PRAGUE: Flags on public buildings flew at half-staff on Saturday and Masses were scheduled across the Czech Republic for a day of national mourning after a deadly shooting at Prague's Charles University, the worst in the Central European country in decades. A 24-year-old student opened fire at the university's Faculty of Arts on Thursday, killing 13 people and then himself. Another person died in the hospital later on.

SAN FRANCISCO, California: A United States federal court ruled on Friday that social media company Twitter, now branded X, violated contracts by failing to pay annual performance bonuses it orally promised its workers. The breach-of-contract lawsuit was brought by former employer Mark Schobinger in June.

SEOUL: A South Korean vessel named after a warship torpedoed by Pyongyang in 2010 that resulted in the deaths of 46 sailors began a new mission with "unbeatable combat readiness," Seoul's military said on Saturday. The sinking of the Cheonan has remained a politicized issue in South Korea, where some have questioned whether North Korea really downed the ship.

A 51-year-old woman was arrested after she accidentally knifed his son in the head when intervening a dispute between him and another man during Winter Solstice dinner on Friday. The incident took place at Wah Chun House, Wah Fu Estate in the Southern District, and was reported to police shortly after midnight. It is understood that a 37-year-old man, Kwok, lives there and he last night invited a 34-year-old, So, and his 51-year-old mother, Liu, among other family members for a Winter Solstice dinner. Yet, Kwok was unhappy about So’s bad attitude towards his sick mother Liu and the two soon found themselves in an argument. After preliminary investigation, Liu was arrested for wounding and the case is now handled by the Western district crime investigation team.

Israel’s ‘Bring them home’ campaign takes jeepney rideIsrael ambassador ilan fluss places flags on a jeepney adorned with hostage profile tarps as he kicked off an awareness campaign at the quirino grandstand in manila for the release of 129 people still being held by hamas in gaza. Inset shows the ambassador driving one of the jeepneys, which he said were chosen as canvasses to convey a message of solidarity between the philippines and israel. MANILA, Philippines — Using traditional jeepneys, the Israel embassy urged Filipinos yesterday to join in appealing for the release of 129 mostly Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas militants in Gaza. “Today, we’re using jeepneys as canvasses to convey a powerful message of solidarity with Israel and a heartfelt plea for the safe return of the abductees,” Fluss announced. While condemning Hamas’ murders and abuses against around 1,200 Israelis and foreigners they abducted, Fluss also reiterated the need for Hamas to release the remaining 129 hostages.

No Filipino student hurt in deadly campus shooting in PragueThis photo shows the flags of the Philippines and the Czech Republic. MANILA, Philippines — None of the six known Filipino students at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic were hurt in the shooting incident that took place on campus on Thursday, according to embassy officials. The shooter is now dead and "the situation is contained," according to the embassy, which cited Czech government authorities. The Philippine Embassy in Prague said that the victims' nationalities have not been publicly released and that it would be notified by Prague police on any possible incidents involving Filipinos. The embassy has advised all Filipinos in the immediate area to avoid the shooting site and to remain on alert.

On Thursday, police arrested a man on suspicion of three cases of arson in Tseung Kwan O. After the arson case that occurred at Shang Chun House in Sheung Tak Estate on December 17, officers conducted an in-depth investigation and combed through security footage, locating and arresting the arsonist in Tseung Kwan O District yesterday (Dec 21). A 46-year-old local man named Lee was arrested on suspicion of arson and is currently remanded in police custody for investigation. The police stated that the investigation showed that in addition to the aforementioned arson case, the arrested person was also suspected of being related to two other arson cases that occurred in Sheung Tak Estate and Tseung Kwan O on December 16 and 19, respectively, which involved the burning of debris in open-air public areas. No one was injured in any of the incidents, and no evacuation was required.

Here are refreshing ways to enjoy your well-deserved weekendsJust some refreshing long-weekend activities to complement your brewMANILA, Philippines — It’s November but there are sizzling afternoons that give summer day feels. Make your well-deserved weekends refreshing with a glistening glass of wheat beer. So, with long weekends ahead this holiday season, here’s a list of refreshing activities to complement your brew. Enjoy good music and good companyA long weekend is the ideal time to relax with your favorite tunes and great friends. An ice-cold can of wheat beer will keep you company as you create memories under the starry skies.

