KAKAMMPI News

MANILA, Philippines — China is pleased with the Philippines’ reaffirmation of commitment to the one-China policy, as articulated in a media interview by President Marcos who also stressed he was not endorsing Taiwan independence. “We appreciate the Philippines reaffirming its commitment to the one-China policy and emphasizing that Taiwan is a province of China and the Philippines does not endorse Taiwan independence,” Beijing’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a press conference on Wednesday in reaction to Marcos’ pronouncement. “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. Realizing the complete reunification in China is where global opinion trends and the arc of history bends. Any attempt to seek Taiwan independence is doomed to failure,” Wang said. Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian also welcomed Marcos’ reiteration of the Philippines’ commitment to the one-China policy. Huang also said the Philippines should follow Marcos’ guidance on the West Philippine Se...

MANILA, Philippines — Amid feuding over the people’s initiative to amend the Constitution, President Marcos met separately yesterday with congressmen and senators instead of convening the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). Sources at the House of Representatives said the senators had requested the convening of LEDAC, wherein the legislative agenda of the national government is tackled, but it was called off for still unknown reasons. “We both know that LEDAC meetings involve the senators and congressmen. But we don’t really know what suddenly happened. What we only heard and learned eventually, is that the President met them separately – and we still also don’t know on whose instance,” a source said. All 24 senators have opposed, by way of a strongly worded manifesto, an ongoing people’s initiative that the House is supporting, ostensibly to amend restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution. Executive session, not LEDAC Instead of convening LED...

Ben Pulta / Philippine News Agency MANILA, Philippines — United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion Irene Khan addressed concerns about red-tagging, media killings and impunity in a closed-door meeting with officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday. In a press briefing, DOJ Undersecretary Raul Vasquez mentioned that Khan asked about the government’s stance on red-tagging. The DOJ clarified that red-tagging is not a part of the government’s policy. “We explained that there is no policy of red-tagging from this government,” Vasquez said. DOJ Undersecretary Jesse Andres said that they told Khan that the government would pursue charges on state and non-state actors who resort to red-tagging. “We ask that all the complainants and the evidence be brought forth with the Department of Justice and we will pursue appropriate cases to those who are involved in red-tagging,” Andres said. The DOJ official also said that the Justice department...

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, former Philippine National Police chief, said that he is afraid of being imprisoned following rumors that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is currently conducting a probe into the alleged human rights violations in the Philippines. During an interview with ANC on Wednesday, Dela Rosa, who is the chief implementer of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, said he is scared that he might not see his grandchildren if he were to be arrested and incarcerated. “Hindi ka ba matatakot mapasok sa kulungan?” Dela Rosa said. (Aren't you afraid of getting incarcerated?) “Bakit, lahat ba ng nakakulong ngayon ay talagang may kasalanan? Hindi naman. Hindi ako takot na sabihin mo na meron akong na-commit na kasalanan,” he added. (Is everyone in prison truly guilty of a crime? Not necessarily. I'm not afraid to acknowledge that I've made a mistake.) On January 22, Dela Rosa asked Malacañang about the “real score” regarding th...

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday that it is not yet the right time for two arrested Filipinos in Japan to post bail after they were linked to the deaths of a Japanese couple in Tokyo. Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the Filipinos are still in pre-indictment detention and charges have yet to be filed against them yet. "Sa Japan maaaring may piyansa pero titignan natin kung may indictment na. Kasi right now, ang state natin is pre-indictment detention," he said. (We will check if there's already an indictment, because right now, they're still in pre-indictment detention.) "Doon sa Hapon, wala silang kasamang abogado habang ini-interview sila ng pulis at ipinapakita ang ebidensya. Tapos basehan sa investigation, within ten days or so, gagawa na sila ng desisyon kung magsasampa ng kaso. So right now, hindi pa oras para sa piyansa," he added. (In Japan, persons under arrest don't have a lawyer...

