Other News

Tokyo Olympics exec arrested over bribery allegations

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | A board member for the Tokyo Olympics was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of taking bribes, prosecutors said, along with three other men connected to the scandal. Haruyuki Takahashi allegedly received $380,000 from high-street business suit retailer Aoki Holdings, an official partner of last year’s pandemic-delayed 2020 Games. The 78-year-old was arrested along with Aoki chairman Hironori Aoki, 83, and two other executives from the retailer, according to Tokyo Prosecutors Office documents […]

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Asian markets fluctuate as traders weigh economic outlook

HONG KONG, China  (AFP) – Markets drifted in Asia on Wednesday, with investors trying to navigate an uncertain economic landscape as central banks hike interest rates to fight runaway inflation, in turn fuelling fears of a possible recession. But while officials at the Federal Reserve and its peers are expected to keep tightening monetary policy for the rest of the year, talk is building that they will be able to ease up in 2023 — […]

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Women surfers return to Olympic wave at ‘End of the Road’

  TEAHUPOO, France (AFP) – Elite women surfers returned to competition at “the world’s heaviest wave” in Tahiti on Wednesday, ending a 16-year absence and taste of the daunting challenge at the 2024 Paris Olympics. For the first time since 2006, members of the women’s World Surf League are competing in Teahupo’o, a wave respected and feared by boardriders worldwide. Flanked by verdant cloud-touched volcanoes, Teahupo’o looks like a tropical idyl. But a short distance […]

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N. Korea fires two cruise missiles: Seoul defence ministry

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired two cruise missiles Wednesday, Seoul’s defence ministry said, ending a month-long lull in Pyongyang’s record-breaking spate of weapons tests this year. “Early this morning, we detected that North Korea fired two cruise missiles into the West Sea from Onchon, South Pyongan province,” a ministry official told AFP. “The US and South Korean military authorities are analysing detailed specifications such as flight distance.” North Korea has not tested […]

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28 volcanic earthquakes monitored in Taal in last 24 hours: PHIVOLCS

(Eagle News) — Twenty-eight volcanic earthquakes were monitored in Taal in the last 24 hours. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the volcanic tremors lasted for four to 12 minutes and included a low-level background tremor. Sulfur dioxide flux was pegged at 4312 tons per day. A plume reaching 2800 meters tall was also detected. Entry into the Taal volcano island and the permanent danger zone should remain prohibited, PHIVOLCS said. It […]

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Water levels on Italy’s Lake Garda drop to 15-year low

SIRMIONE, Italy (AFP) – The pedalos lie far from the water’s edge and the flat stone slabs around the Sirmione peninsula are exposed after drought reduced the level of Italy’s Lake Garda to a 15-year low. Italy’s largest lake, a major tourist destination nestled among mountains in the north of the country, is suffering like many others from months without rain. “We are currently at 30 centimetres (12 inches) above the (benchmark) hydrographic level,” compared […]

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Boy loses part of leg to shark bite off Florida coast

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – A 10-year-old boy had part of his leg amputated after being bitten by a shark while snorkeling on vacation in the Florida Keys, his family has said. Jameson Reeder Jr. was attacked on Saturday at Looe Key Reef, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement. A Facebook post by his uncle Joshua Reeder said Jameson had gone on a boat trip with his parents and three […]

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Serena Williams beaten by Raducanu at WTA Cincinnati Masters

CINCINNATI, United States (AFP) — Serena Williams bowed out of the WTA/ATP Cincinnati Masters at the first hurdle on Tuesday, losing in straight sets to US Open champion Emma Raducanu as the end of her glittering career looms ever closer. Williams, who last week indicated that she is planning to retire after this month’s US Open, was no match for British teenager Raducanu, who romped to a 6-4, 6-0 win. The 40-year-old Williams left the […]

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PAGASA: Southwest monsoon affecting western sections of Northern, Central Luzon

(Eagle News) — The southwest monsoon is affecting the western sections of Northern and Central Luzon. According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Ilocos Region, Zambales, and Bataan, as a result, 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 […]

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US makes hearing aids over-the-counter to curb costs

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Over-the-counter hearing aids will for the first time be available to tens of millions of Americans, officials said Tuesday, in an effort to cut prices from $5,000 a pair. “For many Americans who suffer from hearing loss, safe and effective and high quality hearing aids have been unaffordable,” health secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters in a briefing. The action, which should take effect in October, would reduce the cost of […]

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Spain, Portugal battle to control huge wildfires

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain and neighboring Portugal fought against large wildfires on Tuesday, while three people were badly injured after their train hurtled into a smaller Spanish blaze. Some 300 firefighters spent a difficult night battling a huge wildfire in southeastern Spain that has burnt through nearly 10,000 hectares in an area notoriously difficult to access, officials said Tuesday. The fire began when lightning hit the Vall de Ebo area in Valencia late Saturday […]

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UN chief to meet Ukraine, Turkey leaders in Lviv

by Thibault MARCHAND Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — UN chief Antonio Guterres will meet with the leaders of Ukraine and Turkey this week, officials announced Tuesday, as Kyiv reported an “unprecedented” cyberattack on its nuclear energy agency’s website. A deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last month has allowed a tentative restart of grain exports from Ukraine after Russia’s invasion blocked essential global supplies. Guterres will hold talks in the western Ukrainian […]

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