Philippine News

SINGAPORE, May 25 ------ Oil prices hit two-week lows on optimism that the US and Iran were moving closer towards a peace deal, even though they remained at odds over key issues, including blockades on the Strait of Hormuz that continued to restrict oil supply from the Middle East. Brent crude futures fell US$4.71, or 4.55 per cent, to US$98.83 a barrel by 10.34 pm GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate was at US$92.03 a barrel, down US$4.57, or 4.73 per cent. Both contracts t

TAIPEI, May 25 ------ The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards were engaged in a tense standoff for the second day near the strategically located Pratas islands at the top of the South China Sea, Taiwan's Coast Guard said. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position the government in Taipei rejects. China has pressured Taiwan by increasing its military presence around the island over the past five years. Lying roughly between southern Taiwan and

May 25 ------ Global leaders and foreign ministers have issued a wave of condemnations following Russia’s massive, multi-vector missile and drone offensive against Kyiv. Western allies, including Canada, Finland, Moldova, and the Baltic states, explicitly categorized the targeting of residential high-rises and cultural hubs as war crimes and acts of state terrorism. A broad coalition of international heads of state and foreign ministers responded with sharp condemnation to Ru

May 25 ------ Asked during a press conference whether an invitation had been sent to President Volodymyr Zelensky, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that he had already invited the Ukrainian leader to the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara. “Yes, I did,” Rutte said. “He will be there.” The next NATO summit is scheduled for July 7-8 in Turkey, following last year’s leaders’ meeting in The Hague, where Zelensky also attended and delivered a keynote address. Ukraine keeps

May 24 ------ TikTok and Alphabet’s YouTube have failed to set out meaningful steps to protect British children from harmful online content, media regulator Ofcom said, citing data showing widespread exposure on their platforms. Ofcom said neither company had made significant new commitments to make recommendation feeds safer, despite evidence that these feeds are the main route through which children encounter harm. Governments are stepping up efforts to improve child safety

BANGKOK, Thailand, May 24 ------ The world built and commissioned more coal power in 2025, but used the polluting fuel less, with the United States the only major economy to substantially increase generation, analysis showed. Coal is a key contributor to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and phasing it out is crucial to taming climate change. The growing affordability and abundance of renewable energy means solar, and wind power can now cover growing electricity demand

May 23 ------ Oil prices edged higher as investors monitored peace talks between the United States and Iran, while supply tightness and U.S. inventory drawdowns provided some support. Brent crude futures LCOc1 rose 40 cents, or 0.4%, to $105.42 a barrel by 0809 GMT, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 were up 50 cents, or 0.5%, at $98.76. Both benchmarks dropped around 5.6% on Wednesday to their lowest in more than a week after President Donald Trump said talks with

May 23 ------ The backpackers on Khao San Road, a Bangkok thoroughfare famous for its wild nightlife, are waking up this week with an extra headache: the Thai government is set to shorten the length of visa-free stays. Near the capital Tha Tian pier, where tourists catch ferries to the landmark Wat Arun, Irishman Alex Brady said the forthcoming one-month limit would have affected his plans a lot -- because he and his friends "initially came here with no plan at all". Brady an

LONDON, May 22 ------ The world oil market risks entering a "red zone" by the upcoming summer season should there be no progress on ending the Middle East war, the head of the International Energy Agency warned. "We may be entering the red zone (on supplies) in July or August if we don't see that there are some improvements in the (war) situation," Fatih Birol said at the Chatham House think tank in London. Iran has effectively halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Horm

TEHRAN, Iran, May 22 ------ Iran said it was examining a new US proposal to end the Middle East war, as President Donald Trump described the talks as being on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed strikes. Trump, who said earlier that negotiations were in their "final stages," later warned that the window for diplomacy could close quickly. "It's right on the borderline, believe me," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, near Washington. "If we don't get the right

KYIV, Ukraine, May 22 ------ Ukrainian drones smashed into another Russian refinery overnight, starting a fire that produced huge clouds of black smoke, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, in what appeared to be the latest long-range attack on Moscow’s vital oil industry. The drones targeted the Syzran oil refinery more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) inside Russia, Zelensky said on social media, where he posted a video of the aftermath. It was impossible to verify the video o

May 22 ------ The US is pressing Ukraine to relax restrictions on imports of Belarusian potash fertilizers and has asked Kyiv to encourage European countries to follow suit. According to Bloomberg’s report, Washington has argued that allowing Belarusian potash back into wider markets could help reduce Minsk’s economic dependence on Moscow and create an opening for improved relations with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, people familiar with the discussions said. Potash

May 21 ------ Iran's newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority said in a post on X that there will be a "controlled maritime zone" at the Strait of Hormuz. The authority, which was set to manage the strait, set the zone as the "line connecting Kuh-e Mobarak in Iran and southern Fujairah in the UAE at the eastern side of the strait, to the line connecting the end of Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm Al Quwain in the UAE at the western side of the strait." It said transit through

TOKYO, May 21 ------ Japanese oil refiners will be able to secure sufficient substitute crude and petroleum products ​to replace Middle Eastern supplies through the summer, the head ‌of an industry association said. Shunichi Kito, president of the Petroleum Association of Japan, said that U.S. crude is becoming the main substitute while efforts ​continue to procure crude from Saudi Arabia and the UAE ​via routes that bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Some Japanese ⁠companies are

May 21 ------ President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is preparing responses to possible Russian operations involving Belarus in the northern border regions. Ukrainian intelligence has analyzed Russian planning for potential operations in the Chernihiv-Kyiv sector after a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on Wednesday, according to Zelensky. “For every possible enemy scenario, we are preparing responses if the Russians truly decide to expand their aggre

May 21 ------ Two major Russian oil refineries suspended operations after recent Ukrainian drone strikes, Reuters reported citing industry sources. According to the report, Moscow’s oil refinery halted processing after a Ukrainian drone attack. While the strike reportedly caused only limited physical damage, refinery operations were stopped “protectively to mitigate risks,” two industry sources told Reuters. They added that restarting the facility could take several days. Mos

KINSHASA, DR Kongo, May 20 ------ The World Health Organization voiced concern about the "scale and speed" of an Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 130 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and warned it could be lengthy. The UN health agency has declared the surge of the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever in the east of the country an international health emergency. No vaccine or therapeutic treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is responsibl

NEW YORK/LONDON, May 20 ------ A global stock index fell with 30-year U.S. Treasury yields rising to their highest levels since 2007 and oil prices eased as investors digested the latest headlines on U.S. talks with Iran to end the war. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States may need to strike Iran again and that he had been an hour away from ordering an attack before postponing it. Trump on Monday said he had paused a planned resumption of hostili

May 20 ------ President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine sees an opportunity to reset relations with Hungary, signaling a possible diplomatic thaw after years of tensions that repeatedly stalled Kyiv’s EU ambitions. Ukrainian officials are preparing bilateral consultations with Budapest as Kyiv pushes to open the next stages of EU accession talks. “There are prospects for a constructive reset in relations,” Zelensky said after meeting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to discuss

May 20 ------ Ukraine currently has enough troops to implement a two-month rotation to relieve frontline troops, according to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky. In an interview with the defense outlet Militarnyi, Syrsky said the rotation could operate in three shifts depending on available resources and manpower. “We counted everything: The number of personnel in the brigades on average in positions and the presence of personnel deployed to the area of ​​operation