Новости за 12.02.2016

The Philippines as we know, is made up of 7,107 islands categorized into three main geographical divisions which are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, as we were taught in school since first grade. But all that may change, as the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) may have discovered 400 more islands in the country.

Munich, Germany --Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed on Friday to drive the Islamic State group out of his country by the end of the year.

Zagreb, Croatia --The next "Star Wars" movie will follow in the footsteps of "Game of Thrones" with some scenes due to be filmed in Croatia's Adriatic resort of Dubrovnik next month, city officials said Friday.

Washington, United States --A top Federal Reserve official said Friday that the US economy and its banking system are strong enough to weather large shocks, amid worries of risks from global market turbulence.

After 9 months, ABS-CBN's hit primetime series Pangako Sa 'Yo (PSY) aired its final episode on Friday, February 12, 2016.

Despite the deadlock in the bicameral conference committee on the proposed Salary Standardization Law 4 (SSL-4), government workers may have the chance to receive the first tranche of their salary increase once President Aquino signs an executive order (EO) to implement it. A draft EO, submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), is now being reviewed by President Aquino’s staff, Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said yesterday. “According to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.... Читать дальше...

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has ordered the dismissal from the service of Quezon City Treasurer Edgar Villanueva for alleged oppression in connection with the seizure of the property of the Manila Seedling Bank Foundation,Inc. (MSBFI) located at the corner of EDSA and Quezon Avenue for non-payment of real estate tax. Aside from the dismissal order, Villanueva was also disqualified permanently from holding public office in the future and forfeiture of retirement benefits. In case of separation from the service... Читать дальше...

US officials are looking to superheroes in their quest to preserve Asia’s postwar security order in the face of an increasingly assertive China. “If Batman had a ship, this’d be it,” Admiral Harry Harris, head of US Pacific Command, told a crowd of Asia specialists in Washington last month as he pointed to a slide of a DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer, the US Navy’s largest and stealthiest. “Everything that is new and cool that the United States is developing is going to the Asia Pacific.” Harris’s... Читать дальше...

The approval and trust ratings of President Aquino and Vice President Jejomar Binay dropped to below 50 percent but they remain the officials with the highest ratings in a survey conducted Jan. 24 to 28 by Pulse Asia. Aquino’s approval rating fell to 49 percent from 55 percent in the December survey. Binay had a 47 percent approval rating, down from 52 percent last December. Aquino had his highest approval ratings in Visayas and Mindanao, with 62  and 55 percent, respectively. His highest disapproval rating of 39 percent was in Metro Manila. Читать дальше...

Games Today (Rizal Memorial Stadium) 4 p.m. – Global vs Green Archers 6:15 p.m. – JP Voltes vs Forza 8:30 p.m. – Loyola vs Pasargad Global FC and Green Archers United, coming off impressive victories on opening weekend, shoot for the second win and the early lead in Group B when they clash today in the UFL Cup at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set at 4 p.m. as the two first division sides resume their title drive in the UFL’s annual cup competition. Global is coming off a 7-0 rout of Pasargad... Читать дальше...

The camp of Senators Grace Poe and Francis “Chiz” Escudero is asking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to hold a dialogue with the various stakeholders in the May, 2016 elections to discuss the status of its preparations amid adverse reports on the results of its initial testing of the vote-counting machines (VCMs). Lawyer George Garcia, in a letter to the Comelec, said such formal talks would address concerns over glitches in the VCM system, as well as other poll-related issues that may hurt the credibility of the May elections. Читать дальше...

The Aquino administration is dangling the Bottoms Up Budgeting (BUB) program to local government executives in the same manner it did with the multi-billion peso Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) which was used to ensure congressional approval of Malacañang’s pet measures, the camp of presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said. The only difference is that in the BUB, the allocation of millions of pesos in government funds is being used to win over support of local government... Читать дальше...

The five presidential candidates will be attending the first debate that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is organizing for the May 2016 polls.

The Department of Finance (DOF) wants the implementation of the approved merger of Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to begin as soon as possible (ASAP).

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the mock polls that will be held on Saturday, February 13 will be the most extensive ever to be conducted.

Magnitude 6.5 quake strikes Indonesia, according to USGS report. Image from USGS

GENEVA — The World Health Organization says possible Zika vaccines are at least 18 months away from large-scale trials.

The World Health Organization said Friday that it will know in a matter of weeks whether the Zika virus causes microcephaly and the severe neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Before tongues start wagging, the campaign headquarters of PDP-Laban presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte announced that the outspoken Davao City mayor will be back in the campaign trail following a brief rest since he suffered severe migraine on Thursday, February 11.

By Yoon Jin-ho, Maeil Business News Korea State-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) appointed finance expert Kim Yong-kook as its new head of Invest Korea on Thursday. Kim will head Invest Korea, KOTRA’s unit to attract foreign investment, for the next two years. Photo courtesy of Pulse/Maeil Business News Korea Kim received a master’s degree in international finance from University of Michigan and has built his career in the financial industry working at various financial firms,... Читать дальше...

Presidential aspirant and Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares rebuffed critics belittling her experience as a teacher to qualify her to run for president in the May 2016 elections.

A finance officer and a former friend of former Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) minister Lowell Menorca II filed adultery charges against the latter at the Manila prosecutor's office, just a couple of days before Valentine's Day.

In a landmark discovery for physics and astronomy, scientists said Thursday they have glimpsed the first direct evidence of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space-time that Albert Einstein predicted a century ago.

Days out from the most romantic date on the western world's calendar, Valentine's Day, Australia's consumer watchdog has revealed that 2,620 Australians fell victim to online romance scams in 2015.

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela has announced the first Zika-related deaths in the South American country.