Inquirer Breaking News

MANILA, Philippines — Bank of the Philippine Islands said it had resolved the issue that disrupted the delivery of certain services Tuesday morning and that users can now access all these services. “We have resolved the unavailability of ATM withdrawals, CAM deposits, Debit Card purchases, access to the BPI app and BPI online, as well as using BPI online credentials for payments and loading via third-party apps. You may now resume your everyday banking transactions,” BPI said in an advisory released at about 2.40 p.m. In an earlier advisory, the bank said some of its services were temporarily unavailable as […]...

Keep on reading: BPI services restored after hours of downtime

Grindavik, Iceland — Orange lava bubbles and pops, occasionally spewing large fountains from a volcano that has been erupting for a month in Iceland, the second-longest eruption since the region’s volcanic activity reawakened in March 2021. “It’s continuing at a pretty stable rate at the moment and we don’t see any real signs that it will end in the near future,” Benedikt Ofeigsson, geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), told AFP. READ: Iceland volcano still pouring out fountains of lava On March 16, lava burst out of a crack in the ground at Sundhnukagigar, on the Reykjanes peninsula in […]...

Keep on reading: Iceland volcano still spewing lava, one month on

LeBron James will be out to extend his 21st NBA campaign on Tuesday when his Los Angeles Lakers open the NBA play-in tournament against the New Orleans Pelicans, the winner booking a playoff meeting with the defending champion Denver Nuggets. The Lakers closed the regular season with a dominant victory over the Pelicans on Sunday. James said the Lakers can’t afford a letdown against a Pelicans team eager to turn the tables. “They’re going to be extremely ready for us, and we have to come in with the same sense of urgency,” said James, who at 39 remains a formidable […]...

Keep on reading: LeBron, Lakers take on Pelicans as NBA play-in tips off

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has called out another national government agency. And this time, her criticisms were directed towards the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA). Garcia hit the government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) in the ongoing organizational crisis that hit the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD). READ MORE: MCWD ‘condemns’ LWUA, City Hall for ‘atrocious disruption’ LWUA-appointed general manager barred from entering MCWD building MCWD leadership dispute: Daluz tells Lapid to resign During a press conference on Monday, April 15, the governor took a jab at LWUA and accused them for politicking in the midst of […]...

Keep on reading: MCWD ‘drama’: Gwen hits LWUA on ‘politics over water crisis’

ATLANTA — A healthy Trae Young gives the Atlanta Hawks’ their best hope for overcoming season-long injury woes and advancing past the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Young hopes he can provide his normal production after playing three games at the end of the regular season. His minutes were restricted after missing 23 games with a torn ligament in his left pinkie, but he said he hopes to have his normal minutes in Wednesday night’s game at Chicago. Young’s return wasn’t enough to prevent the Hawks from entering the play-in tournament with a six-game losing streak. He […]...

Keep on reading: NBA: Trae Young says he feels better ahead of play-in vs Bulls

Former US President Donald Trump signed the creation of the US Space Force in 2019. As the name suggests, its objective is to combat space-based threats, specifically from other countries. Back then, many did not take it seriously due to several sources smearing the project. It didn’t help that the concept was out-of-this-world.  READ: Israel uses AI to facilitate military operations After all, the name spurred associations with sci-fi movies like Star Wars as many did not know what a “space military” would look like in real life. Nevertheless, the US military acknowledges the importance of preparing for potential space threats. […]...

Keep on reading: US Space Force to conduct military exercise in 2025

MANILA, Philippines — Japan has been invited to participate fully in next year’s Balikatan exercises, the country’s biggest war games with the United States. Col. Michael Logico, executive agent of Balikatan 2024 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, made the announcement on Tuesday as President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s said the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Tokyo will soon be completed. READ: The Philippines, United States, and France will conduct sail in the West Philippine Sea next month The RAA enables a mechanism for shared military training and operations and larger joint exercises between Philippines and Japan. “Beginning with […]...

