World

New town centre regeneration projects planned

Surrey Heath Borough Council says the projects will be carried out in Camberley town centre.

Rishi Sunak's campaign to stay British PM showed his lack of political touch

LONDON (AP) — Rishi Sunak's campaign to remain Britain's prime minister showed a lack of political touch. The Conservative Party's problems were grave before Friday's resounding election defeat but missteps by Britain's richest prime minister contributed to its defeat. Predecessors such as Tony Blair and Boris Johnson were more politically astute and able to connect with voters. As for Sunak, he didn’t have to call the election until Jan. 2025....

Rishi Sunak apologises for Tory electoral disaster and confirms plan to quit as leader

The outgoing Prime Minister said he would quit as Tory leader once arrangements are in place to choose his successor.

Papal enemy Archbishop Vigano found guilty of schism and excommunicated

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a fierce ultra-conservative critic of Pope Francis, has been found guilty of schism and excommunicated, the Vatican's doctrinal office said in a statement on Friday. Vigano, the papal envoy in Washington from 2011-2016, went into hiding in 2018 after alleging that the pope knew for years about sexual misconduct by an American

Hungary's Orban holds Ukraine talks with Putin on trip slammed by EU

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday met Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on the fighting in Ukraine, on a trip the EU said threatened to undermine the bloc's stance on the conflict. - 'Disturbing news' - Hungary's six-month EU presidency gives the central European country sway over the bloc's agenda and priorities for the next six months.

Putin tells Orban he is ready to discuss 'nuances' of Ukraine conflict

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday that he was ready to discuss the "nuances" of peace proposals to end the conflict in Ukraine. Putin, who received Orban in the Kremlin, said he was ready to hear the Hungarian leader's position on Ukraine and to get a readout from Orban on the views of other European partners. "I hope we will

Three Black Sea countries launch new minesweeping force

An old American Cold War air defense system has proven to be a game changing weapon for Ukraine

Former PC who married killer jailed for crime links

Stephanie Heaps led a secret life of crime before she was arrested by a police anti-corruption team.

Defeated Rishi Sunak quits with call for kindness, decency and tolerance

By William James LONDON (Reuters) -Rishi Sunak said on Friday he would resign as prime minister and Conservative Party leader after losing heavily to Keir Starmer's Labour Party, leaving with an apology, a tribute to Britain, and a call to protect "kindness, decency and tolerance". His defeat ends 14 years of Conservative government - a period marked by division, political instability and, more

Marcos: Gov't pushing for development of Jolo airport

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Friday assured Sulu residents that the government has been pushing for the immediate implementation of the P100-million Jolo Airport Development Project. During the distribution of presidential aid to farmers and fisherfolks in the province, Marcos said all aspects of the development project are being mapped out so that the construction can start sooner. “Kasabay ng pagbibigay namin ng ayuda ay ang...

Six Palestinians killed in Israeli offensive on West Bank's Jenin, ministry says

JENIN (Reuters) - Six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military offensive on the West Bank city of Jenin on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said. The ministry had previously put the death toll at five people. Israel's military said in a statement its forces had encircled a building where militants had barricaded themselves in, and that an Israeli aircraft had struck targets in the

UK PM Sunak to resign as prime minister and Conservative leader

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Rishi Sunak said he would meet King Charles to formally resign as prime minister on Friday and would also stand down as leader of the defeated Conservative Party after Keir Starmer's Labour Party won a landslide election victory. "I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change, and yours is the only

Man dies and woman in hospital after house fire

The blaze broke out on Thursday evening at a house in Hereford.

Hong Kong court hears mitigation pleas from Joshua Wong, other democrats

By Jessie Pang HONG KONG (Reuters) - Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong should be considered an active participant in a landmark subversion case involving 47 democrats, his lawyer said on Friday, but urged a court to hand him a lighter sentence for entering his plea early. Wong, 27, who wore a gray sweater and navy blue shirt in court, was one of dozens of democratic activists arrested in

Almost 600 inmates released in June — BuCor

A total of 562 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were released by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) in June, the agency announced Friday. According to BuCor, this brings the total number of released PDLs to 14,657 from June 2022 to June 2024. Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said that of the 562 PDLs, 321 served their maximum sentence, 121 were acquitted, 98 were paroled, 21 were granted probation, while one was granted...

Who are the new MPs in Wales?

There are 13 new Welsh MPs, representing Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems. So who are they?

PCG rescues injured Chinese seafarer off Antique

MANILA, Philippines —The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rescued a Chinese seafarer who lost his left thumb off Caluya, Antique. PCG rescued the Chinese national is an engineer of Hongkong-flagged bulk carrier MV BBG Qinzhou. The incident occurred while the ship was about 20.69 nautical miles west of Semirara Port at around 9:00 a.m. on Thursday. “The 35-year-old second engineer said he was accidentally cut by a fan blade or metal, resulting in...

