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US soldier held in Russia pleads guilty, RIA agency reports

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Gordon Black, a U.S. soldier being held in the Russian city of Vladivostok, has pleaded guilty to theft charges and is cooperating with investigators, Russia's RIA state news agencies reported on Thursday. "He is cooperating (with the investigation), he admitted (guilt)," RIA cited a representative of the local interior ministry as saying. Black could not be reached for

Ongoing police incident closes part of town

Parts of the centre of Ipswich are cordoned off as police deal with an on-going incident.

Padilla seeks Balikatan inquiry: Many Filipinos still not fully aware of it

MANILA, Philippines — A Senate inquiry has been sought on the recently concluded Balikatan Exercises between the Philippines and the United States to inform the public of its gains and opportunities. Held from April 22 to May 10, the annual joint military training was dubbed as the largest in recent years with over 16,000 participants. Despite its reported success, however, Senator Robin Padilla believes that “many Filipinos are still not fully...

Fire at waste site 'is 12th in recent years'

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service says it is "concerned" by the repeated incidents.

Iloilo under state of calamity due to El Niño

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The provincial board of Iloilo on Tuesday placed the province under a state of calamity due to damage wrought by the El Niño phenomenon on agriculture, which topped P1 billion. The declaration, which was recommended by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), enables the provincial government, through the PDRRM Office (PDRRMO), to utilize P75.78 million in allocated funds for its El Niño...

‘Salamat sa katapangan’: Civilian-led coalition heading to Panatag Shoal for resupply mission lauded

“Salamat sa katapangan.” Online Filipinos saluted the civilian convoy who sailed near Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) to deliver supplies to fishermen who ventured into the area despite the presence of Chinese militia vessels. The convoy is organized by the Atin Ito Coalition, which is composed of volunteers and some members of the following organizations: New […]

Marcos hopes for closer ties with 6 countries

MANILA, Philippines — The government is looking forward to forging deeper diplomatic relations with different countries in Asia, Europe and Central America as President Marcos received their envoys in Malacañang on Tuesday. The nonresident ambassadors from Belarus, Ghana, Turkmenistan, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua presented their credentials to Marcos who said that “distance should not get in the way of our continuing relations.”...

Abalos warns LGUs anew vs project fund ‘fixers’

MANILA, Philippines — Local government and barangay officials nationwide should beware of dealing with people who claim they can help facilitate the release of funding for their projects. “These incidents of poseurs claiming to be government agents pose serious threats to the integrity of government processes, and undermine the trust and confidence of the public in the administration of government funds,” Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said in...

UC Irvine filled with anti-Israel protestors before face off with cops

Police arrested at least a dozen anti-Israel protestors at University of California, Irvine. They arrived in riot gear on Wednesday, clashing with protestors and clearing the encampment.

New ‘reclamation’ just rumors, says China; PCG sneers at denial

MANILA, Philippines — China has dismissed as “sheer rumor” the recent statements of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) that Beijing may again be building artificial islands in the country’s exclusive economic zone. The PCG over the weekend reported the discovery of piles of dead and crushed corals dumped on the sandbars around Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, taking them as fresh signs of land reclamation in the West Philippine Sea. The PCG has deployed a...

Refugee 'so proud' to be town's first Hindu mayor

Elango Elavalakan says he chose Ipswich as his home town because the people were so friendly.

Co-convict in Vhong Navarro case surrenders to NBI

A person convicted for the illegal detention of TV host and actor Vhong Navarro in 2014 has surrendered to authorities. Ferdinand Guerrero surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday, according to GMA Integrated News' John Consulta. According to Consulta's video posted on Facebook, Guerrero was brought to the NBI's office in Quezon City accompanied by his lawyer. The video also showed NBI agents reading Guerrero the...

Philippine group calls civilian mission in South China Sea a ‘major victory’

MANILA — A Philippine group leading a civilian supply mission in the South China Sea delivered food and fuel to Filipino fishermen despite being shadowed by Chinese vessels, its officials said on Thursday, calling it a “major victory”. Atin Ito (This is Ours) said a 10-member team sailed to the Scarborough Shoal a day before the […]

‘Atin Ito’ convoy breaches China’s blockade at Bajo de Masinloc

MANILA, Philippines — An advance team sent a day before the civilian convoy for the West Philippine Sea embarked on a voyage to Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal has reached the area and breached China’s blockade, according to Atin Ito (This is Ours) Coalition. In a Facebook post on Thursday, the coalition said the 10-member advance team comprised of members from Akbayan Party, Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan and the Philippine Rural...

