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Dubai/Washington – U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal envoy and Iran’s foreign minister were headed to Switzerland for talks, Axios said, although deadly strikes by Israel in Lebanon on Saturday could test a new ceasefire key to ending the Iran war. The talks, led by Steve Witkoff and Abbas Araqchi mark an effort to turn this week’s interim 14-point pact into a lasting regional deal to end the war that the United States and Israel launched on February 28. But just hours after a ceasefire took effect in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, Israeli air strikes and drone attacks killed at least five people in the south on Saturday, Lebanese state media said. A halt to the fighting in Lebanon is a condition for starting 60 days of U.S.-Iranian talks to resolve disputes over Iran’s nuclear program and other thorny issues needed to forge a more durable deal critical to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala continued her impressive run at the WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open, defeating World No. 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, 6-3, 6-4, on Friday, June 20, to advance to the semifinals. Fresh off her upset victory over World No. 2 Elena Rybakina, Eala delivered another composed performance against the sixth-seeded Svitolina, earning the sixth Top 10 win of her career. The Filipina took control early, breaking Svitolina’s serve in the opening game and building a 4-1 advantage in the first set. Svitolina managed to cut the deficit to 4-3, but Eala quickly regained momentum with another service break before closing out the set with a forehand winner. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Eala once again securing an early break to move ahead, 2-0. Svitolina fought back to level the set at 2-2, but Eala responded immediately with another break…

Sydney, Australia – Australia will do all it can to curb any spread of H5N1 bird flu, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday, as the first mainland infection was confirmed in a seabird a day after being detected in a remote southwestern region. Until now, Australia has been the only continent without a confirmed mainland case, although the virus was detected in late 2025 on the sub-Antarctic territory of Heard Island, about 4,100 km (2,550 miles) from continental Australia. “This is concerning,” Albanese told reporters in Sydney, adding that his centre-left government would do “whatever we can to restrict any spread”. Testing had confirmed the bird, found sick near Esperance, a town about 570 km (350 miles) southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, had the deadly strain, the government said. Human infections of the virus remain rare, although the highly pathogenic avian influenza has led to the culling of…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  Twenty-four Filipinos detained in Russia for nine months are set to return home after Russian authorities ordered their release following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the city of Kazan. Marcos announced the development Friday, June 19,  saying the Filipinos, alleged illegal recruitment victims, would be deported and repatriated to the Philippines. “After nine months in detention, 24 Filipinos in Russia will finally be on their way home to be reunited with their families,” Marcos said in a Facebook post. The president said he raised the detainees’ situation during his meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-Russia Commemorative Summit. Marcos said Putin was initially unaware of the case but immediately ordered Russian officials to review the matter. “They have not been charged with any wrongdoing, but they have still been kept in detention for…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Naga City Mayor and former Vice President Leni Robredo commended the Marcos administration’s housing program and said that  the national government is pursuing housing projects more aggressively than in previous years. Speaking during the signing of a housing agreement between the Pag-IBIG Fund and the Naga local government, Robredo recalled her experience as chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and noted that housing initiatives had faced funding constraints. “For a very long time, hindi natin nakita na ganito ka-aggressive ang national government as far as housing is concerned,” Robredo said on Thursday, June 18. [Translation: For a very long time, we have not seen the national government become this aggressive when it comes to housing.] Robredo said the housing sector lacked sufficient resources in the past, making it difficult to pursue large-scale projects. “Noong ako ang chair ng HUDCC, wala kaming budget…