The Daily Populous

Friday July 17th, 2026 evening edition

image for In remote northern Philippines, a local solution to the global energy shock

Why We Wrote This The Philippines is heavily dependent on imported energy from the Middle East.

But this remote Indigenous community in the northern part of the country has spent years building its own energy system, uncoupled from imported fuel.

Roughly 3.6 million households across the Philippines live off the electrical grid – including about 1.2 million that rely on government-run, diesel-fueled power plants.

Mark Saludes Rodolfo Sagban stands inside a newly built micro-hydro facility in Nabuangan village.

The setup allows locals to charge personal devices, access all kinds of information, and stay connected without leaving the village.

The experience of Nabuangan is part of a broader shift in how energy is being reimagined in the Philippines.

“But for much of the country, especially remote and underserved communities, decentralized and community-managed systems can serve as a strong complement.”. »

Faint new planet is revealed around a young star after a decade in hiding

Authored by apnews.com

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have discovered a faint, elusive planet orbiting a young star after more than a decade of cosmic hide-and-seek.

It’s the dimmest planet ever directly imaged from Earth, scientists reported Wednesday.

The planet had remained hidden in the data all this time, overshadowed by its considerably brighter star and two companion planets. »

Trump setting stage to declare emergency around midterms, former White House attorney says

Authored by pbs.org
image for

He was a White House attorney in the first Trump administration, managing the response to special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into alleged Russian election interference.

Well, I think tonight's speech is intended to add the predicate that he needs to declare an emergency at or about the time of the elections.

President Trump has said in the past that he believes, if Democrats win control of Congress in the midterms, that he will be impeached. »

Vance: Jeffrey Epstein had clear connection to Mossad, accuses Israel of 'well-funded' campaign against Iran deal

Authored by ynetnews.com

During the interview, Rogan raised the claim that most of the public believes Epstein was a Mossad agent "or CIA or some other deep state."

Vance agreed with the assumption that Epstein had ties to intelligence agencies , saying he had clear connections to the highest levels of both American and Israeli intelligence.

Addressing Israel’s standing, Vance said: “Right now, Israel is losing the battle for public opinion in the United States. »