Other News

Peru seeks 6,000 volunteers for China vaccine trial

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru on Wednesday began registering volunteers for clinical trials of a Chinese vaccine against the coronavirus. Six thousand volunteers, who must be aged between 18 and 75 and not have contracted the virus, will be recruited by Cayetano Heredia and San Marcos universities via a dedicated website. “The universities will select 3,000 volunteers each,” San Marcos rector Orestes Cachay told reporters. The vaccine, being developed by Chinese company Sinopharm, will be […]

US blacklists Chinese individuals, firms for South China Sea work

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions and restrictions on two dozen Chinese companies and associated officials for taking part in building artificial islands in disputed waters in the South China Sea. The 24 state-owned firms include subsidiaries of construction giant China Communications Construction Co., telecommunications firms and a unit of the China Shipbuilding Group. The move was the latest step in Washington’s efforts to pressure Beijing over its military […]

Thailand to push for more restriction of online content: minister

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand is pushing for the removal of 1,000 online posts, videos, and other content that “breaks the law”, a minister said Wednesday, after Facebook vowed legal action over the censorship of a group discussing the monarchy. Youth-led pro-democracy protests have swept Thailand in recent weeks, calling for political reform and frank discussion about the powerful king’s role in the country — long a taboo subject. A private Facebook group called “Royalist […]

Philhealth CEO Morales resigns amid health concerns; SVP Del Rosario also resigns after Ombudsman suspension

  (Eagle News) – Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) president and CEO Ricardo Morales has tendered his resignation which was already received in Malacanang as of Wednesday, August 26, the same day that another top official of the agency also said he has already resigned from his post. Morales’ resignation was confirmed by Senator Christopher “Bong” Go after a talk with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. “Nakausap ko ES at natanggap na nya resignation ni Morales,” […]

UPDATED: Flash floods kill more than 70 in Afghanistan

by Elise Blanchard with Emal Haidary in Kabul KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Rescue workers in Afghanistan searched Wednesday for survivors of flash floods that killed more than 70 people and destroyed hundreds of houses in a city north of the capital, officials said. Troops pulled dozens from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Charikar, capital of Parwan province, after it was hit by heavy rain overnight, but officials and witnesses said many children were among […]

Total PHL COVID-19 cases breach 200k with the addition of 5,277 new cases

  (Eagle News) – The country’s COVID-19 cases reached 202,361 on Wednesday, Aug. 26, with the addition of 5,277 new cases, the Department of Health said. This is one of the highest single-day jump in cases so far. Most of the cases are still coming from Metro Manila which saw a surge in cases starting August. As to the 5,277 new cases, Metro Manila accounted for 3,157 cases, followed by Laguna with 403 cases, Negros […]

As neighbours build dams, Iraqis watch twin rivers dry up

by Haydar Indhar Agence France-Presse DIWANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) — With its neighbours activating new dams, Iraq’s historic twin rivers could run dry — unless new infrastructure projects and tense talks with Turkey and Iran bear fruit. Nowhere is the effect on the country more palpable than in Basra, Iraq’s only coastal province. Here, the Tigris and Euphrates — on which millions of Iraqis rely to farm — meet at the Shatt al-Arab waterway before spilling […]

PNP chief Gamboa orders revamp in some police units

(Eagle News) — Philippine National Police Chief Archie Gamboa has ordered a revamp in some PNP units, including in the National Capital Region Police Office. According to the PNP Public Information Office, Police Brigadier General Florencio Ortilla is the new deputy regional director for operations of the NCRPO. Police Colonel Rommel Bernardo Cabagnot, on the other hand, is acting chief of regional staff of the regional office. The changes take effect on Aug. 24. Below […]

Several districts of Niger capital flooded

NIAMEY, Niger (AFP) — Several districts of Niger’s capital Niamey were submerged in floodwaters on Tuesday after heavy rainfall caused the Niger River to break its banks. Homes, rice fields and market gardens were destroyed as the Nigerien government asked residents to evacuate affected areas of the city. Almost all of Niamey’s 1.5 million inhabitants live on the banks of the river and some have even built their houses in its bed. “The damage is […]

Climate change ‘clearly’ fuelled Australia bushfires: inquest

by Andrew BEATTY Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s devastating 2019-2020 bushfires were “clearly” fuelled by climate change, a government inquiry reported Tuesday following some of the largest forest fires ever recorded worldwide. With this year’s fire season already underway, authorities recommended urgent action to limit the impact of extreme blazes, expected “to become more frequent” in future. The deadly bushfires raged for nine months to March and were most severe in New South Wales […]

Long-term threat to Mauritius ecology after spill: Japan experts

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The major oil spill caused by a Japanese ship that ran aground in Mauritius may pose a long-term threat to the region’s ecology, including to the Indian Ocean island’s delicate mangroves, Japanese experts said Tuesday. The bulk carrier MV Wakashio crashed into a reef last month spewing more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into pristine waters that are home to mangrove forests and endangered species. After the boat split in two, […]

N. Korea’s Kim issues warning on virus as health speculation swirls

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean state media on Wednesday showed leader Kim Jong Un at a meeting of a top committee issuing warnings about the coronavirus and a looming typhoon, following international speculation over his state of health. Kim’s comments come amid conjecture over his condition after South Korea’s spy agency said he had delegated some authority to his sister Kim Yo Jong to relieve his “governance stress”. A former aide to late […]