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In real life he's a prince of an Islamic sultanate steeped in centuries-old traditions, but on Instagram Brunei's Abdul Mateen is more Hollywood than royalty as he flies in fighter jets, drives speed boats and poses bare-chested after workouts. Mateen, 32, was one of Asia's most eligible bachelors until he married his 29-year-old fiancee on Thursday in a male-only ceremony at a mosque in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. As the 10th child and fourth son of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, he is unlikely to ever ascend the throne of the oil-rich country on the northern edge of Borneo island. Yet, Mateen's matinee idol looks, rippling six-pack and sense of adventure -- captured in photos a...

Keep on reading: Brunei’s ‘hot’ Prince Mateen gives royal family a fresh look

WASHINGTON --- The US military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, two US officials said, a day after the US and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels. Associated Press journalists in Sanaa, Yemen's capital, heard one loud explosion. The first day of strikes on Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. However, the US determined the additional location, a radar site, still presented a threat to maritime traffic, one official said. The officials spoke anonymously to the AP to discuss an operation that hadn't yet been publicly announced. ...

Keep on reading: US military strikes another Houthi-controlled site

Nadine Lustre shared her thoughts on working with Maris Racal and Kathryn Bernardo for a girl love movie, saying she's "game" because she loves collaborating with different people and likes working on a new challenge. At a skin care event on Friday, Jan. 12, Lustre noted that she would be down to doing the said movie if it involved a good script. "Nice, okay. Let's see. I don't know if I'm ready for a movie like that. Ako naman, I'm always leaning towards a good script. If it is always a good script, down naman ako to do it," she said to INQUIRER.net. The actress also expressed her flattery and excitement, knowing that Racal said in one of her recent interviews that she want...

Keep on reading: Nadine Lustre on working with Maris Racal, Kathryn Bernardo in GL movie: ‘Game’

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Saturday that many parts of the country may experience cloudy skies with rain for the next three days. Based on itsthree-day weather outlook, the shear line is expected to bring overcast skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over eastern Visayas, Caraga, the Davao region, and northern Mindanao from January 14-17. A shear line is the convergence of cool and warm winds. The weather outlook also said that the northeast monsoon, which is locally known as amihan, will continuously bring cloudy skies with light rains over Cagayan Valley, the Cordille...

Keep on reading: Pagasa says parts of PH may see rains for next 3 days

Valeen Montenegro tied the knot with her non-showbiz boyfriend Riel Manuel in a church wedding held on Friday, Jan. 12. The actress-comedian treated fans to a peek at their wedding preparations, rings, reception as well as the after-party, through posts she reposted to her Instagram Stories. Montenegro walked down the aisle in an off shoulder serpentina gown adorned with embellishments, while her groom looked dapper in a black suit. Among the celebrities present at the wedding were Mavy Legaspi, Carla Abellana, Ashley Rivera and Ina Feleo who each extended their well-wishes to the newlyweds via their respective Instagram pages. ...

Keep on reading: LOOK: Valeen Montenegro now married to non-showbiz BF

WASHINGTON --- From his hospital room, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin first orchestrated and then watched in real-time as the US retaliatory attack on Yemen-based Houthi militants unfolded Thursday night. Austin's hospital-room leadership was the latest in a series of actions the defense chief has carried out from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he has been recovering from complications due to treatments for prostate cancer. Austin only revealed he had prostate cancer on Tuesday -- the same day that the Houthis launched their most aggressive onslaught to date of 18 drones and missiles at commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea. That attack set the sta...

Keep on reading: Austin ordered strikes on Houthis from hospital, says Pentagon

NEW YORK --- Former President Donald Trump was ordered Friday to pay nearly $400,000 in legal fees to The New York Times and three investigative reporters after he sued them unsuccessfully over a Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 story about his family's wealth and tax practices. The newspaper and reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russell Buettner were dismissed from the lawsuit in May. Trump's claim against his estranged niece, Mary Trump, that she breached a prior settlement agreement by giving tax records to the reporters is still pending. New York Judge Robert Reed said that given the "complexity of the issues" in the case and other factors, it was reasonable that Donald...

