Netherlands announces P55.5-M disaster relief fund for PH
MANILA, Dec 7 (Mabuhay) — The Dutch Embassy in Manila on Friday announced a EUR950,000 (approximately PHP55.5 million) disaster relief fund to help the Philippines weeks after typhoons Rolly and Ulysses battered the country. Of the total aid, some EUR600,000 (around PHP35 million) will be provided by the Netherlands government while the additional EUR350,000 (approximately […]
EU commits €150M new grants to Philippines — DOF
MANILA, Nov 5 (Mabuhay) — The European Union (EU) has committed an additional €150 million worth of new grants to the Philippines, the Department of Finance (DOF) said Thursday. The DOF said the bulk or two-thirds of the new EU grants will “help finance programs to boost agricultural productivity in Mindanao and provide electricity to […]
UK allots P63-M aid for typhoon victims in PH, Vietnam
MANILA, Nov 5 (Mabuhay) — The United Kingdom earmarked 1 million pounds or around PHP62.9 million to assist the victims of recent typhoons in the Philippines and Vietnam. “(The) £1 million UK aid package will help to deliver life-saving food, clean water and safe shelter to those who need it most and help both the […]
PH can’t test all Typhoon Rolly evacuees for COVID, but precautions in place — DOH
MANILA, Nov 3 (Mabuhay) — The Philippines will not be able to test all Typhoon Rolly evacuees, but there are other ways to curb the spread of COVID-19 in temporary shelters, the Department of Health said Monday. “Isa yung pagte-test for evacuation sites. It is the ideal. Ideally, kung meron tayong ganung resources at masasagawa, […]
Philippines can rally ‘overwhelming majority’ vs China before UN — Carpio
MANILA, Sept 28 (Mabuhay) — Manila can rally an “overwhelming majority” of allies against Beijing if it raises before the United Nations an arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s claims over the West Philippine Sea, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Monday. President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration has refused to do so over fears that […]
Duterte invokes arbitral ruling vs. China in first UN speech
MANILA, Sept 23 (Mabuhay) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday invoked the country’s arbitral victory in 2016 against China’s massive claims in the South China Sea. In his first speech before the United Nations General Assembly, Duterte said the Philippines rejected any attempt to undermine the July2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in […]
VP Robredo: 200,000 jobs at stake if EU pushes trade sanctions vs PH over human rights issues
MANILA, Sept 21 (Mabuhay)– Over 200,000 Filipinos could lose their jobs if the government fails to meet the standards set by the European Union amid its calls to step up efforts in tackling human rights abuses in the country, Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday. Citing data from the European Chamber of Commerce in the […]
EU Parliament wants to strike down Philippines’ zero-tariff export status
MANILA, Sept 18 (Mabuhay) — Dute to “deteriorating” human rights situation in the Philippines, the European Parliament is pushing for the revocation of the country’s exports tariff exemption. Under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) – a mechanism that gives developing countries the privilege of exporting zero-duty merchandise to EU-member states – some of […]
EU looks forward to working with Duterte administration
MANILA (Mabuhay) – The European Union on Thursday said it looks forward to working with the administration of Rodrigo Duterte and hopes that the “dynamic” relations between the Philippines and the EU would continue under a 2012 bilateral agreement that promotes human rights and anti-corruption efforts. “We are now awaiting the official announcement. Rodrigo Duterte […]
Six key gadgets and trends at Mobile World Congress
The Mobile World Congress, the sector’s biggest trade fair which wrapped up in Barcelona on Thursday, was dominated this year by the arrival of virtual reality, advances in the development of ultra-fast 5G networks and connected objects. ROBOT-TELEPHONE THAT READS YOUR MESSAGES: Japanese firm Sharp presented a tiny prototype robot called RoBoHon that doubles as […]
EU diplomats warn US over visa threat
Washington, United States | AFP | – Diplomats from the 28-member European Union on Monday warned they could respond in kind if the United States makes good on plans to end visa-free entry for some EU nationals. After the November 13 terror strikes in Paris and as part of wider anti-terror efforts, the US House of Representatives voted […]
Greek crisis threatening olive oil, honey and wine supplies
(Relaxnews) – You might want to savor that bottle of extra virgin Greek olive oil if the financial crisis in Greece takes a turn for the worse. Because the political fallout is now threatening to spill over to the food supply chain, reports The Independent, and disrupt the flow of beloved exports like olive oil and […]
New York Conference promotes PHL as premier investment destination
WASHINGTON, DC – Investments in people, infrastructure and reforms have transformed the Philippines into a prime destination for foreign capital in recent years, according to Philippine Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima, who was one of the keynote speakers at the Economic Briefing and Investment Conference held on 26 June 2015 at Goldman Sachs in New […]
EU lifts safety ban on all Philippine airlines
(Manila, Philippines-AFP) – Philippine airlines will no longer be banned from flying into Europe, aviation authorities said Thursday, after the European Union removed all remaining Philippine carriers from its safety blacklist. The EU list, which has included Philippine airlines since 2010, bars from operating in European airspace any airlines it deems unable to meet international […]
