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    Paris, France ---From a mobile phone that fell and fell but didn't break to a shoot 'em up granny... Your weekly roundup of offbeat stories from around the world. Honest thief Say what you like about Spain, it has some of the world's most well brought up armed robbers. A teenager who held up a filling station in Estepona on the Costa del Sol made off with 2,000 euros, but not before paying for the soft drink he also took, police said. Phone had wi-fly Now that's what you call airplane mode. An iPhone that was sucked out of an Alaska Airlines flight when a panel blew out at 16,000 feet (5,000 meters) was found on the ground without a scratch. The phone wa...

Keep on reading: Funny old world: The week’s offbeat news

  LIMA --- Peru's prosecutors office on Friday formally requested 34 years in prison for former President Pedro Castillo, who was dramatically ousted from office and arrested after his attempt to dissolve Congress in late 2022. Castillo, whose ouster sparked off months of deadly protests that hit the key mining sector in the copper-rich country, remains in pre-trial detention on charges of "rebellion," abuse of authority and disrupting the peace.   READ:Ousted Peru leader ordered detained for 18 months amid protests...

Keep on reading: Peru prosecutors seek 34 years in prison for ex-President Castillo

  MANILA, Philippines --- Baguio City's gastroenteritis outbreak is now on a downtrend, city mayor Benjamin Magalong said on Friday. "The gastroenteritis outbreak, the cases are now on a downtrend," Magalong said in an announcement posted on Baguio City's Public Information Office's Facebook page. Magalong noted that the peak in gastroenteritis was on January 7 when 430 cases were reported. However, on Thursday, January 11, only 43 infections were logged. Over 2,000 gastroenteritis cases were reported in the city to date. READ: Gastroenteritis outbreak declared in Baguio Magalong, meanwhile, said he requested more personnel from the Department of Health's epidem...

Keep on reading: Magalong: Baguio’s gastroenteritis cases now on downtrend

  MANILA, Philippines --- No fecal coliform was found in the water samples taken in the main supplier of water in Baguio City. The Baguio Water District (BWD) made the announcement on Friday amid the acute gastroenteritis outbreak in the city. READ: Gastroenteritis outbreak declared in Baguio "Results of the initial microbiological test on water samples collected from various water sources of the BWD showed 'negative' for thermotolerant coliform organisms (commonly referred to as fecal coliforms)," the BWD said in a statement. The state-owned water provider said the samples were collected from BWD water sources supplying most of the Central Business District. B...

Keep on reading: No fecal coliform found in samples from Baguio’s main water provider

    WASHINGTON --- U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fell in December amid declining costs for goods such as diesel fuel and food, suggesting inflation would continue to subside and allow the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates this year. The report from the Labor Department on Friday, which also showed prices for services were unchanged for the third straight month, implied that a pick-up in consumer prices last month was likely a blip. It led economists to anticipate that the key price measures tracked by the U.S. central bank for its 2% inflation target rose moderately in December from the prior month. "The inflation pipeline is clearing and consu...

Keep on reading: US producer prices unexpectedly fall; goods deflation seen persisting

  WARSAW --- Thousands of opposition supporters gathered outside Poland's parliament on Thursday to protest against the new government's changes to state media and the imprisonment of two former ministers convicted of abuse of power. The march reflects mounting tensions in the country as the new pro-European Union coalition government led by Donald Tusk tries to undo the policies of the previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party administration. READ:Warsaw 'biggest' rally draws 'a million' anti-gov't protesters It also came as President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, said on Thursday he had started proceedings to pardon the two ministers in the last government who were ...

Keep on reading: Thousands protest in Poland against media reform, ex-ministers’ imprisonment

MANILA ---The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) rebounded above 6,600 as the market awaited catalysts, such as the latest US inflation print. The PSEi rose 1.03 percent, or 67.62 points, to 6,613.73 while the broader All Shares index climbed 0.75 percent, or 26.12 points, to 3,495.76. Most large cap stocks traded in a narrow range throughout as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of the US inflation report. Jonathan Ravelas, senior adviser at Reyes Tacandong & Co., also noted the market was "encountering some difficulty breaking above the 6,700 levels." READ: Asian shares rise after Wall St nears record; markets eye inflation report Removing block sales, trading ...

Keep on reading: PSEi recovers, but 6,700 ascent remains tricky

    GAZA/THE HAGUE --- Israel faced down accusations at the World Court on Thursday of genocide in its war in Gaza, as the first residents returned to scenes of total devastation in the north of the enclave where Israeli forces have begun withdrawing this week. Three months of Israeli bombardment has laid much of the coastal enclave to waste, killing more than 23,000 people and driving nearly the entire population of 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes. An Israeli blockade has sharply restricted supplies of food, fuel and medicine, creating what the United Nations describes as a humanitarian catastrophe. READ:Israel, S. Africa to face off at UN top court in ...

Keep on reading: Israel lashes back at ICJ genocide case; Gazans return to wasteland

MANILA, Philippines --- A total of 108 police personnel were dismissed due to drug-related charges since the start of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s administration, according to Philippine National Police's (PNP) data furnished to the media on Thursday. Of the said dismissal, 65 police personnel tested positive for illegal drugs while 43 were involved in drugs according to the PNP data from July 1, 2022 until Jan. 3 2024. READ: Marcos admin eyes drug rehab facility per province by 2028 PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the benefits of dismissed policemen are now forfeited. "Dismissed from the service, they are not entitled to any benefits," Acorda said in a...

Keep on reading: PNP: 108 cops dismissed over drug-related raps since Marcos admin

    MANILA, Philippines --- China on Thursday said consultations on the "long-delayed" Code of Conduct (COC) for South China Sea are going smoothly. Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning disclosed this in a regular press briefing after she was asked how optimistic the ministry is for the new phase of negotiations regarding the disputed waters. "China and Association of Southeast Asian Nation countries are working toward the adoption of COC in the South China Sea, which is an important measure in implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). The consultations on the COC are going smoothly," said Mao. READ:Talks on South China S...

Keep on reading: China says talks on ‘long-delayed’ South China Sea code going smoothly

Actor Gerald Anderson, who said he learned valuable lessons from people's collective experience during the pandemic lockdowns, has these pointers to share on how to save for the rainy days. "Always be prepared. Make sure you have emergency funds," Gerald began. "Try to save up, too. If you don't really need something, don't buy it." Gerald, who is an auxiliary commander of the K9 Special Support Squadron of the Philippine Coast Guard, was active in helping out people whose livelihoods were affected by the series of lockdowns since 2020. "I realized that there are only a few things a person needs in order to live comfortably, and that some people spend so much on things that ...

Keep on reading: Gerald Anderson on possibility of quitting the biz: I’ll still survive

MANILA, Philippines---Kevin Quiambao has a lot of reasons to smile before the Dubai International Basketball Tournament. For one, he's coming off a UAAP championship run. Then, he's set to play for the Philippines alongside former NBA veterans Dwight Howard, Andray Blatche and Andre Roberson. But what makes Quiambao giddier is seeing two La Salle coaches train him before the big event. "As a La Sallian, I'm so happy to see my fellow La Sallians here and be with them in the court so they can teach me. Our (me, Charles Tiu and Topex Robinson bonding is normal now because both of them are like my father figures," said Quiambao in Filipino on Wednesday. "Whatever lessons I'm ...

Keep on reading: Kevin Quiambao embraces chance to learn in Strong Group stint