By Monika Todoc Always packaged safely in our nearly oversized luggage was the family’s yearly sense of fleeting closure alongside two weeks’ worth of clothes and toiletries. Every December, we were to haul the gifts all the way to Bicol in the Philippines, where my lolo and lola lived. There, we would often share the celebration of welcoming the New Year. December meant the immediacy of our reunion, and of our parting. “Punta kayo ulit […]
Other News
Myanmar shadow govt nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Myanmar’s self-proclaimed shadow government has been nominated for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian lawmaker behind the proposal said on Tuesday, the anniversary of the military coup that deposed Aung San Suu Kyi. “I have nominated Myanmar’s ‘National Unity Government’ for the Nobel Peace Prize. It’s the only legitimate government in Myanmar”, Ola Elvestuen, a member of parliament for the small Liberal Party, told AFP. The National Unity Government […]
France eases Covid curbs, including outdoor mask-wearing
PARIS, France (AFP) — France began lifting coronavirus restrictions including mandatory outdoor mask-wearing Wednesday in a bid to ease citizens’ daily lives, dividing opinion as the country only last month reported record Covid-19 infections. Audience capacity limits for concert halls, sporting matches and other events were also removed, and although homeworking will no longer be mandated it is still recommended. The move begins a two-part relaxation of curbs announced at the end of January — […]
Wildlife rebounds in divided Cyprus ‘dead zone’
by Peter Martell Agence France-Presse VARISEIA, Cyprus (AFP) – In a long-abandoned village in the UN buffer zone that divides Cyprus, an endangered curly-horned wild sheep offers hope not only for wildlife but that bitter ethnic divisions might slowly be healed. The mouflon, a majestic breed endemic to the Mediterranean island, is one of many species flourishing in the no-man’s-land created when inter-communal strife sliced Cyprus in two in the 1960s. “Without human influence, the […]
PNP’s 127th COVID-19 fatality is 39-year-old cop assigned in Zamboanga City
(Eagle News) — The Philippine National Police has reported an additional fatality within its ranks due to COVID-19, pushing its total COVID-19 deaths to 127. According to the PNP, the latest fatality was a 39-year-old policewoman assigned in Zamboanga City. The PNP said she yielded positive for COVID-19 on January 24 and was immediately brought to the nearest hospital. On January 26, she was pronounced dead by her attending physician. The PNP said based on […]
Trough of LPA affecting southeastern section of Mindanao
(Eagle News) — The trough of a low pressure area is affecting the southeastern section of Mindanao. As a result, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Bicol Region, MIMAROPA, Aklan, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Samar will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. Flash floods or landslides due to moderate to at times heavy rains are possible. Davao Region, Surigao del Sur, Sarangani, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, meanwhile, will […]
EU presses on with green label for gas, nuclear
by Alex PIGMAN Agence France-Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – The EU will face the fury of opponents to nuclear and gas energy on Wednesday when it proposes new criteria for a “green label” for investment projects intended to help fight climate change. The fight over the European Union’s classification of power sources is the latest dust-up in discussions between the 27 member states on how to achieve a net zero-carbon economy by 2050. Brussels had […]
DOH guidelines recommend use of self-administered antigen test kits for individuals with Covid symptoms
(Eagle News) – The Department of Health has issued guidelines on the use of self-administered antigen test kits, recommending these only for those with Covid-19 symptoms to be taken “within seven days from onset of symptoms.” In the Department’s Memorandum No. 2022-0033, the DOH said that “only self-administered antigen test kits approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and validated by the Reasearch Institute for Tropical Medicine may be used.” The FDA […]
Eruption-hit Tonga closes borders as Covid detected
NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) – Volcano-devastated Tonga will close its borders Wednesday after Covid-19 was detected in the previously virus-free Pacific kingdom as it struggles to recover from last month’s deadly disaster, officials said. Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said two men tested positive this week in the capital Nuku’alofa and were in isolation. He said the men had been working in the city’s port, where humanitarian aid has been pouring in from around the globe since the […]
US campus police killed in college shooting
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two campus police officers were shot and killed at a college in the US state of Virginia Tuesday, the school said. The two agents, a campus law enforcement officer and a campus safety officer, were shot before a suspect fled the scene, Virginia State Police said in a statement on Twitter. Multiple law enforcement agencies arrived on the campus of Bridgewater College around 1:20 pm (1620 GMT) in response to […]
Stray bullets kill bystanders as US shootings soar
by Joshua Melvin and Lea Dauple Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – A baby in his car seat. A man in bed. A girl walking with her mother: Stray bullets killed each of them days apart as surging gun violence ripples through the United States. In addition to the people killed in suicides or the homicides hitting record levels in some US cities, an untallied number of other victims are struck by bullets […]
Investors agree $10 billion for controversial Uganda oil project
by Michael O’HAGAN Agence France-Presse KAMPALA, Uganda (AFP) – Chinese and French oil giants finally sealed a $10-billion deal Tuesday to unlock Uganda’s energy resources and build a vast regional oil pipeline, a mega-project that has incensed environmental groups. The so-called Final Investment Decision should pave the way for the export of millions of barrels of black gold that was first discovered in 2006 in Uganda, one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. The decision […]





