Other News

Cloudy skies, rains expected in parts of the country

(Eagle News)–Cloudy skies and rains are expected in parts of the country. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said in its weather  forecast today that Visayas, Mindanao, MIMAROPA, Quezon, Aurora and Bicol Region, in particular, will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. It said these were due to the low pressure area west southwest of Zamboanga City and the shear line affecting the eastern section of Southern Luzon. Flash floods […]

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15 suspected drug smugglers killed in Thai army shootout

BANGKOK, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – Thai soldiers killed 15 suspected drug smugglers in a shootout in a remote northern district near the Myanmar border, an army official said Monday. The clash on Saturday evening took place in Chiang Rai province’s Mae Fah Luang district, close to the “Golden Triangle” where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet, which has long been a hub for smuggling. After the clash, officers found 17 bags containing more than two […]

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Japan’s Nippon Steel to buy US Steel for $14.1 bn: firms

TOKYO, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – Japan’s Nippon Steel has agreed to buy US Steel Corp for $14.1 billion, the companies announced on Monday, months after the steelmaker rejected an offer from its main US rival. The leading Japanese steelmaker will acquire US Steel in an all-cash deal at $55 per share, a 40 percent premium above its closing price on December 15, representing an equity value of about $14.1 billion, the companies said in […]

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President Putin vows to make Russia ‘self-sufficent’ in fifth Kremlin term

MOSCOW, Dec 17, 2023 (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday vowed to make Russia “sovereign and self-sufficient” in the face of the West, in his first campaign speech before a March vote to extend his long rule until at least 2030. Putin will stand for a fifth Kremlin term in an election with no real opposition that will come just over two years since he launched the seismic Ukraine offensive. The 71-year-old came […]

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Navalny ‘disappearance’ alarms UN expert

GENEVA, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – A United Nations rights expert said Monday that the “enforced disappearance” of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was alarming, demanding that Moscow immediately release him. The Kremlin critic’s lawyers have been prevented from meeting him since December 6, and he did not appear for a scheduled court hearing last Friday. “I am greatly concerned that the Russian authorities will not disclose Mr. Navalny’s whereabouts and well-being for such a […]

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Gunmen target pre-Christmas party, killing 12 in Mexico

By Gabriela Montejano SALVATIERRA, Mexico, Dec 17, 2023 (AFP) – At least 12 people were killed and another dozen were wounded in an attack early Sunday on a pre-Christmas party in central Mexico, authorities in the state of Guanajuato said. The violence occurred in the town of Salvatierra, reportedly at a hacienda, or ranch, that can be rented out for festivities. “So far 12 people are reported dead,” the state’s prosecutor’s office said on X, […]

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EU launches ‘illegal content’ probe into Elon Musk’s X

BRUSSELS, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – The EU on Monday announced “formal infringement proceedings” against Elon Musk’s X platform under a law cracking down on illegal online content, after identifying disinformation related to Hamas’s October 7 attack in Israel. The action against the company formerly known as Twitter is the first against a major online platform since Brussels implemented the Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping piece of European Union legislation that strengthens online companies’ […]

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Belgium holds drug mega-trial after covert apps cracked

By Matthieu DEMEESTERE BRUSSELS, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – Belgium launched one of the biggest drug trafficking trials in its history, with more than 120 defendants in the dock, thanks in large part to investigators cracking encrypted messaging apps. Suspects from Belgium, Albania, Colombia and North Africa accused of involvement in a vast criminal operation face justice at the hearings in a high-security courtroom in the former headquarters of military alliance NATO in Brussels. “Your […]

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China threatens US firms with ‘countermeasures’ over Taiwan arms deal

BEIJING, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – China vowed on Monday to “take countermeasures” against companies involved in arms sales to Taiwan after the United States approved a $300-million deal to beef up the self-ruled island’s defences. China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has pledged to seize it one day, while the US Congress requires the supply of weapons to the self-governing democracy for its defence. The US State Department last week approved […]

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Outcry as Hong Kong puts tycoon Jimmy Lai on trial: US, UK demand release

By Xinqi SU and Holmes CHAN HONG KONG, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – Pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai went on trial in Hong Kong Monday on national security charges that could see him jailed for life, with the United States and Britain demanding his release. Lai, 76, is accused of “collusion” with foreign forces under a sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on the finance hub in 2020. He is the founder of the now-shuttered […]

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Taiwan detects 2 Chinese balloons crossing median line

TAIPEI, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – Two Chinese balloons flew across the sensitive median line separating Taiwan from China, the self-ruled island’s Defence Ministry said on Monday, the second time it has reported a sighting this month. Chinese balloons became a politically fraught topic in February when the United States shot down what it called a spy balloon, but that Beijing said was a civilian airship blown off course. While China has in recent years […]

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Cruise missiles to nukes: North Korea’s arsenal

SEOUL, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – North Korea fired its most powerful and advanced solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile on Monday, extending a record-breaking run of weapons tests this year that have been condemned by the West. The move follows leader Kim Jong-un’s declaration last year that Pyongyang is an “irreversible” nuclear power. Here is a look at North Korea’s arsenal: – Intercontinental ballistic missiles – Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) have a minimum range of 5,500 […]

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