Real-life couple Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin won the top acting honors at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards held in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 20, 2024. Hyun Bin received the Best Actor award, while Son Ye-jin took home the Best Actress trophy. Organizers announced the winners during the annual ceremony recognizing excellence in Korean cinema, with the event broadcast nationwide.
South Korean boy group Enhypen donated 100 million won, or about P4 million, to support flood relief efforts in the Philippines. The group’s management coordinated the contribution with local partners to assist communities affected by recent flooding. Relief organizations reported that they intend to use the funds to provide food, water, basic supplies and other immediate assistance to families in multiple hard-hit areas. Authorities and aid groups continue to evaluate needs on the ground as they manage ongoing response and recovery operations.
A Philippine court convicted former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo under the “organizing trafficking in persons” provision of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, marking the first conviction under this specific section of the law. Prosecutors presented evidence on the alleged organization and management of trafficking activities in Bamban, Tarlac, which authorities investigated and brought to trial. The ruling interpreted and applied the organizing trafficking provision, imposed penalties under the statute, and added a new reference point for future human trafficking prosecutions in the Philippines.
The Supreme Court of the Philippines, in a 27-page ruling promulgated on March 5, 2025, upheld the forfeiture of approximately P155 million in properties and bank accounts linked to the unexplained wealth of retired Lieutenant General Jacinto Ligot and his family. The court’s Third Division affirmed earlier findings that the assets greatly exceeded Ligot’s lawful income and that the respondents failed to justify their acquisitions with credible evidence. The decision ordered the transfer of the questioned assets to the government and clarified the legal standards and burden of proof in civil forfeiture cases involving alleged ill-gotten or unexplained wealth of public officials and their relatives.
Authorities recovered 57 additional skeletal remains from Taal Lake in Batangas during an ongoing search for missing “sabungeros” linked to alleged cockfighting-related abductions. Police forensic teams transported the remains for examination and possible DNA testing to establish identities and potential connections to previously reported disappearances. Law enforcement agencies coordinated with local government units, disaster response teams, and national investigators to secure the recovery site, preserve evidence, and compare findings with existing missing persons records. Further search operations and forensic analyses continue as authorities work to determine whether the remains match any of the individuals reported missing in relation to e-sabong activities.
A spring 2024 survey by Rice University’s Kinder Institute Center for Community and Public Health reports that two in five households in Houston and Harris County face food insecurity. The study links limited access to nutritious food with higher rates of chronic illness, lack of insurance, and delayed medical care, especially among lower-income and Hispanic residents. More than 640,000 Harris County residents rely on SNAP, while local organizations expand food assistance to meet rising need.
U.S. President Donald Trump has endorsed a peace plan aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, but Ukrainian leaders have given no sign they will accept it. The reported proposal appears to align more closely with Russian demands, including acceptance of current territorial losses by Ukraine. Kyiv continues to insist on full restoration of its borders and rejects any settlement involving the cession of occupied land. The plan remains unofficial and unenforced, with no formal agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
The Trump administration is proposing to end the long-standing “blanket rule” that automatically grants protections to species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The plan would require case-by-case decisions on safeguards for newly listed threatened species, altering how federal wildlife agencies apply conservation measures. The change is part of a broader review of environmental regulations that affect industry and land use. The proposal must go through public comment and may face legal challenges before it can take effect.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed lawsuits against Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD, alleging both Austin-area districts violated a new Texas law requiring public schools to display privately donated Ten Commandments copies in classrooms. The suits follow a similar case against Galveston ISD and seek court orders forcing compliance with the statute.
A federal court has barred Texas from using a new congressional map in the 2026 elections, ordering the state to rely on the House district lines adopted in 2021. The ruling requires Texas election officials to organize candidate filings, ballots and voter assignments under the 2021 boundaries used in the 2022 midterms. The decision affects all U.S. House races in the state and shapes how campaigns and parties plan for the next election cycle.