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• Two men claiming to be ex-Wagner fighters said they killed civilians in Ukraine. One recanted. Wagner is looking for the other

LUCENA CITY -- Three alleged members of the communist New People's Army (NPA), including a "revo-tax" collector, surrendered on Wednesday (Feb. 21) to government authorities in Quezon and Batangas provinces. The Army's 85th Infantry Battalion in Quezon reported that one alias "Kenjie" voluntarily submitted himself to Agdangan town Mayor Rhadam Aguilar on Wednesday morning in his capacity as chairman of the Municipal Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC) and localized peace engagement committee. READ: Alleged 50% 'cut' in rebel returnees' cash aid bared in Senate According to the report, the rebel returnee is a "finance officer" of the NPA Apolonio Mendoza Comman...

Keep on reading: Alleged NPA’s ‘revo-tax’ collector, 2 others yield in Quezon, Batangas

GENEVA , Switzerland ---Days before talks that could decide its future role in setting the rules for global commerce in an era of rising protectionism, theWorldTradeOrganization is snagged on what to do with its "non-meetings". That's what some jaded delegates at its vast headquarters on the banks of Lake Geneva in Switzerland have called the hundreds of unofficial negotiations taking place on fixing the WTO's dispute system as part of Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's drive to make it "fit for purpose" by 2024. At least 100 ministers will gather in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 26-29 for the WTO's 13th ministerial conference once dubbed the "reformministerial". In a sign of wider ...

Keep on reading: World Trade Organization’s push for reform plagued by obstacles

WASHINGTON ---Boeing said on Wednesday it was replacing theheadof its troubled737MAXprogrameffective immediately, the first major executive departure since the Jan. 5mid-airpanel blowout of a new AlaskaAirlinesMAX9. Ed Clark, who had been with the planemaker for nearly 18 years, departed as Boeing has been dealing with its latest crisis and has vowed to bolster quality efforts. Katie Ringgold is replacing him as vice president and general manager of the737program, according to a memo seen by Reuters sent to staff by Boeing CommercialAirplanes CEO Stan Deal. The memo also listed other management changes including creation of a senior vice president position for quality and safet...

Keep on reading: Head of Boeing’s 737 MAX program leaves after mid-air incident

WASHINGTON ---The Biden administration is turning up the heat on China's top sanctioned chipmaker by cutting off its most advanced factory from more American imports after it produced a sophisticated chip for Huawei's Mate 60 Pro phone, three people familiar with the matter said. Late last year, the Commerce Department sent dozens of letters to U.S. suppliers to Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), suspending permission to sell to its most advanced plant, said two people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. While many companies had already stopped selling to SMIC South, as the uni...

Keep on reading: US targets China’s top chipmaking plant after Huawei Mate 60 Pro

MANILA, Philippines --- As the cold northeast monsoon, locally known as amihan, is yet to revisit the country, the warm easterlies will continue to bring hot and humid weather to several areas in the country on Thursday, state meteorologists said. "Magiging mainit pa rin po sa malaking bahagi ng bansa, dulot po iyan ng easterlies o iyong hanging galing sa silangan, particularly sa Pacific Ocean, at ito po ang magdadala ng mainit na panahon pati pag-ulan dito sa may bahagi ng Mindanao," said Benison Estareja, a Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) specialist during morning report. (It will still be warm in most parts of the ...

Keep on reading: Easterlies to bring hot, humid weather in PH on Thursday — Pagasa

WASHINGTON ---The bulk of policymakers at the Federal Reserve's last meeting were concerned about the risks of cutting interest rates too soon, with broad uncertainty about how long borrowing costs should remain at their current level, according to the minutes of the Jan. 30-31 session. "Participants highlighted the uncertainty associated with how long a restrictive monetary policy stance would need to be maintained" to return inflation to the U.S. central bank's 2 percent target, said the minutes, which were released on Wednesday. Whereas "most participants noted the risks of moving too quickly to ease the stance of policy," only "a couple ... pointed to downside risks to the ...

