The most solemn and terrifying words ever uttered are those inscribed over the gateway to Hell in Dante’s Inferno: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!” Hope is essential for human survival both as individuals and as nations. Surveying the history of the seemingly endless series of wars and counter-wars between Israel and its foes […]

The United Nations continues to be virtually paralyzed – and remains politically impotent amidst two raging conflicts—as Russia and Israel keep defying the world body. The killings of civilians and the destruction of cities, particularly by Israel, are devastating and continue despite repeated warnings from the UN, its humanitarian agencies, the International Criminal Court (ICC), […]

The United Nations, established in 1945 at the end of World War II, has sadly virtually outlived its usefulness as it commemorated its 79th anniversary due to its failure to reform itself and adjust to the new world order following the collapse of the Soviet Union, which is significantly different from when the UN was […]

While the expansion of democracy is a key condition for peace, the Achilles’ heel of democracies is that their leaders are constrained by electoral calendars, forcing them to push for peace or delay, whereas autocracies can afford to play the long game to achieve the favorable outcomes they desire. Take, for example, the current wars […]

Africa has had a terrible record dealing with extreme poverty. The late Adebayo Adedeji, the legendary head of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), campaigned vigorously but unsuccessfully in the 1980s against the IMF and World Bank-imposed structural adjustment programmes, contending that these contributed to poverty’s increase. The continent’s economic growth plummeted rapidly […]

When the United Nations imposes sanctions or penalizes a member state – be it the General Assembly or the Human Rights Council – the resolutions are “non-binding” and often remain unimplemented. But the Security Council resolutions are “binding” – and still openly violated by countries such as North Korea—because all these UN bodies have no […]

On the day following the US election, UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres issued a brief statement commending the people of the United States for their active participation in the democratic process. He wisely omitted mention that the election of Donald J. Trump – who attempted to overturn the people’s mandate by inciting an insurrection in […]

For religious, humanitarian, and scientific reasons, Israel’s increasingly apparent plan for the de facto colonization of the Northern Gaza Strip is a bad idea. When that program was rejected recently by Israel’s own Defense Minister Yoav Galant, he was summarily fired by Prime Minister Netanyahu. However, the founding document of the worldwide Jewish community, the […]

As a result of its policies and actions in response to the 7 October attack, the Israeli government has not only alienated its allies and acquired adversaries but also found itself isolated diplomatically. The consequences of those developments and realignments have occurred across countries, organizations and groups worldwide.   Situation The Israeli government’s actions in […]

In 2014, voter turnout for mid-term elections plunged to the lowest rate in 72 years. The overall national turnout was a disgraceful 36.3 percent.  

The runaway-growth in the cannabis industry, fueled by rolling de-regulation and a high demand forecast, is bringing with it a growing carbon footprint.

On January 6, 2021, white insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol, proudly displayed the confederate flag, and set up gallows on the Capitol grounds.

The world has seen QAnon before. It was called Nazism.

The majority of U.S. airlines don't pay their flight attendants until the airplane door closes, even though plane boarding is one of the most stressful parts of their job.

Why are US politicians so old compared to other countries?

With an average of only one in five voters participating in local elections, voting results are easily swayed by just one vote. Voting in local elections has never been more critical.

A once under-the-radar government position, races for secretaries of state gained national attention in the 2022 elections. Who is in control of your state elections?

The world was in turmoil in 2023, rife with stomach-churning news, with the international and U.S. press primarily focused on the same news stories. It seems that the world has never been more interconnected.

It's never too early for reelection vision time. The time to start organizing is now.

It's never too early for reelection vision time. The time to start organizing is now.

The person you elect as mayor affects your day-to-day life more than the politicians you send to Washington, D.C., yet turnout is meager in mayoral races.

This is a list of individuals currently serving in the United States House of Representatives as of the 117th Congress

Americans live under the assumption that water is cheap, pure, and plentiful. But how true is that?

Donald Trump promises 'deportation force' to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants

Why don't the rich pay their fair share in taxes?

Donald Trump has claimed he doesn't believe in climate change, but that didn't stop him from citing it as a reason to build a sea wall to protect one of his golf courses.