Organizations representing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have expressed support for the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund’s plan to increase members' monthly contributions this year. In a statement on Tuesday, Pag-IBIG said the premium hike gained the support of Kamag-anak at Migranteng Manggagawang Pilipino, Inc. (KAKAMMPI), the Kabalikat ng Migranteng Pilipino, Inc. (KAMPI), the Kaibigan ng mga OCWs, and several other OFW groups. “We support unequivocally Pag-IBIG Fund’s proposal to increase the contributions of its members. An increase in contributions is definitely a step towards the right direction as this would mean more funds that could be employed for the benefit of members seeking to apply for home loans and short-term loans. Not only is it timely, but more importantly, it is the right thing to do,” said Luther Calderon, who serves as president of KAMPI. In their respective letters sent to Pag-IBIG Fund, the agency said the OFW groups took note that the n...

Taiwan has allowed multiple visa entry for foreign workers, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) based there. According to a report by the Migrant Workers Office in Kaohsiung, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) said that more than 150,000 OFWs could apply for these visas. MECO said that the multiple-entry individual visa allows the holder to travel to a country more than once and as often as preferred throughout the validity of the visa. MECO reminded OFWs who will leave Taiwan for vacation to inform their manpower agencies at least three weeks before their scheduled departure so that their resident certificate could be processed and be given the multiple-entry visa. — VDV, GMA Integrated News

The Bureau of Immigration was able to intercept a woman who attempted to depart the country for an overseas job she was too young for, on Monday. According to a statement on Tuesday, "Lia" (not her real name) presented herself as a 30-year-old who was traveling to Muscat, Oman for a job in household service. “Our alert primary inspection officer noticed that she seemed very young compared to her presented document, she was referred for secondary inspection. The immigration officers had reason to believe that she is underage, given the numerous inconsistencies in her statements and passports,” said BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco. Lia told the BI officials that she was recruited by an agent in Marawi who provided her with a passport, a birth certificate, and other documents outside the airport before her flight. “We are worried that this might mean that there is a resurgence of the modus. Hence, we are forwarding this to the proper authorities for further investigation ...

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said the 18 Filipinos of an oil tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman will be released if they are replaced with another crew. “Ang gusto ng kompanya makahanap ng replacement sa kanilang 18 para palayain na sila (The company wants to have replacements for the 18 Filipino crewmen so they can be released),” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing. De Vega said the Philippine government wants to replace the crew of the St. Nikolas, Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, with other nationalities. He pointed out the 81,200-ton vessel, not the Filipino crew, was the subject of a legal case. According to the diplomat, the Filipinos are still detained there to help maintain the oil tanker. “Ang isyu lang po bakit hindi pa sila pinapalaya, kasi hindi naman sila ang subject ng legal case doon iyong barko ang subject ng legal case, kasi po kailangan po may magpatakbo ng barko kahit naka-anchor sa port. Kung...

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said the government is verifying a report that a second Filipino has been arrested in Japan in connection with the discovery of two corpses in Tokyo. Interviewed during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo is checking the report. "By the way po pala, mayroon din lumabas na balita sa Japan, chini-check pa ng Embassy, na may hinuling pangalawang Filipino na nakita rin sa CCTV," De Vega said. (By the way, the Embassy is checking reports that there was another arrested Filipino who was also seen in a CCTV.) A 30-year-old Filipino, Hazel Ann Baguisa Morales, was earlier arrested by Japanese authorities on suspicion of abandoning the bodies of Norihiro Takahashi, 55, and his wife Kimie, 52, at a house in Adachi Ward. "Huwag natin sabihin na siya ay inaakusahan ng nakapatay. Wala pa tayo doon sa situation na iyon (Let's not say she is being accused of k...

The ICJ is set to deliver its response to South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel on Friday, while intense strikes continue in Khan Younis.Latest updates The International Court of Justice announced that it will deliver its response to South Africa’s request for emergency measures to protect Palestinians from “irreparable harm” on Friday, January 26 at 1pm local time in The Hague (12:00 GMT). On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters called on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the immediate release of captives held in the Gaza Strip. They blocked Tel Aviv’s main Ayalon Highway before they rallied outside the nearby headquarters of the Israeli military and Ministry of Defense, reported The Associated Press news agency. A reported Israeli tank fire killed at least nine people at a United Nations shelter in Khan Younis on Wednesday, and wounded dozens, sparking international outrage. Israel’s military said it investigating the incident and has so far “ruled out” tha...

