World first aviation feat as skydivers attempt to ‘Plane Swap’
Here is all you need to know:– This is the first time in aviation history a pilot will take off in one plane and land in another. The concept is Akins’ brainchild that was inspired by a 1990s photo in an aviation publication and manifested over a lifetime. – Meanwhile, Andy Farrington, also from Washington, was born to fly. Raised amongst a family of skydivers, his mum, Jessie, made about 100 jumps with Andy in utero. – Aikins revealed: “Plane Swap is the pinnacle of my career, and my goal is to inspire the world and show that anything is possible.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 11, 2022 20:44 UTC
Indonesia students rally against mooted move to extend president’s term
JAKARTA — Students protested in Indonesia on Monday over high cooking oil prices and a mooted extension of President Joko Widodo’s stay in office, despite attempts by the popular leader to dampen speculation of a plan being hatched to keep him in power longer. “Don’t let there be speculation among the public that the government is trying to delay the election or speculate on extending the presidential term or anything related to a third term,” he told a meeting. The idea of allowing more than the maximum two, five-year terms as president has fuelled concern about a threat to hard-won democratic reforms. RELATED STORIESIndonesia’s president takes camping trip to site of new capitalADVERTISEMENTWidodo begins 2nd term pledging to make Indonesia developedWalk this way: Indonesia traffic jam forces President Widodo out of carIndonesia’s Widodo marks disappointing first year in powerSubscribe 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
April 11, 2022 20:44 UTC
Economic outlook for Ukraine, neighbors bleak
Our forecasts show that the Russian invasion in Ukraine has reversed the region's recovery from the pandemic," said Anna Bjerde, World Bank vice president for Europe and Central Asia. Grain exports and other economic activity have "become impossible in large swaths of the country due to heavy damage to infrastructure," Bjerde said. The bank's forecasts assumed the war would continue for a few more months, but cautioned that they "are subject to significant uncertainty." The proportion of the population living on $5.50 a day is expected to rise to 19.8 percent this year from just 1.8 percent in 2021, according to the World Bank. The region also has been impacted by the sanctions imposed on Russian ally Belarus for its role in the war.
Source:Manila Times
April 11, 2022 20:15 UTC
Customs seizes 47,000 tablets of illegally imported oral Covid drugs
Customs on Monday said they have seized 47,000 tablets of oral Covid drugs illegally imported into Hong Kong, with the medication intended for sales on the mainland where such Western medicines remain limited. The seized oral Covid drugs molnupiravir were among a haul of illegally imported pharmaceutical products worth HK$3 million, which also include drugs for curing cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Further investigations have led officers to a unit in a Sheung Shui commercial building on March 23, where they seized another 35,000 tablets of illegally imported oral Covid drugs and about 70,000 tablets of other suspected controlled medicines. On April 1, Officers intercepted two additional air parcels, which contained 900 vials of suspected illegally imported controlled medicines. Among Covid-19 supplies sent from the mainland to Hong Kong to help fight the city’s Covid outbreaks were boxes of Lianhua Qingwen pills.
Source:The Standard
April 11, 2022 13:53 UTC
Suzuki extends Triple Deal Promo
THE country's pioneer compact car distributor, Suzuki Philippines Inc., has extended its Triple Deal Promo. Low down payment offers and cash discounts for the XL7, Dzire and all Carry variants will be made available across the 72 Suzuki auto dealers nationwide until April 30, 2022. XL7 – The head-turner that lets you express yourself on the road, the Suzuki XL7 is an excellent choice for car enthusiasts that want it to do it their way. For more information, you may visit any of the 72 authorized Suzuki Auto dealerships nationwide or visit http://suzuki.com.ph/auto/. For daily updates on Suzuki, please like Suzuki Auto Ph's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SuzukiAutoPh, follow them on twitter at https://twitter.com/SuzukiAutoPh and Instagram at @suzukiautoph.
