News

TikTok settles hours before landmark social media addiction trial

January 28, 2026

LOS ANGELES, United States — Video sharing app TikTok has made an eleventh-hour deal to avoid a landmark US trial accusing it, along with Meta and YouTube, of addicting young people to social media, lawyers said on Tuesday. The deal was made as jury se...

Pressure mounts on Kristi Noem as Republicans join calls for her to go

January 28, 2026

Chris Stein in Washington

Key senators urge resignation as Democrats threaten to impeach DHS secretary if Trump does not fire herUS politics live – latest updatesTop House Democrats on Tuesday told Donald Trump to fire Kristi Noem or they would launch impeachment proceedings ag...

Two federal officers fired shots during encounter that killed Alex Pretti, homeland security department tells Congress – live

January 28, 2026

Dani Anguiano (now); Lauren Gambino, Lucy Campbell and Vivian Ho (earlier)

The killing of a 37-year-old US citizen has sparked outrage and widespread protests; videos have contradicted the Trump administration’s characterization of the shootingMinnesota raids continue as DHS report indicates two agents fired guns at PrettiMel...

Stephen Colbert announces date of final episode of The Late Show

January 28, 2026

CBS announced in July that Late Show would end in May, more than 30 years after 1993 debut under David LettermanThe final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will air on 21 May, the host has announced.Colbert, who has hosted the show since 20...

Doomsday Clock at 85 seconds to midnight amid threats from climate crisis and AI

January 28, 2026

Associated Press

Planet closer to destruction as Russia, China and US become more aggressive and nationalistic, says advocacy groupEarth is closer than it has ever been to destruction as Russia, China, the US and other countries become “increasingly aggressive, adversa...

Nartatez set to get four-star rank on Jan. 28 — PNP

January 28, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Acting Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. will be promoted to a full-fledged top cop with the four-star rank of police general on Wednesday, Jan. 28, according to a memorandum from the agenc...

The best Android phones

January 28, 2026

Allison Johnson

The Android ecosystem is all about choice. While iPhone owners have a smaller pool of new devices to pick from when it’s time to upgrade, there’s a wider range of choices on Android. Some Android phones even fold in half! Imagine. On the flip side, all that choice can make for some hard decisions. Here’s […]

China’s Anta Sports to become top Puma shareholder

January 28, 2026

BEIJING, China — Chinese athletic goods giant Anta Sports will buy a controlling stake in historic German sportswear brand Puma for $1.79 billion, a stock exchange filing showed Tuesday. As it expands its international presence, Anta will buy 43 millio...

Cebu urged to teach basic solid waste management in schools

January 28, 2026

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A city councilor is pushing for a long-term fix that begins not in landfills or power plants, but inside classrooms, as Cebu City struggles to contain a deepening garbage crisis. In a privilege speech delivered on Tuesday, Janu...

French former senator found guilty of drugging MP with intent to sexually assault her

January 28, 2026

Agence France-Presse

Joël Guerriau sentenced to four years in prison after spiking lawmaker’s champagne with ecstasyA French court has found a former senator guilty of drugging a female lawmaker with ecstasy with intent to sexually assault her.Joël Guerriau, 68, was senten...

Seven out of 10 UK mothers feel overloaded, research reveals

January 28, 2026

Denis Campbell Health policy editor

Study also says almost half have a mental health issue such as anxiety or depressionHow bad is maternal health in Europe, and how can we fix it?Seven out of 10 mothers in the UK feel overloaded and almost half have a mental health issue such as anxiety...

Two-year-old pots two Guinness World Records with snooker trick shots

January 28, 2026

Manchester toddler Jude Owens becomes youngest person to perform bank shot and double pot just weeks apart A two-year-old has become the holder of two Guinness World Records by becoming the youngest person to perform a pair of trick shots in snooker.Ma...