Experts warn that the Israeli war on Gaza may spill over into a regional conflict amid multiple strikes in several countries. As Israel’s war on Gaza pushes on in its fourth month, fears of regional escalation are growing, with multiple nations and armed groups targeting each other’s territories and common waters, and the United States boosting its military assets in the region. Last week, Iran launched attacks in Syria and Iraq after members of its elite forces were killed in the Syrian capital Damascus allegedly in Israeli attacks, while the US along with the United Kingdom have carried out several attacks against the Houthis in Yemen. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Lebanon and Israel due to an exchange of fires between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters on their border. Last week, tit-for-tat attacks between Iran and Pakistan threatened to open a new military front, but diplomacy helped cool the tempers, for now. Here is what you need to know about the m...

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia plans to allow alcohol sales to non-Muslim diplomats for the first time, two sources familiar with the plan told AFP on Wednesday, modifying strict rules governing liquor in the conservative country. Alcohol “will be sold to non-Muslim diplomats” who previously had to import alcohol via a diplomatic pouch, or sealed official package, one of the sources said. The sales will take place in a store in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, a neighborhood of foreign missions and residences west of the city center, according to a document seen by AFP. Access to the store will be restricted to people who register on an application known as the Diplo App, and monthly quotas will be enforced, the document said. Prohibition has been the law of the land in Saudi Arabia since 1952. Rumors have swirled for years that alcohol would become available in the Gulf kingdom amid a wave of social reforms introduced as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 agenda, among them th...

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia plans to allow alcohol sales to non-Muslim diplomats for the first time, two sources familiar with the plan told AFP on Wednesday, modifying strict rules governing liquor in the conservative country. Alcohol “will be sold to non-Muslim diplomats” who previously had to import alcohol via a diplomatic pouch, or sealed official package, one of the sources said. The sales will take place in a store in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, a neighborhood of foreign missions and residences west of the city center, according to a document seen by AFP. Access to the store will be restricted to people who register on an application known as the Diplo App, and monthly quotas will be enforced, the document said.Prohibition has been the law of the land in Saudi Arabia since 1952. Rumors have swirled for years that alcohol would become available in the Gulf kingdom amid a wave of social reforms introduced as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 agenda, among them the...

KUWAIT: The 42nd relief plane took off from the Kuwaiti Air Bridge on Sunday, heading to the Egyptian Al-Arish Airport in preparation for its entry into the Gaza Strip. The plane carries ten tons of medical supplies and blankets. Director of the Administrative Sector at the Kuwait Red Crescent Society Yousef Al-Maraj told KUNA before the take-off that the Society’s aid would continue in implementation of the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to operate the air bridge in support of the brothers in Gaza. Al-Maraj pointed out that Kuwait is playing a great role as a center for humanitarian work and it is standing by the brothers in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip. He said that the humanitarian aid comes within the framework of Kuwait’s full support for the brotherly Palestinian people in the difficult humanitarian conditions they are currently exposed to as a result of the devastating Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip. He pointed out...

Israel on Monday said the "intensive" phase of its war on Hamas in devastated southern Gaza would end "soon" as the UN chief pleaded for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire". Hamas announced the death of two of the Israeli captives it abducted during its October attack that triggered the war, in a video Israel condemned as a "brutal use of innocent hostages". Fighting has ravaged the Gaza Strip since October 7, when Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel that resulted in about 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel began a relentless military campaign that has killed at least 24,100 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian territory's health ministry. The army had stepped up operations and bombardments in the southern cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah in recent weeks after saying Hamas's m...

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES -- Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry on Sunday said the death toll in the war-torn Palestinian territory breached 25,000 as Israel pushed its southward offensive and renewed bombardment in the north. Israel is pressing its push against Hamas in southern Gaza as it seeks to destroy the Islamist militant group responsible for the deadliest attack in the country's history. In early January, Israel's military said the Hamas command structure in northern Gaza had been dismantled, leaving only isolated fighters. But witnesses told AFP Israeli boats were bombarding Gaza City and other areas in the north early Sunday. Hamas has also reported heavy combat in the north. "Dozens are still under the rubble," the Hamas government's media office said, adding that the dead and injured "could not be transferred to hospitals due to the continued artillery shelling on... Khan Yunis and the Tal al-Hawa area in Gaza City and the north". The I...

