At least eight killed in Burkina Faso attacks
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: Two suspected jihadist attacks on Thursday (Friday in Manila) killed at least seven soldiers and one civilian in Burkina Faso, security and local sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP). An assault on a military unit in the east left at least seven soldiers dead, while another attack on a bus killed a civilian and wounded a dozen passengers in the north. "The provisional toll is seven soldiers killed and significant material damage." On Saturday, around 40 people -- many of them civilian volunteers with the army -- were killed in three suspected jihadist attacks in the same regions. Burkina Faso has been battered by jihadist raids since 2015, with movements linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Source:Manila Times
May 21, 2022 04:09 UTC
Chile will reopen Easter Island to tourists in August
SANTIAGO — Easter Island, one of Chile’s biggest tourist attractions, will reopen to visitors starting Aug. 1 after access was restricted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chile’s government said on Friday. Easter Island, over 2,000 miles (3,219 km) from the coast of Chile, has over a thousand stone statues, giant heads that were carved centuries ago by the island’s inhabitants, which have brought it fame and UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The government said it will improve health infrastructure to handle eventual coronavirus cases in the remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean known for its stone Moai statues. Residents of the island protested the presence of tourists when the pandemic started in March 2020, even taking over the airport to stop flights from the mainland. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 21, 2022 02:27 UTC
Tin Shui Wai teen dies playing Nintendo sports video game
Workers transfer Lee's body from his Tin Shui Wai home. Previous NextAn 18-year-old teenager who was playing “Ring Fit Adventure,” a Nintendo Switch sports video game at his home in Tin Shui Wai collapsed and died on Friday. Police and paramedics responded to the Tin Shui Wai home only to declare the teenager dead at the scene. It was understood that Lee was a university student without any illness record and was playing the video game, which involved physical activities, alone in the morning. According to the official website of Nintendo Switch, “Ring Fit Adventure” is a video game package that comes with a fitness ring and a leg strap.
Source:The Standard
May 21, 2022 00:12 UTC
Dogie praises Sibol MLBB team: ‘That 10% is puso sa game’
Setsuna “Dogie” Ignacio was all praises to the Sibol MLBB team after copping the gold medal in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang event in the 31st Southeast Asian Games on Friday, May 20. “That 10 percent is puso sa game and they executed it very well,” Dogie told Manila Bulletin moments after the Philippine team clinched its second straight gold in the MLBB eventAfter the victory, Sibol roamer Salic “Hadji” Imam offered some words for Dogie during an interview. As for his earlier comments, Dogie said it was all for the hype and he just expressed his opinion about the current META game. “One must hype the game to the fullest. “At the end of the day I just said my perspective of the game.”
Source:Manila Times
May 20, 2022 20:13 UTC
Sibol MLBB rides epic Game 3 win vs Indonesia to retain SEA Games gold
The Sibol MLBB team has defied the odds and proved the doubters wrong. The Indonesians secured the 20-minute Lord at the expense of their two heroes, allowing a complete Sibol team to go for a one lane push to steal the victory. Devastated by the Game 3 loss, the Indonesians looked rattled in Game 4 to which Sibol took advantage with an aggressive early game rotation. Hadji had a series-long brilliance on his midlane heroes but none-bigger than his 6-1-14 line on the Xavier in Game 3. Game 2 saw the Indonesians leveling the series after they got their hands on their comfort picks.
Source:Manila Times
May 20, 2022 17:03 UTC
Japan's taiko reinvents ancient drum tradition
ANCIENT ART FORM This photo taken on May 7, 2022 shows Japanese taiko drum performer Hana Ogawa of the Kodo troupe taking part in a performance on Sado island. Japanese taiko drumming is a musical form with roots in religious rituals, traditional theater and the joyous abandon of seasonal festivals called matsuri. But for all its ancient pedigree, taiko as stage performance is a fairly modern invention, developed by a jazz musician and popularized in part by one of Japan's most famous troupes: Sado island's Kodo. It was founded partly to attract people to Sado, off Japan's west coast, and tours internationally, spreading the gospel of taiko. "Contemporary taiko drumming took a lot of inspiration from this local festival drumming and combined with more formal traditional performing arts to evolve into what we see as taiko drumming today," explained Yoshihiko Miyamoto, whose company Miyamoto Unosuke has made taiko for over 160 years.
Source:Manila Times
May 20, 2022 16:31 UTC
Former Finance Secretary gives message in 'Karate'
Finance Jose Isidro Camacho (left) receives a complimentary copy of the book ‘Karate: Workout for Seniors and Non-Seniors at home during Covid-19’ from author Manuel Inserto. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOFORMER secretary of Finance Jose Isidro Camacho, currently Credit Suisse Singapore managing director and Asia Pacific vice chairman, who gave a warm and an inspiring message of words of wisdom in the book 'Karate: Workout for Seniors and Non-Seniors at home during Covid-19,' receives his complimentary copy from author Manny Inserto, past president of Rotary Club of Bagumbayan-Manila (RCBM) and presently the vice president and treasurer of Bangko ng Kabuhayan, formerly Rodriguez Rural Bank, the first Rural Bank in the Philippines since 1952. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to all the projects of RCBM (50 percent) and ayuda for poor families (50 percent). A second book titled, 'Fundamentals of Karate (The Secret Art of Self-defense and Discipline)' will be available by January 2023, according to the author.
