Other News
Pollution in deep Pacific devastating earth – UK study
Reuters — A study of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana and Kermadec trenches has found man-made pollutants in the deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean. Small crustaceans called amphipods, which populate the deepest recesses of the Pacific, were found to contain disturbingly large levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the organism’s fatty tissue. Voracious eaters who will eat anything that comes their way, amphipods are ideal for such research. Amphipod samples brought to the surface […]
President Duterte reveals plans to impose moratorium on GOCC officials’ allowance increases
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday revealed what could be plans to impose a moratorium on allowance increases of officials in government-owned and controlled corporations. “Mga government corporations, kasi mga allowances nila. I’ll leave it that way, but next time I have to impose a moratorium sa increases. Masyado malaki,” he said in a speech in celebration of the day for women in Malacanang. “I will control whatever increases they enjoy in the future,” he […]
Google, Amazon eye Toshiba’s chip unit: report
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Google and Amazon joined a list of potential buyers eyeing Toshiba’s lucrative memory chip business as the Japanese conglomerate seeks bidders to cover huge losses, a newspaper said Saturday. Toshiba has reportedly completed the first round of bidding for its prized memory chip business, seen as key for the cash-strapped company to turn itself around. Some 10 foreign companies and funds, including Google and Amazon, tendered bids, the mass-circulation Yomiuri Shimbun […]
Patek Philippe’s most important watch previewed in Hong Kong
HONG KONG, China (Reuters) — The most complicated Patek Philippe watch has been previewed at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong ahead of its auction in Geneva. With 33 complications, the Calibre 89 is a leader in innovation and importance. After research began in 1980, Patek Philippe unveiled the Calibre 89 in 1989 to mark their 150th anniversary. The horological masterwork is one of the most important watches ever to be offered at auction according to Sotheby’s, […]
SWS: Around 4.8 million Filipinos given assistance by government in last quarter of 2016
(Eagle News) — More than four million Filipinos were assisted by the government in the last quarter of 2016. The Social Weather Stations survey first published in BusinessWorld on Friday said the 4.8 million Filipinos translate to 46 percent of the population. The survey results were derived from face-to-face interviews with 1500 adults–600 from Balance Luzon, and 300 each from Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao. The sampling error margins are pegged at ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for […]
US imposes sanctions on N. Korean entities over nuclear program
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States Treasury hit 11 North Korean business representatives and an industrial firm with sanctions Friday, seeking to further isolate the country’s economy for pursuing nuclear weapons. Most of the officials were based in China and Russia for companies the Treasury said acquire materials, technology and financial support for North Korea’s defense industry. The company named to the sanctions blacklist was North Korea-based Paeksol Trading Corporation, which the Treasury […]
‘Real’ Syria peace talks yet to start: UN
by Nina LARSON Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The United Nations on Friday said “incremental” progress was made during a fifth round of talks between Syria’s warring parties, but warned the “real peace negotiations” had yet to begin. Syrian government and opposition representatives had been “serious and engaged” during the latest nine days of talks in Geneva, UN mediator Staffan de Mistura told reporters. He said all sides were “keen and ready to […]
Paraguay protesters set Congress on fire
ASUNCION, Paraguay (Reuters) — Protesters stormed Paraguay’s Congress building and set it on fire on Friday (March 31) amid violent demonstrations over a secret Senate vote earlier in the day to approve a bill that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election. The Senate voted earlier on Friday during a special session in a closed office in Congress rather than on the Senate floor. Twenty-five lawmakers voted for the measure, two more than […]
Suu Kyi’s new govt faces first test at Myanmar polls
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Aung San Suu Kyi’s government will face its first test at the ballot box on Saturday in by-elections around Myanmar seen as a barometer for growing disillusionment with her party a year after it took office. The euphoria that surrounded the democracy icon’s landslide electoral win in 2015 has ebbed as her party struggles to push through promised reforms. Discontent is particularly acute in ethnic minority areas where many see Suu Kyi […]
FBI releases 9/11 Pentagon photos
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Never-seen photographs from the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation this week show the massive devastation that faced first responders. Twenty-seven pictures from that day depict the crushed walls, blazing fires and eviscerated interiors of the seat of the United States Department of Defense. The American Airlines jet that struck the Pentagon was one of four airliners hijacked by Al-Qaeda teams and […]
NBA: James scores 34 as Cavs stop slide with win over Sixers
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — LeBron James scored 34 points as the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers brought their miserable March to a close with a 122-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Kyrie Irving scored 24 points while Kevin Love added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who still trail the Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers had lost three straight and five of their prior seven games, […]
