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President: Philippines Not in Business of Instigating Wars

FILE PHOTO: Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks on as he meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines, March 19, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks on as he meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines, March 19, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/File Photo
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President: Philippines Not in Business of Instigating Wars

FILE PHOTO: Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks on as he meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines, March 19, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks on as he meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines, March 19, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/File Photo

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Sunday his country is not in the business of instigating wars and will always aim to settle disputes peacefully, amid escalating maritime confrontations with China.
"In defending the nation, we stay true to our Filipino nature that we would like to settle all these issues peacefully," Marcos said in a speech to troops of the Western Command unit in charge of overseeing the South China Sea.
Philippine navy personnel and the Chinese coast guard had their latest clash during a routine resupply mission by Manila in the South China Sea last week, in which it said a sailor was severely injured and vessels damaged.
China's Coast Guard personnel carrying knives and spears looted firearms and "deliberately punctured" Philippine boats involved in the mission, the Philippine military said.
China disputed the Philippine account, with a foreign ministry spokesperson saying on Thursday the necessary measures taken were lawful, professional and beyond reproach.
Marcos, who did not name China in his speech, commended the troops for exercising restraint "amidst intense provocation", and said his country would always exercise its freedoms and rights in line with international law.
"In the performance of our duties, we will not resort to the use of force or intimidation, or deliberately inflict injury or harm to anyone," Reuters quoted Marcos as saying. "We stand firm. Our calm and peaceful disposition should not be mistaken for acquiescence."
Recent maritime run-ins between China and the Philippines, a US treaty ally in Southeast Asia, have made the highly strategic South China Sea a potential flashpoint between Washington and Beijing.
The United States has condemned China's actions and reaffirmed its ironclad defense commitments against any attack on Philippine aircraft or vessels in the South China Sea under their mutual defense treaty.
But the Philippines said on Friday there was no reason to invoke the treaty because China's actions, which security officials have described as escalatory, could not be classified as an "armed attack".
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said China's claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.
"We are not in the business to instigate wars - our great ambition is to provide a peaceful and prosperous life for every Filipino," Marcos said. "We refuse to play by the rules that force us to choose sides in a great power competition."

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World

Family Fears for Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate’s Life if She’s Not Moved to a Tehran Hospital

A handout photo provided by the Narges Mohammadi Foundation on October 2, 2023 shows an undated, unlocated photo of Iranian rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi. (Narges Mohammadi Foundation/AFP)
A handout photo provided by the Narges Mohammadi Foundation on October 2, 2023 shows an undated, unlocated photo of Iranian rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi. (Narges Mohammadi Foundation/AFP)
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Family Fears for Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate’s Life if She’s Not Moved to a Tehran Hospital

A handout photo provided by the Narges Mohammadi Foundation on October 2, 2023 shows an undated, unlocated photo of Iranian rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi. (Narges Mohammadi Foundation/AFP)
A handout photo provided by the Narges Mohammadi Foundation on October 2, 2023 shows an undated, unlocated photo of Iranian rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi. (Narges Mohammadi Foundation/AFP)

Imprisoned Nobel Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was being examined by Iranian government-appointed medical experts Wednesday for the second time since she was hospitalized last week, a move her brother said he hopes would lead to her transfer to a hospital in Tehran.

Mohammadi was rushed on Friday from prison to a local hospital in the northwest Iranian town of Zanjan after she fell unconscious. She remains in critical condition, and her family says security officials have so far prevented her transfer to the capital where she could get better treatment.

Her brother Hamidreza Mohammadi, who is based in Oslo, said the medical examiners had previously recommended her transfer, but the decision was blocked.

“The problem is that somewhere in the system, the intelligence agency has the upper hand and they are the ones who are controlling everything,” he told The Associated Press. He said he hopes the second examination will prompt her transfer, “but if it doesn’t happen, it means they are really intent on killing Narges.”

The 53-year-old rights activist and champion of women’s rights was awarded the Nobel in 2023 while in prison and has been jailed repeatedly throughout her career. Her current imprisonment began in December, when she was arrested in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Mohammadi's family says her health has been deteriorating in prison, in part because she was heavily beaten during her arrest. She suffered a heart attack in March, and has a blood clot in her lung since before her imprisonment that needs blood thinners and monitoring to manage it. The family and her lawyers say security authorities have been denying her proper care.

