U.S. Embassy in Manila to continue operations despite shutdown

 Entertainment
Oct 042013
 
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 08: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomes President of the Republic of the Philippines Benigno S. Aquino III, (R), during a luncheon at the Department of State, on June 8, 2012 in Washington, DC. Later today President Aquino is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House. (MNS photo)

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 08: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomes President of the Republic of the Philippines Benigno S. Aquino III, (R), during a luncheon at the Department of State, on June 8, 2012 in Washington, DC. Later today President Aquino is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House. (MNS photo)

MANILA (Mabuhay) – Operations at the U.S. Embassy in Manila will continue despite the budget lapse that led to the shutdown of American government agencies.

“Activities carried out by the Bureau of Consular affairs, both domestically and abroad, are fee-funded and will continue operations,” embassy spokesman Kurt Hoyer said on Wednesday.

“The department will continue visa issuance overseas. We will also continue our passport operations,” he added.

The shutdown of US government agencies was caused by failure to meet a deadline to pass a budget, sparking speculations that President Barack Obama may completely forgo his Asian trips, including a two-day visit to the Philippines, or limit his travel time in Asia to deal with the crisis.

“Previously, the department relied on a mixture of fees and appropriated funds for its consular operations but has moved to funding from retained fees,” Hoyer explained.

“Thus, we can continue these operations even given the appropriations lapse. The Department will continue visa issuance overseas,” he said. (MNS)

Crucial, long-overdue BlackBerry makeover arrives

 Economy
Jan 292013
 
Crucial, long-overdue BlackBerry makeover arrives

TORONTO (AP) — The maker of the BlackBerry smartphone is promising a speedier device, a superb typing experience and the ability to keep work and personal identities separate on the same phone. It’s the fruit of a crucial, long-overdue makeover for the Canadian company. Thorsten Heins, chief executive of Research In Motion Ltd., will show off the first phone with the new BlackBerry 10 system in New York on Wednesday. A marketing campaign that includes a Super Bowl ad will accompany the long-anticipated debut. Repeated delays have left the once-pioneering BlackBerry an afterthought in the shadow of Apple’s trend-setting iPhone and Google’s Android-driven devices. Now, there’s some optimism. Previews of the software have gotten favorable reviews on blogs. Financial analysts are starting to see some slight room for a comeback. RIM’s stock has nearly tripled to $16.18 from a nine-year low in September, though it’s still nearly 90 percent below its 2008 peak of $147. Most analysts consider a BlackBerry 10 success to be crucial for the company’s long-term viability. “The old models are becoming obsolete quickly,” BGC Financial analyst Colin Gillis said. “There is still a big user base but it’s going to rotate off. The question is: Where do they rotate to?” The BlackBerry, pioneered in 1999, has been the dominant smartphone for on-the-go business people. Corporate information-technology managers like the phones because they’re relatively secure and easy to manage. Many employees loved them because of physical keyboards that were easier to type on than the touch-screen iPhone. Read More …