MANILA, Philippines --- National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar on Friday shunned as «too early» talks on who would succeed Gen. Oscar Albayalde at the helm of the Philippine National Police (PNP). «Mahirap pa pag-usapan ngayon 'yan, napaka-aga pa. Marami pa tayong dapat gawin now that we have started to gain trust and confidence ng taumbayan,» he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel. (It is difficult to talk about that because it is too early. We have a lot of things to do now that we have started to gain the trust and confidence of the people.) Eleazar's name is being floated as among top contenders to replace Albayalde as PNP c...Keep on reading: Eleazar as next PNP chief? ‘Too early’ to talk about it, he says

MANILA, Philippines --- Eighty-eight communist rebels who have surrendered themselves to the government were treated to an all-expenses paid four-day trip to Hong Kong.   The Eastern Mindanao Command and the Presidential Management Staff facilitated the trip, which took place from July 30 to Aug. 2, EMC public affairs chief Maj. Ezra Balagtey said in a statement on Friday.   These beneficiaries from Eastern Mindanao, composed of four males and 84 females, are currently undergoing integration process.   "The purpose of the tour, which includes a visit to historical spots in Hong Kong, is to allow the FRs (former rebels) to experience the life in a mode...Keep on reading: PH gov’t treats ex-NPA rebels with free Hong Kong tour

        MANILA, Philippines --- A woman died after a tree fell on her house at the height of a heavy downpour Friday morning in Barangay UP Campus, Quezon City. According to an initial report from the Anonas police station, the 38-year-old victim, identified as Omayra Sumala, was sleeping inside her house when the tree suddenly fell straight on her residence at about 4:30 a.m. Local authorities rushed the victim to the East Avenue Medical Center but she was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. /jpv...Keep on reading: Sleeping woman dies after tree falls on her house in QC

MANILA, Philippines --- Renowned musician, composer, conductor and National Artist Ryan Cayabyab will be honored as among this year's recipients of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award. Ramon Magsaysay Foundation chairman Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. announced this Friday and said Cayabyab will be recognized «for his compositions and his performances that have defined and inspired Filipino popular music across generations.» «His indomitable, undeterred confidence to selflessly seek, mentor and promote young Filipino musical genius for the global stage, and in showing us all that music can indeed instill pride and joy and unify people across the many barriers that divide them,» Cuisia ...Keep on reading: Ryan Cayabyab among recipients of 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award

  MANILA, Philippines --- After a blogger admitted that he was paid to slander administration candidates during the May 2019 midterm elections, Senate President Vicente Sotto III insisted on Friday that a law should be passed against fake news.   Dennis Jose Borbon, 24, who was arrested last Wednesday in Malabon City, claimed he was hired by former Senator Bam Aquino to launch an online smear job against all administration candidates including himself during the election campaign.   READ: Go: Con man's arrest bares smear job vs admin bets   Aquino had denied the allegation as he dismissed Borbon as an attention seeker.   "This is why we...Keep on reading: Sotto pushes for law vs fake news online

      MANILA, Philippines --- Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros wants the recent spate of killings in Negros Oriental investigated in the Senate to help attain justice for the slain victims. At least 17 individuals were killed in different towns and cities in Negros Oriental since July 23, Hontiveros noted. The senator recently filed Senate Resolution No. 47, urging the Senate committees on public order and dangerous drugs and justice to conduct an inquiry regarding the recent spate of killings and the «circumstances allowed for the lawless violence.» "The killings in the Negros region is an easy and chilling example of the violence against civilians...Keep on reading: Hontiveros seeks Senate probe on Negros Oriental killings

      MANILA, Philippines--- An environmental advocacy group has asked South Korean President Moon Jae-in to immediately take back some 5,177 tons of trash that were illegally shipped to Mindanao from South Korea last year.   EcoWaste Coalition said Friday they sent a letter to Moon, Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae and Ambassador Han Dong-man appealing that they take urgent action in addressing the exported garbage now rotting at the Port of Tagoloan in Misamis Oriental.   "We urge the South Korean government to undertake immediate re-exportation of their 5,177 tons of illegal bulk waste exports that are still in the Philippines despit...Keep on reading: EcoWaste to SoKor president: Take back exported trash now in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine Army in Visayas region has expressed support to President Rodrigo Duterte's possible declaration of martial law in Negros Oriental amid the spate of killings there. «We should rely on the wisdom of our duly constituted authorities that everything will be done to promote the welfare of every Filipino citizen. As such we will be ready to support and abide to the President's decision to whether declare martial law in the province,» said Army's 3rd Infantry Division chief Maj. Gen. Dinoh Dolina in a statement on Friday. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Thursday said the President would likely invoke emergency powers soon and can possibly...Keep on reading: Army in Visayas supports possible martial law in Negros Oriental