Since being taken to the Zanjan hospital’s cardiac care unit, Mohammadi's blood pressure has been swinging between extremely low and extremely high, and she is receiving oxygen to breathe and can't talk, according to her brother.

Because of communication and internet restrictions imposed in Iran since the war began, he said he can’t talk with his family there and has to wait for them to get a connection to send text messages.

Doctors fear the clot could move into Mohammadi's veins. A brain surgeon in the hospital said the fluctuating pressure could affect not only her heart but also her brain, her brother said.

“It is a really bad condition for Narges now,” he said. He said the Zanjan hospital can’t treat her underlying conditions.

Mohammadi's children in Paris wait for news

While the world is consumed with the US-Israel war with the Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian authorities “focus on eliminating the opposition,” Hamidreza Mohammadi said.

Chirinne Ardakani, Mohammadi’s France-based lawyer, warned on Tuesday that Iranian authorities were aiming to “slowly kill her.” The regime’s “relentless pursuit against Narges” is meant as “a signal of terror to the entire civilian population,” Ardakani said.

The Nobel committee on Saturday called on Iranian authorities to “immediately transfer (Mohammadi) to her dedicated medical team in Tehran. Without such treatment, her life remains at risk.”

Mohammadi was taken by ambulance from the Zanjan hospital on Wednesday to the judiciary’s medical examiners, accompanied by family members.

He said trying to follow news of her condition has been nerve-wracking for him, his sister’s husband and their children, who live in Paris.

Mohammadi’s 19-year-old twins, Kiana and Ali, have not seen their mother for over 10 years.

“They are devastated. They have experienced a lot of hard times. This time they are just afraid they would not hear their mother’s voice again,” Hamidreza Mohammadi said.

Meanwhile, he waits for any news from Iran.

“My body and brain say no, but I know it might be the last chance I have.”

World

Iran Conflict May Have Motivated Trump Dinner Shooting Suspect, US Intelligence Report Finds

This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, center, listening as his attorney Eugene Ohm, left, speaks to US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Washington, as Tony Towns, the acting general counsel for the District of Columbia Department of Corrections, listens at right. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, center, listening as his attorney Eugene Ohm, left, speaks to US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Washington, as Tony Towns, the acting general counsel for the District of Columbia Department of Corrections, listens at right. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
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Iran Conflict May Have Motivated Trump Dinner Shooting Suspect, US Intelligence Report Finds

This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, center, listening as his attorney Eugene Ohm, left, speaks to US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Washington, as Tony Towns, the acting general counsel for the District of Columbia Department of Corrections, listens at right. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, center, listening as his attorney Eugene Ohm, left, speaks to US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Washington, as Tony Towns, the acting general counsel for the District of Columbia Department of Corrections, listens at right. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

The US Department of Homeland Security identified the US-Israeli war with Iran as a potential motive for the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump and senior members of his administration at a White House reporters' gala last month, according to an intelligence report sent to state and local law enforcement nationwide and other federal agencies.

The report, a preliminary assessment by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis dated April 27, assessed that the suspect Cole Allen had "multiple social and political grievances."

It concluded that the Iran conflict "may have contributed to his decision to conduct the attack," citing social media posts from Allen that criticized US actions in the war.

The assessment sheds new light on the US government's search for a motive in the foiled attack on the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25. Its ‌conclusions, while preliminary, offer ‌the most definitive evidence to date that the Iran conflict, which has killed ‌thousands ⁠in the Middle ⁠East and rattled the global economy, could have been a trigger.

The report, marked as a "Critical Incident Note," was obtained through open records requests by the transparency nonprofit Property of the People and shared with Reuters.

A DHS spokesperson declined to comment on the contents of the intelligence assessment.

"These reports notify our partners of the latest available information following significant incidents that have impacts to homeland security," the spokesperson said.

The FBI declined to comment and the US Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.

On Tuesday, the US Justice Department added a charge of assault on a federal officer, accusing Allen of ⁠firing at a US Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint, in addition to attempted ‌assassination, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and ‌illegal transportation of a firearm and ammunition across state lines. He has not yet entered a plea.

FBI EXAMINES SOCIAL MEDIA

US officials ‌have so far said little about Allen's alleged motivation, pointing only to an email Allen sent to ‌relatives on the night of the attack. The message, which officials have called a manifesto, expressed anger at the administration and referred to his desire to target the "traitor" giving a speech, without mentioning Trump by name.

