Foreign
US: Several prominent Twitter accounts appear hacked
July 16, 2020, 8:56 am
WASHINGTON – Several prominent Twitter accounts appear to have been hacked Wednesday, including those of musician Kanye West, tech luminary Elon Musk and US presidential contender Joe Biden. The accounts of former President Barack Obama, Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, financier Warren Buffet and… Read More
China, PH should safeguard friendly ties: FM
July 15, 2020, 3:20 pm
BEIJING – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called on China and the Philippines to cherish the hard-won friendly situation, consolidate the political foundation for improvement of bilateral relations, and safeguard important achievements of cooperation between the two countries. The… Read More
Trump signs order stripping Hong Kong of special status
July 15, 2020, 11:34 am
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has signed off on an executive order stripping Hong Kong of its special status under US law amid fierce tensions between Washington and Beijing. "Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China -- no special privileges, no special… Read More
US gov't rescinds controversial rule on int'l students
July 15, 2020, 9:52 am
WASHINGTON – The US government has rescinded a new rule that could have denied international students their stay in the country if they only attend online courses in the coming fall semester, a federal judge in Boston, Massachusetts said Tuesday. Judge Allison Burroughs, who presided over a… Read More
Latin America, Caribbean 2nd worst-hit region by virus
July 14, 2020, 9:54 am
BOGOTA, Colombia – Latin America and the Caribbean became the world’s second most affected region behind Europe by the coronavirus Monday in the number of deaths. The death toll in the region has reached 145,900 and cases stand at 3.3 million, according to a tally based on Johns Hopkins… Read More
Over 2,400 new virus cases reported in Southeast Asia
July 14, 2020, 9:21 am
JAKARTA – The number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asian countries increased to 193,234 on Monday, including 5,470 fatalities and 111,856 recoveries. A total of 2,450 new cases and 115 deaths were recorded over the past 24 hours in member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.… Read More
Covid-19 could have existed long before outbreak: WHO
July 14, 2020, 8:42 am
MOSCOW – The novel coronavirus could have existed in a dormant state long before its outbreak, Melita Vujnovic, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) to Russia, has said. "WHO has established a large team that will work together with Chinese scientists to analyze the origin… Read More
Nearly 10M kids ‘may never return to school’ after pandemic
July 13, 2020, 3:41 pm
LONDON – Some 9.7 million children worldwide "could be forced out of school forever" by the end of this year, as a result of increasing poverty and budget cuts incurred by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, London-headquartered charity Save the Children warned Monday. In 12… Read More
UN chief pushes efforts to protect health, rights of women, girls
July 12, 2020, 11:56 am
UNITED NATIONS – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for efforts to protect the health and rights of women and girls. "Let us act to safeguard sexual and reproductive health care, protect the health and rights of women and girls, and end gender-based violence.… Read More
180 US schools join lawsuit opposing Trump’s new visa policy
July 12, 2020, 11:37 am
DENVER – Some 180 academic institutions in the United States joined the avalanche of opposition to the Trump administration's controversial visa policy for international students, according to an amicus brief document filed to the Massachusetts federal district court and released to the public… Read More
Japan to buy 105 F-35 fighter jets from US
July 12, 2020, 11:12 am
ANKARA – The US on Thursday approved a planned purchase by Japan of 105 F-35 joint strike fighters estimated to be worth USD23 billion amid escalating tension in the South China Sea between China and US allies. The approved package includes 63 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft and… Read More
Death toll in Japan floods rises to 63
July 11, 2020, 5:13 pm
TOKYO – The death toll from massive floods in Japan rose to 63, local media reported on Saturday. As many as 92 rivers in 10 prefectures have overflown their banks, and there have been 251 cases of damage from landslides, about one-fifth of which occurred in Kumamoto Prefecture, hit hardest by… Read More
Singapore's ruling People's Action Party wins general election
July 11, 2020, 1:41 pm
SINGAPORE – Singaporean voters have delivered a victory to the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) in Friday's general election, according to the official election results. The PAP won 83 of the 93 parliamentary seats in the polling, compared to 83 of the 89 seats in the last general election in… Read More
Rising temperatures will not curb Covid-19: expert
July 10, 2020, 5:46 pm
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey – Hotter temperatures will not help slow the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), according to an expert. "If you maintain social distance and wear a mask, the infection rate of the disease may decrease, but the temperature alone does not work," Recep Tekin,… Read More
Seoul mayor found dead hours after reported missing: police
July 10, 2020, 8:53 am
SEOUL – Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was found dead in Seoul on Friday, hours after he was reported missing, police said. A police search team found his body in the forested hills of Mount Bukak near his official residence, one minute after midnight. He is presumed to have taken his own life.… Read More
South Korea: Seoul mayor goes missing
July 9, 2020, 8:54 pm
ANKARA – The mayor of South Korea’s capital is missing, local media reported on Thursday. South Korean police has launched a manhunt to find Seoul city mayor Park Won-soon after his family reported him missing, Yonhap News Agency said. A missing report by his daughter was filed with police at… Read More
Global coronavirus cases top 12 million
July 9, 2020, 1:46 pm
ANKARA – Global coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases exceeded 12 million late Wednesday, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths from the virus has reached 548,822, with recoveries topping 6.5 million. The US remains the worst-hit country with… Read More
Virus infects top echelons of governments world over
July 9, 2020, 9:51 am
ANKARA – The novel coronavirus has spread to the top echelons of governments across the world. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has so far been the highest authority diagnosed with Covid-19. Prime ministers British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Armenian… Read More
Harvard, MIT sue US gov't over rule on int'l students
July 9, 2020, 9:49 am
WASHINGTON – Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday filed a federal suit to prevent the US government from enforcing a rule that would imperil international students if their universities switch to online-only courses in the fall due to the coronavirus… Read More
US coronavirus cases top 3 million
July 9, 2020, 8:51 am
ANKARA – Coronavirus cases in the United States shot past 3 million on Wednesday, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. The Maryland university's tally counted 3,009,611 confirmed infections and 131,594 fatalities in the US, while 936,476 people have recovered from the… Read More