Keep on reading: Philippines invites Japan to completely join in Balikatan war games – AFP

MANILA, Philippines — Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI) of billionaire Andrew Tan recorded a 20-percent increase in earnings last year to a “record-breaking” P30.3 billion, from P25.2 billion in 2022,  on the strong performance of its business units. “This was achieved even amid heightened competition in the domestic and global market, various macro challenges in some key markets, rising cost pressures, and higher interest rates,” AGI CEO Kevin Tan said in a statement on Tuesday. The holding company’s consolidated revenues likewise expanded by 15 percent to P211.2 billion. AGI currently has interests in real estate via Megaworld Corp., spirits through […]...

Keep on reading: Alliance Global profit jumped 20% to P30.3B in 2023

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Unbeaten Cebuano prospect, Kevin Jake “KJ” Cataraja’s dream of fighting for a world title is within reach. It was after Cataraja had been elevated as the No. 1 contender in the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in its latest rankings in the super flyweight division.  It means that Cataraja is next in line to fight WBO world super flyweight champion and three-division world champion Kosei Tanaka.  READ MORE: Cataraja walks away with UD win versus Blazo in Manila Cebu’s Cataraja locks horns with Blazo in Sanman Boxing co-main event on Tuesday Pacquiao ‘ready’ to fight Mayweather again […]...

Keep on reading: KJ Cataraja is WBO's No. 1 super flyweight contender

CEBU CITY, Philippines — “There is no such thing as breach,” in the MCWD said Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama during the Ingna’ng Mayor on Sugboanong Channel on Tuesday, April 16. This is after the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) announced a security breach happening in their main office that allegedly caused “confusion and fear” to MCWD’s employees. In a statement released by the MCWD on Tuesday, the water district “condemns” the “brazen actions” taken by the Local Water Utilities (LWUA), its interim board, the Cebu City Hall, and the LWUA-appointed officer-in-charge general manager, Lawyer John Dx Lapid. READ: MCWD […]...

Keep on reading: Rama: ‘No breach’ happened in MCWD

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Tuesday that it is mulling whether to remove the barangay certification as a requirement for voter registration. According to Comelec Chairperson George Garcia, this was due to some incidents in which some citizens attempted to register even though they were still not of voting age. READ: Comelec: New voters breach 1 million mark “I’ll be very honest sa inyong lahat na pinag-iisipan na ng inyong Commission en banc ang pag-aalis ng barangay certificate bilang requirement sa pagpaparehistro kaya lamang dapat rin nating maisip na baka kasi masabi ng iba nating […]...

Keep on reading: Comelec considers removing barangay certification for voter registration

Dianne Medina and Rodjun Cruz held an intimate party where they revealed that the upcoming addition to their family is a baby girl. The couple alongside their firstborn Joaquin were standing in front of a blue-and-pink backdrop with the background of the sea, as seen on their respective Instagram pages on Sunday, April 14. After a countdown, pink color powder and confetti popped behind the backdrop, signifying that the baby No. 2 is a girl. The venue was then filled with cheers from the couple and the guests, who ran to the pair to congratulate them. View this post on […]...

Keep on reading: Dianne Medina, Rodjun Cruz's second child is a girl

LUCENA CITY — The number of pertussis cases in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region continues to rise, the Department of Health (DOH) reported. On Monday, April 15, the DOH-Center for Health Development Calabarzon (DOH-CHD 4A) released the latest result of its “pertussis tracker” showing its Morbidity Week 15 record covering Jan. 1 to April 13. The latest record listed that the total number of cases reached 319 from only 276 a week ago based on the agency’s Morbidity Week 14 list. Cavite had the highest number of pertussis cases since Jan. 1 with 70 live patients and […]...

Keep on reading: DOH: Pertussis cases in Calabarzon still rising

HOUSTON — Attorneys for rap star Travis Scott argued in court Monday, April 15, that he should be dismissed from hundreds of lawsuits filed over the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival, saying he was not responsible for safety planning and watching for possible dangers at the Houston event. But attorneys for relatives of one of the 10 people killed during a massive crowd surge at the festival said Scott ignored safety concerns and threatened to release online the personal information of anyone who would cancel the event over safety concerns. Stephen Brody, an attorney for Scott, said the rap star remains “devastated” […]...

