The United Nations General Assembly on Friday, May 10, backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognizing it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favorably.” The vote by the 193-member General Assembly was a global survey of support for the Palestinian bid to become a full UN member – a move that would effectively recognize a Palestinian state – after the United States vetoed it in the UN Security Council last month. The assembly adopted a resolution on Friday with 143 votes in favor and nine against – including the US a ..read more

MANILA, Philippines – It was not a coincidence that Rain or Shine suffered its most lopsided loss of the PBA Philippine Cup when Beau Belga got held to his lowest scoring output of the conference. As it turned out, it was the grand plan of TNT all along. The Tropang Giga put the clamps on Belga as they dealt the Elasto Painters a 116-99 beating to draw first blood in their best-of-three quarterfinals at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday, May 10. Enjoying the best scoring conference of his career, Belga – who averaged 17.6 points prior to Game 1 – tallied just 5 points on a 2-of-10 clip as Rain or ..read more

The United States is preparing a $400 million military aid package for Ukraine, as the US returns to a regular pace of supplying weapons to Kyiv after the passage of a $95 billion bill, a US official told Reuters on Friday, May 10. The Ukraine aid package includes artillery, munitions for NASAMS air defenses, anti-tank munitions, armored vehicles and small arms that can immediately be put to use on the battlefield, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The weapons aid will utilize Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which authorizes the president to transfer artic ..read more

Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world: Año wants expulsion of Chinese diplomats over ‘malign influence and interference operations’ Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Año calls on the foreign affairs department to ‘take appropriate action,’ after diplomats from the Chinese embassy claimed to possess a recording of a phone call with a Philippine naval officer. Ombudsman pushes graft case vs Duque, Lao over ‘irregular’ transfer of P41B for COVID-19 supplies The Office of the Ombudsman recommends filing a graft case against former healt ..read more

Claim: The Philippine government is buying two German-made MEKO A210 frigates. Rating: FALSE Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video bearing the claim has over 5,005 views and 129 likes as of writing. At the 0:31 mark, the video’s narrator says, “Sa isang makabuluhang pag-unlad na naglalayong palakasin ang mga kakayahan sa pagtatanggol sa dagat, ang Pilipinas ay nagtapos ng mga plano upang makakuha ng dalawang mabigat na barkong pandigma ng MEKO A210 class mula sa Germany.”  (In a strategic development to strengthen its maritime defense capabilities, the Philippines finalized its plan ..read more

Claim: The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) is in the Philippine Sea to conduct maritime security operations. Rating: FALSE Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video bearing the claim was posted on May 2 and has 66,086 views, 724 likes, and 100 comments as of writing. The video is titled: “US Navy Ballistic Missile Submarine Arrive in the Philippine Sea.” The bottom line: The USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) is not in active service with the US Navy. A news article from the US Naval Sea Systems Command and a Facebook post from the Oklahoma City Facebook page sh ..read more

BACOLOD, Philippines – The lingering drought, attributed to the El Niño phenomenon affecting the country, is gradually unsweetening the dollar-earning muscovado sugar industry of Negros Occidental. The dry spell has been hurting the 14 groups of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from seven localities in the province belonging to the seven-year-old Fair Trade Producers Network (FTPN). “We’re in dire need now. Our sugarcane farms are rain-dependent. With the continued drought, we’re severely affected now,” Sandrico Cornelio, FTPN president, told a press conference in Bacolod City on Wednesday ..read more

ORANI, Bataan— In the second round of the semi-finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics with a dominant 118-94 blowout victory tying the best-of-seven series, 1-1. In the semi-finals, the Cavaliers quashed the Celtics with a 24 points deficit to clinch their first ever win in the series.  Donovan Mitchell’s outstanding performance secured the victory. This included 29 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in 39 minutes for the Cavaliers. Mitchell shot 10 for 19 from the field and basket 4-out-of-6 free throw attempt. With Evan Mobley on his back, he scored a playoff career ..read more

MANILA, Philippines—With agricultural losses of approximately P5.9 billion attributed to the  El Niño phenomenon as recorded by the Department of Agriculture (DA), interest groups in the country launched donation drives to extend help to farmers, fisherfolks, and communities whose livelihoods have been affected. To lend a hand to these farmers who struggle every day to ensure that we are fed, here is a running list of donation drives initiated by advocacy groups in the country: Agham National – Advocates of Science and Technology for the People Agham National – Advocates of Science and Te ..read more

MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said there was no need to conduct a loyalty check among officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) despite reports that certain top brass were involved in a plot to overthrow him as chief executive. “Anong sasabihin mo sa tao? Loyal ka ba sakin? Siyempre, oo ‘yung sagot nun ‘di ba kahit na hindi siya loyal sa ‘yo (What are you going to tell them? Are you loyal to me? They will obviously say yes even if they are not loyal),” Marcos said on Friday, May 10. He said they have not received any reports or noticed any police officers getting ..read more