PHL gets G7’s back in China dispute
Manila, Philippines (AFP) – The Philippines Sunday welcomed reports that the G7 summit would express concern about unilateral efforts to assert sovereignty claims in the disputed South China Sea. Regional alarm is growing at moves by China aggressively to stake its claim to most of the sea, including a large-scale island-building programme. The United […]
World already reaping benefits from ozone treaty: study
(Paris-AFP) – The UN treaty to protect the ozone layer has prevented a likely surge in skin cancer in Australia, New Zealand and northern Europe, a study published on Tuesday said. If the 1987 Montreal Protocol had never been signed, the ozone hole over Antarctica would have grown in size by 40 percent by 2013, […]
White House gets busy to save the bees
(Washington-AFP) – The White House unveiled Tuesday a plan to reverse an alarming decline in the populations of bees and other pollinators that play a critical role in agriculture and the environment. Honey bee pollination alone adds $15 billion in value to US crops each year, wrote John Holdren, one of President Barack Obama’s main […]
Ireland passes EU’s first tobacco plain packaging law
(Dublin, Ireland-AFP) – Ireland on Thursday became the first European Union member state to pass a law introducing mandatory plain packaging for tobacco products, prompting the tobacco industry to threaten legal action. Under the new rules all forms of branding, including logos and colours will be banned and all products will have have a uniform packaging […]
EU tourism hits record in 2014
(Brussels-AFP) – The European Union attracted a record number of tourists in 2014, with visits to France leading the bloc, official data showed on Thursday. Last year tourists spent 2.7 billion nights in tourist accommodations across the EU’s 28 countries, the Eurostat data agency said, up 1.7 percent from 2013. France still came top of […]
Smelling sweet: the Bulgarian deodorant that you eat
(ASENOVGRAD, Bulgaria-AFP) – There are sprays, roll-ons and sticks. Now one Bulgarian candy-maker is offering a new kind of deodorant: in the form of delicious sweets. “It’s an old saying that true beauty comes from inside…. Why not from a candy?” Ventsislav Peychev, owner of Bulgaria’s small Alpi candy factory owner, told AFP. He claims […]
‘Game of Thrones’ starts shooting in Spain
(SEVILLE, Spain-AFP) – Film crews on Friday began shooting part of the fifth season of popular US fantasy television series “Game of Thrones” in the southern Spanish city of Seville, delighting local authorities who expect a tourism boost. Onlookers held up umbrellas to protect themselves against driving rain as they tried to look over a […]
Nearly 700 held or probed in PHL, other countries in major Asia counterfeit sweep
LYON (AFP) – More than 660 people were arrested or put under investigation in a major police operation across 10 Asian countries that targeted criminal networks trading fake and potentially dangerous products, Interpol announced Monday. The international police organization said security forces and border agencies in countries ranging from Cambodia and China to India and […]
PHL exports up 12.4% in July, 2nd fastest in East and Southeast Asia after China – NEDA
MANILA (Mabuhay) – Merchandise exports grew by 12.4 percent in July 2014, largely on higher revenues from manufactured and agro-based products, the National Economic and Development Authority said Wednesday. Citing a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), NEDA said the value of merchandise exports grew to $5.5 billion during the period from $4.9 billion […]
Aquino: Job enormous, but I’m determined to serve weaves DAP early into his fifth report to the nation
MANILA, July 28 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino managed to weave in justification for the discredited Disbursement Acceleration Program early into his fifth and penultimate State of the Nation Address on Monday. He also began his report to the nation with yet another swipe at the past administration, citing the corruption, dismal economy, low investor […]
US, PHL marines hold drills on flashpoint South China Sea
By Teodoro Aljibe SAN ANTONIO (AFP) – Scores of US and Filipino marines launched mock assaults on a South China Sea beach in the Philippines Friday, as a row escalates between Beijing and its smaller neighbors over the strategic waters. The drills, part of annual war games between the two countries, came after Vietnam said […]
Pope Francis declares John Paul II, John XXIII saints
By Jean-Louis De La Vaissiere, Laure Brumont VATICAN CITY (AFP) − Pope Francis on Sunday proclaimed John Paul II and John XXIII the Catholic Church’s newest saints at a festive ceremony joined by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims for two pontiffs who helped shape 20th-century history. “We declare and define as saints the blessed John […]
Obama says Russia on ‘wrong side of history’ on Ukraine
By Dmitry ZAKS and Michael Mainville in Simferopol, Ukraine KIEV, March 3, 2014 (AFP) – Ukraine accused Russia on Monday of pouring more troops into Crimea and giving its forces an ultimatum to surrender as US President Barack Obama accused Moscow of being on the “wrong side of history” in Europe’s worst standoff since the […]
Philippines allows phone use on planes
(MANILA-AFP) – The Philippines’ civil aviation authority said Tuesday it would allow passengers to use mobile phones and laptops to make calls and access the Internet during flights. Civil aviation director general William Hotchkiss said the order covered “transmitting portable electronic devices”. With immediate effect, the move will allow “people on board the aircraft conditional […]