Eastern Samar latest partner of INQskwela

The Philippine Daily Inquirer has found one more partner, the province of Eastern Samar, for its five-year-old educational and media literacy advocacy program INQskwela. A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed on July 2 between the Inquirer Foundation, the program’s chief implementer, and the Eastern Samar provincial government led by Gov. Ben Evardone. Under the partnership, 20 public senior high schools in the province will receive...

Romualdez wants probe into illegal Pogos, unmasking of masterminds

MANILA, Philippines — House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has directed concerned committees to thoroughly investigate rogue Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), the criminal activities surrounding it and to identify those behind it. Romualdez on Friday said that his directive was in response to alarming reports of illegitimate Pogos being involved in crimes like human trafficking, money laundering, prostitution,...

Wales elects its first MP of colour

History is made as Labour's Kanishka Narayan becomes the first MP of colour in Wales.

World leaders react to Labour's sweeping victory in UK election

(Reuters) -Keir Starmer will be Britain's next prime minister after his centre-left Labour Party won a huge majority in a parliamentary election, defeating Rishi Sunak's Conservatives and ending their 14 years of often tumultuous rule. Here are some reactions to the news: GERMAN CHANCELLOR OLAF SCHOLZ IN STATEMENT: "I am delighted about the election victory of the leader of our sister party in

Crying children betray kidnapping at airport

An Iranian living in the Netherlands tried to kidnap his three children. He picked them up at their school on Tuesday and drove straight to the Cologne airport with his 13-year-old son and two little daughters. He had bought tickets in advance for a one-way flight to Tehran, with stopover in Istanbul. However, thanks to alert police officers and security guards, this parental abduction could be prevented. The children kept crying as they lined...

Lucy Letby handed whole life sentence for trying to murder baby girl

The most prolific child killer in modern British history was 26 when she deliberately dislodged the breathing tube of Baby K in the first hours of her life.

Kenya's Ruto pledges government changes after nationwide protests

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan President William Ruto said on Friday that he would make changes to the government soon, after weeks of nationwide protests that started as online anger over tax hikes and culminated in the violent storming of parliament. The protests prompted Ruto to withdraw the finance bill that contained the proposed tax hikes, leaving a 346 billion shilling ($2.7 billion) hole in

Philippines turned down US help amid South China Sea tensions — AFP chief

MANILA —The Philippines has turned down offers from the United States to assist operations in the South China Sea, after a flare-up with China over missions to resupply Filipino troops on a contested shoal, its military chief said. Tensions in the disputed waterway have boiled over into violence in the past year, with a Filipino sailor losing […]

Petition to cancel Alice Guo’s birth certificate filed with Tarlac court

The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has filed a petition seeking to cancel the birth certificate of Bamban Mayor Alice Guo. According to Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, the petition for the cancellation of the certificate of live birth was filed with the Tarlac City Regional Trial Court (RTC). “If her birth certificate is cancelled, she will lose her most important defense evidence about her identity,” Guevarra said in a message to...

Migrants face 'unimaginable horrors' crossing Africa says UN

Refugees and migrants face extreme violence, abuse and exploitation on land routes crossing Africa to get to the Mediterranean, with far more believed to be dying there than at sea, a UN-backed report said Friday. Despite the "unimaginable horrors people face in some countries along the route", the report highlighted an increase in the number of people attempting the perilous land crossings.

Why did it take so long to declare in Dumfries?

The count for two constituencies in southern Scotland was one of the latest to conclude in the UK.

Liz Truss unseated in South West Norfolk as Rishi Sunak concedes to Sir Keir Starmer

Former prime minister Liz Truss has lost her seat in South West Norfolk to Labour, adding to a humiliating picture for the Conservatives after Sir Keir Starmer scored a landslide victory.

Police intercept people planning terrorist attack on Olympics

Several people have been arrested in recent days for possibly planning to carry out attacks on the Olympics in France. This was reported by French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin in an interview with BFMTV. Darmanin stressed that the threat of terrorism is very high. "In recent days, we have not made it public because we are in the middle of an election campaign, but we have questioned people who may have had terrorist attacks in mind and were...

Spanish town acting as 'rear guard' for charity boats rescuing migrants

BURRIANA, Spain (Reuters) - A short drive north of Spain's coastal city of Valencia, the port of Burriana has become a safe haven for charity boats from around Europe that rescue migrants from the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2021, local nongovernmental organisation L'Aurora Support Group assists charity boats that dock for days or weeks in the town of 30,000 people for maintenance work, food and

UK PM Sunak concedes election defeat, says Labour has won

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded defeat in the national election on Friday, saying the opposition Labour Party had won. "The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory," Sunak said after winning his parliamentary seat in northern England. "Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly

‘The new Government must to stand up to Big Food – we can’t just rely on a future of Ozempic jabs’

With Labour’s landslide victory declared, Sir Keir Starmer took to the stage for celebration, and a promise: that “change begins now”. Nowhere is that more sorely needed than our health. Along with the premiership, Sir Keir has inherited a nation commonly referred to as ‘the fat man of Europe’ thanks to two thirds of British adults being overweight...