Coinbase adverts banned in UK for suggesting crypto could ease cost of living crisis

January 28, 2026

Advertising Standards Authority says firm advised by George Osborne ‘trivialised risks of cryptocurrency’A cryptocurrency company advised by George Osborne has been banned from showing a set of adverts that suggested using its services could be a solut...

Amihan, shear line to bring cold weather, light rains to Luzon, Visayas

January 28, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – The shear line and the northeast monsoon or amihan continue to affect the country, bringing cold weather, cloudy skies, and light rains to most areas of the Philippines on Wednesday, the state weather bureau said. In its forecast,...

Meta is spending millions to convince people that data centers are cool and you like them

January 28, 2026

Stevie Bonifield

Over the last few months of 2025, Meta spent $6.4 million on an ad campaign running in cities across the country, from Sacramento to Washington, with a clear mission: win over viewers on the construction of new data centers. As the New York Times reports, the ad campaign is anchored by short, folksy video spotlights […]

Wall Street sets new record while US dollar value slides again

January 28, 2026

NEW YORK, United States — Wall Street ticked to a record on Tuesday, as stocks zigzagged following mixed profit reports from UnitedHealth, General Motors and other big companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% and edged past its prior all-time high set a co...

Minnesota raids continue as DHS report indicates two agents fired guns at Pretti

January 28, 2026

Maya Yang and Shrai Popat in Minneapolis

Report emerges as Trump signals he may reduce the surge of ICE and other federal agents in the stateAs federal immigration crackdowns in Minnesota continued on Tuesday, an initial report to Congress from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) obtain...

Moltbot, the AI agent that ‘actually does things,’ is tech’s new obsession

January 28, 2026

An open-source AI agent that "actually does things" is taking off, with people across the web sharing how they're using the agent to do a whole bunch of things, like manage reminders, log health and fitness data, and even communicate with clients. The tool, called Moltbot (formerly Clawdbot), runs locally on a variety of devices, […]

Lawyer-engineer Mariefel Roble appointed by Archival to MCWD board

January 28, 2026

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) has a new professional sector representative on its board. This was after Mayor Nestor Archival intervened to appoint lawyer-engineer Mariefel Resma Roble amid delays in the legally m...

LOOK: 5th alarm fire hits Landers Supermarket in Quezon City

January 28, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — A fire that reached fifth alarm gutted a Landers Supermarket branch in Barangay Pasong Putik, Quezon City before dawn on Wednesday, prompting an escalated fire response on site. The blaze was reported at the Landers Supermarket in...

The best budget robot vacuums

January 28, 2026

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Today’s robot vacuums are becoming a bit like cars: with all the features, upgrades, and fancy trimmings available these days, it’s easy to forget that they can just be simple machines that get us from point A to point B. Yes, some bots blow hot air on their bums (mop pads), deftly navigate dog poop, […]

Becoming Miss World Philippines: Winning more than a crown

January 28, 2026

As Miss World Philippines 2026 coronation night approaches, international Q&A coach and pageant communication strategist Michelle Joy Padayhag shared her views on what defines a queen worthy of the title....Keep on reading: Becoming Miss World Philippi...

Starmer heads to China to defend ‘pragmatic’ partnership

January 28, 2026

LONDON, United Kingdom — Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday begins a three-day visit to China where he will defend Britain’s “pragmatic” partnership with the Asian giant after years of fraught relations. It will be the first vis...

Major incident declared in Somerset after Storm Chandra brings flooding and strong winds

January 28, 2026

Joe Coughlan and Steven Morris

South-west England bears brunt of storm, but yellow weather warnings are also issued for Wales, Northern Ireland and ScotlandA major incident has been declared in Somerset after swathes of south-west England were left flooded and cut off by Storm Chand...

ASEAN FMs to tackle Myanmar peace plan, elections in Cebu retreat

January 28, 2026

MANDAUE CITY – The peace plan and the recently concluded elections in Myanmar are among the pressing subjects foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will discuss in their first major meeting under the Philippine ...