Sweet success as Turkish baklava wins prized EU status
(BRUSSELS-AFP) – While Turkey has vainly clamoured for years to join the European Union, a sweet pastry made in the country’s southeast tasted more success Thursday, winning the EU’s prized “protected status”. The Gaziantep baklava, described as a “pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with semolina cream and Antep pistachio”, became the first […]
US rejects China air zone
BEIJING (AFP) – US military chiefs insist they will not change their operations despite a move by China to scramble fighter jets to monitor American and Japanese aircraft in Beijing’s newly declared air defence zone. But the State Department said US commercial airlines should observe China’s demand to be given notice of aircraft entering the […]
EU mobilizes P600M for Yolanda victims
MANILA, Nov 11 (Mabuhay) — The European Union on Monday said it has mobilized P600 million in humanitarian assistance to the Philippines for the areas ravaged by Typhoon Yolanda. EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said he convened an emergency meeting with EU ambassadors in Manila to discuss the extent of the devastation in Visayas and […]
Euro zone remains a source of confusion for UK travelers
(Relaxnews) – Not all of the European Union’s 28 member states have adopted the common currency, making things a little more complicated for tourists traveling to the continent. One in ten Britons admits to having exchanged their pounds sterling for the wrong currency before a trip to a European destination, a new study from International […]
Affiliate to fly Philippine Airlines domestic passengers
(MANILA-AFP) – Philippine Airlines plans to expand its international services while farming out passengers on its domestic routes to a low-cost affiliate, airline officials said Monday. “This is being done to allow the flag carrier to service more routes and ensure seamless connectivity between stops while awaiting delivery of PAL’s new Airbus aircraft,” the airline […]
EU lags behind on 4G: official
(BRUSSELS-AFP) – EU member states should do more, and faster, to introduce next-generation 4G mobile phone services if Europe is to reap the benefits of the new technology. About 75 percent of the European Union population of about 500 million has no access to 4G services, EU Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes said on Thursday. […]
Bulgaria opens first cross-country motorway
(SOFIA-AFP) – Bulgaria opened its first cross-country motorway on Monday, to link the capital Sofia to the Black Sea city of Burgas. Work on the 360-kilometre (224-mile) southern axis — part of the Pan-European transport Corridor 8 linking the Adriatic to the Black Sea — began in the 1970s. The project was relaunched in 2004 […]
European Union lifts safety ban on Philippine Airlines
(MANILA-AFP) – The European Union has lifted a three-year ban on Philippine Airlines flying into its airspace after the national carrier addressed safety concerns, the EU’s ambassador to Manila said Wednesday. PAL will be allowed to fly into the 28-member bloc from Friday, which will spur tourism and business links, ambassador Guy Ledoux said. “This […]
China to ban non-French ‘champagne’ copycats
(BEIJING-AFP) – China has agreed to limit the “champagne” label to only wines produced in the French region bearing that name, with a trade group welcoming the move as a boost for the beverage in a fast-growing market. Sales of the wine are accelerating in the world’s second largest economy, from 50,000 bottles in 2001 […]
Philippine Airlines in major route expansion
(MANILA-AFP) – Philippine Airlines announced a major route expansion on Friday to better serve the army of Filipino expatriate workers in the Middle East. As well as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, PAL added new routes to Australia, China and Malaysia as the company pursues a $10 billion fleet overhaul that will […]
U.S. boosts missile defense in the Pacific
North Korea warns of nuclear strike on U.S. targets By Jung Ha-Won SEOUL, April 4, 2013 (AFP) – The United States has scrambled to reinforce its Pacific missile defenses as North Korea pushed more global alarm buttons Thursday by announcing it had authorized plans for possible nuclear strikes on U.S. targets. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck […]
US wine exports hit record $1.4 bn in 2012
(WASHINGTON-AFP) – US wine exports uncorked a record year in 2012, bringing in $1.43 billion in revenues as demand grew in Germany, Sweden, Japan and China, the Wine Institute said Thursday. Wine exports — 90 percent from California — rose by 2.6 percent, the third year in a row of increases, said the San Francisco-based […]
PHL pushes sea row at Asia-Europe summit
VIENTIANE, Nov 5, 2012 (AFP) – The Philippines on Monday pushed its call for an international solution to overlapping claims in the South China Sea at an Asia-Europe summit, saying vital global shipping lanes were at stake. Philippine President Benigno Aquino raised the issue in bilateral meetings with leaders of the European Union as well […]
Del Rosario Underscores Need for Rules-Based Approach to Resolve West Philippine Sea Issue
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario today again underscored the need for a rules-based approach in resolving the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea, saying this is the only legitimate and viable way to address the issue. “The West Philippine Sea remains a focus of concern for the Philippines, for the region […]