Rishi Sunak arrives to Buckingham Palace as he meets with the King

Rishi Sunak arrives to Buckingham Palace to resign as Britain's prime minister after historic defeat for his Conservatives.

9 foreigners found dead in different parts of Pampanga

MANILA, Philippines — The bodies of nine foreigners were recently discovered in different parts of Pampanga, the provincial police said on Friday. “Yung siyam na natagpuan po dito, ang anim po dito ay Chinese, one Vietnamese, one Malaysian, and one Japanese,” Pampanga Police Office Director Col. Jay Dimaandal said over radio dwPM. (Six of the victims were Chinese, one Vietnamese, one Malaysian and one Japanese.) Three of the dead Chinese...

Starmer to be UK's new prime minister as Labour win massive majority

By Andrew MacAskill, Elizabeth Piper and Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) -Keir Starmer vowed to bring change to Britain as its next prime minister after his Labour Party surged to a landslide victory in a parliamentary election on Friday, ending 14 years of often tumultuous Conservative government. The centre-left Labour won a massive majority in the 650-seat parliament with Rishi Sunak's

Iranians vote in run-off presidential race amid widespread apathy

By Parisa Hafezi DUBAI (Reuters) -Polls opened in Iran on Friday for a run-off presidential election that will test the clerical rulers' popularity amid voter apathy at a time of regional tensions and a standoff with the West over Tehran's nuclear programme. State TV said polling stations opened their doors to voters at 8 a.m. local time (0430 GMT). Polling will end at 6 p.m. (1430 GMT), but are

Marcos approved buying more fighter jets —Brawner

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has approved the plan to buy more multi-role fighter jets, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Romeo Brawner Jr. Brawner, however, said there are no details yet on which kind of fighter jets will be added to the AFP's fleet. “Definitely, the President has already approved that intention to buy multi-role fighter jets. As to which one, wala pa hong decision. As to how many, wala pa...

Further eight men charged in child grooming probe

They have been charged with 34 offences including rape, trafficking and other sexual offences.

PNP bent on finding Pampanga couple

MABALACAT CITY — The Philippine National Police has identified a former police officer as among the seven persons of interest in the disappearance of a Pampanga beauty pageant contestant and her Israeli boyfriend in Central Luzon, according to the chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). Geneva Lopez, 27, a former Mutya ng Pilipinas Pampanga candidate, and her Israeli boyfriend Yitshak Cohen, 37, have been reported missing...

Impact of junior doctor strike revealed as medics await call from Labour

Impact of junior doctor strike revealed as medics await call from Labour - Sir Keir Starmer said discussions would start on the first day of a Labour Government.

SNP's disastrous election night puts independence question to bed

Scottish Labour overturned almost a decade of SNP dominance in Scotland's Westminster seats, taking a majority of constituencies.

Speaker Romualdez seeks probe on POGO-linked crime

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Friday called for a congressional probe on crimes linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). Romualdez, in a statement, said a House probe shows the government's commitment to curbing illegal activities and ensuring that existing regulations are effectively enforced. “We cannot allow these rogue POGO operators to persist. It is imperative that we identify and unmask the masterminds and protectors behind...

Farage elected to UK parliament as his Reform party breaks through

By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Nigel Farage was elected to parliament on Friday, marking the emergence of his populist Reform UK as a new force in British politics squeezing the Conservative vote from the right wing. Farage, a driving force behind Britain's decision to leave the European Union, only entered the race last month, a move that caused shockwaves in a Conservative Party that was

Labour sweeps to victory in Scotland in a 'catastrophic' night for SNP

The SNP suffered the biggest loss of MPs in its history yesterday after the party surrendered 39 seats.

Scottish National Party's poor UK election showing derails independence push

By Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) -The Scottish National Party posted its worst showing at a British parliamentary election since 2010, a major setback for its push for a new independence referendum, as a resurgent Labour Party made gains in former heartlands. The SNP, which held 43 seats before the election was called, has suffered from a period of turmoil that has seen two leaders quit in

Congratulations for Keir Starmer start pouring in from world leaders

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau labelled it a 'historic UK election victory' and told Keir Starmer 'let's get to it, my friend'. Congratulations also came from Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris.

SNP set for election humiliation leaving nationalists with SIX seats

John Swinney's scandal-ravaged nationalists could left with just six MPs, down from the high of 48 the party achieved in 2019.

Former UK PM Liz Truss loses her seat at election

LONDON (Reuters) - Former British prime minister Liz Truss, who became the country's shortest-serving leader ever when she sparked a bond market meltdown and a collapse in sterling, lost her parliamentary seat in the election on Friday. Truss secured 11,217 votes in her South West Norfolk constituency in eastern England, behind 11,847 votes for Labour candidate Terry Jermy. Taking over from the