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES -- The Hamas militant group said Sunday its October 7 attack on Israel was a "necessary step" against Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. But the group admitted in a 16-page report on the attacks that "some faults happened... due to the rapid collapse of the Israeli security and military system, and the chaos caused along the border areas with Gaza". The document was the group's first public report released in English and Arabic justifying the attacks when they broke through Gaza's militarized border. Their attacks resulted in the deaths of about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The militant group said the attacks were "a necessary step and a normal response to confront all Israeli conspiracies against the Palestinian people". The militants seized about 250 hostages during the attack. Israel says around 132 remain in Gaza, of whom at least 27 capt...

With missiles flying over the Red Sea between the US, backed by the UK, and Yemen's Houthi rebels, the European Union (EU) is forming its own response to a new crisis — well beyond Israeli and Palestinian borders but bound up with the conflict in Gaza. The EU is teeing up a new maritime mission to protect ships — and with them the bloc's trade interests — in a strategically vital region. The risk of dangerous escalation in deterring the Houthis is high, analysts warn, and the EU must tread carefully. Why is the EU considering a Red Sea mission? For several weeks, the Houthis, who control swathes of northern and western Yemen, have been attacking merchant vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping bottlenecks, linking the Arabian Sea with the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal The Iran-allied terror group began its attacks in the wake of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, itself a response to terror outfit Hamas' October 7 attacks in southern Isr...

BEIJING — Forty-seven people were buried when a landslide struck a remote and mountainous part of southwestern China on Monday, state media reported. The landslide took place at 5:51 am in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan province, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing local authorities. State broadcaster CCTV said around 18 households were buried in the landslide, and that more than 200 people were "urgently evacuated" from the area. Authorities have launched an emergency response involving over 200 rescue workers as well as dozens of fire engines and other equipment, according to CCTV. Footage shared on social media by a local broadcaster showed emergency workers in orange jumpsuits and helmets forming ranks outside a fire station as snowflakes whirled through the air. Other images showed rescuers picking through towering piles of collapsed masonry in which a few personal belongings could be seen. Authorities did not immediately specify whether anyone had died in the land...

BEIRUT—An apparent Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut killed Hamas’ No. 2 political leader Tuesday, marking a potentially significant escalation of Israel’s war against the militant group and heightening the risk of a wider Middle East conflict. Saleh Arouri, who was the most senior Hamas figure killed since the war with Israel began, was also a founder of the group’s military wing. His death could provoke major retaliation by Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militia. The strike hit an apartment in a building in a Shiite district of Beirut that is a Hezbollah stronghold, and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to strike back against any Israeli targeting of Palestinian officials in Lebanon. Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been exchanging fire almost daily over the Israeli-Lebanese border since Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began nearly three months ago. But so far the Lebanese group has appeared reluctant to dramatically escalate the fighting. A...

In a diplomatic dance anticipating the potential return of former President Donald Trump, global leaders are treading carefully and preparing for the challenges that may lie ahead. Estonia's Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, recently engaged with key allies of Trump during her visit to Washington, highlighting the urgency and delicacy of diplomatic relations. This outreach extends globally, with foreign ministers making strategic visits to regions significant to Trump's influence. Countries worldwide are on high alert, resonating particularly at this week's meetings of the global elite in Davos. The specter of Trump's convincing win in the Iowa caucuses has tightened his grip on the Republican nomination, setting the stage for a possible rematch with Joe Biden. Unlike 2016, leaders are leaving nothing to chance, scouring Washington's Embassy Row for insights into Trump's foreign policy plans and reaching out directly to influential figures close to the former pre...

Iran's government has not made any commitment regarding the release of the 18 Filipino crew of the oil tanker that was seized in the Gulf of Oman, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday. However, the Iranian government has guaranteed its support for the Philippine government's call for the safe repatriation of the Filipino seafarers, according to DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega. "We haven't heard any commitment from Iran. But based on past experience, when they apprehend a ship with Filipino seafarers, they usually release them," said De Vega, the DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs. "However, in this case, they haven't said anything yet. Although the Iranian ambassador here promises to support us." Iran seized last week the oil tanker St. Nicholas carrying Iraqi crude for Turkey. It was the same ship that was previously seized by the United States for carrying oil to Iran amid the sanctions imposed at that time. De ...

