MANILA - Senate leaders on Wednesday called on the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to halt a new scheme that bans driver-only vehicles on EDSA during rush hour. The lawmakers made the call on the first day of the dry run of the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) traffic scheme on the main thoroughfare. Under Senate Resolution No. 845, Senate leaders said the policy that aims to reduce the number of cars along EDSA during rush hour "was set in place without public consultation and due process." Dry run of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) traffic scheme starts Wednesday LOOK: What is the HOV traffic scheme? The resolution was authored by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon. "The implementation of a regulation that would allegedly affect 70 percent of the motor vehicles plying and enjoying the use of the Philippines' major thoroughfare without … [Read more...] about Senators urge MMDA to halt driver-only ban on EDSA
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1,140 pass physical, occupational therapist licensure exams
Krisha Marie Gan Badillo of Riverside College topped the Physical Therapist board exam with a rating of 89.05 percent. Jacette Ortiz Gucor of Velez College, meanwhile, topped the Occupational Therapist board exam with a rating of 83.6 percent. The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila was the top performing school in the Physical Therapist licensure exam with a 96.15 percent passing rate or 75 passers out of 78 examinees. The University of Santo Tomas, meanwhile, was the top performing school in the Occupational Therapist licensure exam with a 97.18 percent passing rate or 69 passers out 71 examinees. Examinees who topped the Physical Therapist board exam are the following: Top passers in the Occupational Therapist board exam are as follows: null null … [Read more...] about 1,140 pass physical, occupational therapist licensure exams
UN refugee agency demands end to Mediterranean impasses
Updated 12:49 am PDT, Wednesday, August 15, 2018 Photo: Claude Paris, AP Image 1of/1 CaptionClose Image 1 of 1 FILE - In this Aug.1, 2018 file photo, the French NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius ship leaves the Marseille harbor, southern France. he European Commission said Monday Aug.13, 2018 that it is in contact with a number of member states to identify a country willing to take 141 migrants picked up by a rescue ship, after the French aid groups operating the ship appealed for a safe port and Italy said Britain should take responsibility. less FILE - In this Aug.1, 2018 file photo, the French NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius ship leaves the Marseille harbor, southern France. he European Commission said Monday Aug.13, 2018 that it is in contact with a ... more Photo: Claude Paris, AP UN refugee agency demands end to Mediterranean … [Read more...] about UN refugee agency demands end to Mediterranean impasses
Newly opened £300,000 splashpad is closed for maintenance
Video PUBLISHED: 08:33 15 August 2018 | UPDATED: 08:33 15 August 2018 Gorleston splashpad. Photo: Lauren De Boise Lauren De Boise A new seafront attraction which opened in Gorleston to much fanfare has been closed due to maintenance work less than a week since it was launched. The Gorleston splashpad opened last Wednesday and saw children enjoying the £300,000 wet play area.However families were disappointed on Tuesday as the splashpad was closed off for maintenance carried out on behalf of owners Great Yarmouth Borough Council.A statement from the council said: “Splashpad maintenance notice: The splashpad has already proved hugely popular and we’ve received lots of positive comments from families.“The splashpad is a newly-installed, complex piece of equipment, and we were clear at opening that we would need to monitor and test its operation while it beds in over the coming weeks.“The splashpad was closed temporarily earlier today(Tuesday) in … [Read more...] about Newly opened £300,000 splashpad is closed for maintenance
Cuba begins public debate on Constitutional draft
Photo for illustration (Source: AFP)Citizens will be able to discuss the new constitution at 135,000 forums until November 15th. They will present their conclusions to the 33 lawmakers writing up the final version, which will be submitted to a referendum in February 2019. The Cuban National Assembly last month approved a draft amendment to the 1976 Constitution, including amendments that would pave the way for the recognition of private small businesses and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The draft of the new national charter, which includes 224 articles, has already been approved by the Cuban legislature. The current constitution was written in 1976. Since 2010, Cuba has undergone a series of market reforms aimed at boosting the island’s economy. The National Assembly proposed a number of constitutional reforms last month, including presidential term limits and the legalization of same-sex marriage, as the country moves to decide its political … [Read more...] about Cuba begins public debate on Constitutional draft