Not a second goes by without pundits and the media scrutinizing the U.S. election polls and tracking the candidates' performances. But polls aren't votes. What if the polls are all wrong?

Race is central in this year's race for the White House and the struggle for racial justice and voting rights are inextricably linked.

The immigration ban, which combined with health care reform will likely wreak even more havoc on an already depressed rural America.

Cases of beer were wheeled into the Capitol after the House narrowly passed a health care bill on May 4, 2017, that would repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act. Every Democrat voted no, joined by 20 Republicans.

According to an analysis by the Urban Institute, between 2010 and 2015, more than 19 million non-elderly people gained health insurance under the  Affordable Care Act. The top 10 states that ranked the highest based on percent of total population insured through the A.C.A. are Nevada (1), California (2), Oregon (3), Kentucky (4), New Mexico (5), West Virginia (6), Florida (7), Arkansas (8), Colorado (9), and Washington (10).

Some say it was the taking down of the Robert E. Lee monument that caused the torch-wielding Nazi/white supremacists to rage. Others are confident that it had nothing to do with the statue, and everything to do with racist and anti-Semitic rage of monumental proportions that inspired the Nazis/white supremacists/white nationals to storm Charlottesville, Virginia.    

The NRA

MANILA, Philippines — After an exodus at Chery Tiggo, Ara Galang led the team’s collective effort to eke out a come-from-behind win over the gritty Capital1 and jumpstart their 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference. The Crossovers were pushed to their limits right at the start of their post-Eya Laure era as they also missed key members Mylene Paat, Jen Nierva, and Jas Nabor leaving an undermanned team, which also lost EJ Laure and Buding Duremdes. But Galang and the Crossovers stuck to their collective effort to fight back from a 1-2 deficit before surviving the Solar Spikers, 20-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-18, […]...

Keep on reading: PVL: Collective effort gets it done for undermanned Chery Tiggo

Jalen Johnson had 18 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals to lead the visiting Atlanta Hawks to a 117-116 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday in the first NBA Cup game for each team. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White scored season highs of 37 points and 31 points, respectively, for the Celtics. Brown was 7 of 12 from 3-point territory and 10 of 15 overall. White added six rebounds and five assists. Atlanta took a 117-116 lead when Onyeka Okongwu tipped in a missed shot with 6.1 seconds to play. After each team turned the ball over […]...

Keep on reading: NBA Cup: Hawks catch Celtics in closing seconds for win

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla touted local government units’ (LGUs) preemptive evacuation in response to Typhoon Nika (International name: Toraji), saying they took “lessons” from Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (International name: Trami). In a phone interview aired on People’s Television Network on Wednesday morning, Remulla said LGUs evacuated around 8,000 families from geohazard zones identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as Nika crossed Northern Luzon. “If they didn’t evacuate, perhaps, 100 would have died because many of the houses there were really destroyed,” he said in Filipino. Nika left the Philippine Area of Responsibility at […]...

Keep on reading: Remulla: Preemptive evacuation a ‘lesson’ from Storm Kristine

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) on Wednesday said the government is ready to respond to the effects of typhoons in the coming days and weeks of the year. OCD head Ariel Nepomuceno, however, admitted that the consecutive storms/typhoons in the past few weeks are unprecedented, even in the current system the government has for disaster response. “Nakalatag naman ‘yung sistema natin, although admittedly itong sistema natin hindi na-assume ‘yung ganitong scenario, bago rin sa’tin ito,” said Nepomuceno during a Kapihan sa Manila Hotel briefing. (Our system is in place, although admittedly our system did not […]...

Keep on reading: Gov't ready for calamity response; staff fatigue a big concern - OCD

TOKYO, Japan — Japan’s Seven & i Holdings 3382.T is considering launching a management buyout that would see the retailer go private in a deal that could be worth up to $58 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. The Nikkei newspaper also reported that the owner of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain was looking at […]...