Keep on reading: Fed worried about cutting rates too soon, minutes of Jan meeting show

    WASHINGTON --- United Airlines said on Wednesday it plans to resume direct U.S. flights to Israel early next month, becoming the first American carrier to resume service since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel. United, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines all suspended U.S. service to Israel in October following the attack. Chicago-based United said it will resume flights from Newark to Tel Aviv next month but does not plan to restart flights from other U.S. cities until at least this fall. READ: Airlines halt Israel flights as Hamas attack ignites heavy fighting Restarting U.S. carrier flights to Tel Aviv signals a potential tur...

Keep on reading: United Airlines to resume Israel flights since Gaza war

SANTA CLARA, California --- Nvidia Corp., which has seen its value skyrocket over the past year thanks to soaring demand for its graphics chips used for artificial intelligence, posted stronger-than-expected results Wednesday for its latest quarter, with its revenue more than tripling from a year earlier. Nvidia reported revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter that ended Jan. 28 of $22.1 billion, up from $6.05 billion. The company based in Santa Clara, California, earned $12.29 billion, compared to a profit of $1.41 billion a year ago. Adjusted for one-time items, Nvidia earned $5.16 a share in the latest quarter, that topped Wall Street forecasts for $4.59 per share, based on...

Keep on reading: Nvidia’s Q4 revenue, profit soar

    NEW YORK --- Oil prices rose 1% on Wednesday as geopolitical tensions raged on in the Middle East and traders assessed signs of near-term supply tightness. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) rose 87 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $77.91 a barrel, while Brent crude rose 69 cents, or 0.8%, to $83.03 a barrel. Oil contracts tied to near-term deliveries have been trading at their steepest premium to later-dated contracts in multiple months, a market structure known as backwardation and considered a sign of a tightly supplied market. READ: Oil rises; markets weigh Red Sea attacks, US rate cuts Timespreads are showing markets tightening, UBS anal...

Keep on reading: Oil rises 1% on signs of tightening supplies

NEW YORK --- Stocks ended mostly higher on Wall Street Wednesday after a listless day of trading with big technology stocks again acting as a heavy weight on the market. The S&P 500 rose 6.29 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,981.80. The benchmark index spent much of the day in losing territory before climbing higher just before markets closed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also eked out a slight gain after losing ground most of the day. It rose 48.44 points, or 0.1%, to 38,612.24. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 49.91 points, or 0.3 percent, to 15,580.87. Earnings remained the big focus for Wall Street. After markets closed, Nvidia reported earnings and reve...

Keep on reading: Wall Street ends mostly higher after a late wave of buying

    CULVER CITY, California/WASHINGTON --- President Joe Biden said on Wednesday his administration is cancelling $1.2 billion worth of student loans for nearly 153,000 people who are eligible under a program used to make good on his promises to increase loan forgiveness. Biden, a Democrat, last year pledged to find other avenues for tackling debt relief after the Supreme Court in June blocked his broader plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt. READ: Biden cancels nearly $5 billion more in student debt relief Left-leaning progressive and young voters, whose support Biden needs to win re-election in November, have been vocal in advocating for student...

Keep on reading: Biden administration cancels another $1.2 billion of student loan debt

SAN FRANCISCO---Elon Musk says the first human patient with a brain implant from his Neuralink startup is able to move a computer mouse with thought. Last month, Musk's neurotechnology company installed a brain implant in its first human patient and on Monday Musk reported the experiment had been a success. "The patient seems to have made a full recovery with no ill effects," Musk said in an interview streamed on X, formerly Twitter. The patient is able to "move the mouse around the screen just by thinking," Musk said. "We're trying to get as many button presses as possible from thinking," Musk added. "You want to have, obviously, more than just two buttons." READ: Neu...