Keep on reading: Travis Scott was not responsible for safety at deadly Astroworld concert, rapper's attorneys say

Comedian-actor Dennis Padilla said that working with his sister-in-law, Claudine Barretto, for the first time in an upcoming movie, gave him the feeling that he was with his daughter, Julia Barretto. “Tuwang tuwa ako noong kasama ko si Claudine, parang feeling ko kasama ko si Julia sa pelikula,” he told Aster Amoyo. (I was so happy when I was with Claudine; I felt like I was with Julia in the movie.) Despite being in-laws, Padilla and Claudine had not seen each other for a long time before they starred in the upcoming movie “Magic Hurts.” “Walang nagbago. Kahit matagal kaming […]...

Keep on reading: Dennis Padilla says Claudine Barretto reminds him of Julia Barretto

Beijing, China — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday he hoped Berlin and Beijing could help achieve a “just peace” in Ukraine, as he met President Xi Jinping in the Chinese capital. The chancellor arrived in China on Sunday, accompanied by a large delegation of ministers and business executives on his second visit to the country since taking office. His whistlestop tour has taken him to the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, economic powerhouse Shanghai and now Beijing, but he faces a tough balancing act as he aims to shore up economic ties with Berlin’s biggest trading partner. READ: German industry […]...

Keep on reading: Germany's Scholz seeks Chinese role in 'just peace' for Ukraine

MANILA, Philippines — A Catholic prelate asked for prayers for the Filipino crewmen of the MSC Aries, which was seized by Iranian authorities near the Strait of Hormuz in between Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in the Middle East. Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos on Monday expressed concern for the four Filipino personnel of the Portuguese vessel that was seized on Saturday. He hopes the Philippine government will be able to safely bring them home. READ: 4 Filipinos are on Portuguese container ship hijacked by Iran, says DMW “It is sad news. Like their families, we, too, are worried about […]...

Keep on reading: Bishop airs concern for 4 OFWs on board Portugese vessel seized by Iran

MANILA, Philippines — A bill has been lodged in the Senate to prohibit and penalize motorists’ indiscriminate use of beacons, sirens, and other emergency vehicle lights and audio accessories. Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said his Senate Bill No. 2635, filed Tuesday, was in line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s latest directive barring government officials and employees from using sirens, blinkers and other similar devices.  “Yung (The) violators will be fined from a P1,000 to P5,000 with the possibility of the suspension of their driver’s license for a period of one year,” Villanueva said of his bill during the […]...

Keep on reading: Villanueva seeks strict penalties vs indiscriminate use of sirens, similar devices

MANILA, Philippines — DoubleDragon Corp. of tycoons Edgar “Injap” Sia II and Tony Tan Caktiong booked a 23.25-percent rise in earnings in 2023 to P15.93 billion on its growing asset portfolio. In a stock exchange filing on Tuesday, DoubleDragon said consolidated revenue also ballooned by 75 percent to P24.74 billion from P14.13 billion in 2022. Total assets, meanwhile, climbed by 15.59 percent to P181.24 billion. “The [DoubleDragon] team has continuously poured the necessary hard work, careful planning, and grit to passionately execute its set goals,” Sia said in a statement. With the listing of its subsidiary, Hotel101 Global Pte. Ltd. […]...

Keep on reading: DoubleDragon earnings up 23% to P15.9B in 2023

Darren Espanto opened up about his past yearlong relationship with Kyline Alcantara, which he labeled as a mere “puppy love” romance. In an interview with Boy Abunda on Monday, April 15, Espanto was asked to comment about the extent of his relationship with Alcantara following the latter’s guest appearance on “It’s Showtime,” where she seemed to allude to their previous involvement. “I’m talking about Kyline, what is the true story? Sabihin mo sa akin ang totoo. Naging kayo (Tell me the truth. Did you ever get together?” Abunda asked. “Hindi ko masagot ng yes or no kasi (I can’t answer […]...

Keep on reading: Darren Espanto opens up on 'puppy love' with Kyline Alcantara