WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) Wednesday 5/18/2016 -The US Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would allow September 11 victims and their relatives to sue Saudi Arabia over its possible role in the 2001 attacks, a bill which could trigger a diplomatic firestorm. Senators unanimously approved the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act which now heads to the House of Representatives, where Speaker Paul Ryan has voiced reservations. The White House has repeatedly stated that President Barack […]
Other News
Kentucky, Oregon primaries open, more ripe turf for Clinton Primary voting in
by Michael Mathes HOPKINSVILLE , United States (AFP) — Presidential primaries opened Tuesday in Kentucky and Oregon, giving Hillary Clinton a chance to widen her almost insurmountable delegate lead over Democratic rival Bernie Sanders who has vowed to slog on despite long odds. Though Clinton holds a slim poll lead, Sanders was gunning for victory in Kentucky, the Bluegrass State, building on his win last week in neighboring West Virginia as he battles to keep […]
Japan economy avoids recession with 0.4% growth in Q1
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) Wednesday 5/18/2016 — Japan sidestepped a feared recession in the first quarter, preliminary data showed Wednesday, but the weak growth reading underscored how Tokyo’s efforts to cement a firm recovery in the world’s number three economy have failed to gain traction. Gross domestic product expanded by 0.4 percent between January and March — or a 1.7 percent annualised rate — after a contraction in the last three months of 2015. But the slightly […]
Full system audit, demand ng kampo ni Marcos
(Eagle News) — Hihingin na ng kampo ni Vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. na buksan ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) ang network operation center (NOC) nito para sa isang full system audit. Ayon kay Atty. Jose Amorado, miyembro ng legal team ni Marcos, isasagawa nila ang filing ng demand letter sa Comelec bukas ng hapon para sa pagbubukas ng network nito sa independent information technology (IT) experts upang matiyak kung naapektuhan ba […]
Padrino o “bata-bata” system, hindi uubra – Duterte
(Eagle News) — Suportado ng Philippine National Police (PNP) ang panukala ni Presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte na wakasan ang “bata-bata system” o paggamit ng koneksyon sa mga pulitiko para makuha ang inaasam na posisyon o promosyon sa PNP. Ayon kay PNP spokesperson PC/Supt. Wilben Mayor, bagaman matagal na aniyang hindi umiiral sa kanila ang ganitong klase ng sistema, malaking bagay aniya na muli itong binigyang diin ni Duterte. Dagdag pa nito, ang kuwalipikasyon aniya talaga […]
Smartmatic officials, tiniyak na hindi aalis ng bansa
(Eagle News) — Tiniyak ng Smartmatic na hindi aalis ng bansa ang mga opisyal nito habang isasagawa ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) ang kanilang imbestigasyon. Kaugnay ito ng breach of protocol ng Smartmatic dahil sa walang pahintulot na pagbago sa character ng script sa transparency server. Ayon kay Atty. Karen Jimeno, nakahanda aniyang humarap sa imbestigasyon ang kanilang mga tauhan bagaman muling iginiit ng kumpanya na nabago lamang ang character sa hash code nang ilagay […]
Top China official promises to ‘listen’ to Hong Kong
HONG KONG, China (AFP) – by Dennis Chong One of China’s most powerful officials said he would listen to political demands from Hongkongers in a conciliatory start to a visit Tuesday that has stirred anger in a city resentful of Beijing’s tightening grip. The three-day trip by Zhang Dejiang, who chairs China’s communist-controlled legislature, is the first by such a senior official in four years and comes as concerns grow in semi-autonomous Hong Kong that its […]
Vodafone logs first earnings growth since 2008
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – British telecoms giant Vodafone on Tuesday posted its first annual rise in operating profits in eight years, boosted by growth in Europe and emerging markets. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew 2.7 percent to £11.6 billion ($16.7 billion, 14.7 billion euros) in the year to March, Vodafone said in a results statement. That was broadly in line with expectations of £11.7 billion, according to analysts polled by […]
ECB bond-buying scheme faces new lawsuit in Germany
FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) – A group of German businessmen and academics are taking the European Central Bank to court over its controversial bond-buying programme, their lawyer said on Tuesday. A complaint against the ECB’s corporate sector purchase programme was filed at Germany’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, on May 12, a court spokesman told AFP. The business leaders argued that the central bank was “going beyond its mandate” in purchasing corporate bonds as part of its […]
Baghdad attacks kill at least 25 people
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) – Attacks including an Islamic State group suicide bombing killed at least 25 people in Baghdad Tuesday, the latest in a series of deadly blasts to hit Iraq’s capital, officials said. The attacks also wounded at least 71 people, officials said. The deadliest attack hit the Shaab area in northern Baghdad, killing at least 15. Interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said it was carried out by a female suicide bomber, while a police […]
Flare-ups, thick smoke from Canadian wildfires delay residents’ return
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — Thick smoke and a risk of flare-ups are delaying residents’ return to fire-ravaged Fort McMurray in Canada, the province of Alberta’s premier said Monday. “There’s active fire growth on all fronts surrounding the community and a number of hotspots within the town,” Premier Rachel Notley told a nationally televised press conference. Elsewhere in the province new forest fires broke out over the weekend for a total of 15 separate blazes, three […]
‘I am human’ pleads Uighur prime suspect in Bangkok bombing
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — A Chinese Uighur accused of planting last year’s deadly Bangkok bomb on Tuesday claimed he was being mistreated in custody, shouting “I am human, I am human” as he struggled with guards on his way to a hearing. Bilal Mohammed, also known as Adem Karadag, and co-defendant Yusufu Mieraili are charged with key roles in the August 2015 bombing of the Erawan shrine in downtown Bangkok that killed 20 people — mainly […]