A system of classifying content is provided, to guide the public especially on materials used in movies and broadcasting. Even among certain social media giants, the fine print for setting up accounts includes rules against harmful content. The MTRCB invoked Presidential Decree 1986 issued by Ferdinand Marcos in October 1985, plus the implementing rules and regulations. The Marcos decree provides detailed criteria for content that can be censored, some of which are reasonable while others may be concerning for civil libertarians. If this is done arbitrarily, the precedent may one day be applied to those who are now rejoicing over the Dutertes, Badoy, Celiz and SMNI getting their comeuppance.

Not doing enough to battle climate changeEach year the United Nations organizes an annual summit that solely focuses on the issue of climate change. Easily one of the most important goals of these climate talks is to cut the use of fossil fuels. At this 5 percent rate, even the best case scenario sees a rise of 2.1 degrees C to 2.8 degrees C. It is clear that there is a need for more urgent and larger deduction. It was decided in last year’s climate summit that a loss and damage fund would be established. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, the world must take climate change more seriously.

There has been little commentary on how the new budget may solve the truly crippling problems the nation confronts. All ships using the Suez Canal to deliver goods from Asia to Europe and vice versa have to pass through the narrow strait threatened by Houthi missiles. Previously, they tried firing missiles over a long distance to hit Israel but failed to penetrate the air defense system. As a result of Houthi missile attacks on commercial shipping, several companies have decided to avoid using the Suez Canal. The Houthi attacks are causing serious disruptions in global shipping.

The physical inventory and photograph-taking in the chain of custody in drugs cases must be done immediately at the place of arrest, the Supreme Court reiterated as it acquitted two men initially convicted by a lower court for drug possession in 2012. They were charged in 2012 following a buy-bust operation conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). ADVERTISEMENTIn a statement summarizing the decision, the Supreme Court said during the operation, the PDEA agents marked the seized plastic sachets containing methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” at the crime scene. The Regional Trial Court convicted Almayda and Quiogue, and the ruling was affirmed by the Court of Appeals. In a resolution dated Nov. 11, 2021, the high court affirmed the conviction, prompting Almayda and Quiogue to file a motion for reconsideration.

Just think: When was the last time you heard a Mass homily mentioning sin, hell or confession? Reconciliation is more strongly urged at Lent when Jesus Christ's Passion and Death for the forgiveness of all our sins is the crucial theme. And the best way to prepare for his coming at Christmas — indeed, the best Christmas gift we can give Jesus — is purifying our souls through penance. What's worse, many millions of them receive communion with unconfessed mortal sins, which adds more mortal sins, possibly dragging souls to hell. Let us give Jesus and our souls the saving gift of confession.

NEW DELHI: At least 10 people were killed in floods after intense rainfall in southern India, local media reported on Wednesday, weeks after a cyclone triggered intense flooding in the same areas. Hundreds are stranded in Tamil Nadu state as water submerged roads, with the air force dropping 10 tons of emergency supplies to those stranded. PATERNAL PROTECTION A man covers his son with a plastic sheet while walking along a street during rainfall in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, southern India on Dec. 15, 2023. The heavy rains come just two weeks after at least eight people were killed by Cyclone "Michaung," which hit Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh states on December 6. While rains are expected in southern India in December, scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer with climate change.

SC asked to halt December 31 PUV consolidation deadlineThis Dec. 20, 2023 photo show groups filing a petition against the PUV consolidation before the Supreme Court. MANILA, Philippines — Transport groups on Wednesday filed a petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court (SC), seeking to suspend the deadline of the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) consolidation which is scheduled on December 31. The PUV consolidation requires all PUV operators to file for transport service entities to be a cooperative or a corporation on or before December 31. Another transport group, MANIBELA, not among the petitioners, also rushed to the SC to support the filing of the plea. The impact of the PUV consolidation was also mentioned in the transport group’s plea.