Philippine News

WASHINGTON, June 28 ------ The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rose to a new three-year high in May as gas prices peaked, a sign rising costs could pose political problems for President Donald Trump and his political party as midterm elections near. Consumer prices rose 4.1% in May from a year earlier, the Commerce Department said, the largest annual increase since April 2023. On a monthly basis, inflation was 0.4% last month, matching April’s increase and down fr

SAN DIEGO, June 28 ------ To someone who is getting sucked out to sea by a rip current, "Don't panic!" may be difficult to heed, even if that's exactly what you should do. But lifeguards say to not only to relax but flip over and float out of danger. Rip currents are one of the coast's greatest dangers and account for the most beach rescues every year. About 100 people drown from rip currents along U.S. beaches each year, according to the United States Lifesaving Associati

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela, June 27 ------ Desperate Venezuelans raced to find and rescue loved ones trapped alive beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings after two major earthquakes that killed at least 235 people. Buildings cracked, crumbled, and tilted precariously after the quakes, which the United States Geological Survey measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, hit northern Venezuela within less than a minute of each other on Wednesday night. Powerful aftershocks could still be

June 27 ------ France announced the first confirmed case of Ebola identified on its territory, a doctor who had flown back from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is fighting a major outbreak. The case is the first of the deadly hemorrhagic fever identified outside the African continent during the current outbreak, which has also affected Uganda. It is the first time France has detected Ebola. In 2014, during an outbreak in west Africa, two patients were transported to

June 26 ------ Hundreds of people in Venezuela were trapped under rubble and many more still unaccounted after two powerful earthquakes wreaked havoc in and around the capital Caracas, setting off powerful aftershocks and leaving thousands homeless. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 km west of Caracas on Wednesday evening, June 24, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, the strongest in more than a century, according to the US Geological Survey.

BEIJING, June 26 ------ Oil prices extended their decline, edging closer to pre-war levels as stranded tankers exited the Strait of Hormuz following an initial accord to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, easing supply concerns. Prompt-month Brent crude futures for August delivery fell 40 cents, or 0.54 per cent, to $73.34 a barrel as of 0004 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate fell 27 cents, or 0.38 per cent, to $70.07 a barrel. August Brent was trading lower than Sep

June 26 ------ Ukrainian forces have raised the national flag on the Kinburn Spit after Russian troops withdrew from their positions. According to Ukraine’s Southern Territorial Defense Forces Command, Ukrainian strikes forced Russian troops to retreat, prompting surviving personnel to evacuate and abandon defensive positions. “The blue-and-yellow flag is on the Kinburn Spit,” the command said in a statement. The Kinburn Spit, located between the Dnipro-Buh estuary and the

June 26 ------ Politicians, investors, and civil society leaders gather in the Polish port city of Gdańsk for the start of a two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference – a flagship EU effort to mobilize investment for rebuilding Ukraine – but a political dispute between Kyiv and Warsaw risks overshadowing the event. The conference opens at 10 a.m. with speeches from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, European Commission President Ursula v

WASHINGTON, June 25 ------ US President Donald Trump said he has been assured by Iran that no fees will be collected from ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as negotiations continue to secure a lasting end to the war in the Middle East. "Iran has informed the US that... there are 'NO TOLLS, NO INSURANCE COSTS, & NO OTHER CHARGES OF ANY KIND BEING SOUGHT OR RECEIVED BY IRAN ON SHIPS TRAVELING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ'," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without specifying wh

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 25 ------ The deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, which sparked international alarm, should be formally declared over on July 2, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced. However, while the episode is nearing the end for the remaining people in quarantine, for scientists and experts, the work is only in its early stages. Virus samples will be worked on to see if tests, treatments and vaccines could be developed for future outbreaks. T

June 25 ------ President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine had submitted a revised application to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a club of mostly advanced economies, as Kyiv pursues closer integration with Western institutions. Ukraine has been working with the OECD on reforms and governance standards for several years and is now seeking candidate-country status as a step towards full membership. Zelensky, ⁠after meeting with Mat

KYIV, June 25 ------ Ukraine, which plans to integrate into the European Union, is launching a sweeping reform of its use of plant protection products, one of the most sensitive areas in its adaptation to European requirements, the economy ministry said. Ukraine's current system for controlling, using and disposing of plant protection products is significantly outdated and no longer able ⁠to fully guarantee the safety of its produce. The ministry said the new system would r

MANILA, June 24 ------ The visa fees for foreign nationals going to Japan will increase fivefold beginning July 1, a Japanese news publication said. The fee will increase from the current ¥3,000 to ¥15,000 for a single-entry visa and from ¥6,000 to ¥30,000 for a multiple-entry visa, to be applied to applications submitted on or after July 1, according to The Japan Times. When converted, the new fees will increase to around P5,600 for a single-entry visa and to around P11,3

LONDON, June 24 ------ Embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation, with a new leader to be in place by the time parliament returns in September, paving the way for Britain to have its seventh leader in 10 years. Less than two years after he won a landslide election victory that promised to end chaos in British politics, Starmer said it was clear that his party wanted him to go. "Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I lo

June 24 ------ Ukraine may revise its offer to Russia of a ceasefire along the de facto frontline if the United Nations Security Council fails to pass a resolution urging a full and unconditional end to the hostilities, a top Ukrainian official said. Ukraine's envoy to the UN, Andrii Melnyk, spoke during a lengthy session of the UN Security Council, the sixth such meeting called to address the war in recent months. "Ukraine stands ready to engage ⁠in direct negotiations wi

June 24 ------ Ukraine's military has struck Russia's Dubna satellite communications center in the Moscow region, the Ukrainian military's General Staff said. Russia's state-run TASS ⁠news agency said later on Monday that the center "had come under a massive drone attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and television broadcasting and communications ⁠had not been affected". "Measures are being taken to deal with the aftermath. No ⁠staff at the Space Communications Centre w

PARIS, June 23 ------ Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz continued to flow at a faster pace than before the US-Iranian agreement on talks to end the Middle East war, according to tracking firms, despite Tehran's announcement of a renewed closure. "The latest figures suggest a cautious but visible rebound in traffic following the MoU (memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran), although the daily pattern remains volatile," Mihail Todorov of AXSMari

HOUSTON, June 23 ------ Oil prices settled more than 3% lower as supply concerns eased after U.S. Vice President JD Vance said progress has been made in talks with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz was open. Brent crude settled down $2.67, or 3.31%, at $77.90 a barrel. In early trading, prices had climbed to $82.30 because of threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to restart the Iran war, and Tehran's announcement that it had again closed the strait. U.S. West Texas Intermediat

KYIV, June 23 ------ Ukraine's economy ministry has proposed raising state railway Ukrzaliznytsia's freight tariffs by 30% from August 1 to help stabilize the company's financial position, although steelmakers and agricultural producers warned this could make them less competitive. With the war with Russia now in its fifth year, rail remains a vital part of Ukraine's logistics network, carrying both freight and passengers. But increased spending on security and infrastructu

KYIV, Ukraine, June 23 ------ A Russian drone strike on the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine killed three members of the same family, including a 13-year-old boy, while a Ukrainian strike on a Russian industrial plant killed five people, officials said. Russia has pounded civilian areas of Ukraine with drones and missiles since its all-out invasion more than four years ago. Ukraine increasingly has struck back against oil facilities and military factories deep inside Ru