Here鈥檚 a quick roundup of today鈥檚 top stories:
United States (US) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday said that the US administration is committed to continue its 鈥渋ronclad鈥� alliance with the Philippines.
This is what Hegseth told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the former鈥檚 courtesy call at the Malaca帽ang Palace as part of his Indo-Pacific tour.
Family and supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte will rally Friday to mark his 80th birthday and protest his detention in The Hague on a charge of crimes against humanity.
Duterte could spend the remainder of his life in jail if convicted at the International Criminal Court (ICC) of the charge tied to his 鈥渨ar on drugs鈥� in which thousands were killed.
A Palace official on Friday sent well wishes to former President Rodrigo Duterte on the occasion of his his 80th birthday.
鈥淥f course we wish [for] more years to come. We also wish good health, good fortune, he needs that,鈥� Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said when asked if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had a message for Duterte.
A powerful earthquake hit Myanmar and neighboring Thailand on Friday, turning a major hospital in the Myanmar capital into a 鈥渕ass casualty area鈥� and trapping dozens of workers in an under-construction skyscraper in Bangkok.
The 7.7-magnitude tremor hit northwest of the city of Sagaing on Friday afternoon at a shallow depth, the United States Geological Survey said. A 6.4-magnitude aftershock hit the same area minutes later.
Alex Eala ended her dream run in the 2025 Miami Open on Friday, but not before dragging World No. 4 Jessica Pegula to a grueling three-set showdown in the semifinal.
Pegula booked the spot in the final with a 聽7-6 (3) 5-7, 6-3聽 win against Eala, the 140th-ranked history maker from the Philippines, who pushed her to the limits and threatened another upseti on Friday.