Other News

Full steam ahead for Austria’s night trains

by Sophie MAKRIS VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — It looks like a scene from the halcyon days of the railways: travelers finding their sleeper berth, turning on the reading light and stowing their cases under the bed. But it’s still a common nightly ritual at Vienna’s main station, where overnight train routes have endured in the age of low-cost flights — and are even expanding. From early evening onwards, the departures board at Vienna’s “Hauptbahnhof” station […]

Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou lodges complaint against Canada authorities: lawyers

MONTREAL, United States (AFP) — Chinese telecoms giant Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, has filed suit against Canadian authorities for violating her constitutional rights when she was arrested in Vancouver, her lawyers said Sunday. As she suffered “serious breaches of her constitutional rights,” she is “seeking damages for misfeasance in public office and false imprisonment” when detained at Vancouver International Airport on December 1, attorneys Howard Mickelson and Allan Doolittle said in a statement. […]

‘Train Your Dragon’ stays aloft atop N.American box office

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” has topped the North American box office for a second straight weekend, losing a bit of altitude but still edging the latest Tyler Perry film, according to industry estimates. Universal’s final installment in the “Dragon” trilogy is expected to earn $30 million for the three-day weekend, down 45 percent from last weekend but still bringing its North American total earnings to […]

US and China close to reaching major trade deal: report

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The United States and China are close to reaching a major trade deal that would see both sides lower some of the tariffs imposed during an often-bitter trade war, a report said Sunday. Negotiators for the two sides have made substantial progress and a final accord is close to being hammered out, according to the Wall Street Journal, which quoted anonymous sources on both sides. A deal would be […]

SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully docks with ISS

by Ivan Couronne Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The demonstration mission of SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked Sunday on the International Space Station, passing a key test before it can begin taking US astronauts into space. The docking of the capsule, which has only a dummy on board, was concluded at 1051 GMT, nearly 250 miles (400 kilometers) over the surface of the Earth, NASA and SpaceX confirmed during a […]

White House security chief calls Trump-Kim summit ‘success’

by Frankie TAGGART Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US national security advisor John Bolton denied Sunday that last week’s nuclear summit with North Korea was a failure, despite President Donald Trump coming home empty-handed. A high-stakes second meeting to strike a disarmament deal with the North’s Kim Jong Un broke up in disarray Thursday in Hanoi, without even a joint statement. Bolton told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Trump’s failure to obtain […]

Guaido calls for mass protests ahead of return to Venezuela Monday

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s opposition leader called for mass protests across the country on Monday as he announced his return to the country after a week touring Latin American allies. “I’m announcing my return to the country. I am calling on the Venezuelan people to mobilize all over the country tomorrow at 11:00 am (1500 GMT),” Guaido said on Twitter. Guaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries as interim president, gave […]

37-year-old architect dies after falling into elevator shaft in QC building

(Eagle News)—A 37-year-old architect died after he fell into an elevator shaft in a building in Cubao, Quezon City on Saturday, March 2. Authorities identified the man who fell down the elevator shaft in Cyberpark 1 as architect Michael Alfonso. In a statement, Cyberpark 1 said two men managed to open “an emergency service door of a high-zone elevator shaft.” Alfonso, according to media reports, stepped inside thinking it was a bathroom. According to the […]

Makabayan coalition endorses nine Senate bets for upcoming elections

(Eagle News)—The leftist Makabayan coalition has endorsed nine senatorial candidates for the 2019 elections. These were Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares, Senators Grace Poe, Bam Aquino and Nancy Binay, former Senator Serge Osmeña, former Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay and civic leader Samira Gutoc. Poe, Osmeña and Binay are independent candidates. Diokno, Gutoc, Tañada, Hilbay and Aquino on the other hand are members of opposition Otso […]

Shinawatra parties rally across Thailand as crucial court ruling looms

by Aidan Jones Parties aligned with Thailand’s powerful Shinawatra clan staged major rallies Saturday ahead of a court ruling that could deal a gut punch to their prospects in national elections later this month. Public gatherings were taking place across the country — including in the Chiang Mai hometown of divisive billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Shinawatra-linked Pheu Thai party members addressed throngs of supporters in a stadium in Chiang Mai as the sun went down, […]

US, S. Korea to end key joint military exercises

by Kang Jin-kyu The US and South Korea announced Sunday an end to key annual large-scale military exercises in support of diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. The decision comes days after the conclusion of US President Donald Trump’s second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, which ended without a formal agreement but with both sides suggesting they would keep talking. There are close to […]

Brick of suspected cocaine found along Baler shoreline

(Eagle News)–A brick of suspected cocaine was found near the shoreline of Baler in Aurora early Sunday, March 3. According to the police, the cocaine, which was wrapped in black plastic with a “Lexus” marking, was discovered by a construction worker in Barangay Reserva around 7:30 a.m. Bricks of the suspected illegal drugs have been recovered in Philippine waters in the past months, with President Rodrigo Duterte blaming the international drug cartel for this. The […]