Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his government to begin direct talks with Lebanon, he said in a statement on Thursday.
Netanyahu said the talks would focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese political and militant group, and establishing peaceful relations.
Headlines
Philippines to augment oil supply amid Mideast ceasefire
Alexis Romero – The Philippine Star
April 9, 2026 | 12:00am
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Philippines to augment oil supply amid Mideast ceasefire
Signs reading ‘out of stock’ are displayed at a gas station amid rising petrol prices in Manila on March 9, 2026.
AFP / Jam Sta Rosa
MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday expressed hope that the ceasefire in the Middle East would be longer as he vowed to take advantage of the two-week combat pause to augment the Philippines’ oil supply.
Excavation of a council house at the major Lowland Maya center of Ucanal, Guatemala, reveals how the public gained some influence over Maya politics more than 1,000 years ago. These colonnaded, open halls were likely council houses, where political leaders met to deliberate on governmental decisions. The open structures contrast with previous Classic period palaces, where “divine” rulers made political decisions in more private spaces. This shows the increasing importance of consensus-based politics from c. 810–950 AD onward.
The woman reportedly known as the “Ketamine Queen” was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing the drug that killed Matthew Perry.
Jasveen Sangha admitted in a plea agreement to working with another dealer to provide the “Friends” actor with dozens of vials of ketamine, including the dose that led to his fatal overdose in October 2023 at the age of 54.
Oil prices tumbled on Wednesday and global stock markets rallied after the US and Iran agreed a two-week conditional ceasefire.
Investors welcomed the news that Donald Trump had held off on his threat to bomb Iran into “the stone ages”, while Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said passage through the strait of Hormuz would be allowed for the next two weeks under the management of Iran’s military. Wall Street recorded its biggest single-day rally in a year.