Afghan officials: Taliban attack in north kills 30 troops
Rahim Faiez and Amir Shah, Associated Press Updated 12:22 am PDT, Wednesday, August 15, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Mohammad Anwar Danishyar, AP Image 1of/5 CaptionClose Image 1 of 5 In this Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018, photo, Afghan security personnel patrol in the city of Ghazni province west of Kabul, Afghanistan. A Taliban assault on Ghazni, a key city linking areas of Taliban influence barely 75 miles from Kabul, has killed about 100 Afghan policemen and soldiers since Friday, the Afghan Defense Ministry said. A year after the Trump administration introduced its strategy for Afghanistan, the Taliban are asserting themselves on the battlefield even as U.S. officials talk … [Read more...] about Afghan officials: Taliban attack in north kills 30 troops
Wymondham gin distillery wins international award
PUBLISHED: 08:21 15 August 2018 | UPDATED: 08:21 15 August 2018 Sabrina Johnson Lindi Hancke and her husband Shaun check their gin at their gin distillery in Wymondham, making Vryheid (which means Freedom in Afrikaans) dry gin. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY Archant A Norfolk distillery has won an international award just six months after launching its very first gin. Shaun and Lindi Hancke. Picture: Square Pepper PhotographyOakVilla distillery, based in Wymondham, may be new to the gin world but it is already making its presence felt after scooping a bronze award for its Vryheid gin in the London Dry Gin category at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2018.Opened in 2016 by Lindi and Shaun Hancke, who moved to the UK from South Africa in 2007, OakVilla distillery was born from the couple’s love of gin and desire to launch their own business.Now, just six months after making their first gin, Vryheid, available to the public the couple have … [Read more...] about Wymondham gin distillery wins international award
Customs should give smuggled rice to families hit by ‘habagat’: Binay
MANILA - Senator Nancy Binay on Wednesday urged the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to turn over seized smuggled rice to the social welfare department’s relief operations program for flood victims. The bureau intercepted 50,000 sacks of rice worth P175 million last Monday, while another 10,000 sacks were seized in a Laguna warehouse last month. "Marami pong mga kababayan nating nasalanta ng mga nakaraang bagyo at ng habagat ang matutulungan nung nasabat na 60,000 sacks of rice," Binay said in a statement. (The 60,000 seized sacks of rice can help a lot of our countrymen who were affected by recent downpours.) Binay said the BOC should consider the welfare of thousands affected by past weather disturbances instead of letting the rice rot in warehouses or reselling it. Higit P170 milyong halaga ng 'smuggled rice,' nasamsam "Kung gusto po ng BOC, pwede po nilang i-diretso na ang turn over ng bigas sa mismong mga LGUs [para] mas mapapabilis siguro ang distribution sa mga kababayan … [Read more...] about Customs should give smuggled rice to families hit by ‘habagat’: Binay
Death toll rises to 35 in Italy bridge collapse; 3 missing
Updated 12:16 am PDT, Wednesday, August 15, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: AP Image 1of/5 CaptionClose Image 1 of 5 In this photo released by the Italian firefighters, rescue teams work among the rubble of the collapsed Morando highway bridge in Genoa, northern Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. A bridge on a main highway linking Italy with France collapsed in the Italian port city of Genoa during a sudden, violent storm, sending vehicles plunging 90 meters (nearly 300 feet) into a heap of rubble below. (Vigili Del Fuoco via AP) less In this photo released by the Italian firefighters, rescue teams work among the rubble of the collapsed Morando highway bridge in Genoa, northern … [Read more...] about Death toll rises to 35 in Italy bridge collapse; 3 missing
AP Interview: FBI eyes plethora of river-related threats
Kevin Mcgill, Associated Press Updated 12:11 am PDT, Wednesday, August 15, 2018 Now Playing: Roughly nine months into his job as special agent in charge of the New Orleans office of the FBI, agent Eric Rommal is keenly aware of the danger that cyber-criminals pose to Mississippi River-related businesses and infrastructure. (Aug. 15) Media: Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Giant cranes loading and unloading gargantuan barges. Oil tankers, supply vessels and pipelines serving a vital energy industry. Flood control structures. Chemical plants. Cruise ships. Drinking water sources. All computer-reliant and tied in some way to the internet. All of them vulnerable to cyber thieves, hackers and terrorists. Roughly nine months into his job as special agent in charge of the New Orleans office of the FBI, agent Eric Rommal is keenly aware of the dangers cyber-criminals pose to Mississippi River-related businesses and south Louisiana infrastructure. … [Read more...] about AP Interview: FBI eyes plethora of river-related threats