Three soldiers hit by car in Haifa, motive unclear - report

A car hit three soldiers who were standing on the sidewalk by the road on Moshe Dayan Street in Haifa, Israeli media reported on Thursday. According to the report, the reason and details of the incident are still unknown. However, the police have begun investigating all possibilities. The three soldiers were injured, and the car driver fled the sce...

MMDA deputizes 10 Metro LGUs’ enforcers to issue tickets

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday said it has already deputized traffic enforcers under 10 local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region (NCR) to issue violation tickets under the single-ticketing system (STS). The enforcers were from Malabon, Mandaluyong, Valenzuela, San Juan, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig and Quezon cities, as well as the municipality of Pateros, the MMDA...

Thai cannabis groups urge government to rethink plan to re-criminalise marijuana

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Dozens of Thai cannabis advocates urged the government on Thursday to abandon its plans to re-list marijuana as an illegal narcotic, a week after it announced its dramatic policy U-turn just two years after de-criminalising it. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has made a push to allow cannabis use only for medical purposes, promising a tough stand on illicit drugs that he

Zubiri leads group to Pag-asa Island

PAG-ASA island, Palawan -- The construction of military barracks in Pag-asa Island in Palawan will boost the presence of the Philippine Navy in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and prevent the illegal incursions of China into Philippine territory, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said on Thirsday. Zubiri flew here to lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the PN barracks and a health unit in the island that he himself fought for during the budget...

Netanyahu rejects Biden's plans for post-war Gaza until Hamas defeat

With IDF troops edging closer to an invasion of Rafah, both Israel's allies and critics continue to pile on pressure to find a workable solution after talks in Cairo failed

Russia wanted to capture a key settlement by May 9th but it failed

A Ukrainian naval drone has done hundreds of millions in damage to Russia

Kremlin says Switzerland conference on Ukraine is futile

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said a planned summit that Switzerland hopes will pave the way for a peace process in Ukraine will be futile without the participation of Russia. "Without Russia, discussing security issues that concern us is absolutely futile," Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian newspaper Izvestia. "Most likely, it will be just empty scholasticism with no prospect

Why Egypt backed South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the ICJ

Angered by Israel’s moves in Gaza and the regional security risks they pose, Egypt joined the genocide case.

Woman killed, placed in icebox after trying to collect debt —police

A woman was killed and placed inside an icebox after allegedly trying to collect a debt from the suspect in Trece Martires City, Cavite, according to the police on Thursday. According to a report from the Philippine National Police's Police Regional Office 4A (PRO 4A), authorities received a phone call reporting that a dead body had been found inside an icebox in Barangay Hugo Perez on Wednesday. The victim was identified as Mari Joy Singayan....

House panel to probe killings in Duterte war on drugs

The House human rights panel will investigate the drug war deaths during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte on May 22, House human rights panel chairman Bienvenido Abante said Thursday. Abante said the inquiry, which will be attended by the relatives of drug war victims, police officers, and Cabinet officials from the Duterte administration, remains significant and timely in the interest of justice. “Ang tanong siguro ng iba,...

Notable People who died in 2024

Ukraine says halted Russian 'advance' in some Kharkiv zones

Ukraine warned on Thursday it faced a "very difficult" military situation in its northeast Kharkiv region, where Moscow has made its largest territorial gains in 18 months since launching a surprise offensive last week. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday met military leaders in Kharkiv city, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Russian border to assess Ukraine's defensive efforts.

Delivery driver helps police find £87K cannabis farm

The driver called police because he could smell cannabis at a property with covered-up windows.

Aussies turn on tenant who blasted Anthony Albanese over eviction

Jim Flanagan, 45, has lived in one of Mr Albanese's investment properties in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Dulwich Hill for four years.

China shows off robot 'dogs of war' in Cambodia drills

China's military showed off its machine gun equipped robot battle "dogs" Thursday at the start of its biggest ever drills with Cambodian forces, as the United States frets about Beijing's growing influence in the Southeast Asian country. The drills follow a three-day visit by China's top diplomat Wang Yi to Cambodia in April to deepen ties between the two countries. suy/pdw/tym

'Police might have saved my sister from husband'

Three police officers are under investigation for possible misconduct in connection the case.

More than 1,000 operations cancelled by NHS strikes

Reports show 55 patients have been waiting more than 18 months for their procedure.

Putin ally says Ukraine risks dragging the West into a major war with Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament warned that Ukraine was dragging the United States and Europe into a major global war and on Thursday urged Western leaders to act responsibly to avoid a catastrophe. President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has touched off the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Russia

Suspect in photojournalist’s ambush rearrested in QC

One of the suspects behind the ambush of photojournalist Rene Joshua Abiad in 2023 was rearrested by the police last Tuesday, May 14. The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) arrested Jomari Campillo, 25, in front of the Quezon City Hall of Justice, following an arrest warrant issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 86. The arrest warrant stemmed from the cases of murder and three counts of frustrated murder against Campillo and his...