In court documents, prosecutors have alleged that Allen "disagreed" with Trump politically and "wanted to 'fight back' against government policies and decisions that he found morally objectionable."

The FBI has been carrying out a ‌detailed examination of Allen's social media activity and digital footprint in searching for a motive for the attack, a senior law enforcement official told Reuters, speaking on the ⁠condition of anonymity.

"It's being closely ⁠looked at," the official told Reuters.

The examination includes a review of posts on a Bluesky social media account linked to Allen that posted and shared a range of anti-Trump messages in the weeks leading up to the attack. The posts include criticism of the US actions in Iran but also broadsides against the Trump administration on immigration enforcement, Elon Musk, and Russia's war in Ukraine.

The account shared a post calling for Trump to be impeached over his April 7 threat to destroy Iranian civilization, which came hours before Trump agreed to a ceasefire. It also shared criticism of reporters who planned to attend the press dinner.

The focus on Allen's online activity is in part to stave off conspiracy theories about the motive and online activity of the suspected shooter, the official said, adding that speculation about the online activity of the man who fired at Trump during a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, had sparked widely spread conspiracy theories.

World

Canarians Worry Arrival of Hantavirus Cruise Ship Will Bring Repeat of Covid Quarantines

This aerial view shows health personnel boarding the cruise ship MV Hondius, while stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. (AFP)
This aerial view shows health personnel boarding the cruise ship MV Hondius, while stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. (AFP)
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Canarians Worry Arrival of Hantavirus Cruise Ship Will Bring Repeat of Covid Quarantines

This aerial view shows health personnel boarding the cruise ship MV Hondius, while stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. (AFP)
This aerial view shows health personnel boarding the cruise ship MV Hondius, while stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. (AFP)

The arrival this weekend of a cruise ship hit by an outbreak of hantavirus is reviving memories for residents of Spain's Canary Islands of the quarantines they experienced during the Covid pandemic.

The MV Hondius, carrying 150 people, is expected to reach Tenerife on Saturday, where it will dock after Spain agreed to requests from the World Health Organization to receive it despite protests from the local government.

The archipelago was one of the first places in Europe to undergo quarantines during the early days of the pandemic. More than 700 holidaymakers were stranded in a hotel in Tenerife for 14 days in February 2020 after ‌authorities cloistered ‌the compound to prevent the spread of the virus, weeks before ‌it propagated ⁠to the rest ⁠of Europe.

Other epidemics, such as an outbreak of Ebola in 2014, have also affected the islands, whose economy relies heavily on tourism. The archipelago has also complained that it has had to bear the brunt of a migration crisis from Western Africa.

"We are a community that’s already quite flexible when it comes to helping others and being accommodating to people, but I think this is excessive," said local resident Margarita Maria, 62. "People are scared, people are worried. Spain is a ⁠huge country with plenty of ports where the cruise ship could ‌go."

The World Health Organization says the risk to ‌the public remains low and the variant detected among passengers can spread between humans only through close, prolonged ‌contact.

Nevertheless, the news was stirring fears that hospitals and health centers on Tenerife would ‌have to be locked down, said a nurse who asked not to be identified.

"It will be just like Covid ... People are worried about their children, elderly relatives and the vulnerable," the nurse said, adding that the islands' quarantine protocol for viruses, if one was declared, would affect schools and healthcare centers.

All the ‌passengers left on board the ship were not presenting symptoms of the disease and would be repatriated to their countries, while the ⁠14 Spaniards on board ⁠would be flown to a hospital in Madrid to quarantine, Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said on Wednesday.

Some residents complained that the Canaries' status as a safe destination meant it always had to shoulder responsibilities other tourist markets shirk.

"Tourist destinations competing with the Canary Islands in the international market have not been taken into account, and the decision has been made to bring the cruise ship to the Canary Islands – there must be a reason for that," said Jorge Marichal, president of Tenerife's hotels association, Ashotel.

Madrid has failed to communicate what was expected of the archipelago, which was making it difficult to assuage the tourism industry, said the regional government's tourism minister, Lope Afonso.

Some Canarians worried it could have an impact on Pope Leo's scheduled visit to the Canaries in June.

"Can you imagine the Pope with hantavirus? That's a headline we don't want," local comedian Omayra Cazorla said on Instagram.