Новости за 03.07.2015

Iceland’s parliament on Friday voted widely in favour of decriminalising blasphemy, in the name of freedom of expression in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. The bill was adopted after 43 of 63 members of parliament voted in favour. One lawmaker voted against, 16 were absent and three abstained. The bill had […]

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The latest news on Greece’s financial woes and its upcoming referendum on Sunday (all times local): ___ 9:00 p.m. Police in Athens say about 25,000 people have gathered in the capital’s Syntagma Square for a rally supporting a “no” vote in the upcoming referendum on whether to accept a […]

KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) — A plane powered by the sun’s rays landed in Hawaii Friday after a record-breaking five-day journey across the Pacific Ocean from Japan. Pilot Andre Borschberg and his single-seat aircraft landed at Kalaeloa, a small airport outside Honolulu. His 120-hour voyage from Nagoya broke the record for the world’s longest nonstop solo […]

Greece’s top administrative court ruled Friday that a weekend referendum asking voters whether or not they support bailout conditions can go ahead, rejecting a challenge by two individuals. The petitioners — one of them a former judge on the Council of State that decided the case — had argued the plebiscite violated the constitution by […]

The number of Cubans heading to the US has surged in the months since the historic thaw in bilateral relations — a swell experts attribute to uncertainty over the future of US policy that favors such travelers. According to the US Customs Department, 9,371 Cuban migrants came into the US between January and March, more […]

Ormoc City – Anguished families wept over the bodies of relatives as the search for survivors from the latest ferry disaster temporarily stopped last night with 51 deaths and 141 survivors, officials said. The latest figure of 192 passengers and crew raises the possibility that M/B Kim Nirvana was overloaded when it left the port […]

Today, July 4, is Philippine-American Friendship Day. The Fourth of July is better known in the world as the Independence Day of the United States of America. For a while, starting in 1946, it was also our Independence Day, as it was on July 4, 1946, that the US, after having governed the islands since […]

A series of Manila City Council moves that allegedly usurped executive powers have been blamed for the construction of the controversial Torre de Manila condominium. Rep. Lito Atienza (Buhay Party-list) said the recent congressional hearing on the controversy indicates that the City Council, presided by Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, gave the go signal to continue […]

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered yesterday the filing of graft and corruption charges against former Metro Rail Transit 3 general Manager  Al Vitangcol III and five incorporators of  the Philippine Trans Rail Management and Services Corporation (PH Trams) arising from the railway system maintenance contract. In a 39-page resolution, Morales found probable cause that Vitangcol, […]

Vatican City – Pope Francis embarks Sunday on an eight-day visit to Ecuador, Bolivia, and Paraguay, three of South America’s ‘peripheral’ countries which share common challenges in addressing poverty, inequality, and the legacies of past authoritarian regimes. In one of the longest and most gruelling trips of his papacy, the first pontiff from Latin America […]

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas said yesterday that he has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to intensify the operation against the proliferation of fake rice in the market. In an interview here, Roxas said his order stemmed from the discussion he had with President Aquino who has raised concern of the reports […]

The first ever issuance of infrastructure bonds in the Philippines may likely happen within the year, something that BPI Capital Corp., the investment banking arm of BPI, is currently working on right now, next to a structure that will serve as a backbone for this type of bond offering. Bonds are debt instrument that has […]

Local flour millers yesterday said that it pays more to buy quality flour as they justified their continuing high prices of flour despite slumping prices of wheat in the international market. “Prices of locally milled flour are reasonable and fair as these reflect market conditions most important of which is the quality and consistency of […]

The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed criminal complaints against 12 auditors of the Commission on Audit (COA) who have been linked to anomalous releases of  Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to bogus non-governmental organizations between 2007 to 2009. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio signed a 62-page resolution clearing the 12 audit examiner assigned to the National […]

The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) has stamped “Failed” a new tobacco industry research funded by a giant cigarette firm on illicit trade in 14 Asian countries, including the Philippines. Last year, a giant tobacco firm funded a second research on illicit trade of tobacco products in Asia, called “Asia-14 Illicit Tobacco Indicator” which […]

The Philippine Airlines flight bound for Manila from Abu Dhabi was diverted and took an emergency landing at the Mumbai International Airport after one of the passengers on board died of heart attack in mid-air, morning of July 3. Cielo villaluna, PAL spokesperson confirmed that one of the passengers of Airbus 330 flight PR 657 need […]

ABS-CBN Corporation bolstered its stronghold in national TV viewership in June while rival GMA Network retains its grip in the Urban Luzon and Mega Manila segment. In a statement, ABS-CBN said data from Kantar Mediashowed that it had an average national audience share of 47 percent last month compared to GMA’s 32 percent, widening its […]

Just days before the hotly-anticipated visit of Pope Francis to Ecuador, the country’s president has come under increasing pressure from opposition protests demanding his ouster. Thousands demonstrated against President Rafael Correa on Thursday, with clashes with police leaving some people injured. In power since 2007, Correa has fallen out of favor with many in Ecuador […]

Malacañang has pledged to enhance fiscal transparency in government after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pressed the need to address some gaps. “We remain committed to further improving our efforts by engaging in productive dialogue with other groups and advocates,” Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Abigail Valte said. The IMF earlier lauded the Philippines for making headway […]

One of the so-called 19 “Bilibid kings” has reportedly died last Wednesday after his two-month bout with colon cancer, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday. In a text message to reporters, Sec. de Lima confirmed the death of convicted drug lord George Sy, who passed away last July 1. She said Sy was […]