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SOLO, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s most active volcano Mount Merapi erupted Tuesday, shooting a massive ash cloud some 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) in the air which coated nearby communities with grey dust and forced an airport closure. Ash mixed with sand rained down on towns as far as 10 kilometers (six miles) from the belching crater near Indonesia’s cultural capital Yogyakarta. “There was a thundering noise for at least five minutes and I could see […]
by Benoît PELEGRIN LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The OPEC club of oil-producing countries meets Thursday in Vienna as they weigh how to react to a sharp drop in global oil demand due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus. The extraordinary two-day meeting will see OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, and its allies in the so-called OPEC+ group — foremost among them Russia — discuss how to halt the sharp fall in oil prices […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s coronavirus case total — the largest in the world outside China — approached 5,000 Tuesday as authorities reported 477 new cases. Two more people had died, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, taking the toll to 28. South Korea has seen a rapid rise in infections in recent days as authorities carry out checks on more than 260,000 people associated with the Shincheonji Church of […]
by Guy JACKSON PARIS, France (AFP) — The coronavirus is disrupting sport around the world with the MotoGP races in Qatar and Thailand postponed, a host of football matches put off to a later date and increasing concerns surrounding the Tokyo Olympics later this year. The virus has already cast a long shadow over the start of the MotoGP season with this Sunday’s curtain-raising Qatar Grand Prix called off, followed by the March 22 race […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Waymo said Monday it had raised $2.25 billion in its first external funding round to help the former Google car unit accelerate its deployment of autonomous cars and trucks. Born in a Google lab devoted to big-vision new technology, Waymo became a subsidiary of Alphabet in 2016 — and has been one of the tech giant’s “other bets” that have been losing money in recent years. Leading the investment round […]
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on Monday for a major national debate involving everyone from industry to indigenous groups to move the country to carbon neutrality by 2050 and still grow the economy. Trudeau was re-elected last October, with a minority government, after a campaign focused on climate issues. He vowed that Canada would reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by mid-century. Sixty-six other countries have already signed onto the pledge “Around […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a “long-range artillery” drill, state media said Tuesday, after Pyongyang threatened to demonstrate a new weapon. Kim “guided” the drill on Monday, KCNA said. South Korea had said that North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday, but it was not immediately clear if the two incidents were the same. “As he ordered the sub-units to start […]
By Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — A ‘pandemic’ of air pollution shortens lives worldwide by nearly three years on average, and causes 8.8 million premature deaths annually, scientists said Tuesday. Eliminating the toxic cocktail of molecules and lung-clogging particles cast off by burning oil, gas and coal would restore a full year of life expectancy, they reported in the journal Cardiovascular Research. “Air pollution is a larger public health risk than tobacco smoking,” […]
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — Volkswagen on Monday said it will stop developing natural gas-fuelled cars as the German auto giant bets on electric engines in the battle to woo climate-conscious drivers. The VW group sold just 110,000 cars powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) worldwide last year, not enough to justify further investment, VW’s head of development Frank Welsch told the Handelsblatt financial daily. Although production of existing models powered by the alternative energy […]
(Eagle News)–An alert level 2 remains hoisted over Taal. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said activity in the main crater in the past 24 hours has been characterized by a “weak emission of steam-laden plumes rising 50-100 meters high.” The Taal Volcano Network also recorded 28 volcanic earthquakes that are “associated with rock fracturing processes beneath and around the edifice.” PHIVOLCS reminded the public that “sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, ashfall […]
There’s a “tactical reason” behind it, he says (Eagle News)– Philippine National Police Chief Archie Gamboa on Tuesday, March 3, said there was a “tactical reason” the man who took several people hostage in a mall in San Juan was allowed to hold a press conference on Monday night. Gamboa made the remark in a radio interview, following criticisms about why Alchie Paray had been allowed to speak to the media for almost an hour. […]
(Eagle News)–A 3.7-magnitude earthquake struck Davao del Sur today, March 3. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake, which struck at 5:26 a.m., had its epicenter 4 kilometers southwest of Kiblawan. It had a depth of focus of 10 kilometers. The following instrumental intensities were recorded: Instrumental Intensities: Intensity II – Kidapawan City; Malungon, Sarangani Intensity I – Tupi, South Cotabato No damage to property nor aftershocks were recorded.
