Other News

Twitter reports earnings miss, cites Musk buyout uncertainty

Washington, United States | AFP Twitter reported disappointing results on Friday, a miss that the social network attributed to “headwinds” including the uncertainty related to Elon Musk’s buyout bid. The firm is locked in a legal battle with the mercurial Tesla boss over his effort to walk away from his $44 billion deal to purchase the platform, leaving the company in limbo. Twitter missed expectations with revenue of $1.18 billion, due to “advertising industry headwinds… […]

Italy heatwave peaks with 16 cities on red alert as Tuscany burns

Rome, Italy | AFP Italy faced the hottest day of the current heatwave Friday with red extreme heat warnings issued for 16 cities across the country, as firefighters battled blazes up and down the country. Worst hit is expected to be Milan in the north with temperatures hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), while Bologna to its south and the capital Rome could hit 39 degrees, according to official government estimates. Other major cities under […]

Heart issues after Covid jabs very rare but research lacks clarity

  Paris, France | AFP by Julien DURY Research shows that the risk of developing heart conditions after a messenger RNA Covid vaccine is very low, and should not call into question the value of life-saving vaccination campaigns rolled out across the world. But the risk is “non-negligible”, and the available evidence is difficult to assess precisely, researchers have said, calling for better data on the subject. “That we are now more than a year […]

Philippines logs 3,389 new COVID-19 cases

Metro Manila with 11,112 new cases in last 14 days (Eagle News) — The Philippines logged 3,389 more COVID-19 cases on Friday, July 22. According to the Department of Health, the additional cases pushed the total cases to 3745375. The DOH said of the total cases, 24478 are active. Of the regions, Metro Manila logged the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days, with 11,112. Calabarzon followed suit with 6592, followed […]

US citizen detained in Myanmar: embassy

  Yangon, Myanmar | AFP An American citizen is being wrongfully detained in junta-ruled Myanmar, a US embassy spokesperson told AFP on Friday. “We are aware of the wrongful detention of a US citizen in Burma,” the spokesperson told AFP, using the country’s former name. The US has led Western criticism of the coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government last year and slapped sanctions on top-ranking members of the junta and military-linked companies. Several foreigners have […]

US records first polio case in almost a decade

New York, United States | AFP The United States on Thursday reported its first case of polio in almost a decade. New York state’s health department said a person living in Rockland County, 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Manhattan, had tested positive for the disease. America last recorded a polio case in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest case was a type “indicative of a transmission chain from […]

Climate change drives Europe towards record fire year

Paris, France | AFP by Stephane ORJELLET and Patrick GALEY The fires that have torched through Europe are on course to make 2022 a record year for forest loss on the continent, as scientists warn climate change is already contributing to ever fiercer blazes. Fires in parts of France, Spain and Portugal have already burned more land so far this year than in all of 2021 — some 517,881 hectares (5,000 km2), or the equivalent […]

Japan regulator OKs release of treated Fukushima water

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Friday 7/22/2022 Japan’s nuclear regulator on Friday formally approved a plan to release more than a million tonnes of treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. The plan has already been adopted by the government and endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but plant operator TEPCO must still win over local communities before going ahead. The country’s Nuclear Regulation Authority approved TEPCO’s plan, […]

PAGASA monitoring LPA off Oriental Mindoro

Eastern sections of Luzon and Visayas affected by easterlies (Eagle News) — The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is monitoring a low pressure area off Oriental Mindoro. According to PAGASA, the LPA was so far situated 185 km west of Calapan City. PAGASA said the easterlies are affecting the eastern sections of Luzon and Visayas. According to the weather bureau, cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms are expected over Palawan as […]

DOH reports 2,828 new COVID-19 cases

Metro Manila logs 10,636 new COVID-19 cases in last 14 days (Eagle News) — The Philippines logged over 2000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, July 22. According to the Department of Health, the additional 2828 COVID-19 cases pushed the tally to 3741987. Of these, 22207 are active. Of the regions, Metro Manila logged the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days, with 10636. It was followed by Calabarzon with 6167, Central […]

Israeli strike kills three soldiers near Damascus: Syrian ministry

DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — An Israeli strike killed three Syrian soldiers and wounded seven others near Damascus early Friday, the Syrian defense ministry said. “The Israeli enemy carried out an air strike… from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan… The aggression killed three soldiers and wounded seven others,” the ministry said in a statement. Syrian air defense intercepted some of the missiles, the statement said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said […]

Facebook tweaks app with eye on rival TikTok

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook has split the news feed in two on its app, a significant change that mimics the experience on its fiercest competitor, hugely-popular TikTok. One of the feeds unveiled Thursday is a chronological flow from the user’s connections and the other option includes algorithm-driven recommendations on anything that might interest them. The recommendations focus makes Facebook more similar to TikTok’s “For You” feed, where the booming video app’s algorithm […]