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SAN FRANCISCO, AGUSAN DEL SUR, Philippines — A group of Catholic priests from the Diocese of Tandag and private individuals have filed plunder and graft complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against Surigao del Sur 1st District Representative Romeo Momo Sr. for allegedly using his office so that a construction firm owned by his

LUCENA CITY, QUEZON, Philippines — The military in southern Tagalog has officially phased out the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) and integrated its members into the newly established National Guard, marking the end of decades-old paramilitary structure. In

a report released on Friday, the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (2nd ID) said the transition did

TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday visited the San Juanico Bridge to inspect ongoing retrofitting works and announced the reopening on the same day of the structure to 15-ton trucks, months ahead of the initial projection. Du

ring the on-site briefing, the President reiterated the urgent need for regular inspection and

The seizure of the Skipper on Wednesday marked the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019

Venezuelan oil exports have reportedly fallen sharply since the US seized a tanker this week and imposed fresh sanctions on shipping companies and vessels doing business with Caracas, according to shipping data, documents and maritime sources.

The US seizure of the Skipper tanker off Venezuela’s coast on Wednesday was the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 and marked a sharp escalation in rising tensions between the Trump administration and the government of Nicolás Maduro. Sin

ce the seizure, only tankers chartered by US oil company Chevron have sailed into international waters carrying Venezuelan crude, the data reviewed by the Reuters news agency showed. Che

vron has US government authorisation to operate through joint ventures in the country and export its oil to the US. Oth

er tankers that have loaded about 11m barrels of oil and fuel are stuck in Venezuelan waters, according to the sources and data seen by Reuters. The

US attorney general, Pam Bondi, said this week the Skipper was intercepted and retained under a seizure warrant, while Guyana’s maritime authority said it was falsely flying the country’s flag. The tan

ker is now reportedly heading to Houston, where it will offload its cargo on to smaller ships. Washing

ton is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, according to Reuters. Venezue

la has condemned the tanker seizure as “blatant theft” and “international piracy”, saying it would file complaints with international bodies. At the same tim

Mike Waltz warns ‘spoilers’ will be held to account as rebel fighters escalate offensive in South Kivu province The

US has accused Rwanda of violating a US-brokered peace agreement by backing a deadly new rebel offensive in the mineral-rich eastern Congo, and warned action will be taken against “spoilers”. The rema

rks by the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, came as more than 400 civilians have been killed since the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels escalated their offensive in eastern Congo’s South Kivu province, according to officials who also say Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira. Waltz on F

riday told the UN security council that the US was “profoundly concerned and incredibly disappointed with the renewed outbreak of violence” by M23. “Rwanda is lea

ding the region towards increased instability and war,” Waltz warned. “We will use the t

ools at our disposal to hold to account spoilers to peace.” He called on Rwanda to

respect Congo’s right to defend its territory and invite friendly forces from neighbouring Burundi to fight alongside Congolese forces. He also said the US was

engaging with all sides “to urge restraint and to avoid further escalation”. The rebels’ latest offensive

comes despite a US-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington. The accord didn’t include the

rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to ha

A raccoon that broke into a Virginia store and joyfully drank its way through the liquor aisle is now suspected of a wider crime spree, officials say.

A Hanover animal control officer suspects the stripe-tailed mammal also broke into a nearby karate studio and then raided the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for snacks.

"Supposedly, this is the third break-in he's had," said Officer Samantha Martin.

The raccoon, now nicknamed the "trashed panda", was first discovered passed out in the bathroom of the Ashland liquor store two days after Thanksgiving.

After sobering up, the unlikely outlaw was released back into the wild.

A new study found the masked mammals known for rummaging rubbish bins for easy food, are evolving and getting comfortable around humans.

Ms Martin says it's only a matter of time before the masked bandit strikes the shopping centre again.

"This is not the first time he's been in one of the buildings," she told the county government's official podcast, Hear in Hanover, on Thursday.

"He was in the karate studio.

I think he got into the DMV [and] ate some of their snacks one time," she said.

The US ambassador to the UN has accused Rwanda of leading Africa's Great Lakes region toward war, just over a week after a peace deal was signed in Washington to end the decades-long conflict.

