Other News

Roque defends gov’t decision to allow PHL-China research in Philippine Rise

(Eagle News) — Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday defended the Department of Foreign Affairs decision to allow China to jointly conduct a research with the Philippines in the Philippine Rise. According to Roque, in the first place, no Filipino has applied to do such a research in the continental shelf previously known as Benham Rise. “And no one can do it because, apparently, it’s capital-intensive,” he said. He said that while other countries had […]

OSG appeals CA decision blocking Mary Jane Veloso’s testimony

(Eagle News) — The Office of the Solicitor General has appealed the appellate court’s decision stopping Mary Jane Veloso, who has been convicted of drug-related charges in Indonesia, from testifying against her alleged recruiters in the Philippines. In its motion filed on Jan. 16, the OSG said the CA’s 11th Division should reverse its decision setting aside the decision of a Nueva Ecija court that gave Veloso the green signal to testify against Maria Cristina […]

Roque: Congress should determine how to move forward with Charter Change

(Eagle News) — The Senate and the House of Representatives should thresh out their issues and determine how to move forward with Charter Change. “Talagang tanging Kongreso lang ang dapat magresolba ng isyung ito at iyan po ang paninindigan ng Palasyo,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said. He said, however, that based on his experience as congressman, Congress “is not just deliberative, it’s consensual.” “..You need to build consensus and the same consensus-building will have to […]

Magnitude 8.2 quake strikes southeast of Kodiak, Alaska; tsunami warnings issued

  (Eagle News) – A magnitude 8.2 quake struck 278 kilometers southeast of Kodiak, Alaska prompting a tsunami watch for the US west coast and the state of Hawaii, and tsunami warnings for South Alaska, British Columbia and the Aleutian islands The quake struck at 9:31 a.m. (UTC or Coordinated Universal Time) or 5:31 p.m. Philippine time. It has a depth of 10 kilometers and was recorded 278 kilometers southeast of Kodiak island of the […]

Tennis: Edmund joins British greats with Dimitrov upset

by Robert Smith Agence France-Presse MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) – Kyle Edmund became only the fourth British man to reach the Australian Open semi-finals in the post-1968 Open Era with an impressive win over world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov at the Australian Open on Tuesday. The unseeded Edmund, ranked 49, won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 2hr 49min on Rod Laver Arena and will face either 16-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal or Marin Cilic for a place in […]

World powers meet to pressure Syria on chemical attacks

by Valérie Leroux Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Diplomats from 29 countries including US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meet in Paris on Tuesday pushing for sanctions and criminal charges against the perpetrators of chemical attacks in Syria. Tillerson and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian will also co-host a meeting of ministers ahead of a new round of peace talks in Vienna later this week and again in Sochi in Russia the week after. The […]

Pernia: PHL one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia

(Eagle News) — National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said on Tuesday that the Philippines was again one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, only after China and Vietnam. Pernia made the announcement after the Philippine Statistics Office announced the Philippine economy hit a 6.6-percent growth rate in the last quarter of 2017. The PSA said this brought the overall growth of the country’s economy in 2017 to […]

21st Century Fox/Sky takeover thrown into doubt by UK regulator

by Roland Jackson Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain’s competition regulator provisionally ruled Tuesday that a planned takeover of pan-European satellite TV giant Sky by Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox entertainment group was “not in the public interest.” The government had referred the matter to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for an in-depth probe last September owing to concerns about media plurality and broadcasting standards. 21st Century Fox bid £11.4 billion ($15.1 billion, 12.7 […]

EC: PHL exports to EU grew by over 21 percent since last year

The European Commission has said that Philippine exports to the European Union grew by over 21 percent since last year. In a statement, the head of the EU delegation Franz Jessen said that “an estimated PHP 120 billion worth of exports were benefiting from (General Scheme of Preferences) + trade preferences, especially in the food and agricultural sector.” “This makes the EU the Philippines’ second largest export partner, after Japan and before the US and […]

France’s Carrefour revamps operations with job cuts, China deal

PARIS, France (AFP) – France’s Carrefour group said Tuesday it is overhauling its business in a transformation plan involving thousands of job cuts, a product revamp and new partnerships in China. Carrefour, which was the world’s second-biggest retailer at the start of the century after US giant Wal-Mart, has since slipped to ninth position, according to the Deloitte consultancy, having been overtaken by the likes of Amazon and Costco. “Carrefour has not sufficiently developed with its customers,” […]

SC orders consolidation of TRAIN petitions

Respondents, including President Duterte, given 10 days to comment on them By Moira Encina Eagle News Service The Supreme Court has ordered the consolidation of the two petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law. The High Court on Tuesday also said that it has directed the respondents to comment on the petitions separately filed by militant lawmakers and consumer group Laban Konsyumer Inc. Named respondents in the petitions were  […]

Strong quake sparks panic in Indonesia

    by Dessy Sagita Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A strong quake rattled Indonesia Tuesday, sparking panic in the capital Jakarta and ripping roads apart in the countryside. Office workers rushed outside as buildings began swaying, while riders were thrown off their motorbikes by the force of the 6.0 magnitude rumble. Footage broadcast on Indonesian television showed trucks swaying violently from side to side at a port in Banten province on the […]