Philippines President Duterte injured in road mishap
Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hurt his hip and suffered scratches in a motorcycle accident, senior aides of the 74-year-old leader said Thursday.
Duterte, whose health has been the subject of intense public speculation, suffered the mishap at the Malacanang presidential palace compound late Wednesday, according to spokesman Salvador Panelo.
The crash came 10 days after Duterte -- the oldest person to be elected Philippine president -- disclosed he is suffering from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease that could potentially have serious complications.
"The president was reaching for his shoe when he fell off his motorycle that resulted in a minor injury, particularly light bruises and slight scratches, to his elbow and knee," Panelo said in a statement.
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, his former assistant and close aide, earlier told reporters Duterte had "crashed" and complained of hip pain after the accident, but was not hospitalised.
Panelo, citing Duterte's girlfriend Cielito "Honeylet" Avancena, said the president's injury will not require major treatment and "there is nothing to worry about". Duterte was trying to park the vehicle after driving around a courtyard Panelo said, adding the leader was now resting at the palace.
Go later shared a video showing Duterte, wearing formal clothes -- without a helmet or other protective gear -- driving riding on a paved drive at night. The actual accident was not shown in the clip.
Panelo declined to explain why there were two versions of the accident, stressing: "Whatever the story is, what is important is he is in good hands -- no major injury."
Questions about his health have swirled since he took office in 2016, with Duterte at times skipping events and meetings or discussing his various ailments during long and rambling speeches.
The Philippine constitution requires the handover of power to the vice president if the leader dies or is incapacitated, Duterte revealed in 2016 that he used to take fentanyl, a powerful painkiller, because of a spinal injury from motorcycle accidents.
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Two Delhi men held for BMTC bus phone thefts in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Whitefield police have arrested two men from Delhi for allegedly stealing mobile phones from passengers travelling in Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses and solved 14 theft cases, officials said on Tuesday.
The arrested accused have been identified as Jai Chand (25), who worked at a hotel in Delhi, and Tarun (34), an autorickshaw driver in Delhi.
Officials said on January 24, a Mahadevapura resident lodged a complaint that his iPhone 15 Plus was stolen while he was travelling on a BMTC bus towards Whitefield.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case and arrested two suspects within an hour near a lodge on Hosa Road. During the arrest, the police found a bag containing several stolen mobile phones.
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“During interrogation, the suspects confessed that they were stealing mobile phones from passengers travelling in BMTC buses. They had also committed thefts during a concert held under the Channarayapatna police station limits on January 23,” the police said.
Investigations revealed that the accused had travelled from Delhi for the concert and stolen mobile phones from the audience. A third suspect is at large and is likely hiding in the Shahdara area of Delhi.
One of the victims, a YouTuber, raised the theft issue in February in a post on X.
“Here is my (FIR No 0013/2026 is registered in Channarayapatana PS. Your GSC No. is PO1814260100013) request @DelhiPolice @BlrCityPolice to plz look into this & get my device back since it's my work phone & I am a youtuber, all my data is there! someone plz help. @dcpwhitefield,” Anirban Sarkar posted on X on February 6.
Police have recovered 14 mobile phones of various brands, collectively valued at about Rs 9 lakh, from the accused. The two were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody.
In total, one case from Whitefield and 13 from Channarayapatna police stations were detected. Further investigation is underway.
