Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s population declined by more than one million people in 2021, the statistics agency Rosstat reported Friday, a historic drop not seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ongoing demographic woes have been exacerbated by the pandemic with Rosstat figures showing more than 660,000 had died with coronavirus since health officials recorded the first case in the country. The new figures continue a downward trend from the previous year […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Moscow doesn’t want war but will not allow its interests to be ignored, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday as tensions continue to simmer over Ukraine. The West has accused Russia of massing 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine and has threatened unprecedented sanctions if Moscow invades. “If it depends on Russia, there will be no war. We do not want wars,” Lavrov said in an interview with the […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Devastating floods that hit Malaysia in recent weeks caused about $1.4 billion in losses, with widespread damage to homes, businesses and factories, the country’s statistics department said on Friday. Heavy monsoon rains triggered the country’s worst flooding in years from mid-December to early January, with about 50 people killed and 125,000 forced from their homes. The disaster caused losses amounting to 6.1 billion ringgit ($1.45 billion), the government’s statistics […]
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Six rockets were fired at the Iraqi capital’s airport at dawn on Friday, causing damage but no casualties, two security sources said. The rockets landed on Baghdad airport’s runways or parking areas, one of the sources said. “One civilian plane has been hit and damaged,” the source said. © Agence France-Presse
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese man has been arrested for the attempted murder of a doctor he took hostage overnight, reports said Friday. The suspect also shot a nurse, who is severely injured, as he confined the doctor, who is feared dead after the attack, according to public broadcaster NHK. NHK said the 44-year-old doctor was in cardiorespiratory arrest — an expression often used in Japan before a death is confirmed — when he […]
by Cat BARTON / Kang Jin-kyu SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea test-fired two different weapons systems this week, state media said Friday, while highlighting Kim Jong Un’s inspection of an “important” munitions factory. Pyongyang has conducted six weapons tests in January, including firing hypersonic missiles, doubling down on Kim’s call to build “military muscle” with one of the most intense single-month barrages on record while ignoring US offers of talks. The official Korean […]
by Holmes CHAN HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong’s U-turn on its mandatory three-week quarantine for arrivals follows growing scrutiny of the strict policy after a coronavirus outbreak was traced to a woman infected during her hotel stay. Like mainland China, Hong Kong is one of the few places left in the world still pursuing a zero-Covid strategy that has largely kept the virus at bay but left the finance hub internationally isolated. On […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Snow carpeted Jerusalem on Thursday as a rare wintry storm swept across Israel and the Palestinian territories as well as the wider Middle East. The cold snap, which has already caused major disruption in Athens and Istanbul, saw heavy snowfall in areas better known for their summer heat. In the alleyways of Jerusalem’s walled Old City, children pelted each other with slushy snowballs after the first flakes fell. By morning, snow […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) – China’s top diplomat spoke with his US counterpart on Thursday, warning Washington to “stop interfering” in the Winter Olympics and stressing that Russia’s security concerns in Europe should be “taken seriously”. Beijing hopes to turn next week’s Games into a soft power triumph. But the lead-up has been clouded by a US-led diplomatic boycott over China’s human rights record, particularly towards its Uyghur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. “The most […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired an “unidentified projectile” early Thursday, South Korea’s military said, the nuclear-armed country’s sixth weapons test this year. “North Korea fired an unidentified projectile into the East Sea,” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the Sea of Japan. The last time North Korea tested this many weapons in a month was in 2019, after high-profile negotiations between leader Kim Jong Un and then-US president Donald Trump […]
by Jonathan BROWN MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia hit back Wednesday at US threats of direct sanctions against President Vladimir Putin, saying moves against the Russian leader would be ineffective and hurt efforts to lower tensions over Ukraine. Officials from France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine were set for talks in Paris on Wednesday in the latest bid to ease a crisis sparked by fears that Moscow is preparing an invasion of its pro-Western neighbour. The […]
SORONG, Indonesia (AFP) — At least 19 people were killed in a clash at a nightclub in the town of Sorong in Indonesia’s West Papua province, police said Tuesday, with most dying after the venue caught fire. One victim was stabbed and 18 more died in the blaze at the Double O nightclub, officials said. “The clash broke out last night (Monday) at 11 pm. It was a prolonged conflict from a clash on […]