The Office of the Public Prosecutor in Italy is expected to start its investigation into the Milan-based immigration consultancy firm that allegedly scammed nearly 300 jobseekers in the Philippines. In a statement, the Philippine Consulate General in Milan said the Filipino owners of Alpha Assistenza SRL are facing 92 complaints for fraud. “The Consulate, through its lawyer Bruno De Blasi, conveyed to the Office of the Public Prosecutor today that it could proceed with its formal investigation with the filing of 92 out of 102 complaints against the owners of Alpha Assistenza SRL,” it said. “The remaining 10 will be lodged as soon as concerned complainants submit the necessary supporting documents,” it added. The investigation may take at least six months, according to the Philippine Consulate General in Milan. Last month, De Blasi initially filed 11 complaints against Alpha Assistenza owners Diane Krizelle Respicio and Frederick Dutaro. In October 2023, Alpha Assistenza SRL vowed...

House and lots to be sold at P3.6 million and below are exempted from value-added tax (VAT). This after the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) raised the VAT exemption threshold on the sale of house and lot, and other residential dwellings to P3.6 million from P3.199 million. In a statement on Wednesday, the BIR said Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. issued Revenue Regulations No. 1-2024. The RR No. 1-2024 increased, “for VAT exemption purposes, the selling price threshold of the sale of house and lot, and other residential dwelling from P3,199,200.00 to P3,600,000.00.” The taxman said the adjustment was pursuant to the Section 109 (P) of the National Internal Revenue Code which mandates that every three years the subject amount should be adjusted to its present value using the Consumer Price Index as published by the Philippine Statistics Authority. “This increase in the selling price threshold, for VAT exemption purposes, of the sale of house and lot, and other re...

The Canadian government is advising its citizens who will travel to the Philippines to exercise a high degree of caution due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping in some areas. In its advisory dated January 10, the Canadian government told its citizens to “avoid all travel” in the following areas in the Philippines: Basilan Sulu Tawi-Tawi Lanao del Sur Maguindanao Bukidnon Camiguin Lanao del Norte Misamis Occidental Misamis Oriental Cotabato Sarangani South Cotabato Zamboanga del Norte Zamboanga del Sur Zamboanga Sibugay Sultan Kudarat With the “avoid all travel’ category, Canadians should not travel to these areas as their personal safety and security are at great risk. Citizens who are already in the area were advised to leave. Meanwhile, Canadians are also advised to “avoid non-essential travel” to the following areas in the Philippines: Agusan del Norte Agusan del Sur Dinagat Islands Surigao del Norte, excluding Siargao Island Surigao del Sur Davao de Oro Davao del...

PARIS, France - More than 7,000 people were hospitalized or died from Covid-19 in the UK during the summer of 2022 because they had not received the recommended number of vaccine doses, according to a study released Tuesday that was the first to cover Britain's entire population. The researchers said the "landmark" population-wide study showed how important it is for people to keep getting booster jabs as Covid continues to pose a major health threat. More than 90 percent of the UK's adult population were vaccinated during the earlier stages of the pandemic. However, between June to September 2022, after the pandemic's emergency phase was declared over and attention turned elsewhere, around 44 percent of Britons were under-vaccinated, the researchers said. Using individual health data from the National Health Service (NHS) as well as modelling, the researchers estimated that there would have been 7,180 fewer hospitalisations or deaths if everyone had been up t...

DAVOS/DUBAI - Disruptions to Red Sea shipping caused by Houthi attacks will push up prices of consumer goods, an executive from port and freight operator DP World said on Tuesday as a missile struck another vessel in the region. The Iran-allied Houthi militia has threatened to expand its attacks to include U.S. ships in response to American and British strikes on its sites in Yemen. Attacks by the Houthis on ships in the region since November have impacted companies and alarmed major powers - an escalation of Israel's more than three-month-old war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza. The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians. DP World CFO Yuvraj Narayan said he expected disruptions to hit European consumers hardest. "The cost of goods into Europe from Asia will be significantly higher," Narayan told Reuters at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. "European consumers will feel the pain ... It will hit developed...