Keep on reading: Trump ordered to pay New York Times, reporters nearly $400K in legal fees

Airlines in the United States canceled more than 2,000 flights on Friday after a massive winter storm knocked out power and affected businesses in 12 states ahead of a likely brutal freeze over the weekend. A total of 2,058 flights were canceled and 5,846 flights were delayed as of 5.30 p.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Southwest Airlines led the list of cancellations with 401 flights, followed by SkyWest at 358. "We expect some operational challenges due to the weather in the Midwest today and potentially tomorrow due to the winter weather in the region," Delta Air Lines said. Southwest Airlines said in a travel advisory that some of its flights ...

Keep on reading: US airlines cancel over 2,000 flights due to massive winter storm

Microsoft's stock market value ended a trading session higher than Apple's for the first time since 2021 on Friday, making it the world's most valuable company as worries about demand hit the iPhone maker's shares. Apple crept up 0.2% on Friday, while Microsoft added 1%. With that, Microsoft's market capitalization stood at $2.887 trillion, its highest ever, according to LSEG data. Apple's market capitalization was $2.875 trillion, calculated with data in a filing on Thursday, January 12. Worries about smartphone demand have pushed Apple's shares down 3% so far in 2024 after rallying 48% last year. Microsoft is up about 3% year to date after surging 57% in 2023 in a rally drive...

Keep on reading: Microsoft edges out Apple as world’s most valuable company

EMMAUS, Pennsylvania --- United States President Joe Biden on Friday called Yemen's Houthi forces a "terrorist" group, after American and British warplanes, ships, and submarines launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen overnight. Biden said Washington would respond to the Houthis if they continued behavior that he called "outrageous." Why it is important London and Washington say their strikes in Yemen were in retaliation for months of attacks by the movement on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed fighters cast as a response to the ongoing war in Gaza. The strikes represent one of the most dramatic demonstrations to date of the widening of the Gaza conflict. READ: US, B...

Keep on reading: Biden says Yemen’s Houthis are a ‘terrorist’ group

United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths called anew for a ceasefire in Gaza as he expressed being "deeply alarmed" by Israeli ministers' statements about "plans to encourage the mass transfer" of Palestinian civilians from the Gaza Strip to third countries. "Unless we act, it will become an indelible mark on our humanity," Martin Griffiths, the UN undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, told the UN Security Council on Friday. "I reiterate my call for this council to take urgent action to bring this war to an end." Griffiths painted a dire picture of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip as Israel presses the offensive it launched after the Oct. 7 onslaught i...

Keep on reading: UN aid chief calls anew for Gaza ceasefire, urges UN action to end war

PARAMARIBO --- Surinamese authorities are searching for ex-President Desi Bouterse after he failed to turn himself in to start a prison sentence for involvement in the murder of 15 activists in 1982, the prosecutor general's office said Friday. A three-judge panel in December affirmed the convictions of Bouterse, 78, and four others in the execution of the government critics who included lawyers, journalists, union leaders, soldiers and university professors. While Bouterse was ordered this week to report to jail, his wife, Ingrid Bouterse-Waldring, told journalists outside their home early on Friday, "He's not going to turn himself in." Lawyer Irvin Kanhai, arriving at the ...

Keep on reading: Suriname authorities hunt for fugitive ex-president amid prison no-show

Germany has committed to donate at least four more drones to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to use in its maritime domain awareness operations in the West Philippine Sea. PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan made the announcement on Thursday during the visit of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the PCG headquarters in Manila from Jan. 11 to Jan 12. READ:PH, Germany to bolster ties in technical-vocational education, training Rear Adm. Armando Balilo, spokesperson for the PCG, said the "four or more" additional drones are part of the 129-million euro (around P7.93 billion) initial assistance by the German government to the Philippines. "The UN Convention on the Law...

Keep on reading: Germany pledges more drones to coast guard

Iran's navy on Thursday seized a Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker off Oman, carrying 18 Filipino crewmen, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). Hans Cacdac, officer in charge of DMW, said in an online press briefing on Friday that the M/T St. Nikolas had just come from Basra, Iraq, and was headed to Aliaga,Turkey, when it was intercepted at the Gulf of Oman. READ:Oil tanker with 18 Filipino crewmen boarded by armed group near Oman Iran confirmed the sea jacking purportedly to retaliate for the "theft" of its oil from the same tanker last year by the United States. The St. Nikolas was laden with 145,000 tons of crude oil. Cacdac said the DMW has...

