Philippine News

April 20 ------ Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was at a standstill after Iran reasserted control over the strategic waterway that is key to global energy supply, days before a fragile ceasefire with the United States was set to expire. Iran’s top negotiator said recent talks with the US had made progress, while President Donald Trump cited “very good conversations” with Tehran. But neither side offered any specifics, and Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf,

NEW YORK, April 20 ------ Oil prices rose in early trading as a standoff between Iran and the U.S. prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway that is crucial to global energy supplies. The price of U.S. crude oil increased 6.4% to $87.88 per barrel after trading resumed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 6.5% to $96.25 per barrel. The market reaction followed more than two days of

KYIV, April 20 ------ Europe must have its own defense system against ballistic weapons, and Ukraine is already holding talks with several countries on its creation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Defense against ballistic missiles is one of Ukraine’s biggest challenges in the war with Russia, since only certain types of missiles used by the American Patriot system are capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles. Russia uses ballistic missiles to attack U

April 20 ------ The Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) of Ukraine have achieved a world-first military milestone by intercepting a Russian Shahed-type drone using an interceptor drone launched from an unmanned surface platform. The operation was carried out by the 412th “Nemesis” Brigade’s naval drone division, which currently operates in the maritime zone. The USF released footage of the successful interception on Facebook, hailing it as a “new level of integration” between naval

TOKYO, April 19 ------ Japan's transport ministry said that tighter portable charger restrictions during flights will be introduced April 24, following a string of incidents involving such devices on airplanes. Under the new rules, each passenger will be allowed to bring no more than two power banks in their carry-on baggage, each with a capacity of 160 watt-hours or less. Charging the batteries and using them to charge electronic devices such as smartphones during flights wi

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 19 ------ The European Commission said it intended to order Meta Platforms to reinstate rival artificial intelligence assistants on its WhatsApp messaging service after the US tech giant imposed an access fee. “The Commission notified Meta that the revised policy seems to have the same effect of excluding third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp and thus appears at first sight to be in breach of EU competition rules,” the EU’s executive arm said. Inter

PARIS, April 18 ------ Could planes soon be stuck on the ground due to a lack of fuel? The risk of jet fuel shortages is growing each day the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, although it is uncertain when exactly supplies will run out. The risk of shortages is greatest in Asia, and to a lesser extent, Europe, as they both rely on oil from the Gulf and its refineries for their supplies. "The situation can, within the next three to four weeks, become systemic," Rystad Energy ec

WASHINGTON, April 18 ------ The World Bank announced a plan that aims to improve secure water access for a billion people within the next four years. The "Water Forward" program will "expand reliable water services and strengthen systems against droughts and floods." The Bank said its own funds and technical advice would help improve water supplies to about 400 million people by 2030, with the balance coming from partners. Water "determines whether people are healthy enough t

April 17 ------ A 10-day truce began in Lebanon that could pause fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States, and Israel after weeks of devastating war. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. However, Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants inside the country, who were n

CAIRO, April 17 ------ Pakistan’s army chief met in Tehran with Iran's foreign minister in the latest diplomatic move to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war. The White House said any further talks would likely take place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, though no decision had been made on whether to resume negotiations. The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports cont

April 17 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for stronger international pressure on Russia following a massive overnight drone and missile attack across multiple Ukrainian cities. “Russia is betting on war, and the response must be to protect lives and increase pressure for peace,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. According to Zelensky, Russia launched nearly 700 drones over the previous day and night, along with 19 ballistic and cruise missiles, with most ballist

April 17 ------ A Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing titled “Reforming the UN: Assessing US Efforts and Priorities,” exposed sharp divisions over the role of the United Nations and turned into a broader debate over US strategy toward allies and adversaries. Bipartisan frustration over failure to defend Ukraine Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) blasted what he described as the UN’s failure to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “It’s incred

TEHRAN, April 16 ------ The military adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Iran would sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States decided to "police" the key shipping bottleneck. The US is imposing a military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran blocked shipping for over six weeks of war in a conflict that is on hold as a fragile two-week ceasefire remains in place. "Mr Trump wants to become the police of the Strait of Hor

TOKYO, Japan, April 16 ------ Japan said it would establish a financial framework worth about $10 billion to help Asian countries procure energy resources such as crude oil as Middle East tensions drive prices higher and disrupt supply chains. The support, aimed at preventing knock-on effects on Japan’s own supply chains, would be channeled mainly through state-backed financial institutions such as Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Nippon Export and Investme

April 16 ------ Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said they would work together to boost defense cooperation, including on drone production, after talks in Rome. No concrete details were announced; however, Zelensky said teams from the two countries would work on the details. "We have discussed at length how to strengthen our cooperation in the field of defense," Meloni told reporters. "Italy in particular is very interested in d

April 16 ------ US Vice President JD Vance said that ending US funding for Ukraine’s war effort was a “key achievement” of the current administration. Speaking at a university event in the United States, Vance said Washington has shifted responsibility for military aid to European allies. “We have told Europe that if you want to buy weapons, you can, but the United States is not buying weapons and sending them to Ukraine anymore,” Vance said. He added that the US is “out of t

WASHINGTON, April 15 ------ The US military began a blockade of Iran's ports, angering Tehran and adding uncertainty around the crucial waterway, although hopes for dialogue to end the war provided some relief to oil markets where benchmark prices fell below US$100. After a breakdown of weekend talks in Islamabad between the two adversaries, a US official said there was continued engagement and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz

WASHINGTON, April 15 ------ Lebanon and Israel opened their first direct diplomatic talks in decades in Washington following more than a month of war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it a “historic opportunity” but making clear no breakthrough agreement was immediately expected. Rubio said the Trump administration is “very happy” to be facilitating the discussions, while noting that “we understand we’re working again

BERLIN, Germany, April 15 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that US peace negotiators "have no time for Ukraine" because of the war in Iran, in an interview on German television. Zelensky told public broadcaster ZDF that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have helped broker talks with Moscow on ending Russia's war on Ukraine, were "constantly in talks with Iran" at the moment. Source: manilatimes.net

April 15 ------ Ukraine’s defense industry is now capable of producing millions of first-person-view (FPV) drones every year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, highlighting the scale and growing sophistication of the country’s domestic weapons production. Speaking in an address marking Ukrainian Gunsmith Day on Monday, April 13, Zelensky said Ukraine’s arms sector has developed into a major force, supplying not only FPV drones but also long-range missiles, interceptors, shel