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MANILA, Philippines — About 84 percent of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning from the Middle East still hope to find employment abroad, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said, even as the government ramps up repatriation efforts amid ongoing regional tensions.

SEN. Panfilo Lacson postponed the resumption of the probe on alleged anomalous flood control projects as the Blue Ribbon Committee has yet to receive the sworn affidavit of former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson who claimed to have knowledge of the scandal. The Blue Ribbon panel which Lacson leads has deferred its April 14 hearing on anomalous flood control projects which was originally set to hear Singson’s testimony.

John Deere has agreed to pay farmers $99 million to resolve a class action lawsuit that accused the agricultural giant of preventing farmers and mechanics from accessing the materials needed to repair equipment, as reported earlier by Reuters. As part of the proposed settlement, John Deere says it will make repair resources available for a period of 10 years, “on a license or subscription basis.”

First Lady Melania Trump has denied connections to Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters at the White House that any claims linking the two “need to end today”.

In a surprise announcement on Thursday, the first lady called for congressional hearings for survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking.

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.

“To be clear, this is not about avoiding the process. This is about ensuring that the process itself complies with the Constitution,” Michael Poa, spokesman for Vice President Sara Duterte’s 16-man legal team, said.

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.

MANILA, Philippines — Who is SBR?

The identity of an individual who proposed a P100-million flood control project in Pandi town, Bulacan province, a couple of years ago and who used only the initials SBR, on Wednesday raised questions from a justice of the Sandiganbayan.

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.