LONDON, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – Britain’s annual inflation rate struck a 13-month low in April, official data showed Wednesday, but remains elevated at 8.7 percent as soaring food prices offset weaker energy costs, prolonging a cost-of-living crisis. The rate of price increases slowed from 10.1 percent in March to below double digits for the first time since August last year, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement. At 8.7 percent, UK inflation […]
Other News
Typhoon Mawar pounds Guam with destructive winds
LOS ANGELES, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – Typhoon Mawar made a slow and brutal pass over the US territory of Guam on Wednesday, knocking out power as ferocious winds smashed windows and storm surges flooded buildings in the worst storm to hit the Pacific military outpost in decades. People on the remote speck of America hunkered down as the eye of the storm passed just north of the island with winds gusting at up to […]
Mexico keeps close watch on ash-spewing volcano
SANTIAGO XALITZINTLA, Mexico, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – A volcano southeast of the Mexican capital spewed more gas and ash into the sky on Tuesday as authorities maintained their warning level at one step below red alert. Dozens of shelters have been opened near Popocatepetl — located around 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) from Mexico City — which has seen various periods of increased activity since awakening from decades-long slumber in 1994. The government is […]
Indonesia’s Merapi volcano erupts, spewing ‘avalanche’ of lava
JAKARTA, May 23, 2023 (AFP) – Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted on Tuesday, spewing lava more than two kilometres from the crater. Dramatic images of lava pouring from the volcano’s smoking crater were published by the government-run Merapi Volcano Observatory. Dozens of small tremors related to Merapi’s eruption were recorded on Tuesday, according to the Centre for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG), a government agency that […]
Record number of Russians moved to Finland in 2022
HELSINKI, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – Record numbers of Russians, by far the highest in three decades, moved to neighbouring Finland in 2022, official statistics published Wednesday showed. A total of 6,003 people moved from Russia to Finland last year, according to Statistics Finland, making it the top country of origin for immigration. Immigration to Finland was up overall, with almost 50,000 people moving to the country, compared to an average of between 29,000 and […]
Russia will respond to future incursions ‘extremely harshly’: ministry
MOSCOW, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – Moscow will respond to attacks on Russian soil “extremely harshly”, Russia’s defence minister warned Wednesday, after Russian jets and artillery fought off an armed group that crossed from Ukraine. The incursion was the most serious since Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine last year, with fighting in Russia’s Belgorod region lasting days. “We will continue to respond promptly and extremely harshly to such actions by Ukrainian militants,” Sergei Shoigu […]
Five Filipinos among fatalities after fishing vessel capsizes in Indian Ocean: PCG
(Eagle News) –Five Filipinos died after a Chinese fishing vessel capsized in the Indian Ocean last week, the Philippine Coast Guard said. According to the PCG, the five were among the 39 fatalities in the incident off Perth, Australia on May 16, based on a report by China’s Transport Minister Li Xiaopeng. The remaining 34 fatalities consisted of 17 Chinese and 17 Indonesians. “We are saddened by this development,” PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo […]
DeSantis set to enter 2024 race, teeing up bitter face-off with Trump
By Frankie TAGGART Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to launch his 2024 presidential campaign Wednesday, signaling 18 months of acrimony ahead as he and Donald Trump lock horns in what is expected to be an attritional contest for the Republican nomination. DeSantis was considered a rising Republican star, but has been caught flat-footed by months of relentless attacks from the former president, who has surged into […]
Sri Lanka navy finds 14 bodies in capsized Chinese boat
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — Sri Lanka’s navy said Wednesday it had located 14 bodies inside a Chinese fishing boat that had capsized last week with 39 crew on board. The discovery came a day after a preliminary Chinese government probe concluded there were no survivors. The Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 overturned on May 16, with 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesians and five Filipinos on board within Australia’s vast search-and-rescue region, 5,000 […]
Celtics stay alive with victory at Heat
By Simon EVANS Agence France-Presse MIAMI, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — The Boston Celtics kept their Eastern Conference finals hopes alive with a 116-99 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday to reduce the series deficit to 3-1. Jayson Tatum inspired the Celtics with 33 points, 11 rebounds and assists, while five other players reached double figures in what was a determined team display from Joe Mazzulla’s side. After the Heat’s 128-102 win on […]
South Korea to launch homegrown rocket for third test
SEOUL, South Korea, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — South Korea was set to launch its homegrown Nuri rocket Wednesday and try to put a working satellite into orbit — potentially a key development for the country’s burgeoning space program. This is the third launch of Nuri, following a failed first attempt and a successful second mission last year, but during those tests the rocket carried payloads mainly designed for verifying the performance of the launch […]
South Africa presses for recognition of its high-end olive oil
By Julie BOURDIN Agence France-Presse STELLENBOSCH, South Africa, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — South Africa is famous for its wines but not necessarily for olive oil, where Greece, Italy and Spain are the undisputed kings. But the country’s farmers are undeterred, eyeing a potential share of the lucrative market for top-quality extra virgin oils. At Tokara, a farm about an hour’s drive from Cape Town, workers pull rakes through branches to make the ripening olives […]





