DAMASCUS, Syria (Reuters) — Syria’s Minister of Reconciliation Ali Haidar said Wednesday in Damascus that the victory of the Syrian army in the northern city of Aleppo is a “strategic and qualitative” one. Speaking to reporters after meeting with China’s special envoy to Syria, Xie Xiaoyan, Haidar said that the Syrian army’s recent sweeping victories in the city will have a huge impact politically and militarily. “The victory in Aleppo is a strategic and qualitative […]
Other News
Quake of magnitude 6.2 strikes China’s Xinjiang, no reports of casualties
XINJIANG, China (Reuters) — An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hit China’s far western region of Xinjiang on Thursday (December 8), the China Earthquake Administration said, with tremors shaking buildings near the epicenter about 100 km (60 miles) west of the regional capital of Urumqi. There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties from the quake, which struck at a depth of 6 km (4 miles). A police office in Hutubi county where the […]
Britain sets Brexit timetable
LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) — Britain will set in motion the Brexit timetable toward the end of March next year, according to a voting by the British Parliament Wednesday night. The parliament discussed for seven hours on Labor Party’s motion that the government should publish negotiation terms and specific text prior to starting the Brexit talks. The motion was endorsed by some Conservative MPs. It was reported that Prime Minister Theresa May once expressed agreement […]
Designer Carolina Herrera is honored at Lincoln Center’s Corporate Fund Fashion Gala
NEW YORK CITY, United States (Reuters) — Veteran designer Carolina Herrera was honored by the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund on Tuesday (December 6) for her 35-year and counting, contribution to the fashion industry. Herrera was presented with “The Women’s Leadership Award” by Harper’s BAZAAR editor in chief, Glenda Bailey. “Coming from Lincoln Center, I think is one of the cultural places of New York, it means a lot,” said Herrera on the red carpet. A […]
Young Afghan freestyle cyclists use exercise as an escape from violence
REUTERS – A group of Afghan teenagers, decked out in makeshift protective gear, gather on a dusty hill on the outskirts of the capital Kabul to practice a variety of freestyle cycling tricks they have learnt from online videos via YouTube, Facebook and other social media. Brushing aside suicide bombings, they are part of Afghanistan’s first freestyle cycling club ‘Drop and Ride’, established two months ago to help keep young Afghans away from drugs, petty […]
Duterte issues EO creating panel to review Constitution for possible amendments
(Eagle News)– President Rodrigo Duterte has issued Wednesday (December 7) an executive order (EO) creating a 25-man panel that will review the 1987 Constitution for possible amendments. “As to the provision of the Constitution to be amended, the President has issued the other day an executive order creating the committee for consultative study of the Constitution,” Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Thursday (December 8). “Basically, it’s a consultative committee to review the 1987 Constitution to […]
Quake of magnitude 6.2 strikes China’s Xinjiang, no reports of casualties
XINJIANG, China (Reuters) — An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hit China’s far western region of Xinjiang on Thursday (December 8), the China Earthquake Administration said, with tremors shaking buildings near the epicentre about 100 km (60 miles) west of the regional capital of Urumqi. There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties from the quake, which struck at a depth of 6 km (4 miles). A police office in Hutubi county where the […]
CPP to lift ceasefire if detained rebels will not be freed by January
(Eagle News)– The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said it would revoke the unilateral ceasefire it had declared if the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) will not release all detained rebels by January 2017. “The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines is ready to terminate the August 28, 2016 unilateral declaration of interim ceasefire in case no amnesty and release of all political prisoners would occur in December or January,” CPP founder […]
President Duterte assures Leni she will remain VP until the end of her term
(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte made the assurance on Thursday that Vice-President Leni Robredo would remain in her post “until the end of her term.” During an interview at the groundbreaking of the Bicol International airport on Thursday (December 8), Duterte dismissed Robredo’s fears that there was ever a plot to remove her as Vice-President. “I will assure Leni and the Bicol region that she will be there until the end of her […]
For some Japanese, Japan-Russia bilateral last chance for northern territory issue
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) –Every December, 80-year-old Takashi Kawata travels to Tokyo from his home in northern Japan to participate in a rally calling for the return of the island he grew up on which is at the heart of a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia. He is one of the 17,000 Japanese who were expelled from a string of islands in the extreme north of Japan by the Soviet Union when it laid claim […]
Senator Bam Aquino calls for transparency and for citizens to defend truth
MAKATI CITY – Senator Bam Aquino made an impassioned plea for greater transparency across the Philippine government and Duterte administration. “There is a lot of disinformation, misinformation, and fake news out there which seeks to twist the truth in any way. We have to defend the right information and the truth.” His remarks came at the start of Transparency 5.0: From Theory to Action, the 5th annual public forum on good governance, transparency,and accountability co-sponsored […]
China’s Jan-Nov. foreign trade down by 1.2 pct to 21.83 trillion yuan
CHINA (CCTV) — China’s foreign trade dropped by 1.2 percent year on year to 21.83 trillion yuan in the first 11 months of this year, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Thursday. Of this, export dropped by 1.8 percent to 12.47 trillion yuan and import dropped by 0.3 percent to 9.36 trillion yuan, leaving a surplus of 3.11 trillion yuan, 5.8 percent less. In the month of November, China’s total […]
