Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Three rockets were fired at the US embassy in Iraq early Thursday, the Iraqi army said, at the end of a day marked by rocket and drone attacks on bases hosting American forces in Iraq and Syria. The embassy itself was not hit, the army said, but three nearby places in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone were. A spate of recent attacks on US military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq has […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar authorities announced stay-at-home measures in parts of commercial capital Yangon on Wednesday, as the country reported its highest daily coronavirus caseload in months. From Thursday, a ban on more than one person leaving home for non-medical reasons will apply to 10 Yangon townships, which together are home to around 1.5 million people. No timeframe was given for the restrictions, on townships including Hlaing Thar Yar — scene of huge pro-democracy […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — The biggest party in Malaysia’s ruling coalition said Thursday it was withdrawing support for the embattled prime minister and urged him to step down to make way for a new leader. It was a major blow for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who took power last year following the collapse of a reformist administration, although it was not immediately clear whether he would resign. His administration has been racked by instability […]
by Mumen KHATIB DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — A fire that broke out on a container ship in Dubai’s main port following an explosion has been bought under control with no casualties reported, the emirate’s media office said Thursday. At least three residents in the area of the blast, the cause of which remains unknown, reported windows and doors in their homes were shaken as a result of the incident. “A fire caused by […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia expanded nationwide coronavirus curbs Wednesday to battle its deadliest Covid-19 wave yet, as the death toll rocketed with the government warning that the worst may be yet to come. The new restrictions would apply to dozens of cities and extend from Sumatra island in the west to easternmost Papua as the highly infectious Delta variant rips across the Southeast Asian archipelago after battering densely populated Java. “Cases are also rising […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A Covid-19 outbreak on China’s porous border with Myanmar pushed new cases to the country’s highest level in six months, according to official data Wednesday, despite tightened border security. The coronavirus first emerged in central China in late 2019, but a series of strict measures and harsh border restrictions have succeeded in mostly stamping out cases within its borders. But on Wednesday, 57 new infections were reported — the highest daily […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea is facing a food shortage of around 860,000 tonnes this year, the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation forecast, warning the country could experience a “harsh lean period” as early as next month. The impoverished country, which is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, has long struggled to feed itself, suffering chronic food shortages. Last year, the coronavirus pandemic and a […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Six secondary school children were among nine Hong Kongers arrested on terror charges for allegedly trying to manufacture a powerful explosive, police announced Tuesday. Five males and four females aged between 15 and 39 were arrested Monday on suspicion of “conspiracy to use explosives for terrorist activities”, police said. “The operation we conducted yesterday was against gangsters (who) tried to manufacture TATP explosive inside a homemade laboratory inside a hostel,” […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel agreed on a Covid vaccine swap with South Korea Tuesday, sending 700,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab to Seoul “immediately” in return for the same number in coming months. A statement from Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said the deal, the first of its kind for Israel, would allow more effective use of the vaccine stocks of both countries. The statement added that Bennett had spoken to Pfizer chief executive […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — The Indian government on Monday slammed huge crowds at popular northern tourist spots, saying such “gross violations” of Covid-19 health measures could spark a new surge in infections. The vast nation of 1.3 billion people was hit by a record-breaking wave in cases and deaths in April and May that pushed the healthcare system to its breaking point. The crisis has since eased, with numerous states removing restrictions and reopening […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Contact has been lost with a passenger plane carrying 28 people in Russia’s Far East, news agencies cited emergency services as saying on Tuesday. The An-26 was flying from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Palana in the Kamchatka Peninsula when it did not make a scheduled call-in, the Interfax, RIA Novosti and TASS agencies quoted local officials as saying. The report said the 28 on board included six crew members and that there were […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — More than 1,000 soldiers and rescue workers joined an increasingly desperate search Tuesday for survivors in a Japanese resort town devastated by a landslide three days ago. Four people have been confirmed dead after the disaster in Atami in central Japan and officials said they were still unable to clarify the fate or whereabouts of 24 other residents. Helicopter images showed a bleak line of sludge and rubble snaking down a […]