Keep on reading: Iran seizes oil tanker; abducted Pinoy seamen now total 35

ALL IN THE HEAD A model shows howto use a FRENZ Brainband from Earable Neuroscience, a gadget that uses artificial intelligence and tracks stimulating brain activities, during the Consumer Electronics Show on Jan 7. in Las Vegas, Nevada. ---AFP LAS VEGAS --- Technology causes us to lose sleep, but can it also give it back? Companies aiming to help insomniacs, inveterate snorers and nap lovers showed off their latest gadgets at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "We are the world's first AI (artificial intelligence) powered... sleep tracker and personal sleep stimulator that enhances deep sleep and also the time to fall asleep," said Kimi Doan, investment manager at Ear...

Keep on reading: Dream tech: Gadgets for insomniacs, snorers

  Days before the full implementation of the antiterrorism law, six United Nations experts made public a letter they wrote in October asking the government to explain cases of "judicial harassment, office raids and targeted financial sanctions" on rights watchdogs and its "seemingly unchecked powers" to run after suspected terrorists. In the 19-page letter dated Oct. 10, 2023, the UN special rapporteurs sought an explanation for alleged human rights violations carried out by the Marcos administration in pursuit of antiterrorism policies, including Republic Act (RA) No. 11479, which is to be fully enforced starting Jan. 15 under guidelines recently approved by the Supreme Court...

Keep on reading: 6 UN experts flag ‘unchecked’ antiterror powers in letter to Marcos

June Mar Fajardo described import Bennie Boatwright as someone who can make his job easier as his return Friday gave a glimpse of how their combination could spell the difference in San Miguel Beer's bid to win the PBA Commissioner's Cup crown. "I hope it's always like this. Life is a lot easier," Fajardo said in Filipino after his first game since late-November and helping the Beermen in a 125-117 victory at Smart Araneta Coliseum that cemented San Miguel's hold on a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. Fajardo, whose modest 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists were enough, boosted San Miguel in closing out with an 8-3 record. And that's not at all bad after h...

Keep on reading: June Mar Fajardo returns, forms a lethal tandem with Boatwright at San Miguel

Former Philippine international Freddy Gonzalez was tasked to manage the national men's football team following his appointment as director of national teams by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF). PFF president John Gutierrez made the announcement Thursday, two days after Dan Palami stepped down from the post he had held since 2010. "Mr. Gonzalez's appointment represents the start of a new era and direction for the [men's national team]," Gutierrez said in a statement. Gonzalez served as part of transition team following Gutierrez's election as Nonong Araneta's successor last November. "As a former national team player himself, his passion to play for the country, his ...

Keep on reading: Gonzales takes over Palami as Azkals manager

Jacob Cortez has always been on La Salle coach Topex Robinson's radar. So when the chance to land the young playmaker cropped up, the champion mentor didn't think twice. "He's from our grassroots program, so the whole community wants to bring him (back), as they see him as someone who is their own. And I've been looking at our time after Evan (Nelle). So when the opportunity came about, the first thing I thought was we have to move mountains," Robinson told the Inquirer on Friday. "Everything just worked out," he added. Cortez, a key cog in San Beda University's return as National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion, announced earlier on Friday that he will be jo...

Keep on reading: After moving ‘mountains,’ Topex brings Cortez home to Taft

    Geneva, Switzerland ---This year could be hotter under El Nio'sinfluence than the record-shattering 2023, the United Nations warned Friday, as it urged drastic emissions cuts to combat climate change. The UN's World Meteorological Organization said new monthly temperature records were set every month between June and December, and the pattern is likely to continue due to the warming El Nio weather phenomenon. READ:Stronger El Nio phenomenon in 2024 threatens 65 provinces --- DOST The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted there is a one in three chance that 2024 will be warmer than 2023 -- and a 99 percent certainty that 2024 will...

Keep on reading: El Niño could make 2024 hotter than record 2023