Other News

PBBM signs P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024

(Eagle News) — President Bongbong Marcos on Wednesday, Dec. 20, signed into law the P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024. The approved budget was 9.5 percent higher than this year’s P5.268-trillion national budget. Earlier, Senator Sonny Angara, chair of the Senate committee on finance, said the following, among other agencies, saw increases in their budget for next year, under the Senate-ratified proposed 2024 national budget: Philippine Army General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines […]

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4.5-magnitude earthquake strikes off Surigao del Sur

(Eagle News) — A 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck off Surigao del Sur on Wednesday, Dec. 20. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake, which hit at 2:56 p.m., was an aftershock of the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit on December 2. The epicenter was 131 kilometers northeast of Hinatuan. The depth of focus was 16 kilometers. No damage to property nor aftershocks were reported.  

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UN Security Council due to vote on delayed Gaza resolution

By Gregory WALTON, Amelie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS UNITED NATIONS, United States, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – The United Nations Security Council was due to vote Wednesday on a much-delayed resolution calling for a pause to the Israel-Hamas war after members wrangled over wording while aid efforts in the Gaza Strip neared collapse. The humanitarian situation in Gaza was rapidly deteriorating, with a senior UN official saying Israel’s steps to allow in aid were “far short” of mounting […]

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US bans pharmacy Rite Aid from facial recognition use

WASHINGTON, Dec 19, 2023 (AFP) – Pharmacy group Rite Aid was ordered Tuesday to stop using facial recognition for the next five years by a US regulator, which said the company falsely identified consumers as shoplifters using the technology. The case touches on one of the main concerns about the proliferation of artificial intelligence, and facial recognition in particular, which is deemed to potentially misidentify or discriminate against individuals, especially non-whites and women. “Rite Aid’s […]

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Zelensky says ‘no one knows’ when war in Ukraine will end

By Victoria LUKOVENKO with Anna MALPAS KYIV, Ukraine, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that there was no end in sight to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as fatigue builds among Kyiv’s allies nearly two years into the war and the Kremlin voices growing confidence of victory. Zelensky said he had turned down a request from the military — for now — to mobilise as many as 500,000 Ukrainians for the army, […]

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US Senate leaders say no Ukraine aid before year’s end

By Camille CAMDESSUS WASHINGTON, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – The Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate said Tuesday that Washington will not be able to approve new aid for Ukraine before year’s end, as the two sides continue to seek a compromise. “As negotiators work through remaining issues, it is our hope that their efforts will allow the Senate to take swift action… early in the new year,” Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican […]

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Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu to halt shipment of all models over rigged safety tests

 TOKYO, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP)   – Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu said Wednesday it will suspend shipments of all car models currently in production both at home in Japan and abroad, following new revelations about its rigging of safety tests. “Daihatsu decided today to temporarily suspend shipments of all Daihatsu-developed models currently in production, both in Japan and overseas,” the auto titan said in a statement following a report by an independent panel. The panel was […]

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Asian markets track another Wall St record on rate hopes

HONG KONG, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – Asian stocks rallied Wednesday, following another record performance on Wall Street as traders continue to bet on the US Federal Reserve slashing interest rates several times next year. The advances come even as central bank officials try to push back against expectations, which have set markets up for a healthy end-of-year rally. The next key event this week will be the release of the US personal consumption expenditures […]

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N. Korea’s ‘reckless’ missile launches need ‘robust’ global response: G7

BERLIN, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – World powers said Tuesday that the international community needed a firm and unified response to North Korea’s “reckless” nuclear build-up and missile launches. G7 foreign ministers said in a statement after the launch of Pyongyang’s most powerful ballistic missile that “North Korea’s repeated reckless actions must be met with a swift, united and robust international response, particularly by the United Nations Security Council”. North Korea on Monday test-fired its […]

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Morant’s buzzer-beater lifts Grizzlies past Pelicans 115-113

LOS ANGELES, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – Ja Morant made a scintillating return from a 25-game suspension Tuesday, driving for a game-winning layup as time expired to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 115-113 NBA victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The basket capped a 34-point, eight-assist, six-rebound performance from Morant, who was suspended by the league for the first 25 games of the season after a pair of social media posts in which he […]

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Drug cartels turning to online games for recruitment and sales

By Marc Antoine BAUDOUX STRASBOURG, France, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – Narcotics police the world over are sprucing up their video game skills, as cartels go increasingly online to sell drugs and recruit dealers. “Cartels have been incredibly tech savvy over recent years, reaching vast audiences,” Benjamin Shultz, foreign malign influence analyst at Deloitte, told a Council of Europe meeting. “The Sinaloa Cartel has a Twitter account with almost 200,000 followers and they tend to […]

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French hybrid electric plane picks up US order

French start-up Aura Aero announced Tuesday that US regional airline JSX has signed a letter of intent to purchase 50 of its hybrid-electric planes. The deal, which includes an option for a further 100 aircraft, takes to nearly 500 the number of the 19-seater Electric Regional Aircraft (ERA). The aircraft, which sports eight propellors and can take off on battery power, aims to deliver an 80-percent reduction in CO2 emissions from current regional aircraft. The […]

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