Other News

Southwesterly windflow affecting western section of Luzon: PAGASA

(Eagle News) — The southwesterly windflow is affecting the western section of Luzon. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services and Administration said, as a result, Metro Manila will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms. The rest of the country will also have the same conditions. PAGASA said flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms are possible. Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will have light to moderate winds and slight […]

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‘Could be your city’: a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor’s warning

  By Sara HUSSEIN Agence France-Presse HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 18, 2023 (AFP) – On August 6, 1945, four-year-old Masao Ito was riding a tricycle near his home in Hiroshima when a bomb fell from the sky and changed his life forever. He survived the US nuclear attack and made it home to his mother, but the horror was just beginning. His father, at work closer to the center of the western Japanese city, searched the […]

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Scent of tradition lingers in Lebanon’s ‘village of roses’

By Elisa Amouret Agence France-Presse QSARNABA, Lebanon, May 18, 2023 (AFP) — On a gentle slope looking out over Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, villagers work their way across pink-dotted terraces, gathering perfumed Damask roses that are used for essential oils, sweets and cosmetics. The rose harvest “gives you a bit of hope, it makes things beautiful, it calms you down — it gives you strength to carry on”, said Leila al-Dirani, picking the flowers from her […]

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Tennis world nervously awaits Nadal’s French Open decision

By Rik Sharma Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, May 18, 2023 (AFP) — The tennis world nervously awaits Rafael Nadal’s decision on Thursday on whether to defend his French Open title, as fears mount that the end is drawing near for the king of clay. The record 14-time Roland Garros champion was desperately hoping to appear in Paris, but the indications are his hip injury will prevent him from defending his crown. Nadal will hold a news […]

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Montana becomes first US state to ban TikTok

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Montana on Wednesday became the first US state to ban TikTok, with the law set to take effect next year as debate escalates over the impact and security of the popular video app. The prohibition signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte will serve as a legal test for a national ban of the Chinese-owned platform, something that lawmakers in Washington are increasingly calling for. “TikTok may not operate […]

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Facing impeachment, Ecuador’s president dissolves congress

By Paola LOPEZ, Santiago PIEDRA SILVA Agence France-Presse QUITO, May 17, 2023 (AFP) – Ecuadoran President Guillermo Lasso issued a decree on Wednesday dissolving the legislature as he fought for his political future following impeachment proceedings in parliament over alleged corruption. The decree released abruptly by the unpopular conservative president’s office states that Lasso is dissolving the opposition-led National Assembly “due to a grave political crisis and national commotion.” In dissolving congress, Lasso called on […]

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Blinken condemns attack on US convoy in Nigeria

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday vowed that the United States would hold accountable the perpetrators behind a deadly attack on a US convoy in Nigeria which he said had been involved in a flood response. No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack in Nigeria’s southeast Anambra State, but an outlawed separatist group has been blamed for repeated raids on police and security services in the region. “We […]

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World’s oldest near-complete Hebrew Bible sells for $38 mn

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A Hebrew Bible more than 1,000 years old sold for $38.1 million in New York on Wednesday, setting a record for the most valuable manuscript ever sold at auction. The Codex Sassoon — which dates to the late ninth to early 10th century — is the earliest near-complete Hebrew Bible known to still exist. It was sold by Sotheby’s following a four-minute bidding battle between two bidders, the auction […]

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Canada seeks foreign help to fight spreading wildfires

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada called for foreign help Wednesday to combat wildfires burning out of control and spreading across vast swathes of the western half of the country. The fires that have devastated the oil-producing Alberta province have in recent days spread to neighboring British Columbia and Saskatchewan as well as the Northwest Territories. Some 2,500 firefighters from across Canada backed by 400 military personnel have been deployed across Alberta to try to tame […]

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Russia, Ukraine extend grain deal despite fierce fighting

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Russia and Ukraine agreed Wednesday to extend a deal allowing grain exports across the Black Sea, a rare example of cooperation as the war rages and one of Kyiv’s valuable Patriot anti-missile systems was confirmed to be damaged. The grain deal was welcomed by the United Nations and United States, though both called for more certainty over the exports as Russia has threatened to end the pact, which is crucial to […]

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Four children found alive in Amazon after plane crash

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AFP) – Four Indigenous children missing for more than two weeks after a plane crash in the Colombian Amazon have been found alive, President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday, declaring “joy for the country.” Petro shared the news on Twitter, saying the children were discovered after “arduous search efforts” by the military. Authorities had deployed more than 100 soldiers with sniffer dogs to search for the minors who were traveling in an airplane that […]

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Prince Harry, Meghan in ‘near catastrophic’ car chase: spokesperson

NEW YORK, May 17, 2023 (AFP) – Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi in New York, a spokesperson for the couple said Wednesday. The incident happened on Tuesday night after Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, attended an awards ceremony in America’s financial capital. Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland was with them in the vehicle, the spokesperson said in a statement emailed to AFP. “Last night, The […]

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