Washington, United States (AFP) Heavy thunderstorms lashed the southern region of the United States on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said, warning of dangerous tornados in their wake. “Severe thunderstorms are bringing strong tornadoes, very large hail, and severe wind gusts across parts of the lower to mid Mississippi Valley, Mid-South and parts of the Southeast,” it said in a statement. “Tornado Watches and Warnings are in effect. A few long-track strong tornadoes are possible,” […]
Other News
ITCZ affecting Mindanao: PAGASA
(Eagle News) — The Intertropical Convergence Zone is affecting Mindanao. According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, as a result, Caraga, Davao Region, and Leyte will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. Flash floods or landslides due to moderate to at times heavy rains are possible. Metro Manila and the rest of the country, meanwhile, will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms. According […]
HSBC bank sells Canadian ops for over US$10 bn
London, United Kingdom (AFP) HSBC has agreed to sell its Canadian division to Royal Bank of Canada for US$10.1 billion, the Asia-focused banking giant announced Tuesday. The large sale comes after UK-listed HSBC faced calls from biggest shareholder Ping An Insurance Group to cut costs and shift more resources to Asia. HSBC added in a statement that it would use the funds to invest in its core business and return cash to investors. “We decided […]
Crypto lender BlockFi files for bankruptcy after FTX collapse
Today, BlockFi filed voluntary cases under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.https://t.co/adaAx6me4r — BlockFi (@BlockFi) November 28, 2022 New York, United States (AFP) BlockFi, a lender in the troubled cryptocurrency universe, announced Monday it had filed for bankruptcy protection in the latest ripple effect from the FTX collapse. The Chapter 11 filing in a US Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey will allow BlockFi and eight affiliates to “stabilize its business and provide the company […]
Hong Kong crypto exchange falls silent, fuelling shutdown fears
Hong Kong, China (AFP) A major Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange has scrubbed some of its social media presence two weeks after it halted withdrawals, fuelling fears the firm may collapse as the sector reels from the implosion of giant FTX. Atom Asset Exchange (AAX) prevented customer withdrawals on November 15, saying its capital position was under “acute pressure” after some investors asked for their money back. This came after the stunning fall of industry leader […]
Australia scraps 33,000 Covid fines
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Australia’s most populous state scrapped 33,000 fines issued for breaking Covid-19 rules Tuesday, after a top court ruled they were invalid. New South Wales authorities were forced to retract more than half their pandemic-era fines, which were found to be too vague in describing the offence. Revenue NSW said that because of the “technical” breach it would withdraw “fail to comply” penalties believed to be worth tens of millions of dollars. “Fail […]
CA confirms ad interim appointments of Cordoba as COA chair, Ople as DMW chief
(Eagle News) — The Commission on Appointments on Tuesday, Nov. 29, confirmed the ad interim appointment of Commission on Audit chair Gamaliel Cordoba. Also confirmed was the ad interim appointment of Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople. With his appointment confirmed, Cordoba is expected to sit at the helm of the audit agency until February 2, 2029. Ople, meanwhile, will sit as DMW chief until the end of President Bongbong Marcos’ term unless she […]
China Covid lockdowns shut delivery workers out of their homes
BEIJING, China (AFP) – Overworked, underpaid and thoroughly fed up, Wang’s troubles deepened even further when authorities abruptly locked down the delivery driver’s Beijing apartment block earlier this month. Officials in the Chinese capital have doubled down on the country’s hallmark zero-Covid policy in recent weeks, one of an array of cities to impose sweeping shutdowns, mass testing and teleworking mandates as caseloads have hit all-time highs. Wang is not alone in feeling frustrated. The ruling […]
Bad abbot: Thai temple left empty after monks fail drug tests
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — A Buddhist temple in central Thailand has been left without monks after all its holy men failed drug tests and were defrocked, a local official said Tuesday. Four monks including an abbot at a temple in Phetchabun province’s Bung Sam Phan district tested positive for methamphetamine on Monday, district official Boonlert Thintapthai told AFP. The monks have been sent to a health clinic to undergo drug rehabilitation, the official said. “The […]
Argentina records first mpox death
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) – Argentina registered its first death from mpox, the disease formerly known as monkeypox, when a patient died in a hospital in the capital Buenos Aires, the health ministry said. The fatality was a 44-year-old man who was diagnosed with untreated HIV-AIDS and suffered septic shock, which caused his death, the health ministry said Monday. The patient had been hospitalized since mid-September in intensive care with respiratory assistance and his death was […]
Durant propels Nets past Magic, Celtics overwhelm Hornets
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Kevin Durant scored a season-high 45 points to power Brooklyn to a 109-102 NBA victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday that kept the Nets trending in the right direction. While the league-leading Boston Celtics romped again, leading wire-to-wire in a 140-105 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, the Philadelphia 76ers erased a 16-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Hawks 104-101 in star center Joel Embiid’s return from injury. In […]
China cities under heavy policing after protests
by Matthew WALSH with Ludovic EHRET in Beijing Agence France-Presse SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — China’s major cities of Beijing and Shanghai were blanketed with security on Tuesday in the wake of nationwide rallies calling for political freedoms and an end to Covid lockdowns. The country’s leadership is facing a wave of protest not seen in decades, fuelled by anger over the unrelenting lockdowns as well as deep-rooted frustrations over China’s political direction. A deadly fire […]