Actresses Beauty Gonzalez and Ellen Adarna jetted off to Thailand for vacation on Thursday, Aug. 1. Joining them were furniture designer Vito Selma, two kids and a nanny. Gonzalez admitted nervousness on the trip because it is the first time she is traveling alone with her 3-year-old daughter. «Traveling with Olivia alone with no help for the first time literally just me and her and my friends!! This will be an interesting trip,» she wrote on her Instagram Stories, posting a selfie of her carrying a backpack with milk and diapers. Once in Thailand, the group rode a tuk-tuk at night. While the three friends laughed on the ride, Olivia appeared to be calm and behaved. ...Keep on reading: LOOK: Beauty Gonzalez, Ellen Adarna travel to Thailand

      MANILA, Philippines --- Two robbers who just stole valuables including a global positioning system (GPS)-capable cellphone were tracked down and killed following a shootout with pursuing policemen in Quezon City on Thursday night. A report from the Novaliches Police said two robbery victims--a woman and her son--appeared before the police station and reported that three men onboard a motorcycle took their bag with an undetermined amount of cash, a cellphone, and their Suzuki Raider R150 motorcycle. The incident happened in Barangay San Bartolome at around 11:30 p.m. Police said Friday that the woman gave her cellphone number to the officers and ...Keep on reading: QC cops track down, neutralize robbers through GPS of stolen cellphone

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates --- Saudi Arabia has issued new laws that grant women greater freedoms by allowing any citizen to apply for a passport and travel freely, ending a long-standing and controversial guardianship policy that had required male consent for a woman to travel or carry a passport.   The changes approved by King Salman and his Cabinet allow any person 21 and older to travel abroad without prior consent and any citizen to apply for a Saudi passport on their own.   The decrees were published early Friday in the kingdom's official weekly gazette.   Other changes issued in the decrees allow women to register a marriag...Keep on reading: Saudi changes allow women to travel without male consent

Toni Gonzaga fulfilled her longstanding dream of performing with her inspiration and idol, Asia's Songbird Regine Velasquez, on «ASAP» recently. Gonzaga shared the memorable event on her YouTube vlog on July 31, telling her fans she grew up watching and listening to Velasquez. «I wanted to be like her... I would sing her songs in every audition. And I would watch all her shows and concerts hoping one day I could meet her and sing with her,» Gonzaga said in her vlog. «Walking up to this stage reminded me of the many years I sang at hotel lounges, bars, restaurants and all the auditions that rejected me.» There came a time in Gonzaga's life when she realized that, perhaps, her dream o...Keep on reading: Toni Gonzaga fulfills dream of singing with ‘idol’ Regine Velasquez

  MANILA, Philippines --- Senator Francis «Kiko» Pangilinan has called for a Senate inquiry into the impact of the Rice Tarrification Act on rice farmers and the local rice industry five months after the measure took effect.   In pushing for Senate Resolution No. 36, the opposition senator noted that about 200,000 farmers have stopped working on food production and 4,000 rice mills have stopped operating since the enactment of Republic Act No. 11203 in February this year.   "Ang sumbong sa atin ng mga magsasaka, wala na silang kita pagkaraang ipatupad ang batas na ito. 'Pinapatay kami ng rice tariffication,' sabi ng isang magsasaka mula Nueva Ecija na lumapi...Keep on reading: Pangilinan wants inquiry on impact of rice tarrification

MANILA, Philippines --- Some areas in Metro Manila experienced flooding Friday morning due to heavy rains. In a video by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson Celine Pialago, the Quirino Avenue extension could be seen experiencing gutter-level flooding. https://twitter.com/DYGalvezINQ/status/1157087463124324352?s=20   Maria Paz Mendoza in Guazon Manila is also flooded, as seen by a photo from Pialago. Meanwhile, several videos posted on Twitter show that Taft Avenue, particularly in front of the De La Salle University, is also flooded. https://twitter.com/archersnetwork/status/1157078131267649536?s=21 https://twitter.com/archersnetwor...Keep on reading: LOOK: Flooded areas in Metro Manila