Solicitor General’s probe team formed vs Bamban Mayor Guo

MANILA, Philippines—The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has organized a team to determine if Bamban Mayor Alice Guo has the legal right to hold a public position. Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said the team was created last week. “We are presently coordinating with various agencies,” Guevarra told INQUIRER.net. He said coordination with various agencies is meant to gather “relevant facts and information” regarding the case of the...

US prisoners are being assigned dangerous jobs. But what happens if they are hurt or killed?

PHOENIX (AP) — Blas Sanchez was nearing the end of a 20-year stretch in an Arizona prison when he was leased out to work at Hickman’s Family Farms, which sells eggs that end up in the supply chains of huge companies like McDonald’s, Target and Albertsons. While assigned to a machine that churns chicken droppings into compost, his right leg got pulled into a chute with a large spiraling augur. “I could hear ‘crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch,’”...

Everything we know about the assassination attempt on the PM of Slovakia

A pariah in the West, Putin finds fans in Beijing

Beijingers praised Vladimir Putin's "charisma" on Thursday and expressed hopes that China would deepen ties with Moscow as the Russian leader paid a two-day visit. Much attention was paid to Putin's physical appearance.

Chinese ships block convoy’s mother boat from reaching Scarborough

ABOARD FBCA BING BING — The mother boat of a civilian convoy aiming to bring supplies to Filipino fishermen could not reach Scarborough Shoal due to shadowing by China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels. “It is not advisable to proceed because it is already risky,” Ariel Bustillos, the captain of Fbca Bing Bing, told INQUIRER.net here in the West Philippine Sea. According to Bustillos, the Atin Ito coalition’s mother boat was about 50 nautical miles away...

Putin thanks Xi for aid with Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has thanked Xi Jinping for China's initiatives to resolve the Ukraine conflict at a Beijing summit where the Chinese leader said he hopes Europe will return to peace and stability soon. China last year offered a broad plan for peace outlining general principles for ending the war in Ukraine.

Why did a Russian ambassador issue a veiled nuclear threat against a NATO nation?

US says warship Mason intercepted Houthi missile, vessel Destiny untouched

DUBAI (Reuters) -The U.S. navy's destroyer the USS Mason intercepted an inbound Houthi anti-ship missile over the Red Sea on Monday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement, after Yemen's Houthis said on Wednesday that they had targeted the warship. The U.S. forces also destroyed two drones, Central Command said. On Wednesday the Houthis said they had also targeted a vessel called "Destiny" in

Murder investigation launched after woman's death

Three people are arrested after a woman in her 30s is found dead in east Belfast.

Russia's Putin arrives in China for state visit in a show of unity between the authoritarian allies

China’s leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday as he began a two-day state visit, in a show of unity between the authoritarian allies as Moscow presses forward with a new offensive in Ukraine. READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/16/russia-s-putin-arrives-in-china-for-state-visit-in-a-show-of-unity-between-the-authoritarian-allies

Four dead in New Caledonia riots, France declares state of emergency

By Kirsty Needham, Juliette Jabkhiro and Augustin Turpin SYDNEY/PARIS (Reuters) -France declared a state of emergency on the Pacific island of New Caledonia on Wednesday after three young indigenous Kanak and a police official were killed in riots over electoral reform. The state of emergency, which entered into force at 5 a.m. local time (1800 GMT), gives authorities additional powers to ban

Taguig court convicts Maute matriarch to 40-year prison term for terrorism financing

A Taguig court has sentenced Ominta Romato Maute, the matriarch of the Maute family in Marawi City, to up to 40 years of imprisonment for terrorism financing. In a 39-page ruling provided by the Justice Department on Thursday, Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 266 found Maute guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Section 4 of The Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012. It sentenced her to suffer the penalty of...

Marcos tells military: I won't allow destabilization

MANILA, Philippines -- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday said he would not allow attempts to destabilize the government amid reports of an ouster plot involving active police and military officials against his administration. The President vowed to fend off destabilization plots during his Talk to Troops at Camp Edilberto Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday. "We will also not allow agents within the country to destabilize our...

Gething sacks minister from his government

In shock announcement, first minister sacks social partnership minister without giving a reason.

Child dies in fall from block of flats

A child has died after falling from a building in east London.

House OKs bill on e-registration and voting of Filipinos abroad

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has finally approved a measure that would allow electronic or mail registration and voting of Filipinos staying abroad. During the plenary session on Wednesday, 188 legislators affirmed in the third and final reading House Bill (HB) No. 10178 that mandates the Commission on Elections (Comelec) through its Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) to allow online registration and voting just by acquiring...