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The Manila Times

April 2026

A life-changing P84.55M win for Hope

That was exactly how it happened for “Hope,” a Metro Manila mom, wife and entrepreneur, who woke up one day to find herself P84.55 million richer after hitting the latest jackpot on Casino Plus

US Fed divided at Powell's likely last meeting at helm

The independence of the Fed is foundational to our system,
Inflation is elevated, in part reflecting the recent increase in global energy prices,

China calls US hypocritical for expressing concern over Panama's sovereignty

Lin Jianchinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Who occupied the Panama Canal for a long time, invaded Panama with its military, and arbitrarily trampled on its sovereignty and dignity? Who covets the Panama Canal, seeks to turn this international waterway — meant to remain permanently neutral — into its own territory, and disregards the sovereignty of regional countries? The answer is self-evident,
Marco Rubiou.S. Secretary of State
The sovereignty of our hemisphere is non-negotiable,
The one who has politicized and securitized the issue of ports is the United States,
We do not wish to engage in controversy, as we value respectful relations with all nations,

Oil spikes while divided Federal Reserve keeps interest rates unchanged

Brent oil futures got within striking distance of $120 a barrel before retreating a bit as markets girded for a much longer Middle East war

Jeffrey M Roachresearcher
Expect more dissents in the near term and expect more volatility in the rates markets,
The market is increasingly shifting towards a view that no longer expects a quick and lasting peace, nor an immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,
Inflation is elevated, in part reflecting the recent increase in global energy prices,

Hegseth faces withering questions about Iran in first congressional appearance since war began

Pete Hegsethdefense Secretary
The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,
Adam Smithrepresentative
Whoa, whoa, whoa. We had to start this war, you just said, because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat. Now you’re saying it was completely obliterated?”
Don Baconamerican politician (born 1963)
We had a huge bipartisan majority here that had confidence in the Army chief of staff and the secretary of the navy,
Nancy Macerepublican Representative
I’m glad that you’re firing people,... There are people there that are getting in your way. They need to go.”
Chrissy Houlahanrepresentative
You have no way of explaining why you fired one of the most decorated and remarkable men,
What is the cost of Iran having a nuclear weapon that they wield?”

Evidence for threat, sedition not 'foundation for probable cause,' says Sara's lawyer

Evidence is curated, even spliced. Context is ignored. Opinion is substituted for facts. Guesswork is presented as investigation results. These cannot be the foundation for probable cause, much less a prima facie case with reasonable certainty of conviction. Simply repeating a conclusion, no matter how vehemently, does not make it true,

Meta chief Zuckerberg doubles down on AI spending

He gave the example of a hot trend in "agentic" AI in which digital assistants handle computer tasks independently at the behest of people

Mark ZuckerbergcEO
The way to think about the investment is that we're making a bet (on) the individual things that people care about, and that people are going to be more important in the future,
Mark ZuckerbergcEO
There are a lot of agents out there that people are building for different things, and there aren't that many that I would want to give to my mother,
Susan LicFO
We continue to see scrutiny on youth related issues and have additional trials scheduled for this year in the US, which may ultimately result in a material loss,
Mark ZuckerbergcEO
We are trying novel things,

Who is ICC Judge Joanna Korner?

As a renowned expert, Judge Korner has organized and taught on numerous training programs on international criminal law and advocacy for judges and lawyers from different regions. Between 2004-2005, she was Senior Legal Adviser to the Chief Prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the establishment of a War Crimes Section in the country's State Prosecutor's Office,

Powell appeals for Fed independence as he caps term at helm

At his press briefing, Powell gave a lengthy explanation of why central bank independence was key to the economy and the general public

Jerome Powellfed Chair
We don't think, oh, I want to do this because the president says it's a good idea, or because there's an election coming up and I want to speed up or slow down the economy,
Markets would lose faith in us and our ability to control inflation and have any respect would be gone,
You want people to make monetary policy and set interest rates to benefit the general public, and try to achieve economic goals, which are maximum employment and price stability, and focus only on that, and ignore political considerations -- completely ignore them,

King Charles touts 'solidarity' with US at 9/11 memorial

The four-day US tour, clouded by tensions over the Iran war, began in Washington with President Donald Trump warmly greeting the monarch and his wife Queen Camilla

We honour the memory of all those who so tragically lost their lives on 11th September 2001, and stand in enduring solidarity with the American people in the face of such profound loss. Charles R ‌Camilla R."
We stand in enduring solidarity with the American people in the face of their profound loss,
Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy,

Inflation could hit 6% in April — BSP

Consumer price growth was forecast to have hit 5.6 to 6.4 percent, above the 2.0- to 4.0-percent target and higher than the 4.1 percent recorded in March

Inflation risks have intensified amid upward price pressures from significantly higher domestic petroleum prices, rising prices of key food items such as rice, fish, and meat, increased electricity charges, and the peso depreciation,
The anticipated decline in vegetable and fruit prices may help temper inflation, but sources of upside price pressures continue to warrant close monitoring,

Commercial pilot says plane hit by drone over US airport

The incident happened around 8:30 am (1630 GMT), 90 minutes after the plane took off from San Francisco, flying at an altitude of around 3,000 feet (900 meters)

I believe I just saw like a red small object...about 1,000 feet below us to our right,
It was so small I couldn't tell,
United flight 1980 reported a potential drone prior to arriving in San Diego,

Canada will be the headquarters for a future NATO-linked financial institution, official says

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak ahead of an official announcement

As our nation’s financial capital, with a skilled workforce and unparalleled global connectivity, there’s no better place for the bank to be headquartered than Toronto,

Brazil's Senate blocks Lula's Supreme Court nominee, first rejection in 132 years

Only 34 senators voted in favor of Jorge Messias, who has been Brazil's solicitor-general since 2023 and a close legal adviser to Lula, while another 42 rejected his appointment