Source:Manila Times
May 20, 2022 16:11 UTC
Sri Lankan police arrests ruling party MPs over mob violence
COLOMBO — Sri Lankan police arrested two ruling party lawmakers for allegedly instigating mob violence that plunged the country into days of unrest and left nine people dead last week, officials said Wednesday. Sanath Nishantha and Milan Jayathilake were among 22 politicians — including former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his son Namal — whose passports were impounded last week following allegations that they instigated violence. Then-Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa — the president’s elder brother — resigned shortly after the mob attack sparked retaliatory violence and arson, with more than 70 ruling party leaders’ homes destroyed. Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as prime minister last week. The prime minister was expected to also take on the crucial finance portfolio for ongoing bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 20, 2022 10:44 UTC
Indonesia to lift ban on palm oil exports
Palm oil producers staged protests last week in the center of the capital Jakarta and several towns, complaining that the prices for palm oil fruits had dropped dramatically. Oil Palm Farmers Association Chairman Gulat Manurung thanked Widodo, saying oil palm farmers would repay his decision by boosting domestic supplies. "We, oil palm farmers, pledge to help ensure that domestic supplies of cooking oil will be available," he told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in Indonesia and, despite being the world's biggest producer, the country has been facing a cooking oil shortage for months because of poor regulation and producers reluctant to sell at home. Indonesia produces about 60 percent of the world's palm oil, with one-third consumed by its domestic market.
Source:Manila Times
May 20, 2022 09:56 UTC
Nanny arrested in Cebu for alleged abduction of infant
CEBU CITY – Police arrested a 36-year-old nanny who allegedly abducted a 4-month-old girl in Dalaguete, Cebu Thursday night. The suspect, identified as Adelyn Homicillo Letegio, a resident of Sitio Lao-ang, Barangay Valencia, Alegria town, was detained pending the filing of a formal complaint. ADVERTISEMENTThe infant’s parents reported to the Alegria police station that Letegio abducted their child last May 17. Based on the investigation, Letegio pretended that the baby was their child and claimed that she gave birth last month in Balamban. Her boyfriend was not in the house during the police operation as he was reportedly processing the birth certificate of the baby.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 20, 2022 08:39 UTC
Australia reports suspected monkeypox case in returned traveler from Europe
SYDNEY — Australian authorities on Friday said they had identified a probable case of monkeypox infection in a traveler who had recently returned from Europe, with confirmatory testing underway. A man in his 40s developed a mild illness several days after arriving back in Sydney with symptoms clinically compatible with monkeypox, New South Wales (NSW) state health department said. ADVERTISEMENTCases of monkeypox have been identified in several non-endemic countries in recent weeks, including in Europe and the United States. Health officials have taken steps to identify and manage any potential monkeypox cases including clinical alerts to doctors and hospitals across NSW, state Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said. Monkeypox, which mostly occurs in west and central Africa, is a rare virus similar to human smallpox, though milder.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 20, 2022 08:39 UTC
After Japan snub, there's always Korea
The good news - Japan and South Korea, two travel destinations most popular with Hongkongers, are on course to reopening their borders to international travelers. But the bad news is that Japan initially will only open to tripled-vaccinated nationals from four nations, not including Hong Kong. It would have been nice if Hong Kong had been among the first group of places to be welcomed back. Japan's policy to exclude travelers vaccinated with Sinovac or Sinopharm for now should by no means be representative of any global practice. Meanwhile, Hong Kong should start planning to reopen its international borders fully to get other nationals coming and spending here.
Source:The Standard
May 20, 2022 07:12 UTC
Educators, scholars vow ‘defense of historical truth’
Over 1K signatories“We want to bring out a strong statement in defense of historical truth against unrelenting efforts to revise the historical record of plunder and human rights violations during martial law and the entire Marcos era,” he said in a statement accompanying the manifesto on Thursday. As of 6 p.m. on Thursday, it has gathered the signatures of some 1,200 individuals who identify themselves as scholars and educators affiliated with various higher learning institutions, including Ateneo, University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, Silliman University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, University of Cambridge, Kyoto University, New York University and Queensland University of Technology, among others. “We will undertake to preserve books, documents, records, artifacts, archives and other source materials pertaining to the martial law period,” it said. The signatories, it said, also vow to take part in the vetting, writing and teaching of Philippine history in textbooks and other learning materials. READ: Revisionism, denialism: Academics explain views on Marcos eraRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 20, 2022 05:52 UTC
Suspected food poisoning downs 50 kids in Negros Oriental
DUMAGUETE CITY – At least 50 children were rushed to the Bayawan District Hospital in Negros Oriental on Thursday evening, May 19, after they reportedly consumed contaminated milk during the resumption of in-person classes in the different schools in the province. ADVERTISEMENTRuben Muñez Jr., a nurse of the Bayawan District Hospital, told the Inquirer that the patients were showing symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. Local health officials were still waiting for the result of laboratory tests as of posting time. gsgSubscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 20, 2022 04:09 UTC
G7 pledges billions for Ukraine ‘to get through this’
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters at the G7 finance leaders’ meeting in Germany: “The message was, ‘We stand behind Ukraine. In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday threw his support behind Sweden and Finland’s bids to join NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland and Sweden’s move reverses generations of military non-alignment and is the biggest shake-up in European security for decades. Moscow said on Thursday that 1,730 Ukrainian fighters had surrendered so far, including 771 in the past 24 hours. UKRAINE ADVANCESOleksiy Gromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, told an online briefing that Ukraine had recaptured 23 settlements near Kharkiv in the last two weeks.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 20, 2022 03:46 UTC