TORONTO, Canada (AFP) – Teen stars Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu hailed Serena Williams as an inspiration and a game-changing tennis legend on Tuesday, hours after the 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed impending retirement plans. World number 11 Gauff, inspired to play tennis by Williams, said she was shocked to hear her say the “countdown has begun” to departure for an icon who can motivate another generation of superstars. “The legacy that she has left through […]
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Firefighters, helicopters battle to contain Cuba fuel depot blaze
MATANZAS, Cuba (AFP) — Helicopters and firefighters battled Tuesday to contain a days-old blaze at a fuel depot in Cuba that has already destroyed four tanks and was threatening four more. The fire, which started on Friday after lightning struck one of the tanks, left a 60-year-old firefighter dead and 14 colleagues missing, according to authorities. More than 100 people were reported injured, with 22 still hospitalized. About 5,000 people have been evacuated from around […]
Philippines sustains growth but inflation a threat
The Philippines’ economic growth slowed in the second quarter, officials said Tuesday, as they warned that surging inflation and the coronavirus pandemic would weigh on the outlook for the rest of the year. Gross domestic product rose 7.4 percent, slightly weaker than the 7.5 percent expected and down from 8.2 percent in the previous three months, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told reporters. “We’re likely to face challenges indeed in sustaining that growth,” he […]
DFA: Alert Level 1 in Israel even with Gaza truce; Pinoys in Gaza told to stay inside homes
(Eagle News) – The Philippines’ Department of Foreign affairs (DFA) welcomed the cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, saying it hoped that this ceasefire would hold. It also maintained the Alert Level 1 or precautionary phase in Israel. Alert Level 1 is issued “when there are valid signs of internal disturbance, instability, and/or external threat to the host country,” according to the DFA. The truce between truce between Islamic Jihad militants and Israel came […]
Gaza clears rubble, buries dead as truce with Israel holds
by Sakher Abou El Oun with Yasmin Zaher in Jerusalem Agence France Presse Shell-shocked Gazans on Monday sifted through the rubble of three days of deadly fighting between Israel and Islamic Jihad militants as a truce held and life slowly returned to normal. An Egypt-brokered ceasefire reached late Sunday ended the intense fighting that killed 46 people including 16 children and wounded 360 in the enclave, according to Gaza’s health ministry, updating an earlier […]
Tennis star Zverev launches diabetes charity
PARIS, France | (AFP) – Tennis world No.2 Alexander Zverev has launched a charity to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes, a condition the 25-year-old recently revealed he has been suffering from. The 6ft 5in (1.98m) German said he had tried to hide his diabetes when younger and that the ‘Alexander Zverev Foundation’ would help young people to avoid fixing limits on themselves due to the condition. “As a type 1 diabetic myself, I want […]
Ukraine forces endangering civilians: Amnesty
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Ukrainian forces are violating international law and endangering civilians by establishing bases in residential areas, including in schools and hospitals, Amnesty International said Thursday, drawing a furious response from Kyiv. Kyiv said the rights group was drawing a “false equivalency” between the actions of Russia’s invading forces and Ukrainians defending their homeland. Amnesty had tried to “amnesty the terrorist state and shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the […]
Five things to know about Kenya
30 Palestinians wounded as Israel mounts West Bank raid
NABLUS, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — At least 30 Palestinians were wounded in heavy clashes Tuesday as Israeli troops raided a house in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, two days after deadly fighting in Gaza was halted by a truce. “Israeli army and special forces are surrounding the house of a wanted man in Nablus. There is exchange of fire,” the army said in a statement. At least 30 Palestinians were wounded and at […]
Trump says Florida home ‘raided’ by FBI
by Giorgio Viera with Tori Otten in Washington Agence France-Presse PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — Former US president Donald Trump said Monday that his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida was being “raided” by FBI agents in what he called an act of “prosecutorial misconduct.” The FBI declined to comment on whether the search was happening or what it might be for, nor did Trump give any indication of why federal agents were at his home […]
Google outage reported by tens of thousands of users
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Tens of thousands of users reported being unable to access various Google services on Monday night, according to outage monitor Downdetector. “User reports indicate Google Maps is having problems since 9:36 PM EDT (0136 GMT),” Downdetector tweeted. More than 40,000 users, including in New York City and Denver, Colorado, reported disruptions when trying to use Google’s services, particularly the maps and search engine. After around two hours, reports […]
Taiwan accuses China of preparing invasion, holds defense drill
by Amber Wang Agence France-Presse FENGGANG TOWNSHIP, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan held an artillery drill Tuesday simulating defense against an attack as its top diplomat accused Beijing of preparing to invade the island after days of massive Chinese war games. China launched its largest-ever air and sea exercises around Taiwan last week in a furious response to a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking American official to visit the self-ruled island in […]





