Other News

As part of aggressive mass testing, PHL pushes setting up mega swabbing facilities nationwide

(Eagle News) – After building quarantine and isolation facilities, the Philippine government will now also be embarking on building mega swabbing facilities. This is part of the country’s push for massive testing for COVIS-19 nationwide, Malacanang said. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., announced that there are already four mega-swabbing facilities in place that had been approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) -4 mega swabbing facilities set up so far- Currently, […]

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Hong Kong seizes fins from 38,500 endangered sharks

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong has seized 26 tonnes of smuggled shark fins, sliced from some 38,500 endangered animals, in the largest bust of its kind in the southern Chinese city. The record haul was discovered in two containers from Ecuador, and highlights the continued demand for shark fin, which is served at wedding banquets in many Chinese communities. The city’s customs department unveiled the haul on Wednesday and said it smashed previous […]

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PHL economy contracts by 0.2 percent in first quarter of 2020

PSA says this is PHL’s first economic contraction since 1998 (Eagle News) — The Philippine economy contracted by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2020, its first contraction since the fourth quarter of 1998, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. According to the PSA, the main contributors to the decline were manufacturing, transportation and storage, and accommodation and food service activities. Agriculture, forestry and fishing; and industry—both major economic sectors—contracted by 0.4 percent and 3.0 […]

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5 dead, hundreds in hospital after gas leak at India chemical plant

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — At least five people have been killed and several hundred hospitalized after a gas leak at a chemicals plant on the east coast of India, police said Thursday. They said that the gas had leaked out of two 5,000-tonne tanks that had been unattended due to India’s coronavirus lockdown in place since late March. “We can confirm at least five deaths right now. More will be confirmed later. At least […]

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PHL to receive additional P298 million in COVID-19 aid from US

(Eagle News)–The United States on Thursday, May 7, announced an additional P298 million in aid to the Philippines in its fight against COVID-19. In a statement, the US embassy in Manila said with the amount, the total  US COVID-19 assistance given to the archipelago now amounts to over P768 million. As part of the additional assistance, the US embassy said  the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will partner with 18 local governments in some […]

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MIAA releases list of operational commercial flights for Thursday, May 7

(Eagle News)–The Manila International Airport Authority has released its list of operational commercial flights. MIAA said the list was for Thursday, May 7: Flight schedules may be subject to changes. AirAsia, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific earlier cancelled their flights until May 15 following the extension of the enhanced community quarantine in select areas. The government also announced the suspension of select flights for one week in a bid to decongest quarantine facilities in Metro […]

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4.1-magnitude quake hits Davao Occidental waters

(Eagle News)–A 4.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the waters of Davao Occidental early Thursday, May 7. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake, which hit at 3:32 a.m., had its epicenter 407 kilometers southeast of Sarangani. It had a depth of one kilometer. No damage to property nor aftershocks were recorded.

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PAGASA: No “equinox phenomenon” in next five days

(Eagle News)–The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on Thursday, May 7, belied social media reports there would be an “equinox phenomenon” in the next five days. PAGASA said in the first place, the spring equinox already ended on March 20. The autumnal equinox, on the other hand, will take place on Sept. 23. PAGASA said an equinox takes place when the center of the sun is directly on top of the world’s Equator. […]

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Cloudy skies, isolated rainshowers expected in parts of N. Luzon today

(Eagle News)–Cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers are expected in parts of Northern Luzon today. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers are expected over the provinces of Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Apayao, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mt. Province, Abra, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, and Aurora in particular. The weather bureau said this was due to the Ridge of the High Pressure […]

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Coronavirus worse for US than Pearl Harbor, 9/11: Trump

by Chris Lefkow with AFP bureaus WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of China on Wednesday over the global coronavirus pandemic and said it has been worse for the United States than Pearl Harbor and 9/11. As Germany unveiled plans for a return to near-normality — including a May 15 restart of the Bundesliga — the European Union forecast a historic recession on the virus-battered continent. Countries in Asia joined […]

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Welcome baby X Æ A-12: Musk and Grimes do it their way

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Fans hoping for clarity and perhaps some pronunciation tips were left floundering Wednesday after Elon Musk’s girlfriend, the musician Grimes, explained their newborn son’s name — X Æ A-12. Musk, the outspoken Tesla chief, announced the birth of the couple’s first child earlier this week, before Grimes broke down the unusual moniker. “X, the unknown variable. Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence). A-12 = precursor […]

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6.8 magnitude quake strikes in Indonesia’s Banda Sea, no tsunami alert

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A 6.8 magnitude earthquake jolted a remote part of eastern Indonesia late Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning issued and no immediate reports of damage. The undersea quake struck at a depth of some 107 kilometers (66 miles) in the sea between Indonesia’s Maluku and East Timor at 22:50 local time (13:50 GMT). The epicenter was about 390 kilometers south of the city of […]

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