Other News

Seven dead, dozens buried in Indonesia mine collapse

NORTH SULAWESI, Indonesia (AFP) — At least seven people have died and dozens more are still trapped beneath the rubble of an illegal gold mine that collapsed in Indonesia, officials said Thursday, as rescuers frantically searched for survivors. Some 19 miners had been plucked to safety since Tuesday night’s accident and rescuers are communicating with some still buried, raising hopes for more survivors. But the rescue effort at the remote site on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island […]

12 injured after Makati building elevator malfunctions, plummets over 20 floors

(Eagle News) — Twelve people were hurt after an elevator in a building in Makati malfunctioned early Friday morning. A dzbb report said the 12 people, mostly call center agents, sustained minor injuries after the elevator in the PBCom building on Ayala Ave. plummeted from the 52nd floor to the 38th floor around 1 a.m. Upon reaching the 38th floor, the elevator’s emergency brake was activated but its doors refused to open on the 12th […]

Economic managers assure farmers of assistance amid lifting of quantitative restrictions on rice imports

(Eagle News) –The country’s economic managers assured farmers they would have the necessary assistance to protect them from the possible adverse effects of the lifting of the quantitative restrictions on rice imports under the Rice Tariffication Law. Budget Benjamin Diokno said at least P5 billion has been released under the 2018 national budget for this purpose. He said this was apart from the P5 billion in Special Allotment Release Order issued to the Department of […]

Australia suffers hottest summer on record, little relief in sight

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia suffered its hottest summer on record from December through February and forecasts show the southern autumn will continue to be drier and warmer than average, the government said Thursday. “After a record hot December and January, it won’t come as a surprise that this summer will be our warmest on record,” said Andrew Watkins, manager of long-range forecasting at the Bureau of Meteorology. Although the final figures won’t be available […]

Kim and Trump to continue ‘productive talks to discuss denuclearization’: KCNA

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump have agreed to continue “productive” discussions on denuclearization, Pyongyang’s state media said Friday, hours after a summit between the two leaders in Hanoi ended abruptly with no agreement. The highly anticipated meeting in Vietnam was supposed to build on the leaders’ historic first summit in Singapore last year, but the latest talks ended in deadlock with Washington and Pyongyang […]

US music industry streams double-digit revenue growth

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The US music industry posted its third straight year of double-digit growth in 2018 thanks to continued surges in streaming, an industry tracker said Thursday. Revenues from recorded music jumped 12 percent to $9.8 billion in estimated retail value, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, with 75 percent of revenues coming from streaming. The RIAA said paid subscriptions of streaming services like Spotify and Tidal soared to […]

YouTube to block comments on most videos showing minors

  SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — YouTube said Thursday it will disable user comments on a broad array of videos featuring children to thwart “predatory behavior” after revelations about a glitch exploited for sharing of child pornography. The Google-owned video sharing service announced further steps to crack down on inappropriate comments a week after an investigation showing how comments and connections on child porn were being displayed alongside innocuous videos. “We recognize that comments […]

US Navy’s version of F-35 jet ‘ready for combat’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Navy’s version of the F-35 stealth fighter jet is “ready for combat,” officials said Thursday, marking another milestone in the development of the most expensive weapons program ever. “The F-35C is ready for operations, ready for combat and ready to win,” Vice Admiral DeWolfe Miller, who commands Naval Air Forces, said in a statement. “We are adding an incredible weapon system into the arsenal of our Carrier Strike […]

Jonas Brothers reunite, will release first new music in years

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The Jonas Brothers are getting the band back together — and will release their first single in six years, the heartthrob trio announced Thursday. “We’re baaaccckkkk…” the band tweeted. The Grammy-nominated boy band is set to drop their new song “Sucker” Friday at midnight, their label said, after splitting nearly six years ago, citing a “deep rift in the band.” The brothers — Joe, 29, Kevin, 31, and Nick, […]

Duterte inaugurates NLEX segment expected to cut travel time from Valenzuela to Caloocan to 5 minutes

Duterte leads ceremony for construction of NLEX-SLEX connector road, too (Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, Feb. 28, led the inauguration of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 that is expected to alleviate vehicular congestion in Metro Manila, and the groundbreaking ceremony for the constructoin of the NLEX-SLEX connector road. The 5.65-kilometer elevated expressway that traverses the cities of Valenzuela, Malabon, and Caloocan is expected to cut short travel time from Valenzuela to C3 from one hour […]

Pakistan promises to free Indian pilot as ‘peace gesture’

by Nasir JAFFRY Agence France Presse ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistan promised to free a captured Indian pilot on Friday as a “peace gesture” aimed at its nuclear arch-rival, but New Delhi insisted it would remain on “heightened” military alert for attacks. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was shot down in an aerial engagement over the disputed region of Kashmir on Wednesday, had become the centrepiece of the latest conflict between the neighbours. “As a […]

Global stocks pressured by Kim-Trump summit failure

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — World stock markets came under pressure Thursday as a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un ended abruptly without an agreement. Asian equities had been fluctuating throughout the day on tempered optimism over China-US trade talks, weak factory data from Beijing and fresh geopolitical tensions in Kashmir. But they took a decisive turn south after an expected lunch and signing ceremony between the United States and North Korean […]