Keep on reading: Japan's 7-Eleven reportedly considering management buyout of up to $58B

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte has challenged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to immediately begin its investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed during his administration’s anti-drug campaign, saying he might die before the probe even begins. During a House quad committee hearing on Wednesday, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas asked Duterte if he would cooperate with the investigation, including that of the ICC. In response, Duterte said the ICC is welcome to start its probe as soon as tomorrow (Thursday). “ICC, Ma’am?  I am asking the ICC to hurry up, and if possible, they can come here […]...

Keep on reading: Duterte dares ICC to begin probe immediately: 'Baka mamatay na ako'

(First of two parts) MANILA, Philippines—As Donald Trump prepares for his return to the US presidency, experts are taking a close look at the ripple effects his second term could have on the Philippine health care system which has benefited significantly from US assistance. Following last week’s US presidential elections, many cautioned that Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris could send global shockwaves, sparking concerns among international allies about a resurgence of his nationalist “America First” policies. One of the most talked about and weighed-in possible impacts of Trump’s second term by experts, political figures, and lawmakers alike was on immigration. Trump has made it […]...

Keep on reading: Trump 2.0: PH stays optimistic amid worries on aid, health care

SM Investments Corp., led by the billionaire Sy family, booked a 9-percent gain in earnings in the January to September period to P60.9 billion as falling interest rates buoyed its banking unit. In a stock exchange filing on Wednesday, SMIC said revenues reached P462.5 billion, up by 5 percent. READ: BIZ BUZZ: SM is conglomerate of the year “We continued to see good growth across our businesses in the third quarter,” SMIC president and CEO Frederic DyBuncio said in a statement. “With inflation easing, we remain positive. An improving macroeconomic environment should help both our businesses and consumers moving forward,” […]...

Keep on reading: SM Investments nets P60.9B

LUCENA CITY — Classes were suspended on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 13, in Calaca City, Batangas province, due to the harmful presence of volcanic smog or “vog” from Taal Volcano. The Calaca public information office announced the suspension around 11:30 a.m. in a post on its Facebook page. “In accordance with the directive of the DepEd Calaca City Sub-Office and Calaca City DRRMO, the suspension of classes this afternoon is recommended for all public and private schools at all levels in Calaca City due to volcanic smog or “vog” from Taal Volcano,” the post said in Filipino. Local authorities advised the […]...

Keep on reading: Calaca City suspends classes due to 'vog' from Taal Volcano

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — A 37-year-old man was apprehended in an entrapment operation, after a 14-year-old girl lodged a complaint against him for sextortion on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at around 9:50 a.m. in a lodge in Purok Jaguar, Brgy. Panadtaran, San Fernando town in southern Cebu. The suspect is a construction worker from Brgy. South Poblacion in San Fernando town. Meanwhile, the victim was a 14-year-old grade 9 student from Naga City. READ MORE: Sextortion: The sinister side of online romance Taiwanese jailed for attacking a transwoman; claims he was blackmailed Married man from Talisay City accuses single mom […]...

Keep on reading: 'Sextortion' in Naga: Man nabbed for trying to blackmail girl, 14

TACLOBAN CITY — A soldier was killed while three others were wounded during an encounter on Tuesday, Nov. 12, between government troops and suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Gamay, Northern Samar. The soldiers, from the 52nd Infantry Battalion based in Jipapad, Eastern Samar, were conducting military operations in the area when they encountered nine NPA rebels in Barangay Malidong. A firefight lasted about 10 minutes, resulting in the death of Corporal Benjie Tamor, 28. Three of Tamor’s colleagues were also wounded in the skirmish, though their identities were withheld by the 8th Infantry Division based in […]...

Keep on reading: Soldier slain, 3 others hurt in NPA-AFP clash in Northern Samar

Beauty queen-dentist Shaila Rebortera tied the knot with her non-showbiz fiancé, Luigi, in an intimate garden ceremony witnessed by their family and friends. Rebortera gave a glimpse of their special day through her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Nov. 12, sharing photos and videos taken by their guests. The beauty queen donned an off-shoulder balloon dress for the wedding that was held on Nov. 11 at an undisclosed location. Among the photos she shared was of her and Luigi slicing their wedding cake that has the vow “‘Til death do us part.” Luigi also showed a stitched photo in which he […]...

Keep on reading: Shaila Rebortera now married