  MANILA, Philippines --- Actress Julia Barretto dodged questions on the controversy hounding her and fellow actors Gerald Anderson and Bea Alonzo when she faced the media for the first time since they made headlines.   When asked about how she is doing amid the controversy, Barretto chose to talk instead about an upcoming show in California for ABS-CBN's musical-variety show «ASAP.»   «I'm excited. I'm excited for ASAP in San Francisco. It's actually my first time also in San Francisco so I'm excited that I'm gonna be with the other artists also,» Barretto said Thursday in an interview with ABS-CBN News.   When pressed for a response on how she i...Keep on reading: Julia Barretto evades question on recent controversy

MANILA, Philippines--Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra share the same view that Chinese nationals in the country are welcome for as long as they follow the laws and pay the proper taxes.   «We have our labor laws. They can come here provided they have a visa or if they want to work, they must pay their taxes. As long as our rules are followed, I don't see anything wrong...We have to see to it that our rules are followed,» Carpio told reporters on the sidelines of the Legal Education Summit at the Manila Hotel.   Earlier, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon raised the alarm on the influx of undoc...Keep on reading: Chinese nationals welcome in PH for as long as they follow laws, pay taxes

  MANILA, Philippines --- If Dengvaxia was not effective before, how can it be effective now?   Senate President Vicente Sotto III posed this question on Thursday after former Health Secretary Janette Garin urged government to «listen to real experts» and make dengue vaccines available to the public again amid the increasing number of dengue cases in the country.   READ:Garin to DOH: Listen to real experts; make dengue vaccines available   Sotto said that while protection from dengue is essential, there is still «uncertainty» with Dengvaxia, which was used in the mass anti-dengue vaccination program during the time of former President Benigno Aqui...Keep on reading: Sotto: If Dengvaxia was not effective before, how can it be effective now?

A team of astronomers has discovered an exoplanet, a planet outside the solar system, that may have conditions that are suitable to sustain life. The group of astronomers found the exoplanet in a constellation called Hydra which is around 31 light-years from Earth, as per NASA yesterday, July 31. One light-year is about 10 trillion kilometers. The exoplanet, named GJ 357 d, was found using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). It is said to be around twice the size of Earth and harbor six times Earth's mass. TESS is a NASA mission that searches for planets orbiting the brightest stars in Earth's sky. Since the exoplanet orbits around its host star at about a fift...Keep on reading: Newly discovered exoplanet may be able to support life, astronomers say

      MANILA, Philippines --- The Quezon City government on Thursday issued its guidelines for the cancellation of classes and government work. Under the Memorandum Circular No. 1 series of 2019, Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (QCDRRMC) will undertake a Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) for expected typhoons which will become the basis for the cancellation of government work and classes. The PDRA will rely on the latest weather updates and advisories of state weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). The government authorized QCDRRMC to announce its decision by ...Keep on reading: QC bares guidelines for suspension of classes, gov’t work

    MANILA, Philippines --- Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde on Thursday accused the House Makabayan bloc and leftist groups of «bloating» the issue on the string of killings in Negros Oriental and using it as propaganda against the government.   Albayalde also refuted the warning of members of the Makabayan bloc that the government might be «setting the stage» for a nationwide martial law through killings in the province, saying there was no such order from President Rodrigo Duterte.   READ: Solons: Negros killings may be used 'as pretext' to put PH under martial law   "'Yung peace and order naman doon kung mins...Keep on reading: PNP accuses Makabayan bloc, leftist groups of ‘bloating’ Negros killings

BEIJING - Asian stock markets followed Wall Street lower Thursday after the U.S. central bank cut its key interest rate but left investors uncertain about future reductions.     Benchmarks in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Australia tumbled while Tokyo was little-changed.   The Shanghai Composite Exchange lost 0.6% to 2,914.07 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.6% to 27,627.66.   Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 lost 0.2% to 6,795.70 and benchmarks in New Zealand, Taiwan and Southeast Asia also retreated.   Tokyo's Nikkei 225 edged up 4 points to 21,525.85 and South Korea's Kospi gained 3 points to 2,028.44.   On Wall Street, the Standard...Keep on reading: Asian stocks follow Wall Street lower after Fed rate cut