US President Donald Trump Trump hailed the deal between DR Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame as "historic" and "a great day for Africa, great day for the world". B

ut the M23 rebel group says it has "fully liberated" the key city of Uvira in an offensive the US and European powers say is backed by Rwanda. U

N experts have previously accused it of having "de facto control" of the rebel force's operations. R

wanda denies the allegations, however, its presence in Washington was a tacit acknowledgment of its influence over the M23. T

he rebels were not signatories to Trump's deal - and have been taking part in a parallel peace process led by Qatar, a US ally. T

he latest fighting risks further escalating an already deeply complex conflict. P

rof Jason Stearns, a Canada-based political scientist who specialises in the region, told the BBC that the view in M23 circles was that "they need more leverage in the negotiations", while the feeling in the Rwandan government is that Tshisekedi cannot be trusted. H

e added that the assault on Uvira, in South Kivu province, "flies in the face of all the negotiations that are under way". "

It appears to humiliate the US government. I

Warehouses supplying the vast majority of Ukraine's pharmacies have been destroyed in a series of Russian attacks over recent months.

Medical supplies worth about $200m (£145m) were destroyed in just two strikes in December and October. A

large warehouse storing medicines in the city of Dnipro was destroyed in a Russian air strike on 6 December. A

s a result, about $110m worth of medicines were destroyed - estimated at up to 30% of Ukraine's monthly supply. "

It was a missile and drone strike against our facility. T

he missiles flew past, but the drones hit it," said Dmytro Babenko, acting director-general of pharmaceutical distributor BADM. "

They caused a fire which unfortunately proved impossible to contain and the whole facility was destroyed." B

ADM is one of two companies that supply about 85% of Ukrainian pharmacies in roughly equal shares. T

he other company is Optima Pharm, whose warehouses have been hit three times this year - on 28 August, 25 October and 15 November. T

he October attack destroyed its main storage facility in Kyiv, and cost the company more than $100m, says Optima Pharm's chief financial officer Artem Suprun. R

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Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world: Memb

ers of civil society groups and the church file a plunder complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte with the Office of the Ombudsman. This

, over Duterte’s alleged misuse of her confidential funds as Vice President and when she was Education Secretary. The Na

tional Bureau of Investigation has requested the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice against former lawmaker Zaldy Co. The bu

reau confirms on Friday, December 12, it has already made the request as early as November 23. Bureau

of Internal Revenue Commissioner Charlito Mendoza says all letters of authority will now require his approval before they are issued. This,

as part of ongoing audit reforms to prevent its misuse. The De

partment of Justice is flagged for a pattern of granting refugee status to Chinese fugitives wanted for financial crimes. Meghan

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The following is a press release from the Professional Regulation Commission.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Friday, December 12, that 1,282 out of 1,474 passed the Licensure Examination for Dentists given by the Board of Dentistry in NCR, Baguio, Cebu, and Davao last November 2025.

The members of the Board of Dentistry who gave the licensure examination are Dr.

Merlin A.

Go, Chairman; Dr.

Melinda L.

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WINNER.

John Cabang Tolentino of the Philippines wins the athletics gold in the men's 110m hurdles in the Southeast Asian Games on December 12, 2025.

CHONBURI, Thailand – John Cabang Tolentino broke a long-standing Southeast Asian Games record in athletics to highlight a stellar day that saw the Philippines more than double its golden haul. To

lentino set a new SEA Games record as he ruled the men’s 110m hurdles with a time of 13.66 seconds at the Supachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok on Friday, December 12. A 20

24 Paris Olympian, Tolentino shattered the previous SEA Games mark of 13.69 seconds set by Thailand’s Jamras Rittidet in the 2015 edition to add to the Philippines’ gold tally that grew from five the day prior to 11. The 24-y

ear-old also improved his bronze finish in 2023 in Cambodia as he dethroned Singapore’s Ang Chen Xiang, who established a personal-best of 13.75 seconds but still settled for the silver. “For me, i

MANILA, Philippines — No jackpot was won in Friday’s Ultra Lotto 6/58 draw, as well as in the MegaLotto 6/45 game, according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. The

Ultra Lotto 6/58 combination was 27-45-48-40-15-58 for a jackpot of P49.5 million. PCSO

said no ticket matched all six numbers. For

the MegaLotto 6/45, the winning