Kim: North Korea soon to unveil ‘next-stage’ nuclear deterrent plans

January 28, 2026

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has announced that “next-stage plans” for developing his country’s nuclear deterrent will be unveiled at the next ruling party congress, the official KCNA news agency reported Wedne...

Chinese ‘monster ship’: West PH Sea sees its return after almost a year

January 28, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The presence of the world’s largest coast guard cutter belonging to China has been seen for the first time in nearly a year at the West Philippine Sea. The China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel with hull number 5901 weighs about 12,...

‘Very low bar’: analysts say Starmer faces slim pickings in China

January 28, 2026

Lisa O’Carroll

Experts say business with China is always a double-edged sword let alone when its overheated economy can offer only marginal gainsStarmer vows to remain ‘clear-eyed’ over national security as he flies to ChinaKeir Starmer’s trip to China is billed as a...

Starmer vows to remain ‘clear-eyed’ over national security as he flies to China

January 28, 2026

Pippa Crerar Political editor

PM promises ‘stability and clarity’ in approach on first visit to Beijing by UK leader in eight years‘Very low bar’: analysts say Starmer faces slim pickings in ChinaKeir Starmer has said the UK government will remain “clear-eyed and realistic” on the ...

UK veterinary sector reforms planned to tackle high costs of pet care

January 28, 2026

Proposals would require clearer pricing and transparency as CMA finds fees have risen at nearly twice rate of inflationThe biggest shake-up of the UK veterinary sector for 60 years should push down costs for pet owners by requiring practices to make th...

The winter storm tested power grids straining to accommodate AI data centers

January 28, 2026

The colossal winter storm that swept across 34 states left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity. Bitterly cold temperatures lingering after Winter Storm Fern are still testing power grids, already under stress from a rush of new AI data centers. Over the weekend, wholesale electricity prices soared in Virginia, the state with the most […]

Russian drone strike on Ukrainian passenger train kills five

January 28, 2026

Attack in Kharkiv region was denounced as terrorism by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said it undermined ‘efforts to end the war’A Russian drone strike on a passenger train in north-eastern Ukraine has killed five people, prosecutors said, an attack denounce...

What to know about America’s colossal winter storm

January 28, 2026

WASHINGTON, United States — A deep freeze is gripping large swaths of the United States after a monster storm killed dozens of people from the Northeast to the Deep South, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands and sent air travel into chaos. Anoth...

Daily Gospel, January 28, 2026

January 28, 2026

This is the Daily Gospel for January 28, 2026, which is the Wednesday of the Third week in Ordinary Time. READ MORE: Daily Gospel, January 27, 2026 Daily Gospel, January 26, 2026 Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ, according to Saint Mark 4, 1-20. On another ...

The best fitness trackers and watches we’ve tested

January 28, 2026

Fitness trackers have come a long way from the simple bands that tracked steps and little else. Modern trackers can monitor everything from your heart health to how well you’ve recovered from a hard bout of training. Even flagship smartwatches, which used to be lackluster trackers, have become pretty adept workout companions. Whatever your fitness […]

DOTr grounds Aleson fleet over Basilan ferry tragedy

January 28, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has grounded the entire passenger fleet of Aleson Shipping Lines, owner of MV Trisha Kerstin 3 which sank off the waters of Basilan province on Monday, pending investigation of the incident....

Lotto draw results, January 27, 2026

January 28, 2026

Here are the lotto draw results of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) for Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Check these out. READ MORE: Lotto draw results, January 26, 2026 Lotto draw results, January 25, 2026 PCSO Lotto gamesThe PCSO holds five...

US announces multi-day aerial military drills in the Middle East amid Iran tensions

January 28, 2026

Andrew Roth in Washington

Exercises described by President Trump as an ‘armada’ to be led by the USS Abraham Lincoln amid standoffThe US has announced plans to hold multi-day military exercises in the Middle East as it deploys what Donald Trump has called an “armada” led by the...