PHNOM PENH ---Some 30 media leaders and noted bloggers from the 10 Asean membercountries gathered for talks with the region'sthought leaders in Thai capital Bangkok on Monday on how the blocresponds to global challenges. The 3rd Asean Media Forum met to discuss the challenges facing Asean, as well as its aims and achievements at both the international and regional levels. The talks focused on how Asean responds to global challenges, especially Sino-US trade tensions, with the issue being viewed as greatly affecting countries in the region. Has Sohpak, the deputy director of the Ministry of Information's General Department of Administration and Finance, said the forum was imp...Keep on reading: Asean media leaders meet in Bangkok to discuss challenges

      MANILA, Philippines --- President Rodrigo Duterte's call for the postponement of the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections may result to a slow turnout of applicants at the start of the voter registration. Commission on Elections (Comelec) Spokesperson James Jimenez said this nearly two weeks after the President called on Congress to postpone the said elections for another two years. READ: Duterte calls on Congress: Postpone barangay polls from 2020 to 2022 "Bago pa sinabi ng Pangulo 'yan, marami nang ugong-ugong tungkol diyan. I guess nagkaroon na rin tayo ng pagkakataon na ma-absorb 'yong gano'ng klaseng balita so hindi na ...Keep on reading: Comelec fears slow turnout of registrants amid Duterte’s call to postpone SK, barangay polls

When Prince Harry sat down with world-renowned ethologist Jane Goodall for British Vogue's September issue, inevitably the topics centered on the environment and climate change. It also raised the impact humans have on the planet---and what that would mean about having children. The September issue titled «Forces for Change» was guest-edited by Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, who turned down being the magazine's cover story to highlight trailblazing women from around the world. «We are the one species on this planet that seems to think that this place belongs to us, and only us,» the Duke of Sussex told Goodall in the interview published on Wednesday, July 31. "It's crazy to think we...Keep on reading: Prince Harry concerned about impacts of humans on environment, wants ‘maximum’ of 2 kids

SINGAPORE ---Three organizations are now investigating whether technology giant Huawei breached consumer protection laws and advertising guidelines in its promotion of a smartphone deal that led to chaotic scenes at stores across Singapore last Friday. This comes as Huawei said yesterday that it will give out $100 vouchers to about 5,000 people who had registered but failed to buy the Huawei Y6 Pro at a promotional price of $54. The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (Asas) told The Straits Times yesterday that it is assessing if the company had complied with the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice guidelines on the availability of products and bait advertising. It has...Keep on reading: Huawei ad under probe in Singapore for potential breach of guidelines

  LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines --- A suspected illegal drug pusher was killed in a police buy-bust operation in Polangui town in Albay province on Wednesday night.   Albay police assistant information officer Corporal Charmie Mayores said Ronald Viterbo was the target of a buy-bust operation in Barangay (village) Napo at around 9:25 p.m.   According to police, Viterbo opened fire at the undercover police officer who posed as the buyer during the bust, forcing the officer to shoot back. Viterbo was killed on the spot, police said.   The undercover police officer bought suspected «shabu» (crystal meth) worth P1,000 from the Viterbo, the Albay police sa...Keep on reading: Suspected drug peddler killed in Albay bust

  MANILA, Philippines --- Child actress Xia Vigor is joining Aga Muhlach and Bela Padilla in the Filipino adaptation of the hit Korean film «Miracle in Cell No. 7.»   Muhlach shared the news Wednesday night by posting a photo with the 10-year-old actress.   https://www.instagram.com/p/B0lHQuQDXCh/   «Me and my leading lady! Xia Vigor! Sobrang cute! Grabe! She plays my daughter in the movie 'Miracle in Cell No. 7,'» Muhlach wrote as caption.   «Excited to announce the many great actors I'll be working with in this movie. Soon!!» he added.   Vigor will portray the role of Ye-seung, daughter of Yong-gu (Muhlach), a mentally chal...Keep on reading: Xia Vigor is lead child actress in Filipino remake of ‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’

