MOST people don't really bother to think about what really is a central feature of their lives: their religion, their belief in a deity. This is remarkable in that it is religion that tells us what would happen — or think would happen — after the few decades of our existence. Doesn't that make religion — our religion — an important thing to think about to study? Ordinary people, of course, don't have the leisure to do this.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: A Japanese-owned chemical tanker struck off the coast of India on Saturday was targeted by a drone "fired from Iran," the Pentagon said, a sign of expanding risks to commercial shipping beyond the Red Sea. It was the first time the Pentagon has openly accused Iran of directly targeting ships since the start of Israel's war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is supported by Tehran.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God,and the Word was God. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,and His life brought light to everyone. So there… The baby born on Christmas Day in very humble surroundings, with very humble shepherds around Him, is God. There has to be a strong message for the Son of God to choose to be born in a dirty stable.

Philippines detects 18 cases of new COVID-19 variant JN.1MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health said Sunday that it has detected 18 cases of JN.1, a form of Omicron classified by the World Health Organization as a “variant of interest.”Despite the detection of a new COVID-19 variant, the DOH stressed that “there has been no significant increase in the number or severity of cases overall.”It added that all COVID-19 patients with JN.1 have recovered, with the earliest sample collected on November 16 and the most recent on December 3. “It is another Omicron subvariant with no evidence of increased severity or unusual clinical presentation. Last week, the WHO classified JN.1 as a separate variant of interest from its parent lineage BA.2.86. The DOH reported last week that hospital admissions remained low despite an uptick in COVID-19 infections. Currently, there are around 5,568 active COVID-19 cases.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has warned against inflexible ideological positions that can hinder the Church from seeing reality and moving forward, speaking days after a declaration allowing blessings of same-sex couples that conservatives have condemned. Francis, who turned 87 on Sunday, made his comments in his traditional Christmas greetings to members of the Curia, the Vatican’s central administration. “We are called, instead, to set out and journey, like the Magi, following the light that always desires to lead us on, at times along unexplored paths and new roads,” the pope said. Shaking foundationsWhile the Pope’s opening to blessings for same-sex couples was welcomed by many, conservatives said it could shake the foundations of the faith and even lead to a Church schism. Subscribe to our daily newsletter SIGN ME UPREAD: Vatican approves blessings for same-sex couples in landmark ruling

OCD, Army strengthen ties in earthquake responseOffice of Civil Defense administrator Ariel Nepomuceno meets with Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido to discuss a collaboration on disaster response in the country. MANILA, Philippines — The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Philippine Army (PA) have strengthened their collaboration on disaster response, especially for earthquakes. In addition to the deployment of the Special Disaster Response Unit, the Army will also assist the OCD in training local government units (LGUs) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) on Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue operations. “The target is to train thousands of reliable BFP responders, reserve forces and civilian volunteers to be able to form highly skilled and equipped rescue units against any earthquake threat,” said OCD administrator Ariel Nepomuceno. Nepomuceno is also the concurrent executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council and an undersecretary of the Department of National Defense.

This is reminiscent of the late President Benigno Aquino III’s policy of hard balancing that challenged China's expansive maritime claim in the South China Sea. Unfortunately, President Marcos's efforts to engage these two great powers in his diplomatic gambit of balancing one power against another do not suit China's long-term strategic goal of maritime expansion into the South China Sea. To assert its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, China must possess the means to control a maritime feature. These measures aim to balance or challenge Chinese maritime expansion in the South China Sea. President Marcos' hard balancing policy toward China is two-pronged.

Marcos meets OFWs who survived captivity, attacks on Israel by HamasPresident Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had a meet-and-greet in Malacañang with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Jimmy Pacheco and Camille Jesalva who survived the attack of the Hamas group in Israel on October 7. MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. personally met with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Jimmy Pacheco and Camille Jesalva after surviving attacks by Palestinian group Hamas in Israel last October 7. 'Went through tunnels, savings lost'Pacheco, released on November 24 during the initial "humanitarian truce" between Israel and Hamas, recounted the attack to the president. Jeselva, a 31-year-old woman from Nueva Ecija, became an "instant hero" in Israel after refusing to leave her 95-year-old patient Nitza Hefetz during the Hamas attacks. Jeselva later on thanked President Marcos for his guidance after the said meet-and-greet at Malacañang.

ALFONSO, Cavite: A 9-year-old girl died while her father is in critical condition after the car they were riding figured in an accident involving a Cavite-Batangas Transport Service Cooperative passenger bus which lost its brakes and plowed 10 vehicles on Friday night, December 22, in Mangas-Luksuhin Road in Barangay Luksuhin Ibaba here. The girl, her injured father and mother were inside their Mitsubishi Expander which was bumped off by a van, one of the 10 vehicles plowed by the passenger bus driven by Gilbert Sepida, in the downhill portion of the highway in Barangay Luksuhin.

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.