Beijing, China | AFP | A provincial capital in southwest China has dimmed outdoor advertisements, subway lighting and building signs to save energy, official announcements said, as the area battles a power crunch triggered by record-high temperatures. The mercury has soared beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Sichuan province this week, fueling massive demand for air conditioning and drying up reservoirs in a region reliant on dams for most of its electricity. Factories including […]
Other News
Hong Kong sets up task force on Southeast Asian job scams
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Hong Kong law enforcement on Thursday announced a task force to track down and help trafficked residents ensnared by so-called “boiler room” scams in Southeast Asia that have become a growing scourge. In recent months, victims have reported being lured to countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos on false promises of romance or high-paying jobs, and then held against their will and forced to work, sometimes for […]
N Korea rejects Seoul’s aid-for-denuclearisation offer
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday rejected Seoul’s offer of economic assistance in return for denuclearisation steps, calling it the “height of absurdity”. The statement follows South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol this week putting forward an “audacious” aid plan that would include food, energy and infrastructure help in return for the North abandoning its nuclear weapons programme. Analysts previously said the chances of Pyongyang […]
Indonesia leader says Putin and Xi to attend G20 summit: report
Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will attend the upcoming Group of 20 summit, the leader of host nation Indonesia said in an interview published Friday. The pair’s attendance would set the stage for showdown talks with US President Joe Biden at a time when Washington is at odds with both of the rival powers, particularly over crises in Ukraine and Taiwan. It has been unclear […]
Apple warns of flaw that lets hackers into iPhones, Macs
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Apple is warning of a flaw that is allowing hackers to seize control of iPhones, iPads and Mac computers, and is urging users to install emergency software updates. Patches were released Thursday and Wednesday by the tech titan to fix what it described as a vulnerability hackers already knew about and may be taking advantage of. “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been […]
New Zealand flood recovery estimated to take ‘years’
Nelson, New Zealand | AFP | by Ryland JAMES A New Zealand city devastated by flooding will take years to recover, the mayor said on Friday, as hundreds more homes were evacuated. The Pacific nation has been lashed by wild weather with the Nelson-Tasman district on the South Island bearing the brunt after 75 centimetres (29 inches) of rain reportedly fell over three days. Several streets in the city of Nelson were flooded after the […]
4.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Ilocos Sur early Friday, Aug. 19
(Eagle News) — A 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck Ilocos Sur early Friday, Aug. 19. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the quake, an aftershock of the 7.0-magnitude Northwestern Luzon earthquake, struck four kilometers northeast of Quirino. The depth of focus was 3 kilometers. The following intensities were reported: Instrumental Intensity: Intensity II- Basista, Pangasinan No damage to property nor aftershocks were reported.
Finland says Russian fighter jets ‘suspected’ of violating airspace
HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Two Russian fighter jets are believed to have violated Finnish airspace on Thursday, Finland’s defence ministry said, as the Nordic country seeks NATO membership following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “Two Russian MIG-31 fighters are suspected of having violated Finnish airspace in the Gulf of Finland off Porvoo,” the ministry said in a statement. The Finnish Air Force sent up “an operational flight mission” to identify the aircraft, it said, adding […]
Hundreds evacuated as ‘frightening’ floods hit New Zealand
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Hundreds of families on New Zealand’s South Island were forced to leave their homes on Thursday after dramatic flooding prompted a state of emergency in three regions. A tropically fuelled storm has dumped more than 30 centimetres (11 inches) of rain on parts of the South Island, causing rivers to burst their banks. The extreme weather has also felled trees, blocking major roads. A state of emergency was declared Wednesday […]
First case of human-to-animal transmission: WHO urges caution after dog catches monkeypox
by Nina LARSON Agence France Presse The World Health Organization called Wednesday for people infected with monkeypox to avoid exposing animals to the virus following a first reported case of human-to-dog transmission. A first case of human-to-dog transmission of monkeypox — between two men and their Italian greyhound living together in Paris — was reported last week in the medical journal The Lancet. “This is the first case reported of human-to-animal transmission… and we believe […]
BOC finds some 44,000 sacks of imported sugar in Pampanga, Bulacan warehouses suspected of hoarding
Authorities suspect P22-M worth of sugar supplies were being hoarded to manipulate sugar prices (Eagle News) – The Bureau of Customs found and seized some 44,000 sacks of imported sugar worth some P22 million in separate “raids” in warehouses in Pampanga and Bulacan on Thursday, August 18, 2022, suspected of being hoarded by traders to create a supply shortage. “The raids were in accordance with the marching orders of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. […]
Dutch anglers save fish as Rhine drought bites
by Danny KEMP Agence France Presse GIESBEEK, Netherlands (AFP) — Angler Mark Kouwenhoven grins as he wades into what’s left of a dried-up Dutch lake where his colleagues are throwing slime-coated fish into buckets. It’s not the kind of catch they’re used to — but that’s because this time they’re helping the government to save the fish from the drought gripping Europe. Each fish will be moved nearby to the River IJssel, a Dutch branch […]





