Other News
Heatwave forces Tour Down Under to be shortened
ADELAIDE, Australia (AFP) — South Australia’s extreme heatwave conditions have forced Tour Down Under organizers to shorten Thursday’s third stage from Glenelg to Victor Harbor. With temperatures forecast to climb above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), race director Mike Turtur said the distance of the stage had been reduced by 26 kilometres, or two laps of the final circuit. “The safety and welfare of the riders, spectators and everyone involved with the race is always our primary concern,” Turtur said in a statement. “We […]
SWS: Duterte gov’t nets record-high “excellent” satisfaction rating
Duterte admin surpasses its previous records, record achieved by then-President Benigno Aquino III’s gov’t in June 2013 (Eagle News) — The government of President Rodrigo Duterte has obtained a record-high rating of excellent, surpassing its previous records and the record achieved by his predecessor’s administration, based on the latest Social Weather Stations survey. Results of the poll done from December 8 to 16, 2017 showed that 79% of adult Filipinos were satisfied with the general performance of […]
Football: Chelsea edge into FA Cup fourth round, Bournemouth rocked
by Steven Griffiths Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Chelsea needed a penalty shoot-out before finally killing off Norwich after a 1-1 draw in Wednesday’s FA Cup third round replay, while Bournemouth slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Wigan. Antonio Conte’s side finished extra-time down to nine men after late red cards for Pedro and Alvaro Morata at Stamford Bridge. They had been forced into the extra period when Jamal Lewis’s last-gasp equaliser cancelled out Michy […]
Olympics: IOC ready to splash cash on 2026 Winter Games
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) – The International Olympic Committee pledged to boost funding for the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday as it seeks it encourage more cities to bid for the games. An ever-shrinking pool of cities willing to take on the multi-billion dollar cost of staging the games saw just two cities in the running for 2022 — Beijing and Almaty. Four cities — Sion in Switzerland, Stockholm, Calgary and Sapporo are believed to be exploring a […]
Trump says Russia undermining N.Korea sanctions
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Russia of undermining international sanctions against North Korea and weakening efforts to curb Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear weapons program. “Russia is not helping us at all with North Korea,” Trump told the Reuters news agency. “What China is helping us with, Russia is denting.” Last month, Trump had already denounced Russia for “not helping” global efforts to pressure Pyongyang to halt the development of nuclear weapons […]
Republican senator accuses Trump of Stalin-like attacks on media
by Emma Charlton Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – A maverick senator from Donald Trump’s own Republican party launched a stinging attack on the president on Wednesday, accusing him of employing Stalinist language to “slur” and undermine the free press. Arizona lawmaker Jeff Flake leveled the broadside in an address from the Senate floor, timed to coincide with the expected announcement of controversial “Fake News Awards” by Trump’s administration. Delivering a one-two punch after veteran Republican […]
Global air traffic at new record: UN agency
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) – Budget carriers continued to push global air traffic to new record levels last year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said on Wednesday. Scheduled air services carried “a new record” of 4.1 billion passengers in 2017, an increase of 7.1 percent over the previous year, ICAO said, citing preliminary data. The figure compares with six percent growth in 2016. “The sustainability of the tremendous growth in international civil air traffic is demonstrated by […]
Bank of Canada raises benchmark interest rate to 1.25%
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — The Bank of Canada raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.25 percent Wednesday, pointing to sustained growth in the G7 economy and inflation that is closer to the country’s target. The central bank explained in a statement that while the Canadian economy was going strong, with jobs on the rise and inflation in check, “uncertainty about the future of NAFTA is weighing increasingly on the outlook.” Canada, the United […]
Lebanon reverses ban on Spielberg’s ‘The Post’
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — The Lebanese government has allowed the release of Steven Spielberg’s latest film, “The Post,” overturning a ban by the General Security authority, a ministry said Wednesday. The security body had on Monday announced it was banning the Hollywood thriller to comply with an Arab League boycott targeting supporters of Israel. In a rare move, the interior ministry chose not to sign off on the decision by General Security, which in addition to controlling […]
Apple says it will pay $38 billion in taxes on repatriated profits
SAN FRANCISO, United States (AFP) — Apple announced Wednesday it would pay some $38 billion in taxes — likely the largest payment of its kind — on profits repatriated from overseas as it boosts investments in the United States. The iPhone maker said in a statement it plans to use some of its foreign cash stockpile, which qualifies for reduced tax rates under a recent bill, to invest in new projects. Apple, which claims to be the […]
US nuclear review calls for development of low-yield weapons
by Thomas Watkins Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US military wants to overhaul its atomic arsenal and develop a new type of low-yield weapon that experts worry could lead to greater proliferation and heighten the risk of nuclear war. The proposed changes to the nuclear weapons program, outlined in a draft version of the Pentagon’s Nuclear Posture Review, mark a significant break from the vision for America’s nuclear future under Barack Obama, who during a famous […]