Russian President Vladimir Putin, running for a new six-year term in an election that his opponents say is a parody of democracy, said on Tuesday (January 16) that past U.S. elections had been rigged by postal voting. "In the United States, previous elections were falsified through postal voting ... they bought ballots for $10, filled them out, and threw them into mailboxes without any supervision from observers, and that's it," Putin said, without providing evidence. Putin's opponents say the March election in Russia is no real contest as the president wields unchallenged power and his main rival, Alexei Navalny, is serving more than 30 years in jail on charges that Navalny says were trumped up. They say the use of electronic voting creates scope for authorities to manipulate the vote in Putin's favor without detection.

DOHA, Qatar — A deal to allow the delivery of medicines to hostages in Gaza and aid into the territory has been agreed following mediation by Doha and Paris, Qatar and Israel announced on Tuesday. In a statement to the official Qatar News Agency (QNA), Doha announced the deal "between Israel and (Hamas), where medicine along with other humanitarian aid is to be delivered to civilians in Gaza... in exchange for delivering medication needed for Israeli captives in Gaza". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed the deal and said: "The medicines will be forwarded by Qatari representatives in the Gaza Strip to their final destination." The drugs are intended for 45 hostages, according to the French presidency, which said 83 were initially identified as needing medication in November, but 38 have since been released or killed. After the medicines arrive at a hospital in the southern Gaza border town of Rafah on Wednesday, they will be received...

The Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis last month, has been turned into a tourist attraction for Yemenis who flock in dozens to tour it off the coasts of the Houthi controlled Red Sea port of al-Salif where the vessel is anchored. Houthis welcome visitors to board the ship that they reach by small fishing boats. Visitors are allowed only to tour the ship's deck where they walk on large US and Israeli flags stretched on the deck's floor, and take selfies on its deck. Houthi moral songs are also played on loudspeakers mounted on the vessel's towers. Houthi media officer, Sameer Al-Rabit, said the ship has turned into a tourist attraction. The crew of the Galaxy Leader have been allowed "modest contact" with their families while various countries push for their release, the vessel's owner said this week. The Bahamas flagged car carrier was taken to the port of Hodeidah, and then to the nearby port of al-Salfi in the Hou...

WASHINGTON, United States — The United States will once again consider Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels a terrorist group after previously dropping the classification in 2021, US media reported Tuesday. The designation, expected Wednesday, of the Huthis as a "specially designated global terrorist" entity comes amid attacks by the group on shipping and military vessels in the Red Sea. On Tuesday, the US military said it struck Yemen to destroy four anti-ship missiles "prepared to launch from Huthi-controlled areas," and which "presented an imminent threat to both merchant and US Navy ships in the region." It is at least the third time in less than a week that the United States has carried out strikes against the Huthis, who have repeatedly taken aim at merchant vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane — attacks the rebels say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling militant group Hamas. The US military also said that the H...

A polar vortex has brought recording-breaking cold to parts of Canada. Video shows everyday items like toilet paper, eggs, noodles, and hot water completely frozen amidst the extreme icy temperatures in Alberta, Canada. According to Environment Canada, as of Tuesday (January 16), parts of northern Alberta are likely to see extreme cold conditions continue until later in the week. (Production: Maria Laguna, Pola Grzanka, Alexandra Sarabia)

MANILA — Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Ted Herbosa on Wednesday said he would want to suspend the implementation of the 5-percent premium hike on contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). Herbosa said the health insurer “has enough money to continue giving benefits.” "It will not be hurt by delaying the increase in premium. I need to see good actuarial. You need to have science-based policy. Hindi yung whim na itataas mo lang," Herbosa said. "There are other things supporting healthcare. MAIP (Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients) is one of them, I was given an additional P40 billion. You have to look at the big picture, not only PhilHealth," he added. Herbosa said his position on the premium hike suspension had been forwarded to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. The same subject will be tackled in Philhealth’s board meeting scheduled later Wednesday. Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Healthcare Law stipulates tha...