SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Pedestrians glued to their smartphones were given something else to look at this week, as officials in Seoul launched a safety campaign to keep them from walking into busy traffic. Smartphone related collisions between pedestrians and vehicles in South Korea have more than doubled in five years to around 1,000 reported incidents in 2014, according to the Transportation Safety Authority. The problem is especially acute in a country where smartphone […]
Other News
New video footage of baby snow leopards, an endangered species at Virginia zoo
RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) — The Metro Richmond Zoo welcomed its first ever litter of snow leopard cubs on May 24, and has now released video footage of the cubs. The litter includes two cubs, one male and one female. The zoo have not yet released the names of the baby snow leopards, but the mother and father, named Elsa, 2, and Nitro, 3, are first time parents. Elsa was raised by human caretakers, but according […]
China mounts rescue efforts as tornado toll hits 98
YANCHENG, China (AFP) — Emergency personnel mounted rescue efforts amid scenes of carnage Friday as the toll from hurricane-force winds and a tornado in China rose to at least 98 dead, with hundreds more injured. Whole villages were levelled and huge trees felled when winds of up to 125 kilometers (77 miles) per hour struck around Yancheng city, the official Xinhua news agency said. So far 98 people have been confirmed dead and about 800 […]
US election is about more than beating Trump: Sanders
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Senator Bernie Sanders on Thursday exhorted his millions of supporters to fight to implement progressive policies to transform America, saying the general election was more than about beating Donald Trump. In a speech lasting more than an hour, the 74-year-old from Vermont, who challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination from the left, failed to mention the victorious secretary of state even once. Instead, he insisted that the popularity […]
Colombia, FARC rebels sign historic ceasefire
by Alexander Grosbois in Havana with Alina Dieste in Bogota HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — The Colombian government and FARC rebels signed a ceasefire and disarmament agreement Thursday, one of the last steps toward ending a half-century conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people. The deal puts a definitive end to fighting in Latin America’s longest civil war, which has torn the country apart with shootings and bombardments in its coca-rich jungles and hills. […]
Leave camp leads in early UK referendum count
(REUTERS) Early results from Britain’s bitterly contested referendum showed a lead on Friday for supporters of leaving the European Union, contradicting opinion polls and prompting wild swings in the value of the pound. With results in from the first 13 of 382 voting districts, those in favor of ending Britain’s 43-year membership were on 52.4 percent of the vote, while those wanting to stay were on 47.6 percent. But it was too early to […]
Fiat waiting to investigate car in death of ‘Star Trek’ star
CHELSEA, United States (AFP)–A Fiat Chrysler executive said Thursday said the automaker plans its own investigation into the role of a Jeep Grand Cherokee in the death of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin. Yelchin died instantly on Sunday after his 2015 Grand Cherokee rolled backwards and pinned him against a concrete mail box outside his Los Angeles home, according to police. Fiat Chrysler had announced a recall of the car and others in April after […]
Gunman killed by police after storming German cinema
by Benoit TOUSSAINT VERHEIM, Germany (AFP) — A masked gunman barricaded himself in a German multiplex cinema with dozens of people Thursday before being killed by police on high security alert following a string of attacks around Europe, officials said. No-one else was injured at the complex in the western town of Viernheim, 75 kilometres (50 miles) south of Frankfurt, the interior minister of Hesse state, Peter Beuth, said. “The assailant moved through the cinema complex… […]
VW to pay $10 bn in US over emissions scandal- source
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)–Volkswagen has agreed to pay $10 billion to settle a huge US civil case over its diesel emissions-cheating scandal, a person familiar with the negotiations told AFP on Thursday. As part of the settlement, Volkswagen would compensate owners of around 480,000 2.0-liter diesel cars up to $7,000 in cash each, and would also fund a program to fight air pollution, the person said. Volkswagen admitted in September that it had installed software on […]
Early support for Brexit sends pound plunging
by Robin MILLARD LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Early results from Britain’s knife-edge referendum showed unexpectedly strong support for leaving the European Union on Friday, sending the pound plummeting as investors feared a historic blow against the 28-nation alliance. Just minutes earlier, global financial markets had been surging after two opinion polls gave them hope that Britons would choose to stay in bloc, born out of a determination to forge lasting peace after two world […]
PNP official urges public to help deter crimes
TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, June 23 (PIA) – – An official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) appealed to the public to help the police pin down criminals. “The public should be vigilant and help police officers in the fight against crime,” said Police Director Noel Lazarus C. Vargas, Directorate for Plans at the National Headquarters in Quezon City. Vargas, in his visit at the Police Regional Office 02 (PRO2) on Thursday, June 23 said this […]
DOH reiterates 4S strategy in dengue control
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) – Noting on the rise of dengue cases every two years in Northern Mindanao, Department of Health-Research Epidemiology Surveillance, and Disaster Response Unit in the region calls for community’s involvement in controlling the spread of the disease. “We can’t do it alone, we need the people to imbibe and practice the 4S strategy in dengue prevention which stands for Search and destroy the possible breeding place of Aedes aegypti, Seek […]





