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PRETORIA, South Africa--- South African athlete Oscar Pistorius was due to be released from prison on parole Friday, more than a decade after he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a Valentine's Day killing that shattered the reputation of a sports superstar. Television crews, photographers and news reporters gathered outside the gates of the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in the South African capital of Pretoria before 6 a.m., waiting to catch a glimpse of the world-famous double-amputee Olympic runner. Department of Corrections officials have said that Pistorius' release time on Friday will not be announced ahead of time and he will not be "paraded," indicating they wi...

Keep on reading: Oscar Pistorius to be released on parole after nearly 9 years in prison

MANILA, Philippines --- Department of Justice (DOJ) and Bureau of Immigration (BI) cannot confirm if International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators are already in the Philippines. Justice Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano told INQUIRER.net on Friday that BI cannot ascertain whether or not ICC representatives have arrived. "The Bureau of Immigration cannot confirm their presence here. If ever they have come in, it was surreptitious and done with intent to evade detection," he said on Viber. Asked if DOJ will be open to working with ICC based in The Hague, Netherlands, he responded that the department considers international assistance. However, the assistant secretary not...

Keep on reading: DOJ: No info on supposed arrival of ICC reps in PH; issue has ‘distracted’ us

MANILA, Philippines --- The House committee on energy will start its hearing on the power outage affecting Panay Island on Thursday, January 11, Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda said on Friday. In a post on her Facebook page, Baronda showed a document from the said panel headed by former Speaker and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, which showed that the committee will hold a meeting on the issue. Baronda, along with several lawmakers, were among the authors of resolutions on the power shortage affecting Western Visayas. In a statement, Baronda explained that while she and other Iloilo-based lawmakers have filed resolutions asking the House to probe the blackouts, it would be...

Keep on reading: House panel probe on Panay power outage to start January 11

MANILA, Philippines --- Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda believes the Philippines can address inflation woes by diversifying its rice import sources and increasing local yield, as the staple food accounts for a huge part of every Filipino household's expenses. In a statement on Friday, Salceda said it is important to focus on rice as world prices are again seeing an uptick, if the government wants to improve from the inflation figures in 2023. Salceda said this just after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced that headline inflation rate for December 2023 eased to 3.9 percent, which brought the average for the entire 2023 to 6 percent. "With rice, world prices ...

Keep on reading: PH needs to boost rice yield, diversify import sources, says Salceda

We Filipinos are well-known for our resilience and determination to press onward no matter what life throws at us. No matter how difficult life can get, we somehow still manage to make the best of what we have. We are also very family-oriented people, always putting our loved ones' needs first before our own; sometimes to a point where we neglect our own well-being just to ensure theirs. There are certain things in life, however, that we cannot always overcome. These are illnesses, accidents, and death. When these risks come knocking on our door, they can destroy everything we've worked hard to build in a snap. To protect our families, we need more than resilience and determinatio...

Keep on reading: What to do when life doesn’t go according to Plan A?

Meeting the love of your life is fate. But choosing to stay with them for the rest of your life is a decision. And these celebrities decided to be with their chosen one in 2023, as you will find in this yearend special. Apart from the messy scandals and cheating allegations that plagued the year, these celebrity couples are proof that true love still exists. Their respective paths to "I do" were not easy --- especially for some who were previously involved in painful breakups --- but it doesn't mean hope is lost. It even led them to meeting the person who will stay for life. Take a look at the couples who decided to take their relationship further by getting engaged, and those ...

Keep on reading: Yearend Special: Celebrity weddings, engagement that headlined 2023

  MANILA, Philippines ---The train operations from Naga Cityin Camarines Sur to Legazpi City in Albayreopened to the public on Wednesday after a six-year suspension, thePhilippine National Railways (PNR)said. According to PNR, its trains once again resumed services on the routes after a temporary suspension in April 2017 due to a lack of enough train coaches and locomotives. "Ngayong umaga, December 27, matapos ang higit na anim na taon, muling tinahak ng mga PNR trains ang 101-kilometrong rutang Naga-Legazpi-Naga sa Bicol Region," PNR said in a press release. (This morning, December 27, after more than six years, PNR trains once again traveled the 101-kilometer Naga...

Keep on reading: PNR reopens Naga-Legazpi rail line after six years

MANILA, Philippines --- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the renaming of five Philippine National Police (PNP) camps and lots while giving three other police properties after notable officers, said the Palace on Wednesday. In Proclamation No. 429, Marcos ordered the renaming of five PNP camps and real properties. READ: THE FACES OF THE #SAF44 "It is fitting to give honor to former servicemen who have shown patriotism, courage, and dedication in serving the provinces and municipalities to which they are assigned, and distinguished themselves in their service to the nation, by way of naming PNP facilities in their honor," Marcos said in the order. READ: SAF 44's 'last...

