Philippine News

WASHINGTON, March 19 ------ President Donald Trump's administration will require citizens from 50 countries to post bonds of $15,000 to apply for U.S. entry, a State Department official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 12 countries are being added to a list that already includes 38 other nations, largely in Africa. The expanded visa bond program, which requires those foreign nationals to pay $15,000 for a B1 or B2 visa for business and tourism, goe

March 19 ------ Israeli warplanes hit central Beirut in the early hours, destroying apartment buildings in some of the most intense airstrikes on the center of the Lebanese capital for decades, an expansion of the US-Israeli war against Iran. A day after killing Iran’s powerful security chief Ali Larijani in the highest-level assassination since the supreme leader died on the war’s first day, Israel said it had killed another top official, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

March 19 ------ Russia is preparing to scale up its drone attacks against Ukraine to as many as 1,000 per day, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Speaking to The New York Post, Zelensky said Russia is already launching between 350 and 500 drones daily. If such tactics spread globally, even the world’s most advanced militaries could struggle to respond, he said. “A drone has no distance,” Zelensky said. “Today, it can go 100 kilometers (62 miles). Tomorrow, it can go 1,000 (62

March 19 ------ A strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) on an oil depot in Labinsk, Krasnodar Krai, reportedly resulted in the near-total destruction of its storage tank farm. As reported by Astra outlet, citing sources in the region’s emergency services, a massive fire broke out at the facility after four drones struck, engulfing an area of about 3,000 square meters. As a result, 18 of the 20 storage tanks burned – including 9 gasoline and 9 diesel tanks - as well as 7

LONDON, March 18 ------ Oil prices rose again as Iran launched fresh attacks on crude-producing neighbors, while stock markets were higher ahead of key central bank meetings. Prices rebounded from the previous day's decline, which came after the head of the International Energy Agency said stockpiles could be tapped again if needed. Equity markets mostly gained after US chip titan Nvidia said it expected to make at least $1 trillion in revenue through the end of 2027, and sev

WASHINGTON, March 18 ------ President Donald Trump said the United States had been informed by most of its NATO allies that they did not want to get involved with the country's military operation in Iran, a move he described as a "very foolish mistake." Speaking at an Oval Office event, Trump said NATO countries were supportive of the joint US-Israeli war, which has now entered its third week, even as they did not want to get involved. "I think NATO is making a very foolish m

March 18 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is not intimidated by Iranian threats and is warning that the drone warfare now destabilizing the Middle East was first developed and refined through years of attacks on Ukrainian cities. “Nothing new,” Zelensky said when asked about Tehran’s warnings toward Ukraine. “We don’t [fear] any kind of such messages… We live with such messages each day.” In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Zelensky revealed how

LONDON, March 18 ------ UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in London that "the focus must remain on Ukraine" despite the US-Israeli war with Iran. Starmer welcomed Zelensky to his official Downing Street residence for talks after the Ukrainian leader met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. "I think it's really important that we are clear that the focus must remain on Ukraine," said Starmer. "There's obviously a conflict in Iran going

TOKYO, Japan, March 17 ------ Japan said it was not currently thinking about ordering maritime security operations, after US President Donald Trump called for other countries to send warships to help protect the Strait of Hormuz. "In the current Iran situation, we are not at the moment considering issuing a maritime security operation," Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told parliament. Trump called for reinforcements on Saturday from countries including Japan after earlier v

March 17 ------ A "drone-related incident" sparked a fuel tank fire near Dubai airport and disrupted travel, as Iran maintained its Gulf attacks, though authorities said flights were gradually resuming. "Flights to and from DXB are gradually resuming to selected destinations, following the temporary suspension implemented as a precautionary measure," Dubai Airports said in a statement on X. The latest incident near what is usually the world's busiest airport for international

March 17 ------ President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have “thwarted” a Russian offensive planned for March. Zelensky previously told reporters that Ukrainian defensive action has prevented the Russian troops from advancing using armored vehicles, instead forcing them to resort to small infiltration groups and constant assault attempts along parts of the front line. In Monday’s evening address, Zelensky thanked “our warriors who are defendin

March 17 ------ Ukraine’s state-owned electricity transmission system operator Ukrenergo said it has received an official letter from its Slovak counterpart – notifying it that Bratislava is unilaterally pulling out of an agreement between the two countries to provide each other with emergency energy assistance. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Feb. 23 that Slovakia will not help Ukraine stabilize its energy grid – which has been the focus of massive Russian bombardm

March 16 ------ Oil prices extended gains as the US-Israeli war against Iran entered a third week, putting oil infrastructure at risk and keeping the Strait of Hormuz shut in the biggest disruption to global supplies ever. Brent crude futures jumped US$2.01, or 1.95 per cent, to US$105.15 a barrel by 11.38 pm GMT after settling US$2.68 higher. US West Texas Intermediate crude climbed US$1.61, or 1.63 per cent, to US$100.32 a barrel, after gaining nearly US$3 in the previous s

March 16 ------ The Trump administration plans to announce as early as this week that multiple countries have agreed to form a coalition that will escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials. US President Donald Trump has warned that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist in opening up the strait, in an interview with the Financial Times published on Sunday. Trump

March 16 ------ Ukraine is prepared to cooperate with any future Hungarian leadership willing to maintain constructive relations and avoid aligning with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, criticizing the current government in Budapest for what he described as anti-Ukrainian policies. Speaking to journalists, Zelensky argued that Hungary’s current leadership has fostered hostility toward Ukraine, a development he said harms relations between neighboring countries. Hung

March 16 ------ Russia faces a projected $100 billion budget deficit in 2026, but the shortfall could be covered if sanctions on Russian oil are weakened, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Speaking to journalists, Zelensky said Moscow has already generated significant revenue from oil exports in recent weeks, highlighting how quickly the deficit could shrink if restrictions on energy sales are loosened. Oil revenue could offset deficit According to Ukrinform, Zelensky stated

LONDON, United Kingdom, March 15 ------ Britain’s media and privacy regulators demanded that major social media platforms do more to keep children off their services, warning that companies were failing to enforce their own minimum age rules. Britain has been weighing tougher curbs on children’s access to social media, with the government considering barring under-16s from such platforms — mirroring a move by Australia. Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office said the

March 15 ------ US tap water is generally safe and of high quality. But that doesn’t mean every glass tastes the same, or that every building’s plumbing delivers identical water to the faucet. That uncertainty has fueled a booming market for water filters, from simple pitcher models to multi-thousand-dollar reverse osmosis systems. Yet experts say most American households don’t need extensive treatment. The challenge is knowing how to decide whether you need a filter. Under t

TOKYO, March 14 ------ Japan will release its oil reserves as early as Monday amid soaring crude oil prices, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said. "As oil tankers continue to be virtually unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, oil imports into our country are expected to decrease significantly from later this month," the prime minister told reporters. She noted that Japan will not wait for an official international decision on a joint release of oil reserves. The Japanese

NEW YORK, USA, March 14 ------ Anthropic filed a lawsuit to block the Pentagon from placing it on a national security blacklist, escalating the artificial intelligence lab’s high-stakes battle with the US military over usage restrictions on its technology. Anthropic said in its lawsuit that the designation was unlawful and violated its free speech and due process rights. The filing in federal court in California asked a judge to undo the designation and block federal agencies