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Oil prices linger at $75 in Asia
2010-09-03 | 02:34:09 pm
Oil prices lingered near $75 a barrel Friday in Asia, largely holding onto a big gain the day before as investors put a positive spin on US economic reports and Asian stock markets rose.
Benchmark oil for October delivery was down 30 cents at $74.72 a barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.11 to settle at $75.02 on Thursday.
The Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, but are still above levels in a healthy economy.
AP
Aquino Peace panel all set
2010-09-03 | 02:28:31 pm
The 5-man Peace panel of the Aquino Administration is all set and ready. The said team is aimed to negotiate with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to achieve ultimate peace with the group.
According to Peace Process Adviser Teresita Deles, the said group is currently undergoing "validating process" from the final members of the panel, before it will be formally named and introduced to the public.
Deles made the statement in line with her appeals to the civil society the nomination of Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma as one of the representatives in the panel led by the University of the Philippines Law Dean Attorney Marvic Leonen.
However according to the group Peace Advocates of Zamboanga President Father Angel Calvo, having one of the members of Catholic Church in Peace Panel will be an extra burden for them, as it may complicate the whole negotiation process.
On the other hand, the MILF...
Aquino takes all the blame for the bloody hostage drama
2010-09-03 | 01:44:12 pm
President Benigno Aquino III took the blames on the failure to rescue the hostages that resulted to the death of eight Hong Kong tourists, and for dappling good relations between China and the country.
"At the end of the day, I am responsible for everything that has transpired," Mr. Aquino told reporters, expressing his thoughts on Senator Francis Escudero’s statements, putting the blame on Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo who should have set a tough confirmation process on the Commission on Appointments.
Escudero is P-noy’s political ally--earlier he questioned Robredo for failing to take charge of the hostage crisis on August 23, that led to a bloody end.
DWIZ NEWS
September 10, a non working holiday
2010-09-03 | 01:30:59 pm
President Benigno Aquino III has declared September 10 a non-working holiday as the o Eid’l Fitr or the Feast of Ramadan would fall on September 10.
"The President has issued Proclamation No. 26 declaring Friday, Sept. 10, 2010 as a regular holiday throughout the country in observance of Eid’l Fitr," noted presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
The declaration was made in accordance to the Proclamation No. 26, penned by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa.
DWIZ NEWS
25 gunmen dead in Mexico
2010-09-03 | 01:24:18 pm
A shootout between soldiers and suspected drug cartel members in northeastern Mexico left 25 purported gunmen dead Thursday, the military said.
A reconnaissance flight over Ciudad Mier in Tamaulipas state spotted several gunmen in front of a property, according to a statement from Mexico's Defense Department.
When troops on the ground moved in, gunmen opened fire, starting a gunbattle that killed 25 suspected cartel members, according to the military. The statement said two soldiers were injured but none were killed.
Earlier, a military spokesman had said the shootout happened when troops on patrol in the town of General Trevino, in neighboring Nuevo Leon state, came under fire from a ranch allegedly controlled by the Zetas drug gang.
AP
De Lima defends NBI
2010-09-03 | 11:54:53 am
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima defended the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the probing of the torture video, where one the suspects is Former Chief Inspector Joselito Binayug of Asuncion, Tondo.
According to de Lima, the NBI was not yet able to prepare cases against the suspect as they have not determined the probable cause behind the torture, --and it will all depend on the submitted evidences before the agency.
Kin of the torture victim Darius Evangelista denied that he is the man in the video. However, new witnesses appeared before the case, and confirmed that Binayug is the merciless torturer in the video.
According to Task Force Asuncion Head C/ Supt. Roberto Rongavilla, they did not became irresponsible in the investigation of the torture video amidst the banging news on the grim hostage taking in Quirino Grandstrand.
DWIZ NEWS
Congress takes it slow
2010-09-03 | 10:20:29 am
The House of Representatives will take time investigating the impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, said Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, while adding that rushing the process is not a good idea.
Belmonte stated that Gutierrez will be undergo due process, and disapproves proposals to fast-track or rush the case proceedings by gathering signatures from at least 90 House members to automatically pass the raps to the Senate.
"Let it (complaint) be heard properly and people be given a chance to explain… I am against automatic endorsement (to the Senate), I want it to go through the process, I am against going to the floor asking the people to sign, I am for due process, everybody is entitled to due process at this point," Belmonte stressed.
Head of the House justice committee Iloilo Rep Niel Tupas said on Wednesday that the two separate complaints filed by former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros and progressive groups...
Oil platform explodes in Louisiana
2010-09-03 | 09:14:05 am
Oil platform exploded and burned off the Louisiana coast Thursday, the second such disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in less than five months. This time, the Coast Guard said there was no leak, and no one was killed.
The Coast Guard initially reported that an oil sheen a mile long and 100 feet wide had begun to spread from the site of the blast, about 200 miles west of the source of BP's massive spill. But hours later, Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said crews were unable to find any spill.
The company that owns the platform, Houston-based Mariner Energy, did not know what caused the explosion.
AP
Peso/Dollar closes lower today
2010-09-03 | 08:53:59 pm
Peso/Dollar exchange based on Philippine dealing system rates closed lower today with P44.950 vs. $1.
Tropical Depression Henry seen at the East of Basco, Batanes
2010-09-03 | 08:51:39 pm
At 2 a.m. Friday, Tropical Depression Henry was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 1,180 km east of Basco, Batanes with maximum winds of 55 kph near the center. It is forecast to move west northwest at 22 kph.