Ukraine, Russia trade blame for nuclear plant shelling as fighting rages
KYIV – Ukraine and Russia accused each other on Friday of risking catastrophe by shelling Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces in a region expected to become one of the next big front lines of the war. ADVERTISEMENTThe plant dominates the south bank of a vast reservoir on the Dnipro river that cuts across southern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces controlling the towns and cities on the opposite bank have come under intense bombardment from the Russian-held side. Russia says Ukraine is recklessly firing at the plant. “The Ukrainian Armed Forces do not damage the infrastructure (of the plant), do not strike where there may be a danger on a global scale.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 13, 2022 17:38 UTC
Health workers from GOCC-hospitals complain about delayed COVID-19 allowance
MANILA, Philippines — Several health workers from healthcare institutions that are classified as government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) are yet to receive their benefits from the One COVID-19 Allowance (OCA). This was according to members of the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) chapters at the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) and National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), who staged protests on Friday to call on the Department of Health (DOH) to immediately provide and distribute the OCA of health workers. “The COVID benefit is a badly needed compensation for us health workers who face the daily threat of COVID-19 virus,” Pacheco said. “While health workers of some DOH-retained hospitals are already receiving their One COVID-19 Allowances, GOCC hospitals’ health workers are suffering from delayed payment of their allowances. Worse, health workers from Local Government Units (LGU) and private hospitals are not receiving their benefits,” it further claimed.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 13, 2022 02:39 UTC
Overseas Pinoy Scientist in China: A Disaster Risk Reduction 'Evangelist'
Recommendations emerging from his research were discussed in policy deliberations and included in disaster preparedness plans and, most importantly, local disaster risk management actions. U-INSPIRE is the new Asian platform for youth participation and leadership in disaster risk reduction (DRR). Since 2018, Glenn has been an Associate Professor at the Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR), Sichuan University – Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Glenn is a Young Scientist of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk Program (IRDR), which is co-sponsored by the International Science Council (ISC) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). In conferring the Presidential Pamana ng Pilipino Award to Dr. Glenn F. Fernandez, the President recognizes his outstanding contributions to disaster risk management and for being the leading champion of evidence-based youth participation in disaster risk reduction in the Philippines and Asia.
Source:Manila Times
August 12, 2022 11:36 UTC
Ateneo shows might in Japan, wins inaugural WUBS title
Ateneo beat Japan’s Tokai University, 68-59, to bag the inaugural World University Basketball Series (WUBS) title, Friday, Aug. 12, at the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Ateneo Blue Eagles (WUBS)The Blue Eagles completed their tournament sweep, besting three other teams across Asia namely Tokai, Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, and Indonesia’s Universitas Pelita Harapan. Dave Ildefonso and Paul Garcia connived down the stretch to lift the Eagles after a nip-and-tuck affair in the first three quarters. Aside from Ildenfonso and Garcia, timely baskets from Balunggay and Sean Quetevis enabled Ateneo to pull away for good and take home the WUBS crown. And hipefully we continue to strenghten the quality of our team that has come here,” said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin.
Source:Manila Times
August 12, 2022 08:52 UTC
Rate worries push down Asian, European markets
This Aug. 5, 2022 file photo shows a trader staring at screens on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in New York City. There had been hope that recent indicators showing activity slowing would give the Fed room to be less hawkish. Wednesday's figures come at a sensitive time for world markets, which have been buffeted by a range of other issues, including the war in Ukraine, supply chain snarls and rising China-US tensions over Taiwan. Tech firms led losses in New York, with the Nasdaq off more than 1 percent, and they did so in early Asian trade. Hong Kong led losses, shedding 2 percent, while Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Mumbai, Wellington, Taipei, Bangkok and Jakarta also dropped.
Source:Manila Times
August 11, 2022 02:54 UTC
UN sees ‘big uptick’ in applications for Ukraine grain shipments
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations expects to see a “big uptick” in applications for ships to export Ukraine grain after transit procedures were agreed on by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations, a senior UN official said on Wednesday. The number of inbound vessels is expected to “grow in the near future” as grain deals are made, said Frederick Kenney, interim UN Coordinator at the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which oversees a deal between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations to resume Ukraine grain exports. ADVERTISEMENTRELATED STORIESRussia, Ukraine agree to protect Ukraine grain shipping channelFormer German chancellor Schroeder says Ukraine grain deal may pave way for ceasefireFirst Ukraine grain ship since start of war leaves OdesaSubscribe to our daily newsletterSign me upRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 11, 2022 00:59 UTC
Number of jobless Filipinos up to 2.99M in June 2022, PSA reports
MANILA, Philippines — Nearly three million Filipinos in the labor force were unemployed in June 2022, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Monday. The PSA said the June unemployment rate was actually the same as that in May at 6 percent. “The average weekly hours worked by an employed person in June 2022 was estimated at 40.3 hours, higher than the mean hours worked obtained in May 2022 (39.8 hours) and in June 2021 (39.0 hours),” the PSA added. The PSA said this was lower than the 14.5 percent underemployment rate recorded in May 2022. “This translates to a decrease of 780,000 underemployed people from 6.67 million in May 2022 to 5.89 million in June 2022,” the PSA said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 08, 2022 04:16 UTC
Musk sets new condition for $44-B Twitter deal
Musk countersued, accusing Twitter of misleading his team about the true size of its user base and other problems he said amounted to fraud and breach of contract. "If Twitter simply provides their method of sampling 100 accounts and how they're confirmed to be real, the deal should proceed on original terms," Musk tweeted early Saturday. Musk waived his right to further due diligence when he signed the April merger agreement. Twitter has argued in court that Musk is deliberately trying to tank the deal because market conditions have deteriorated and the acquisition no longer serves his interests. "Musk invents representations Twitter never made and then tries to wield, selectively, the extensive confidential data Twitter provided him to conjure a breach of those purported representations," company attorneys wrote.
