News

North Korean leader oversees new tactical weapons test - state media

Reuters
Posted at Apr 18 06:33 PM

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the testing of a new tactical guided weapon, state media said on Thursday, the North's first public weapons test since a second summit with the United States ended without agreement in February. Read more »

Oil hits 2019 high above $72 on China growth, lower US inventories

Noah Browning, Reuters
Posted at Apr 17 11:33 PM

Brent oil hit a 2019 high above $72 a barrel on Wednesday, propelled by steady economic growth in China and a fall in US crude stocks which defied expectations and signaled firm demand, while global supply remained tight.   Read more »

Apple, Qualcomm bury the hatchet in royalties battle royal

Julie Charpentrat, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Apr 17 07:01 AM

Apple and American microchip manufacturer Qualcomm said Tuesday they have agreed to "dismiss all litigation" against each other worldwide in what had been a sprawling battle over royalty payments. Read more »

US health officials seek to stem measles outbreaks traced to Israel, Ukraine

Ivan Couronne, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Apr 17 06:56 AM

The origins of the measles outbreak in the United States are not a mystery.   Read more »

Boeing 737 MAX changes deemed 'operationally suitable': FAA

Luc Olinga and Heather Scott, Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Apr 17 09:01 AM

The changes US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has proposed in the wake of two deadly accidents of its top-selling 737 MAX aircraft were deemed "operationally suitable," according to a draft report released by US regulators Tuesday.   Read more »

Satellite images may show reprocessing activity at North Korea nuclear site - think tank

David Brunnstrom, Reuters
Posted at Apr 17 06:02 AM

WASHINGTON - Satellite images from last week show movement at North Korea's main nuclear site that could be associated with the reprocessing of radioactive material into bomb fuel, a US think tank reported on Tuesday. Read more »

'Avengers: Endgame' movie directors plead: Don't spoil it

Reuters
Posted at Apr 17 05:47 AM

LOS ANGELES - The directors of "Avengers: Endgame" pleaded with fans on Tuesday not to spoil the movie by giving away storylines after reports that some scenes had leaked online. Read more »

Lawyering for Marcoses? Solgen slams Robredo 'lies'

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Apr 16 08:35 AM

MANILA - Solicitor General Jose Calida on Tuesday dubbed as an "outright lie" the statement of Vice President Leni Robredo that he is "lawyering" for the family of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.  Read more »

Bernie Sanders releases 10 years of tax returns, details millionaire status

John Whitesides, Reuters
Posted at Apr 16 07:58 AM

WASHINGTON - U.S. Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders released 10 years of tax returns on Monday, providing details of his growing status as a millionaire fueled by a sharp jump in income from book royalties since his losing 2016 White House run. Read more »

Trump, Pompeo brush aside Kim's deadline for nuclear talks flexibility

David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick, Reuters
Posted at Apr 16 07:56 AM

US President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday brushed aside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's demand for Washington to show more flexibility in nuclear talks by year-end, with Pompeo saying Kim should keep his promise to give up his nuclear weapons before then.   Read more »

Denials of US immigrant visas skyrocket

Yeganeh Torbati and Kristina Cooke, Reuters
Posted at Apr 15 11:16 PM

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO - When Arturo Balbino, a Texas construction worker, walked into his visa interview at the American consulate in the northern Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez in March, he wasn't nervous. He felt good. Read more »

EU green lights trade talks with Washington to defuse tension

Lachlan Carmichael, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Apr 15 08:37 PM

European Union countries on Monday overruled France and gave the green light for Brussels to open trade talks with Washington as soon as possible and defuse trans-Atlantic tensions. Read more »

With White House in their sights, Democrats challenge Wall Street

Elodie Cuzin, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Apr 15 02:04 PM

CEOs of America's biggest banks were summoned for the first time since the 2008 crisis by a congressional committee on Wednesday, raising their hands as they swore their oaths ahead of their testimony. Read more »

FBI Bars Some China Scholars From Visiting the U.S. Over Spying Fears

Jane Perlez, The New York Times
Updated as of Apr 15 03:06 PM

Just as he had on previous trips, Zhu Feng bolted down his lunch at the Los Angeles airport before sprinting to catch his Air China flight back to Beijing. Read more »

China military 'far behind' US: DFA chief

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Apr 15 08:18 AM

The Chinese military is "far behind" that of the US, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Sunday, nearly a week after he dubbed the Western power as the only defense ally that the Philippines will have.  Read more »

Gay mayor from 'Rust Belt' America launches presidential bid

Nova Safo, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Apr 15 08:06 AM

SOUTH BEND - Pete Buttigieg, the gay, liberal mayor of a small American city in the conservative bastion of Indiana, officially launched his presidential bid Sunday, joining a crowded field of Democrats vying for their party's nomination in 2020. Read more »

Trump, despite solid US growth, says Fed should fire up crisis-era stimulus

Howard Schneider, Reuters
Updated as of Apr 15 08:14 AM

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that actions by the US Federal Reserve have nicked US economic growth and stock market gains by perhaps 30 percent, and that it should begin pumping money into the economy as it did during the 2007-2009 recession.  Read more »

Too many travelers, too few planes is US airlines' 737 MAX summer dilemma

Tracy Rucinski, Reuters
Posted at Apr 15 07:08 AM

Normally US airlines compete to sell tickets and fill seats during the peak summer travel season. But operators of the grounded Boeing 737 MAX are facing a different problem: scarce planes and booming demand. Read more »

US, Japan kick off trade talks amid China deal optimism

Kyoko Hasegawa, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Apr 14 10:33 PM

As optimism grows that the United States and China are nearing a trade deal, Japan kicks off its own negotiations with Washington from Monday, hoping to resolve some of the issues "very quickly." Read more »

‘We see no basis’: DILG objects to US tagging PH ‘kidnapping risk’

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Apr 13 09:36 PM

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said he will raise the issue with the US Embassy and will seek more information regarding the list's parameters.  Read more »