PONTIANAK, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian rescuers have recovered seven bodies after a landslide at an illegal gold mine buried an estimated 20 people, officials said on Saturday. The victims were mining gold on a bare hillside when the landslide triggered by heavy rains struck the area on the west of Borneo island, in West Kalimantan province. Unlicensed mines are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago where abandoned sites attract locals who scrounge for leftover […]
International
Alaska braces for worst storm in a decade
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Alaska was battening down Friday for what is slated to be the US state’s worst storm in more than a decade, as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok barreled through the Bering Sea, threatening major flooding and hurricane-force winds. Residents on Alaska’s western coast were urged to brace for potentially the “worst coastal flooding in nearly 50 years,” the National Weather Service (NWS) warned in a tweet on Thursday. Merbok, […]
Ghana declares end to Marburg virus outbreak: WHO
ACCRA, Ghana (AFP) – Ghana has declared the end of a Marburg virus disease outbreak that was confirmed nearly two months ago and caused two deaths, the World Health Organization said on Friday. The health ministry made the announcement after no new cases of the Ebola-like disease were reported over the previous 42 days, the WHO said in a statement. No vaccine treatment exists for Marburg, which is almost as deadly as Ebola. Symptoms included […]
China records first monkeypox case
BEIJING, China (AFP) – China recorded its first case of monkeypox on Friday in a person who had recently entered the country, officials said. Health authorities in the southwestern city of Chongqing said the person displayed symptoms while undergoing quarantine for Covid-19. Under China’s zero-Covid policy, people entering the country must typically complete between one and two weeks of isolation on arrival. The monkeypox patient was diagnosed after developing symptoms including a skin rash, the […]
Starbucks Singapore says customer database breached
Singapore, Singapore (AFP) Starbucks Singapore said Friday its customer database was breached online, with local media reporting that 200,000 people’s information was stolen. The coffee chain — a licensed Starbucks franchise owned by Hong Kong-based Maxim’s Caterers — said in an email to customers that it had “discovered… some unauthorized access” to details such as names, gender, dates of birth, phone numbers and home addresses. “Relevant authorities have been informed and Starbucks Singapore is assisting […]
French traffic controllers’ strike disrupts European air travel
Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, France (AFP) by Alexandre MARCHAND Around 1,000 flights to and from France were cancelled Friday as the country’s air traffic controllers went on strike, with their action also causing delays across European airspace. France’s DGAC civil aviation authority said 16 airports were operating a skeleton service, as were traffic control centres guiding planes overflying French territory at high altitude. But several regional airports were closed and the DGAC warned of […]
EU backs AstraZeneca drug for Covid treatment
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – AstraZeneca’s Evusheld drug has been recommended for marketing in the European Union to treat patients at risk of death from Covid, the British pharmaceutical group said Friday. The EU’s drug watchdog had already approved Evusheld for the prevention of coronavirus in such patients. “Evusheld long-acting antibody combination” has been “recommended for approval in the EU for the treatment of Covid-19”, AstraZeneca said in a statement. Its use via injection is […]
India’s Adani briefly listed as world’s second-richest person
MUMBAI, India (AFP) – Indian industrialist Gautam Adani briefly became the world’s second-richest person on the Forbes real-time billionaire tracker on Friday, weeks after becoming the first Asian to break into the top three. The self-made billionaire’s net worth surged $4 billion overnight to $154 billion, according to Forbes, ranking him ahead of LVMH’s Bernard Arnault and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Tesla founder Elon Musk remained well out in front with a fortune of more than […]
Prices soaring everywhere: from beans in Brazil to pork in China
Paris, France (AFP) by Coline DACLIN Consumers and businesses around the world are facing steeper prices for everything from Mexico’s beloved tortillas to the aluminium cans used by beer companies. Inflation jumped after countries emerged from Covid lockdowns and it has soared since Russia invaded Ukraine, with the IMF expecting consumer prices to rise by 8.3 percent globally this year. Here is a look at how higher prices are affecting the world: – Fuel […]
Italy storms kill 10 sparking pre-vote climate change debate
Rome, Italy (AFP) At least 10 people died and four were missing after violent storms lashed central Italy, reports said Friday, pushing the issue of climate change up the agenda the week before elections. Water swept through towns and villages, turning streets into rivers after about 400 millimetres (16 inches) of rain reportedly fell in two hours. Emergency services initially put the death toll at seven but this rose mid-morning to 10, according to the […]
Two police officers stabbed in London ahead of queen’s funeral
London, United Kingdom |(AFP) Two police officers were stabbed by a man early Friday in central London and hospitalised, police said, while ruling out terrorism amid massive security ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. The assailant was tasered and arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker, the Metropolitan Police said. The man was also in hospital following the incident at around 6:00 am (0500 GMT) in the nightlife area around […]
Putin hails ‘new centres of power’ at summit with Asian leaders
Samarkand, Uzbekistan (AFP) Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the growing influence of “new centres of power” on Friday at a summit with Asian leaders including China’s Xi Jinping. “The growing role of new centres of power who cooperate with each other… is becoming more and more clear,” Putin told the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan. “We are open to cooperation with the entire world,” Putin said. “Our policy is […]
