Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
by Eitan Abramovich and Carlos Reyes Agence France Presse MAR DEL PLATA, Argentine (AFP) — Experts ruled out Monday the possibility that noise detected at sea could have come from an Argentine submarine missing with 44 people aboard, in the latest bad news to hit their relatives. “The sound footprint could not correspond to a sub’s… it may have been a noise from a living thing,” said navy spokesman Enrique Balbi. “The search continues,” he […]
by Sonia Avalos Agence France Presse MAR DEL PLATA, Argentine (AFP) — A multinational armada of aircraft and vessels battled high winds and big seas Sunday as they intensified their search for a missing Argentine submarine, after apparent attempted distress calls raised hopes the 44 crew members may still be alive. There has been no contact with the ARA San Juan, a German-built diesel-electric sub, since early Wednesday. An air and sea search is underway […]
SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) — Billionaire conservative Sebastian Pinera and leftist former TV journalist Alejandro Guillier will contest a runoff second round in Chile’s presidential election next month, officials said Sunday. Pinera, a former president, held a commanding lead of 36.6 percent to Guillier’s 22.6 percent with more than three quarters of the votes counted after the first round. © Agence France-Presse
BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) — Fugitive Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma, a key opponent of President Nicolas Maduro, traveled to Madrid on Friday after escaping house arrest in the Venezuelan capital. Ledezma, 62, had hours earlier crossed the border into neighboring Colombia, saying he intended to fly to Europe to organize resistance against Maduro’s rule, which has left millions of Venezuelans facing food and medicine shortages. The opposition leader boarded an Avianca flight from Bogota to Madrid, where he […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Crisis-plagued Venezuela suffered another blow Thursday as a committee of creditors ruled that state oil company PDVSA has defaulted on its debt, a decision that triggers payment of default insurance to investors. The setback for the oil-rich but cash-poor nation came as no surprise, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro has missed payments on sovereign bonds as well as PDVSA debt, even as the population continues to suffer from […]
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica “(AFP) — A strong earthquake, measuring 6.5 according to a US seismological agency, rocked Costa Rica late Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The quake occurred at 8:28 pm local (0228 GMT) on the Central American country’s Pacific coast, at a depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles), close to the popular tourist beach town of Jaco. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami alert. […]
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro insisted on Sunday that his cash-strapped country would “never” default, as he prepared to meet with creditors in Caracas to discuss rescheduling part of the country’s massive $150 billion debt. “Never, default will never reach Venezuela,” he declared on his weekly television show. “Our strategy is to renegotiate and refinance all the debt.” Maduro pointed to ongoing negotiations with his allies China and Russia, to which Venezuela […]
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Several thousand Brazilians demonstrated on Friday as part of a day of national mobilization against government austerity measures, including a labor law that will soon come into effect. Demonstrators were also protesting against a highly-unpopular pension reform project and the wave of privatization recently announced by President Michel Temer’s government. “We must prevent the destruction of our country, the loss of social gains and the threats against democracy,” said Telma de Barros, […]
by Paula RAMON Agence France-Presse SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) – Only nine of 194 countries which pledged last year to eradicate hepatitis by 2030 are working towards that goal, according to figures revealed Wednesday at the second World Hepatitis Summit in Brazil. Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Japan, The Netherlands, Australia, Qatar and Brazil are the only countries taking steps to overcome the disease, a liver inflammation which kills 1.3 million people every year. The three-day summit […]
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) – Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri called on business and union leaders to put aside their differences and back his government’s planned economic and social reforms in a speech Monday. Macri pledged his government would maintain “austerity and order in the public accounts,” as well as favor employment, reduce taxes, lower inflation, punish corruption and strengthen Argentina’s institutions. “I call on you to achieve basic consensus to draw a roadmap that gives us stability, […]
by Raul Arboleda © Agence France-Presse La Montañita, Colombia (AFP) — Felix Salcedo lost an arm fighting during Colombia’s half-century civil war which ended in August. Today, he uses his remaining arm to grow pineapples. Like dozens of other former FARC guerrillas in his village, Salcedo is trying to earn a living legally after his rebel movement disarmed under a December peace deal with the government. Salcedo, 38, thinks back on the half of his life he […]
by Sonia Avalos Buenos Aires, Argentina (AFP) — A former key minister in Argentina’s husband-and-wife Kirchner governments was arrested for corruption involving hundreds of millions of dollars Wednesday after a Congress vote stripped him of his parliamentary immunity. Former planning minister Julio de Vido was a key figure in the 12-year period between 2003-2015, handling billions of dollars while in charge of Argentina’s public works contracts and also acting as a gatekeeper to the Kirchners. Acting on orders […]
