CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AFP) –Bangladesh’s cricket team escaped unscathed after a shooting at a mosque in central Christchurch, an official told AFP on Friday. Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus said most of the team were bussed to the mosque and were about to go inside when the incident happened. “They are safe. But they are mentally shocked. We have asked the team to stay confined in the hotel,” he told AFP. Player Tamim Iqbal […]
Other News
Mozambique cancels domestic flights as storm nears
MAPUTO, Mozambique (AFP) — Mozambique has canceled flights to several domestic destinations as a tropical cyclone, potentially the strongest to hit the country in nearly two decades, approached threatening to bring chaos to southern Africa. The wave of cancellations came as the UN warned that “tropical cyclone Idai has regained intensity and is expected to make landfall near Beira city in central Mozambique” later Thursday. At least 126 people have been killed in Mozambique, Malawi […]
In Caracas, water an obsession after days of blackout
by Margioni BERMÚDEZ CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Plastic bottles and containers at the ready, Keisy Perez ignores the stench from the brown river as it slips slowly through the grimy San Agustin district of Venezuela’s capital. The quest for drinkable water has rapidly become an obsession for millions like her in Caracas days after a crippling power blackout stalled the city’s pumps. In this part of Caracas, the Guaire river is effectively an open sewer. […]
Duterte renews PhilComSat franchise
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a measure extending the telecommunications franchise of Philippine Communications Satellite Corp. to another 25 years. PhilComSat’s franchise, which allows it to operate “telecommunications satellite systems, satellite terminal stations, lines, cables or systems, and associated equipment and facilities for international and domestic communications,” was set to expire in June 2019. PhilComSat is currently owned by the Philippine Overseas Telecommunications Corp. It offers very small aperture services (VSAT) technology that […]
New York to spend $500 million for Manhattan flood protection
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York will invest $500 million to protect part of the US business and cultural capital Manhattan from climate change, the municipality said on Thursday. It is allocating the funds to four projects aimed at protecting areas at risk on the southern tip of Manhattan. Among the projects is a permanent protective wall south of Battery Park City, which is a few blocks from Wall Street. The funding is […]
New Zealand police respond to reports of mosque shooting
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AFP) — Armed police in New Zealand swarmed central Christchurch Friday amid a shooting at a mosque in the South Island city. “A serious and evolving situation is occurring in Christchurch with an active shooter,” police said in a statement. “Police are responding with its full capability to manage the situation, but the risk environment remains extremely high.” Local media said there were multiple casualties at one mosque and said another had been […]
Duterte vetoes bill on Central Luzon investment hub; cites provisions that “pose substantial fiscal risk”
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has vetoed a bill that would create the Regional Investment and Infrastructure Coordinating Hub of Central Luzon. In rejecting the bill, Duterte noted several provisions which he said would “pose substantial fiscal risk to the country and are thus inimical to its economic growth” if implemented. He noted the effect of the bill’s provision on incentives on the tax base. “A key to lasting economic development is a tax system […]
Toxic air tears apart families in Mongolia
by Khaliun Bayartsogt BOMUUR, Mongolia (AFP) — In the world’s coldest capital, many burn coal and plastic just to survive temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees — but warmth comes at a price: deadly pollution makes Ulaanbataar’s air too toxic for children to breathe, leaving parents little choice but to evacuate them to the countryside. This exodus is a stark warning of the future for urban areas in much of Asia, where scenes of […]
WHO urges enforcement of tobacco ad bans at sporting events
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization called Thursday for better enforcement of bans on tobacco advertising at sporting events, after tobacco companies discretely reentered sponsorship deals with Formula 1 teams. “WHO is urging governments to enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship at sporting events, including when hosting or receiving broadcasts of Formula 1 and MotoGP events,” the UN health agency said in a statement. It also called on “all sporting bodies, […]
DOTr: Rehab of Kalibo International Airport 44.71% complete
(Eagle News) — The rehabilitation of the Kalibo International Airport is now 44.71 percent complete. This is according to the Department of Transportation, which made the announcement in a Facebook post on Friday, March 15. According to the DOTr, the airport can so far accommodate 72 flights each day, a far cry from the 58 flights daily it could accommodate prior to the rehabilitation. The DOTr said that once the rehabilitation is completed, the airport […]
Astronauts on aborted Soyuz launch blast off successfully for ISS
by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AFP) — NASA astronaut Nick Hague and his Russian colleague Alexey Ovchinin, who survived a dramatically aborted Soyuz launch last year, blasted off successfully for the International Space Station on Thursday. The two men, joined by US astronaut Christina Koch, lifted off from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at the expected time 1914 GMT. “The Soyuz is now in orbit and the crew are on their way to the International […]
4.6-magnitude earthquake jolts Surigao del Sur
(Eagle News)–A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck Surigao del Sur on Friday, March 15. The quake struck 18 kilometers northeast of Cantilan at 7:02 a.m. The quake, which was tectonic in origin, had a depth of focus of 7 kilometers. No damage nor aftershocks were expected.
