Philippine News

TOKYO, May 3 ------ Japan's House of Representatives passed a bill to raise the ceiling on fees for immigration procedures, making it likely to be enacted during the current parliamentary session ending in July. The amendment to the immigration control and refugee recognition law was approved by a majority vote at a plenary meeting of the lower chamber of the Diet, with backing from the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling camp and opposition parties, including the Democratic

MELBOURNE, Australia, May 3 ------ Australia has proposed taxing digital giants Meta, Google and TikTok a proportion of their revenue to pay for news reporters. The government released draft legislation it intends to introduce to Parliament by July 2 that would create a financial incentive for social media companies to strike deals with news organizations to pay for journalism. The platforms’ criticisms included that the proposal was a “digital services tax” that misundersto

WASHINGTON/DUBAI/ISLAMABAD, May 2 ------ Donald Trump discussed how to mitigate the impact of a possible months-long US blockade of Iran's ports with oil companies, a White House official said, as the US president urged Tehran to "get smart soon" and sign a deal. Tuesday's talks with oil executives followed a deadlock in efforts to resolve the conflict, which has led the United States to try to squeeze Iran's oil exports with a naval blockade aimed at forcing it to reopen the

BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 2 ------ Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram were charged with breaching landmark EU tech rules and must do more to block children under 13 from accessing the social networks, EU regulators said. The charges or so-called preliminary findings under the Digital Services Act, which requires Big Tech to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content on their platforms, came after a two-year investigation by the European Commission. Meta, which said it dis

WASHINGTON, May 1 ------ The US State Department said it would produce a limited number of commemorative passports bearing a portrait of Donald Trump, the latest example of the administration attaching the president's likeness or name to official property. The passports will be released as part of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in July, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement, which did not mention that th

May 1 ------ Iran has executed at least 21 people since the start of the war with the United States and Israel two months ago and has arrested more than 4,000 on national security-related charges, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said. Turk said at least nine people have been executed in connection with protests in January, 10 for alleged membership in opposition groups, and two on espionage charges. “I am appalled that – on top of the already severe impacts of the conflict

April 30 ------ The United States, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago released a joint statement in support of Panama's sovereignty, saying recent actions by China are an attempt to politicize maritime trade and infringe on the sovereignty of nations in the hemisphere. "We are monitoring with vigilance China's targeted economic pressure and the recent actions that have affected Panama-flagged vessels," the statement said. "Panama is a pillar of our

BAKU, April 30 ------ A Japanese-owned tanker carrying two million barrels of crude oil has transited through the Strait of Hormuz after securing permission from Iranian authorities, according to Kyodo. The Panama-flagged Idemitsu Maru, managed by a subsidiary of Japan's Idemitsu Kosan Co., loaded crude oil at a terminal in Saudi Arabia in early March. After spending over a week stationary off Abu Dhabi, the ship began its journey toward the Strait, according to Iran's Press

April 30 ------ The European Union is considering imposing stricter conditions on part of its €90 billion ($105 billion) aid package for Ukraine, potentially tying payouts to unpopular tax reforms. On Wednesday, April 29, Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that the proposed changes, under discussion by the European Commission, would affect €8.4 billion ($9.8 billion) in macro-financial assistance expected this year. The funds are seen as critical to

April 30 ------ Another oil facility deep inside Russia was reportedly on fire after what Ukraine’s president claimed was his country’s latest long-range drone attack. Ukraine’s Security Service, known as the SBU, said it struck an oil pumping station near the city of Perm as part of efforts to target Russia’s energy infrastructure. The area is more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) from Ukraine. Russian media reported the attack, though Perm Gov. Dmitry Makhonin said only th

CAIRO, April 29 ------ Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the U.S. lifting its blockade on the country and an end to the war, while proposing that discussions on the larger question of its nuclear program would come in a later phase, two regional officials said. U.S. President Donald Trump seems unlikely to accept the offer, which was passed to the Americans by Pakistan and would leave unresolved the disagreements that led the U.S. a

LONDON, April 29 ------ Oil prices rose more than 3 per cent as stalled efforts to end the Iran war kept the Strait of Hormuz largely closed, constraining Middle East supplies, though the UAE's announcement that it would leave OPEC and OPEC+ trimmed gains. Brent crude futures for June climbed US$3.37, or 3.1 per cent, to US$111.60 a barrel by 1.36 pm GMT, after gaining 2.8 per cent to close the previous session at their highest since Apr 7. The contract is up for a seventh st

April 29 ------ President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence has obtained internal Russian military documents showing that Russia’s General Staff acknowledges its inability to meet objectives set by the Kremlin, as Ukraine continues to degrade Russia’s offensive capacity. On Tuesday, in a statement posted on Facebook, following a briefing by Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Zelensky said Ukraine’s Defense Forces are inflicting irrecoverabl

KYIV, April 29 ------ Ukraine accused Israel of allowing the import of grain it says Russia stole from occupied areas, prompting a sharp exchange between officials. President Volodymyr Zelensky said a vessel carrying grain had arrived at an Israeli port and was preparing to unload, calling the trade illegal and warning of sanctions against those involved. Israel claimed that the vessel had not entered the port and had not yet submitted its documents. The MarineTraffic.com mar

TOKYO, April 28 ------ Crude oil procured from the United States by Japanese oil distributor Cosmo Oil Co. arrived in Japan for the first time as an alternative supply, following the start of US attacks on Iran in late February. A tanker carrying 910,000 barrels of US crude oil arrived at an offshore jetty in Tokyo Bay in the morning amid supply concerns due to the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping chokepoint. As this amount accounts for less than

JAKARTA, April 28 ------ At least four people were killed when two trains collided in the city of Bekasi, adjoining the Indonesian capital Jakarta, officials said. The collision took place in Bekasi rail station between a commuter line train and a long-distance train, the spokesperson of the commuter line operator Karina Amanda told Reuters, adding that "we are focusing on evacuating passengers and train crew." Four people had been killed and 38 people evacuated to nearby hos

April 28 ------ Israel risks a diplomatic and legal response from Kyiv if it allows a vessel carrying grain from Russian-occupied Ukraine to dock at the port of Haifa, a Ukrainian diplomatic source told Reuters. Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported earlier that the vessel Panormitis, which it said was carrying grain from occupied Ukrainian territory that Kyiv regards as stolen, was waiting for permission to berth in Haifa. "If this ship and its cargo isn't rejected, we reserve

April 28 ------ Ukrainian officials say Russian drones have again attacked the southern port city of Odesa, injuring at least 11 people, including two children, and damaging homes and important infrastructure. Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said the attack affected three districts, hitting residential buildings, vehicles and civilian facilities, including a hotel, warehouses and funicular railway. Windows shattered in many buildings and the port area sustained damage. “A 59-year-o

WASHINGTON, April 27 ------ US Secret Service agents bundled Donald Trump from the stage as shots rang out at a media gala, in what the president later described as an attack by a "would-be assassin." Armed guards opened fire at the gunman who charged through a security checkpoint just outside the ballroom of the hotel where Trump, first lady Melania Trump, senior government officials and hundreds of other black-tie guests had gathered. People dived under tables in chaotic sc

April 27 ------ A strong earthquake rattled Japan's northern island of Hokkaido early Monday, US and Japanese meteorological agencies reported, the latest in a series of powerful tremors to hit the island nation. The 6.1 magnitude quake struck shortly before 5:30 am in Hokkaido's southern region, at a depth of some 80 kilometers, the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the US Geological Survey both reported. No tsunami alert was issued, and USGS predicted that damage to proper