Keep on reading: Musk says patient moves cursor with brain implant

Angel Canino, La Salle's most promising talent in this era, is not yet content on how she has been contributing so far for the Lady Spikers. "I am not really satisfied of my games yet," Canino told the Inquirer on Wednesday. If that doesn't send chills down opponents' necks, consider the context: The Lady Spikers had just notched their second straight win in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament after a convincing 25-20, 25-17, 25-22 triumph over Far Eastern University at Smart Araneta Coliseum. La Salle has yet to drop a set in its title defense La Salle lost four key players from last year's champion team: Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) and tournament best...

Keep on reading: With her school struck by key departures, Canino looks to shoulder bigger role beyond scoring

HONG KONG---When the new look Gilas Pilipinas tests its mettle on Thursday, the Nationals understand how big of a first step they will be taking against a lower-ranked Hong Kong squad in the opening window of the Fiba (International Basketball Federation) Asia Cup Qualifiers. "As coach Tim (Cone) said, this is one team that we can really beat, so we need to do just that. Winning this first game will be our building blocks," June Mar Fajardo told the Inquirer on the sidelines of a long practice at Tsuen Wan Sports Centre here. "We need to do well, make sure that we make good on our executions because this is all preparatory for our next games," he added. The Philippines is ra...

Keep on reading: Gilas PH eyes win over HK: ‘If we don’t, then we probably shouldn’t be here’

Jeric Lopez nailed a floater while the Inquirer's Jonas Terrado put together a strong double-double as Say Chiz edged Smart, 66-64, at the start of the 2024 Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Cup on late Tuesday evening at Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Lopez buried the game-winner with 39 seconds remaining while Aivan Episcope grabbed a crucial offensive rebound as the Smileys made key defensive stops to seal the victory. Terrado finished with game-highs of 21 points, 14 rebounds and four steals while adding two assists and a block to lead the Smileys while Lopez finished with 16 points. Former Inquirer reporter Cedelf Tupas, who had a 61-point outing in the preseason, added 15...

Keep on reading: Inquirer’s Terrado spearheads Say Chiz triumph

Cristy Fermin asserted that she wouldn't apologize to Dominic Roque, Dapitan Mayor Bullet Jalosjos, and former Quezon City congressman Bong Suntay, after she was accused by Roque's lawyers of making "malicious innuendos" under the guise of entertainment news. In the Feb. 21 episode of her show "Cristy Ferminute," Fermin denied starting the rumors wherein either Jalosjos or Suntay were Roque's benefactors, as the actor allegedly owned a condominium unit owned by one of them. She then pointed out that she didn't mention any name in her vlogs. "Wala po akong binanggit na pangalan. Napatunayan ko na ang condo unit [ni Roque] ay nakabanggit sa isang pulitiko [pero] wala akong binang...

Keep on reading: Cristy Fermin slams Dominic Roque, politicians after alleged ‘malicious innuendos’

  MANILA, Philippines --- Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman has disputed fears that legalizing divorce in the country would destroy families and marriages, asking critics of the proposal if they are willing to wait for abused or threatened spouses to die. At the plenary session on Wednesday, Lagman defended House Bill (HB) No. 9349 or the proposed Absolute Divorce Act from Baguio City Rep. Mark Go, who cited studies like one in Burkina Faso which showed that remarriages a few years after divorce have been a common occurrence. Go feared that this would also happen to the Philippines once HB No. 9349 is passed and enacted into law. "The worry that I have here Mr. Sp...

Keep on reading: Lagman to divorce naysayers: Will we wait for abused wives to die?

MANILA, Philippines --- Proposals to declare the last week of September as the National Week for the Deaf, and then the month of October as the National Dwarfism Awareness Month, were approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives on Wednesday. House Bill (HB) No. 4644 or the proposed National Dwarfism Awareness Month Act was approved after 223 lawmakers voted in favor of the proposal, with two voting in the negative and zero abstentions. HB No. 4646, or the proposed National Week of the Deaf Act, was approved 231 affirmative votes, and no negative votes or abstentions. Both bills were approved on second reading last February 13. The bills were both auth...

Keep on reading: House OKs bills pushing for nat’l week for deaf, dwarfism month