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A growing wave of anger in the Philippines over corruption-tainted flood control projects is spurring activism among university students and other Filipinos that observers say evokes the spirit of past political uprisings.At the University of the Philippines’ main campus in Quezon City, over 3,000 students and lecturers left their classrooms to rally on Friday against what they described as systemic corruption.The university has long been a cradle of student activism and political dissent. Its students held protests against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Snr in the 1970s and 1980s, during the 1986 People Power Revolution to end his two-decade rule,…

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV marked his 70th birthday on Sunday by thanking God, his parents and all those who prayed for him.Leo saw giant “Happy birthday” banners, balloons and congratulatory signs held up by the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his traditional noon blessing.“My dears, it seems you know today I have turned 70,” Leo said to cheers. “I thank the Lord, my parents and all those who remembered me in their prayers.”Later Sunday, Leo was spending his birthday afternoon presiding over an ecumenical prayer service in honor of 21st century martyrs.When he was elected last…

Ukrainian drones overnight struck one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, sparking a fire, according to Russian officials and Ukraine’s military. The strike on the Kirishi refinery, in Russia’s northwestern Leningrad region, follows weeks of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure that Kyiv says fuels Moscow’s war effort. The facility, operated by Russian oil major Surgutneftegas, produces close to 17.7 million metric tons per year (355,000 barrels per day) of crude. More than three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, drones have emerged as a key weapon for both sides. Multiple Russian drones crossed into Poland on Wednesday, prompting NATO…

China has issued four travel advisories warning of risks in the Philippines since April, with analysts saying that two-way trade, investment and higher education exchanges could slow if they are heeded by Chinese citizens.The latest notice, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 30, described public security in the Philippines as “unstable” with “numerous crimes targeting Chinese citizens”. A similar advisory went out on April 1, and the Ministry of Education issued warnings in April and August for Chinese students in the Philippines.Analysts say the average Chinese citizen visiting the archipelago for legal trade, investment, study or tourism…

The owner of Rolling Stone, Billboard and Variety sued Google on Friday, alleging the technology giant’s AI summaries use its journalism without consent and reduce traffic to its websites. The lawsuit by Penske Media in federal court in Washington, D.C., marks the first time a major U.S. publisher has taken Alphabet-owned Google to court over the AI-generated summaries that now appear on top of its search results. News organizations have for months said the new features, including Google’s “AI Overviews,” siphon traffic away from their sites, eroding advertising and subscription revenue. EU hits Google with 2.95 bn euro fine despite…

BERLIN (AP) — Belgium’s prime minister traveled to neighboring Germany for a concert led by an Israeli conductor whose appearance was canceled by a Belgian festival, a gesture that added to strong criticism of the decision.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz thanked Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in a social media post Sunday for “his strong signal of solidarity” after he attended the concert given in Essen Saturday evening by the Munich Philharmonic and conducted by Lahav Shani, who is due to become the orchestra’s chief conductor next year. Shani is also the music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and…

Federal Minister for Power Awais Ahmad Leghari on Saturday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his timely and people-friendly decision to waive electricity bills for flood-affected areas. In a statement, the minister said the electricity bills of August had been completely waived for consumers in the flood-hit regions. He added that the amounts already collected would be refunded to the people. “The Power Division will ensure immediate implementation of the prime minister’s directive,” Leghari said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to provide relief to citizens facing hardships due to floods. PM announces relief for flood-hit power consumers Earlier, Prime…

The British government on Saturday announced over 1.25 billion pounds ($1.69 billion) in fresh investment from major U.S. financial firms, including PayPal, Bank of America, Citigroup and S&P Global, ahead of a state visit by President Donald Trump. The investment is expected to create 1,800 jobs across London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester, and deepen transatlantic financial ties, the Department for Business and Trade said. Bank of America will launch its first operation in Northern Ireland, creating up to 1,000 jobs in Belfast. Citigroup plans to invest 1.1 billion pounds across its UK operations, including a further commitment to growing its…

China said TikTok’s continued operation in the United States would be a prerequisite for any progress when trade negotiators open a new round of the coming Sino-US talks in Madrid.China emphasised its openness to dialogue with the US on trade issues, but said Washington must adhere to principles and provide “open, fair, non-discriminatory conditions” for Chinese enterprises, including the Chinese-owned short-video platform.“If the US insists on harming the legitimate interests of Chinese companies, China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard national interests and the legal rights of enterprises,” according to a party mouthpiece People’s Daily commentary published on Sunday,…

Bullish sentiment towards stocks is rampant in the US, as one Wall Street strategist after another raises their target for an S&P 500 Index that is repeatedly setting records.Yet as optimism about further gains has solidified into something resembling a consensus, even the most bullish are clear-eyed about a growing list of issues that could potentially stop the party. With valuations at among the richest levels of this century, the most commonly cited risks for a hard market landing include cracks emerging in the artificial intelligence theme, percolating damage from President Donald Trump’s trade war, swelling government debt loads and…