Foreign
Canadian court awards $107-M to families of Iran plane crash
January 4, 2022, 9:47 pm
TORONTO – A Canadian court on Tuesday awarded USD107 million (PHP5.35 billion) to the families of the people who died when a Ukraine International Airlines plane was downed almost two years ago. The lawsuit was filed by the families of six Canadian citizens who lost their lives aboard Flight… Read More
2021 deadliest year as 4,404 migrants died trying to reach Spain
January 4, 2022, 1:27 pm
OVIEDO, Spain – More than 4,400 migrants perished while trying to reach Spain in 2021, making it the deadliest year on record, according to a report released on Monday. The total number of victims – 4,404 – is up 103 percent from 2020, Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras said in its report, as… Read More
World's oldest living person celebrates 119th birthday
January 3, 2022, 9:22 pm
TOKYO – The woman considered to be the world's oldest living person turned 119 on Sunday. Tanaka Kane was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person in 2019, when she was 116 years old. Residing at a care facility in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, Tanaka… Read More
580K Covid-19 cases new record-high in US
January 2, 2022, 7:29 pm
WASHINGTON – The United States has set several new records in Covid-19 indicators as the pandemic enters its third year, and health experts have warned of a "tidal wave" in 2022. The country shattered daily Covid-19 cases record again as over 580,000 daily cases were recorded nationwide on… Read More
Meteor shower, massive Sun to greet stargazers in 2022
January 1, 2022, 2:23 pm
MOSCOW – Stargazers will be able to witness the greatest activity of the Quadrantid meteor shower, as well as the New Year’s parade of planets and the largest Sun with the onset of 2022, head of the Department of Methodological Support of the Moscow Planetarium, astronomer Lyudmila Koshman,… Read More
Omicron surge dark reminder of India's harrowing virus wave
January 1, 2022, 1:10 pm
NEW DELHI – As cases of the coronavirus omicron variant surge at an alarming pace, fears of a new coronavirus wave in India are growing by the day. Omicron infections have nearly tripled in less than a week, a stark reminder of just how vulnerable the country of some 1.4 billion people, which… Read More
WHO warns of ‘tsunami of cases’ from Omicron, Delta
December 30, 2021, 2:04 pm
GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned on Wednesday that the more transmissible Omicron together with the currently circulating Delta variants might lead to "a tsunami of cases," putting immense pressure on national health systems. Recapping WHO's response since the onset of the… Read More
France sees record surge in daily Covid cases to nearly 180,000
December 29, 2021, 3:37 pm
PARIS – France posted a new record for daily coronavirus cases Tuesday, registering nearly 180,000 infections in the past 24 hours. According to data released by the country’s public health agency, 179,807 cases and 290 fatalities were recorded. The previous high was registered on December 25… Read More
2 Save the Children staff members among 35 dead in Myanmar attack
December 29, 2021, 2:59 pm
ISTANBUL – Save the Children, a global non-government organization (NGO), on Tuesday confirmed that two of its staff members were among the 35 people killed in an attack blamed on the Myanmar military. “It is with profound sadness that we are confirming today that two members of Save the… Read More
Latest Spider-Man movie tops $1B at global box office
December 27, 2021, 9:39 pm
ISTANBUL – Spider-Man: No Way Home has become the first film during the pandemic to reach USD1 bllion at the box office worldwide. “Sony’s comic-book epic has eclipsed that milestone in a near-record 12 days, tying with 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as the third-fastest film to… Read More
Coronavirus cases in China see over 20-month high
December 27, 2021, 5:46 pm
ISTANBUL – The coronavirus tally in China hit an over 20-month high on Sunday as infections in the country kept rising in recent weeks. This comes as people are preparing to move to their homes during the upcoming New Year holidays and as Beijing prepares to host Winter Olympics. The National… Read More
World leaders mourn passing of South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero
December 27, 2021, 2:29 pm
JOHANNESBURG – Messages of condolences are pouring in from across the world, mourning South Africa’s anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu who died Sunday at the age of 90. “I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He was a critical figure in… Read More
South Korea pardons ex-president jailed for corruption
December 24, 2021, 5:34 pm
ISTANBUL – South Korea on Friday pardoned former President Park Geun-hye, who was serving a 22-year jail term for corruption. The government said the move to release Park, who was impeached in 2017 and convicted of abuse of power, coercion and bribery a year later, will “help bolster national… Read More
Cambodia, Vietnam call for upholding int'l law in South China Sea
December 22, 2021, 10:03 pm
ISTANBUL – Cambodia and Vietnam on Wednesday called for upholding international law in the disputed South China Sea, urging adherence to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS). “The two sides reiterated Asean’s position on (the) importance of maintaining peace, security,… Read More
More than 3.3M people died from Covid-19 in 2021: WHO chief
December 21, 2021, 4:37 pm
GENEVA – More than 3.3 million people have lost their lives to Covid-19 this year – more deaths than from HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), malaria and tuberculosis combined in 2020, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said the… Read More
Malaysia flood evacuees rise to 64K, 8 deaths reported
December 21, 2021, 11:29 am
KUALA LUMPUR – Eight people have been reported dead due to severe flooding in Malaysia as of Monday, authorities in Selangor state said. Selangor police chief Arjunaidi Mohamed said floods hit various districts in Selangor and claimed eight lives so far, according to state news agency Bernama.… Read More
UK records biggest daily jump of Omicron cases
December 20, 2021, 3:18 pm
LONDON – Another 12,133 Omicron cases have been recorded in Britain, the biggest daily increase since the COVID-19 variant was detected in the country, taking the total Omicron cases found in the country to 37,101, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said Sunday. Meanwhile, Britain reported… Read More
EU to supply 20M more vaccine doses to fight Omicron variant
December 20, 2021, 2:00 pm
BRUSSELS – Member states of the European Union (EU) will receive an additional 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the first three months of next year to hasten the pace against the fast-spreading Omicron variant, the European Commission said on Sunday. "The Commission has today… Read More
More than 10K new Omicron cases confirmed in UK
December 19, 2021, 5:06 pm
LONDON – Britain on Saturday reported more than 10,000 new Omicron coronavirus variant cases as the new variant-related death toll rose to seven. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed an additional 10,059 cases of the new variant, three times as many as Friday and taking the total… Read More
WHO Europe urges caution over double coronavirus surge
December 17, 2021, 3:21 pm
COPENHAGEN – The World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office for Europe on Thursday urged people to exercise caution this holiday season, as the region is now coping with two highly transmissible coronavirus strains that have the potential to overload the already overburdened health… Read More
