Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
by Guy JACKSON / Joshua MELVIN Agence France-Presse PARIS, France – Emmanuel Macron sought to cement his status as favourite for the French presidency Friday on the last day of campaigning before this weekend’s run-off election while his far-right rival Marine Le Pen was targeted by protesters on a visit to a cathedral city. Pro-European centrist Macron and anti-immigration candidate Le Pen have offered starkly different visions for France during a campaign that has been […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Friday accused the Central Intelligence Agency of plotting with South Korea to assassinate leader Kim Jong-Un, amid soaring tensions in the flashpoint region. The CIA and Seoul’s Intelligence Services have “hatched a vicious plot” involving unspecified “biochemical substances” to kill the hermit state’s young leader during public ceremonial events in Pyongyang, the Ministry of State Security said. For the CIA “assassination by use of biochemical substances including radioactive […]
by Albee ZHANG Agence France-Presse SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — The first large made-in-China passenger plane successfully completed its maiden test flight Friday, marking a key milestone on the country’s ambitious journey to compete with the world’s leading aircraft makers. The narrow-body C919 jet — white with green and blue stripes — disappeared into the clouds after taking off from Pudong international airport in the commercial hub Shanghai as a crowd of thousands cheered, including top […]
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — A giant coal-fired power plant approved by Bangladesh could drastically worsen air pollution for millions and cause the early deaths of 6,000 people over its lifetime, Greenpeace said Friday. Bangladesh is constructing the 1,320-megawatt power plant on the edge of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, despite warnings the controversial project threatens the fragile ecosystem and human health. The United Nations has already urged Bangladesh to halt construction, warning it […]
by Park Chan-Kyong, Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — One of the main challenges to the frontrunner in South Korea’s presidential race is an IT multi-millionaire who has given away much of his fortune and is now looking to break the country’s political mold. Ahn Cheol-Soo was pursuing medical studies at the prestigious Seoul National University in 1988 when his computer became infected with Brain, regarded as the first widespread technological virus. Burning […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspected a military unit that was responsible for bombarding a southern island, state media said Friday ahead of a presidential election in the South. Pyongyang fired a barrage of 170 artillery shells onto Yeonpyeong island in November 2010, killing four people including two civilians in the first North Korean attack on a civilian area since the 1950-53 Korean War. Tensions have soared on the Korean […]
NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — United States President Donald Trump met with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in New York on Thursday (May 4). It was their first face-to-face talks since an acrimonious phone call about refugees early in Trump’s term. Trump and Turnbull were to hold their meeting aboard the USS Intrepid, a World War Two aircraft carrier that was turned into a museum and is moored on Manhattan’s west side. They also […]
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is encouraged by the agreement signed Thursday by Turkey, Russia and Iran to set up safe zones in Syria and de-escalate fighting, his spokesperson said. “It will be crucial to see this agreement actually improve the lives of Syrians,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. Russia, Iran and Turkey signed the agreement to set up the four safe zones following talks in […]
by Julien Girault, with Hwang Sunghee Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China vowed to remain a good neighbor to North Korea on Thursday, despite a rare and stinging critique in Pyongyang’s state media of its main diplomatic protector and economic benefactor. Beijing offered a measured response to a signed commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which lashed out at China and said it should be grateful to Pyongyang for its […]
by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump extracted a much-needed victory from Congress Thursday as Republicans narrowly pushed through the House a bill repealing the landmark health reforms of his predecessor. The vote of 217-213 could hardly have been closer in the Republican-controlled chamber, highlighting the concerns of many in Trump’s party who fear the bill could bump millions of Americans off their coverage and send costs […]
SHANXI PROVINCE, China (CCTV) — A toddler and an elderly blind man were rescued from two different wells in China earlier this week. The toddler fell into a well in Shanxi province on Monday (May 1). Stuck down a hole roughly just 30 centimeters wide, rescue workers called to the scene chose the member with the slightest build to go headfirst into the hole and tie a rope around the child to bring them out. […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s Prince Philip, the 95-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, will retire from public engagements later this year, Buckingham Palace said Thursday. The decision was taken with the full support of the monarch, the palace said in a statement. The Duke of Edinburgh, who turns 96 on June 10, is the longest-serving consort in British history, and conducted 219 royal engagements last year. A meeting of Buckingham Palace staff was […]
