Author: Prima News

As the Philippine Coast Guard plane descended toward the country’s most strategically important outpost in the disputed South China Sea, passengers’ phones lit up with a roaming alert: “Welcome to CHINA.” Among those on board were Senator Risa Hontiveros and Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela, both outspoken critics of Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea. After landing on Saturday, they spoke to island residents to reaffirm that Thitu Island “is ours”, even as Chinese Coast Guard vessels, a People’s Liberation Army Navy ship, and some Chinese fishing boats lingered within sight of the shore. China’s persistent presence has pushed…

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said it will halt collections of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act at 12:01 a.m. EST (0501 GMT) on Tuesday, more than three days after the U.S. Supreme Court declared the duties illegal. The agency said in a message to shippers, opens new tab on its Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS) that it will de-activate all tariff codes associated with President Donald Trump’s prior IEEPA-related orders as of Tuesday. The IEEPA tariff collection halt coincides with Trump’s imposition of a new, 15% global tariff under a different legal authority to replace the ones…

Support for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is evaporating in one of its Manchester strongholds, where the Green Party or right-wing Reform UK could rupture decades of political tradition in an election later this month. Voters in the Gorton and Denton constituency, named after two towns in east Manchester, in northwest England, are due to elect a new member of parliament in a one-off by-election on Thursday. Now merged into a single seat, both have returned Labour politicians to Westminster for generations – Gorton for almost 100 years, and Denton since World War Two. Labour won the seat easily…

EU foreign ministers will urge Hungary to rethink its decision to block the European Union’s next package of sanctions against Russia, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in Brussels on Monday. “I do not believe it is right for Hungary to betray its own struggle for freedom and European sovereignty,” Wadephul said. “That is why we will once again present our arguments to the Hungarians in Budapest, but also here in Brussels, of course, and ask them to reconsider their position,” he added.

Within hours of the killing of Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, better known as El Mencho, in a military raid on Sunday, gunmen suspected to be his supporters blocked highways across several states and set cars and businesses ablaze. In some towns tourists and residents were urged to stay indoors, while truckers were advised to take safe routes or return to their depots until the violence abated. Several airlines, including Air Canada, United Airlines and Aeromexico, on Sunday cancelled flights to Puerto Vallarta, a beachside resort town where stunned tourists filmed plumes of smoke rising into the sky from fires.…

Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal rejected an appeal by 12 pro‑democracy activists and upheld their jail terms on Monday in a national security case that critics say highlights the China-ruled city’s crackdown on dissent. The appeal stems from the “Hong Kong 47” case, where many leading pro-democracy activists and politicians were arrested en masse in early 2021 and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion. Following marathon legal proceedings, most of the democrats were eventually sentenced in late 2024 to between 4 and 10 years’ imprisonment, with two others acquitted. Rights groups and some countries, including the U.S. and Britain, condemned the case as persecution of Hong…

Türkiye’s Embassy in Mexico has urged Turkish citizens to exercise caution following a federal security operation and subsequent unrest in several Mexican states. In a statement posted on the US social media platform X, the embassy said it is closely monitoring developments that occurred Sunday in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Aguascalientes, and Zacatecas. The embassy advised Turkish nationals to remain vigilant, take maximum precautions for their safety and follow instructions issued by local authorities. It said the embassy can be reached through its emergency hotline at +52 557 917 7785. Mexican federal security forces on Sunday carried…

Gebreegziabher Berehe has stopped waiting for tourists to arrive as many worry about a return to war. The tour guide in Ethiopia ’s northern region of Tigray says his bookings have dried up, ATMs in the city of Mekele are empty and he is considering leaving a country where he can no longer afford to live. “If war arises again, I think the situation will be even more severe than before,” the 37-year-old Berehe said. “My colleagues and I are now facing serious economic and moral crises, even before hearing the sound of any gun.” There is a tense calm in Mekele,…

On a busy street in central Accra, Clement Azaabire hangs neatly sewn fugu smocks on lines, the striped, multicolored fabrics swaying in the breeze. For 15 years, Azaabire has proudly sold the garment that is associated with his community in northern Ghana. Now, it’s the talk of town. More Ghanaians are wearing the colorful traditional outfit with pride in a trend triggered by online mockery. Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama in early February visited Zambia wearing a fugu garment, prompting ridicule from some social media users. Ghanaians responded by defending what they felt was a rich cultural heritage, and Tourism Minister…

Speaking to reporters from a basement in Kherson, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Ukraine Munir Mammadzade said that the frontline city remains “under constant fire,” with daily attacks destroying homes and critical infrastructure, as well as the services that children and families rely on.“I have been constantly hearing artillery shelling,” he said, speaking of yet another “massive, coordinated attack” which reportedly impacted civilian and energy infrastructure overnight.The city’s children’s hospital was attacked eight times on Tuesday morning, Mr. Mammadzade added.Childhood undergroundWith few places offering any sanctuary in Kherson, daily life is “a matter of survival” for children and families…