victims of Super Typhoon Carina and the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat. In a statement Saturday, AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said the donation was equivalent to one meal from their subsistence allowance, amounting to P50 per member. Brawner added that the AFP continues to deploy search, rescue, and retrieval teams in Metro...

Officers cycle in memory of fallen colleagues

Surrey and Sussex police staff and volunteers ride 240 miles as part of the Police Unity Tour.

Blinken chides Beijing's 'escalating actions' at sea, concerned over Taiwan

By Simon Lewis VIENTIANE (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised Beijing's "escalating and unlawful actions" in the South China Sea at a summit on Saturday, where his Russian counterpart said Washington has stoked anxiety in its plan for a nuclear deterrence with ally Seoul for the Korean peninsula. Blinken singled out China over its coast guard's hostile actions against U.S

NBI warns public vs. online lending scams

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) cautioned the public against online lending scams on Friday following the arrest of a Chinese woman involved in an online collection scam that extorts money from borrowers through deceptive and coercive methods. “We have been receiving messages about cash loans. Let’s be careful. We should consider these a menace to society,” NBI National Capital Region Regional Director Rommel...

At least 30 killed in Israeli strike on school, Gaza health officials say

By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Emily Rose and Ramadan Abed CAIRO/JERUSALEM/GAZA (Reuters) -At least 30 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on a school that had been housing displaced people in Gaza on Saturday, Palestinian health officials said, while Israel's military said it had struck a Hamas command centre in the school complex. Fifteen children and eight women were among those killed in

Israel tells Gazans to temporarily vacate southern Khan Younis areas

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -The Israeli military told Palestinians to temporarily evacuate southern neighborhoods of Gaza's Khan Younis region so it could "forcefully operate" there, telling them to relocate to a humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, a statement from the military said on Saturday. The fighting, more than nine months since the start of Israel's invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack,

Major Blow to Russia: Ukraine successfully disables vital equipment

Indian PM Modi likely to visit Ukraine in August, local media reports

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Ukraine next month, a local media report said, his first visit to the country since its war with Russia began and just weeks after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Ukraine's embassy in New Delhi said it had no information to share immediately. There was no immediate response from India's foreign

Marcos orders DA to aid typhoon-affected Central Luzon farmers, fisherfolk

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday instructed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to immediately assist Central Luzon farmers and fishermen affected by Super Typhoon Carina and the Southwest Monsoon. “So ang instruction ko sa DA will be to try to... para habulin ‘yung season, planting season dahil para hindi naman mawalan ng hanapbuhay ‘yung ating mga farmer,” Marcos said in a situation briefing on the effects of Super Typhoon Carina and...

Cyclist airlifted to hospital after serious crash

A woman is in hospital in a critical but stable condition, says police.

"Conquer Ukraine would cost Russia 1.8 million dead or wounded soldiers''

Russia partially controls the regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya. Taking full control of those Ukrainian regions could cost Russia 1.8 million soldiers. That is the conclusion reached by the British army chief, General Sir Roly Walker. There are no official figures, but Western intelligence sources say as many as 1,000 Russian soldiers a day are injured or killed. Russian President Putin stated as recently as June that some...

Airport kick video family calls for end to protests

The family of a man who was kicked and stamped on by a police officer have appealed for calm.

Marcos: ‘Do everything’ to open classes July 29

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday urged schools to reopen as scheduled next week “as much as possible,” even if teachers have to meet their students outside classrooms as a consequence of the recent typhoon, which damaged some school buildings and turned others into emergency shelters. He ordered the Department of Education (DepEd) to “do everything” to start classes on Monday, July 29, for school year 2024-2025. READ: Marcos: Start of...

COA flags Cebu City over P114.5M unliquidated funds to NGOs

CEBU CITY, Philippines— Over P114.5 million in fund transfers done by Cebu City to various non-government organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) since 2009 remain unliquidated, according to the latest audit report by the Commission on Audit (COA). The unliquidated funds have translated into financial mismanagement and lack of accountability within the city administration, the audit agency said. The COA report, audit observation...

Mega Millions winning numbers for July 26 drawing: Jackpot rises to $331 million

Mega Millions players, are you feeling lucky? The winning numbers are in for the July 26 drawing.

Nigeria courts convict 125 Boko Haram Islamist insurgents in mass trial

By Camillus Eboh ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian courts convicted 125 Boko Haram Islamist militants and financiers of a series of terrorism-related offences in a mass trial this week, the attorney-general's office said. A Boko Haram insurgency has killed thousands of people and displaced millions since it began in 2009, creating a humanitarian crisis in northeastern Nigeria and putting pressure on