  MANILA, Philippines -- The killer earthquake that jolted Itbayat, Batanes last week damaged an estimated P292 million worth of infrastructure, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported.     In a statement, DPWH said that most of the damaged structures are located in Barangay San Rafael (P103.36 million, 269 totally and partially-damaged structures).   "As of latest damage assessment of the DPWH which was conducted from July 29 to 30, 2019, the estimated P292 million covers the damage of 978 residential, public building, roads, and slope protection structures in Barangays Sta. Lucia, San Rafael, Sta. Rosa, Sta. Maria, and Raele...Keep on reading: Batanes quake left P292 M infra damage – DPWH

LOS ANGELES - A U.S. Navy fighter jet crashed Wednesday in Death Valley National Park, injuring seven people who were at a scenic overlook where aviation enthusiasts routinely watch military pilots speeding low through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon, officials said.     The crash sent dark smoke billowing in the air, said Aaron Cassell, who was working at his family's Panamint Springs Resort about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away and was the first to report the crash to park dispatch.   «I just saw a black mushroom cloud go up,» Cassell told The Associated Press. «Typically you don't see a mushroom cloud in the desert.»   A search was underway f...Keep on reading: US fighter jet crashes in Death Valley, 7 park visitors hurt

DETROIT - Democrats intensified an acrimonious battle over health care on Wednesday that showcased deep divisions within the party and focused on the dispute between former Vice President Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris.     Their divisions were reinforced by their ideological allies from the progressive and moderate wings of the party, with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker occasionally playing the role of peacemaker.   Biden charged that Harris' health care plan would cost taxpayers $3 trillion even after two terms in office and would force middle-class taxes to go up, not down. He said that would put Democrats at a disadvantage against President...Keep on reading: Democrats fight over health care, immigration at debate

Sen. Bernie Sanders's signature domestic proposal by the leading progressive candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination came under withering attack from moderates in a debate that laid bare the struggle between a call for revolutionary policies and a desperate desire to defeat President Donald Trump. Standing side by side at center stage on Tuesday, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren slapped back against their more cautious rivals who ridiculed «Medicare for All» and warned that «wish-list economics» would jeopardize Democrats' chances for taking the White House in 2020. "I don't understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United State...Keep on reading: Sen. Bernie Sanders Fights for ‘Medicare for All’

Officials say a 19-year-old gunman used a rifle he legally bought in Nevada and illegally brought into California to kill two children and a man at a food festival before he was killed by police. But police initially named a weapon that would be legal under California gun law, only later clarifying that he used a military-style rifle that he purchased in Nevada but could not legally bring into California under the state's assault weapons ban, which is among the nation's toughest. It's the details that make the difference in whether the rifle could have been lawfully imported to California. Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee initially described the weapon as an «SKS,» which is a s...Keep on reading: Kids Festival Shooter in California Took Gun Illegally

More than 900 children, including babies and toddlers, were separated from their parents at the border in the year after a judge ordered the practice be sharply curtailed, the American Civil Liberties Union said Tuesday in a legal attack that will invite more scrutiny of the Trump administration's widely criticized tactics. The ACLU said the administration is separating families over dubious allegations and minor transgressions including traffic offenses. It asked a judge to rule on whether the 911 separations from June 28, 2018, to June 29 of this year were justified. In June 2018 " days after President Donald Trump retreated amid an international uproar, U.S. District Judge Dana ...Keep on reading: ACLU: 911 Toddlers and Babies Separated from Parents

One of the country's biggest credit card issuers, Capital One Financial, is the latest big business to be hit by a data breach, disclosing that roughly 100 million people had some personal information stolen by a hacker. The alleged hacker, Paige A. Thompson, obtained Social Security and bank account numbers in some instances, as well as other information such as names, birthdates, credit scores, and self-reported income, the bank, said Monday. It said no credit card account numbers or log-in credentials were compromised. Capital One Financial is just the latest business to suffer a data breach. Only last week Equifax, the credit reporting company, announced a $700 million settleme...Keep on reading: Capital One Data Breach

Congressional Democrats appear to be moving from «no way» to «maybe» on President Donald Trump's rewrite of a trade pact with Canada and Mexico. House Democrats have met four times with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, most recently on Friday, and both sides say they are making progress toward a deal that would clear the way for Congress to approve Trump's U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA. Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, who heads a House subcommittee on trade, declared a couple of months ago that there was «no way» Democrats and the administration could bridge their differences. Lately, he's reconsidered. "In the course of the last two months, we have s...Keep on reading: NAFTA: Democrats Leveraging the Trump Administration