Other News

PHIVOLCS will not lower alert level

Despite fewer incidents of rockfall and volcanic quakes, the PHIVOLCS said that it will not lower Mayon Volcano’s alert level. The sulfur dioxide emissions of the said volcano has risen, meaning that there is continuous activity inside the volcano. The volcano has also swollen up, indicating that there is magma movement inside of it. PHIVOLCS added that there is a possibility that they would heighten the current alert level if the volcano’s abnormal activity continues. […]

CGMA still not ok

The condition of former President and current Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo remains bad. This is according to her daughter Luli Arroyo-Bernas which contradicts the statement issued by the management of the Veterans’ Memorial Medical Center, saying that CGMA’ condition is now better. Despite of her condition, CGMA continues to do work for her district.

Last day of SK registration

Today is the last day of registration for the Sangguniang Kabataan election next year. But the Commissions on Election changed the deadline in areas affected by tropical storm “Mario”. Areas with extended SK registration include: Obando, Bulacan – September 23 – October 1 Cainta, Rizal – September 21-30 Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur – September 27 – October 6 According to COMELEC Resolution No. 9899, the SK election will be held on February 21, 2015.

Purisima returns

PNP Chief Director General Alan Purisima has returned from his meeting in Bolgota, Colombia. He did not give any comment to the press when he landed at NAIA. The Office of the Ombudsman charged Purisima with plunder, graft, and direct bribery due to his alleged ill-gotten wealth and his construction of a mansion inside Camp Crame.

Hong Kong resorts to tear gas to break up democracy protesters after warnings

(Reuters) – Hong Kong police used tear gas for the first time on Sunday to disperse pro-democracy protests and baton-charged the crowd blocking a key road in the government district after Hong Kong and Chinese officials warned against illegal demonstrations. The city’s Admiralty district had descended into chaos as chanting pro-democracy protesters converged on police barricades surrounding their colleagues who had earlier launched a “new era” of civil disobedience to pressure Beijing into granting full […]

Over 30 feared dead after Japan volcano spews ash and rock

(Reuters) – More than 30 people were feared dead on Sunday near the peak of the Japanese volcano that erupted a day earlier, sending a huge cloud of ash and rock tumbling down its slopes, while packed with hikers. Police said they were found in a state of “cardiopulmonary” arrest, but declined to confirm their deaths pending a formal examination, as per Japanese custom. Hundreds of people, including children, were stranded on Mount Ontake after it erupted […]

New York scientists unveil ‘invisibility cloak’ to rival Harry Potter’s

(Reuters) – Watch out Harry Potter, you are not the only wizard with an invisibility cloak. Scientists at the University of Rochester have discovered a way to hide large objects from sight using inexpensive and readily available lenses, a technology that seems to have sprung from the pages of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter fantasy series. Cloaking is the process by which an object becomes hidden from view, while everything else around the cloaked object appears […]

Russia at U.N. accuses U.S., allies of bossing world around

(Reuters) – Russia used its annual appearance at the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday to accuse the United States and its Western allies of bossing the world around, complaining they were attempting to dictate to everyone “what is good and evil.” The speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the 193-nation assembly was the latest example of the deteriorating relations between Moscow and Western powers, which have imposed sanctions on Russia over the conflict in neighboringUkraine. “The U.S.-led […]

Goggles at the ready as Hong Kong activists brace for crackdown

(Reuters) – Thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators surrounding Hong Kong government headquarters braced for a showdown with police on Sunday after accelerating a plan to shut down the heart of the global financial hub. Leaders and supporters of the Occupy Central with Love and Peace movement, many wearing plastic capes and goggles to fend off any police pepper spray attack, urged the public to join the protest to pressure Beijing to allow free elections in the […]

E-jeepneys in QC start plying route

QUEZON CITY, Philippines – The first of Quezon City’s e-jeepneys started to ply their routes Saturday as the City-Optimized Managed Electric Transport (Comet) was officially launched at the SM North Edsa mall. The Comet is said to be the earth-friendly replacement of the old-fashioned, smoke-belching jeepneys plying the streets of Metro Manila and other areas nationwide. It relies on lithium ion batteries, which can be fully charged in five hours. It can travel up to […]

George Clooney, Amal Alamuddin tie the knot in Venice

(Reuters) – The world’s most famous bachelor, George Clooney, broke a vow to remain single on Saturday and married human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin during a weekend of lavish celebrations in Venice. The Italian city of gondolas and palazzi looked like Hollywood on the Adriatic as A-list guests cruised between luxury hotels for the extravaganza, billed as the party of the year even as details were kept largely secret. Clooney’s representative, Stan Rosenfield, broke a long silence […]

Islamic State defies air strikes by shelling Syrian Kurdish town

(Reuters) – New U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State fighters failed to stop them from pressing their assault on a strategic Syrian town near the Turkish border on Saturday, hitting it with shell fire for the first time. The U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said the air strikes destroyed an IS building and two armed vehicles near the border town of Kobani, which the insurgents have been besieging for the past 10 days. It said an […]