Новости за 15.12.2015

Choichi Ueno of Kaminokawa, Tochigi Prefecture, checks rice in October. The grain has been grown from seeds collected in Nagasaki after the city was hit by an atomic bomb in 1945. | KYODO (Photo courtesy of japantimes.co.jp) TOKYO—Hibaku rice tasseled again this year in various parts of Japan as a “living witness” to the horror of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki 70 years ago. The rice is derived from seeds collected in October 1945 by Kyushu University researchers in areas close to the epicenter of... Читать дальше...

US actor Edward Norton has raised more than $425,000 as of Tuesday (December 15, 2015) for a Syrian refugee whom he read about on a popular blog and whose tragic story moved him “to tears.”

Weather agency PAGASA has issued a yellow rainfall warning over Metro Manila, as well as in Rizal, Cavite, Northern Quezon and Batangas. This means expected rainfall amount is between 7.5 mm and 15 mm within one hour and may cause flooding in low-lying areas. An orange rainfall warning, meanwhile, is now over Nueva Ecij,Tarlac, Bataan, Zambales, Bulacan and Pampanga. This means rainfall is between 15 mm and 30 mm of light to moderate rains affecting Laguna and the rest of Quezon province which may persist for 2 to 3 hours.

Japanese cars could be hacked and remote-controlled through smartphones if they were equipped with devices connected to the Internet, according to an experiment conducted by an associate professor at Hiroshima City University’s Graduate School of Information Sciences.

The European Union was mulling the possibility Tuesday (December 15, 2015) of setting an age for parental consent, perhaps as high as 18, for users of social media such as Facebook, EU sources said.

LOS ANGELES — All Los Angeles area public schools were shut down Tuesday (December 15, 2015) after a school board member received an emailed threat that raised fears of another attack like the deadly shooting in nearby San Bernardino. New York City officials say they received the same threat, but quickly concluded that it was a hoax. New York Police Commissioner William Bratton said he thought Los Angeles officials overreacted. Bratton said the person who wrote the note claimed to be a jihadist,... Читать дальше...

Not so long ago, the whole process of shirt printing was quite onerous. Designs were laid on by using a mesh to transfer paint on to the shirt; and in order for the design to really stick, the shirt is then left to dry for hours.  Notice how tedious and time consuming it was.  Now, thanks to technology printing designs on textile is now possible—quickly and easily. The “Print Your Passion” event held at Edsa Shangri-La last November 25, 2015,showcased the creations of Asia’s Most Influential Designer of 2014, Avel Bacudio. Читать дальше...

Wide areas in Bicol, the Visayas, and Southern Tagalog region were plunged into darkness yesterday as powerful typhoon “Nona” (international name Melor) barreled into the coconut-growing regions, causing flooding, storm surges, and forcing almost 800,000 people to evacuate their homes, officials said. Christmas lanterns and lights, tin roofs and branches littered the streets of Legazpi City in Albay, which was battered by strong winds. People who fled from their coastal homes spent a sleepless night in evacuation centers... Читать дальше...

Anthony Bourdain, indisputably the most famous chef in contemporary times, is in the Philippines hosting and producing an episode for the CNN documentary series “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” which has won an unprecedented 3 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Informational Series. But little is made public of the celebrity’s schedule and activities. The Manila Bulletin managed to secure an exclusive interview with Bourdain, in which he intimated that the Philippine episode will focus not just on the country’s food... Читать дальше...

Tokyo  – The US Pacific Fleet Commander has warned of a possible arms race in the disputed South China Sea which could engulf the region, as nations become increasingly tempted to use military force to settle territorial spats instead of international law. Commander Admiral Scott Swift urged nations, like China, to seek arbitration to settle maritime disputes. “My concern is that after many decades of peace and prosperity, we may be seeing the leading edge of a return of “might makes it right” to... Читать дальше...

Los Angeles  – The next installment in the “Star Wars” saga premieres in Los Angeles on Monday, one of the most highly anticipated movie releases of the year. “The Force Awakens,” the first “Star Wars” film in 10 years, has been cloaked in secrecy, with few details released. Old hands Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo, Carrie Fisher, who portrayed Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill return in the movie. JOHN BOYEGA (L), Daisy Ridley, director J.J. Abrams, and Adam Driver (Reuters/Yuya... Читать дальше...

In towns and cities all over the Philippines today, Filipinos wake up before dawn to attend the first of nine dawn masses – the Simbang Gabi – ending on Christmas Day.

The Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCBL) further strengthened its alliance with China Banking Corporation (China Bank) following the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ grant of the license to cross-sell bancassurance products to China Bank Savings (CBS), the thrift bank arm of China Bank. The grant will allow China Bank Savings to offer low premium-protection products that covers insurance, savings and investment plans. “With MCBL as our bancassurance partner, world class life insurance... Читать дальше...

Kidapawan City  – After 17 years, the city council here has approved the revisions to the local tax code. This, after Sangguniang Panglungsod passed on its third and final reading the Revised Revenue Code of Kidapawan City with at least nine members of the council voting for its approval. Surprisingly, the chair of the Committee on Finance of the Sanggunian, Councilor Lauro Taynan, opposed the passage of the proposal. (Photo courtesy of google maps) Taynan used as basis in his opposition the petition... Читать дальше...

The tourist visa fee collections for the year have breached the P1-billion mark, a milestone in the history of the Bureau of Immigration (BI). BI Commissioner Siegfred Mison said that, as yesterday, a total of P1.051 billion has so far been raised from tourist visa fee collections  which represent an increase of more than seven percent from last year’s take. “While the BI is not mainly an income-generating agency, we commend our tourist visa section for this remarkable accomplishment, Mison said... Читать дальше...

The dancing, singing life-sized Santa Claus robot outside Amando Tetangco’s office is an apt metaphor for his role in the Philippines. The central bank governor may not sport a white beard and red suit, but he is indeed bringing a big gift to his nation’s 100 million people this Christmas: an economy that’s turning heads. Much has been said about the contributions President Benigno Aquino has made to living standards since 2010. But Tetangco has been the glue holding an often chaotic financial system together since 2005. Читать дальше...

Until the last day of his term, President Aquino has pledged to “do even more” to combat corruption and improve the lives of as many Filipinos as possible. And when he steps down from office next year, the President has called on Filipino voters to choose “like-minded” leaders who will safeguard and accelerate the anti-corruption campaign. “Make no mistake: Despite all these successes, and despite the breadth of what the Filipino people have achieved in just five years and five months, I am aware... Читать дальше...

The bill seeking to increase the monthly pension of Social Security System (SSS) members has been transmitted to Malacañang, Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. said yesterday. The assurance was made by Belmonte yesterday after the Makabayan bloc asked him to immediately transmit to President Aquino the enrolled SSS pension increase bill so it can immediately be signed into law. “The SSS pension bill has been transmitted to the PLLO (Presidential Legislative Liaison Office) this morning,” Belmonte said. Читать дальше...

A Quezon City court has allowed the legal counsel of alleged mastermind of the “Maguindanao Massacre’’ Andal Ampatuan Jr. to withdraw as the latter’s counsel de parte. In an order, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 granted the withdrawal of appearance filed by Atty. Salvador Panelo, though it cited that this would further delay appropriate action on Ampatuan’s application for bail. Panelo, citing personal reasons, withdrew from appearing as Ampatuan’s counsel on the latter’s multiple murder case... Читать дальше...

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong’’ R. Marcos Jr. thanked the Thomasian community of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for making him number one among the vice-presidential candidates. The survey was conducted by The Varsitarian, the official student publication of UST. The result is posted in its webpage. The random sampling survey among the more than 40,000 students was held from Oct. 26 to Dec. 10, 2015, with 1,366 respondents from the various faculties and colleges of the university. Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong”Marcos, Jr. Читать дальше...

Finally, last December 12, after decades of seemingly irreconcilable differences between rich and poor countries on ways to address climate change, an agreement was signed by delegates of 195 nations in Paris. From the action plans, we now can shift our vision from what used to be hopelessness from thoughts of devastating droughts, floods, rising seas that could engulf islands and coastal areas. But this means that everyone must join hands in solidarity with the common vision of working towards radical... Читать дальше...

The Philippines is second only to Thailand in the entire ASEAN region in terms of compliance to the Euro 4 emission standards paved by the readiness of the local oil companies to produce the fuel products required for  Euro 4 standards. Joseph Bautista, vice-president of Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC), said Philippine automotive companies are ready to comply with the January 2016 Euro 4 emission standards for brand new vehicles and 2018 for the old vehicles. “We are second to Thailand in compliance in the region,” Bautista said. Читать дальше...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The final "Hunger Games" installment topped the North American box office for a fourth week with the monster of a whale from "In the Heart of the Sea" landing in second place.

SYDNEY (AFP) - Johnny Depp's wife Amber Heard will face trial in Australia in April for allegedly smuggling two dogs into the country in a case dubbed the "war on terrier", a court ruled Tuesday.

An online network on real-time radiation monitoring is up for launch in 2016 involving the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).