Keep on reading: Palace renames police camps, PNP lots to honor distinguished officers

MANILA, Philippines --- China continues to blame the Philippines for the dispute in the West Philippine Sea, saying the latter's change of policy, position, and its refusal to "honor its commitment" violate international law. In a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning said the "recent developments" in the South China Sea are caused by the Philippines' deliberate infringement of China's sovereignty and provocations. "The responsibility lies with the Philippines. China will resolutely protect its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Mao said on Tuesday evening. Mao's statement came after Col. Medel Aguilar, Armed Forces of the Philipp...

Keep on reading: China continues to blame PH for provoking WPS dispute

A flare falls over Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, December 24, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura Palestinian territories -- Israel on Tuesday kept up its strikes against Gaza targets despite grave concern expressed by the United Nations, which named a coordinator for desperately needed humanitarian aid. The Israeli army said it struck military sites and tunnel shafts in Jabalia, northern Gaza, and Khan Yunis in the south, as heavy ground combat continued. Incidents linked to Iran-backed groups in the Red Sea, on the Lebanese border and in Iraq added to regional tensions surrounding the war....

Keep on reading: Israel strikes Gaza as UN voices grave concern

  MANILA, Philippines ---Cloud clusters may bring isolated rain showers and thunderstorms over parts of Luzon and Mindanao on Wednesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said. According to the state weather bureau, the rain brought by cloud clusters are not expected to last for the entire day. "As early as this morning, mayroon po tayong namamataan na mga cloud clusters o mga pulu-pulong kaulapan na maaaring magdala ng mga isolated rain showers and thunderstorms sa may bahagi ng Zamboanga Peninsula, gayon din sa ilang bahagi ng Davao region, Soccsksargen, at sa may Bicol region," said Pagasa weather specialist Pat...

Keep on reading: Expect isolated rains over parts of Luzon, Mindanao Wednesday — Pagasa

The local Muslim group One Bangsamoro Movement (1Bangsa) on Monday made an appeal to Israel to free all Palestinian it holds as prisoners of war in Tel Aviv as it also calls for a total ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to stop the continuing increase of casualties. "Free the hostages, whether Israeli or whatever their nationalities may be. That's our call for Israel to release the [Palestinian] civilians whose majority are seniors, women and especially children that they imprisoned in this war," 1Bangsa president Alan Balangi told the Inquirer on Monday. The group has been a vocal supporter of the safety of Palestinian civilians in the Israel-Hamas war. One of which was the recent e...

Keep on reading: Free Palestinian prisoners in Israel, local Muslims ask

China should first stop its hostile actions at sea before it enters into a dialogue with the Philippines, an official of the National Security Council (NSC) said on Tuesday, amid worsening tensions in the West Philippine Sea. The territorial disputes between the two countries have grown more tense this year as Beijing seeks to assert its maritime dominance in the South China Sea. "Dialogues can only succeed in an atmosphere of mutual respect and sincerity between two sovereign nations. The Philippines is ready to reciprocate provided that the bullying, harassment, and aggressive actions are ended immediately," NSC spokesperson and Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said...

Keep on reading: PH to China: Respect, sincerity are key to sea row dialogue

  Barangay Ginebra doesn't see itself having a firm hold of its fortunes for the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup despite pulling off two wins that included a hard-fought result on Christmas Day. "We need things to happen for us and we know that," said coach Tim Cone after their 86-78 defeat of shorthanded TNT at Smart Araneta Coliseum pushed the Kings to 6-3 (win-loss) with two games left in their elimination round assignment. Defeating TNT and, previously, Meralco, kept Ginebra within sniffing distance of the three other teams seeking to secure the important playoff bonus. Magnolia was th...

Keep on reading: Cone admits Ginebra fate not completely in its hands

The wrappers have been torn off and the ribbons ripped. Among the gifts they received this Christmas, what thrilled Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players the most? Ginebra's Jared Dillinger said it was cryptocurrency video games. "I've been getting lots of Web3 video games. I've been playing them a lot lately so I'd say that's one of the coolest ones I've been getting ... It's like cryptocurrency video games. Think of Call of Duty, Fortnite, except Web3 gives you digital ownership," explained a jolly Dillinger before the Gin Kings' 86-78 win over TNT on Monday. "I got like 50, so I'm playing them all. It's going to be the next revolution." After the game, TNT st...

Keep on reading: Special gifts bring holiday cheers for pros

Naoya Inoue is an undisputed champion for the second time in his career. The Japanese star wore Marlon Tapales down with his power and then connected on a classic 1-2 for a 10th-round stoppage on Tuesday at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. "The Monster" thus unified the super bantamweight belts, adding Tapales' International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association crowns to his World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) titles. And Inoue is ready to take on all comers in the division, hinting on plans to stay there before moving to try and clean up another weight class. "I think super bantamweight is my weight division for now so in 2024, I would like [to...

Keep on reading: Inoue puts super bantam division under one rule, stops Tapales in 10th