Source:Manila Times
August 08, 2022 04:08 UTC
North Korea to convene parliament, anti-epidemic meeting amid zero COVID claim
SEOUL – North Korea will convene two key meetings, including one to review the country’s anti-epidemic policy, in coming weeks, state media said on Monday, as it claims no new COVID-19 cases since late July. The North Korean Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), the isolated state’s rubber-stamp parliament, will meet on Sept. 7 to discuss laws on medicines, self-guard and space development, according to the official KCNA. ADVERTISEMENTSeparately, North Korea decided to hold a national meeting for emergency anti-epidemic review early August “to confirm the new orientation” in its policy. The COVID meeting comes as North Korea has said last week all of its patients with fever have recovered, marking the end of its first wave of the coronavirus pandemic since its admission of the virus outbreak in mid-May. Space launches have long been a sensitive issue on the Korean peninsula, where North Korea faces international sanctions over its nuclear-armed ballistic missile programme.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 07, 2022 23:58 UTC
‘Little hope’ of saving beluga whale stranded in Seine river
RENNES, France — Hopes of saving a malnourished beluga whale that has swum up the Seine river were receding on Sunday, but rescuers said they have ruled out “euthanasia” for now. “He has to be moved in the coming 24-48 hours, these conditions are not good for him,” Sea Shepherd France head Lamya Essemlali told AFP. Specialists held out “little hope” for the visibly underweight whale, Essemlali said. Small spots that were reported on its pale skin on Saturday were likely due to the fresh water, Sea Shepherd said. It is only the second recorded sighting of a beluga in a French river since 1948, when a fisherman in the estuary of the Loire river found one in his nets.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 07, 2022 23:52 UTC
France to give vitamins to beluga stranded in the Seine
RENNES, France — French authorities were preparing Saturday to give vitamins to a beluga whale that swam way up the Seine river, as they raced to save the malnourished creature, which has so far refused food. The visibly underweight whale was first spotted Tuesday in the river that flows through Paris to the English Channel. On Saturday it had made its way to around 70 kilometers (44 miles) north of the French capital. It is hoped that injecting the animal with vitamins will stimulate its appetite, she said. It is only the second recorded sighting of a beluga in a French river since 1948, when a fisherman in the estuary of the Loire river found one in his nets.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 07, 2022 08:58 UTC
Giving Filipinos a helping hand
For Bertch Ian Ranis, managing director of Fil-Global Immigration Services Corp., it was a turning point and an eye-opener. Ranis started out in the medical field and initially worked as a registered nurse. Ranis learned the ropes of migration while working in the United Kingdom, where he started Fil-Global which now also operates in the Philippines. "I am proud to say that we are the only ISO-certified immigration services company in the Philippines. Employees of Fil-Global Immigration Services Corp. enjoy a treat courtesy of Ranis.
Source:Manila Times
August 07, 2022 06:17 UTC
Government should exit gaming business
IF the Marcos government is still looking for sources of funds, it should consider selling the casinos owned and operated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor). It is a government-owned and -controlled corporation that also regulates the gaming industry. And with a private gaming industry thriving in the country, can a regulator ensure a level playing field when it is also a competitor? The entrance of a casino run by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) in Malate, Manila on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILANYears ago, some already suggested the privatization of Pagcor's gaming business based on moral grounds.
Source:Manila Times
August 06, 2022 22:21 UTC
Blast hits Afghan capital Kabul: 8 killed, at least 22 injured
Updated 12:02 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022KABUL — A bomb blast in a busy shopping street in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Saturday killed at least eight people and injured 22, hospital officials and witnesses said. ADVERTISEMENTThe bomb exploded in a western district of the city where members of the minority Shi’ite Muslim community regularly meet. Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, the group said on its Telegram channel. On Friday, at least eight people were killed and 18 injured in a blast in Kabul carried out by Islamic State. RELATED STORIESBlast in Kabul, Afghanistan kills 8; Islamic State claims responsibilityBlast kills more than 50 at Kabul mosque, its leader saysBlasts hit Kabul high school, killing at least 6atmSubscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 06, 2022 20:57 UTC
Not even Superman can fix Myanmar crisis, regional envoy says
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – A regional envoy tasked with brokering peace in Myanmar admitted Saturday that “even Superman cannot solve” the crisis, capping a week of foreign ministerial meetings that ultimately yielded little progress. ASEAN special envoy Prak Sokhonn, who has made two trips to Myanmar since the coup, dampened expectations for major progress in the short term. “I am just a special envoy, I am not a superman,” he told reporters in Phnom Penh Saturday. After two visits of the special envoy, two visits only, some people start to lose patience and ask for results,” he added. The minister flagged a possible third trip to Myanmar in early September — contingent upon progress on the five-point plan.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 06, 2022 17:12 UTC