Source:Manila Times
April 11, 2022 10:17 UTC
COVID is airborne and why it took WHO 2 years to admit it
Indoor transmissionDuque, who was asked to answer Duterte’s curious question, did not categorically answer whether the COVID virus is airborne. Yes, it is ‘airborne’, but…On its website, WHO also said last year that the COVID virus can be transmitted among people in poorly ventilated, crowded indoor settings because it is airborne. This answered Duterte’s question on whether the COVID virus is airborne. “It was a relief to finally use the word ‘airborne’, and to say clearly that airborne transmission and aerosol transmission are synonyms,” said Jose-Luis Jimenez, an aerosol chemist at the University of Colorado Boulder. The statement bearing WHO’s latest tweak on COVID’s transmissibility, according to Lewis, was the clearest statement yet about the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 11, 2022 09:32 UTC
Ukraine says 1,200 bodies found near Kyiv as east braces for onslaught
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine – Ukraine said Sunday it had found more than 1,200 bodies in the Kyiv region, the scene of atrocities allegedly committed during the Russian occupation last month, as residents in the country’s east braced — or fled — ahead of an expected massive offensive. Heavy bombardments hammered Ukraine through the weekend, adding to mounting casualties six weeks into Russia’s invasion of its neighbour. “The Russian army continues to wage war on civilians due to a lack of victories at the front,” Sinegoubov said on Telegram. Residents in the east have been fleeing in their thousands as Ukraine prepares for “important battles” against Moscow’s forces, Zelensky said. ‘New normal’As Russian forces regroup in the east and south of Ukraine, local officials are urging residents to flee before it is too late.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 11, 2022 09:31 UTC
FACT CHECK Photo of P203-B Marcos estate tax in Samal ‘sari-sari’ store is altered
The original photo was published on the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer on October 27, 2006. It was taken by Mindanawon journalist Dennis Jay Santos to accompany his story on how a sari-sari (mom-and-pop) store owner unconventionally collected debts owed by neighbors in their community in Samal Island, Davao del Norte. Store owner Bartolome Malacura passed away in 2008 and his wife stopped his shame campaign by removing the cardboards bearing the names of his debtors. The altered photo referred to the unpaid P203 billion estate tax of the Marcos family. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1573698/groups-to-bir-collect-p203-b-marcos-tax-nowIt is circulating on Facebook, including in I love Antique Facebook page that drew 517 reactions, 296 comments and 40 shares as of posting.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 11, 2022 03:06 UTC
PH boxing team shifts focus to bigger tourneys
The Philippine boxing team won three gold and two silver medals in the 2022 Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament held at the Angsana Laguna Phuket Resort Hotel. (Photo from Marcus Manalo)The Philippine national boxing team seeks to fine-tune its game as it goes into the final stage of its rigorous preparations for the 31st Southeast Asian Games as well as the 2022 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships next month. This after a victorious campaign in the recently-concluded 2022 Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament held at the luxurious Angsana Laguna Phuket Resort Hotel where 14 Filipino pugilists joined, with five of them clinching podium finishes. What happened here in this Thailand Open is really a feedback for us. “Good thing our friends from the Thailand Boxing Association offered this opportunity to train in Muak Lek.
Source:Manila Times
April 11, 2022 02:59 UTC
Alex Eala rules W25 Thailand tourney for second pro title
Alex Eala trounced local bet Luksika Kumkhum, 6-4, 6-2, to capture the W25 Chiang Rai International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in Thailand Sunday. Alex Eala poses with her trophy after winning the W25 Chiang Rai tournament in Thailand. (From Alex Eala’s Facebook page)The unseeded Eala paced the match against Kumkhum, a former Top 100 player, to rule the $25,000 tournament and clinch her second pro title. After a surviving Serbia’s Katarina Kozarov, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the opening round, Eala played flawlessly with straight-set victories against Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandeij, 6-3, 6-4, in the second round; Japan’s Momoko Kobori, 6-3, 6-3, in the quarterfinals; and China’s YeXin Ma, 6-3, 6-4, in the semis. Eala is expected to compete in the second leg of the said W25 event next week, and two more W15 tournaments at the same venue.
Source:Manila Times
April 11, 2022 02:58 UTC
Silence on No 2 job intriguing
It added the incumbent may order other public office bearers to exercise the pandemic-related powers that have been bestowed on the chief secretary. Does it appear the post that is only second to the chief executive could be left empty for the rest of Lam's term? This chief executive election has been different from the start and the looming uncertainty over the choice of the chief secretary is one of the episodes that have characterized this particular election as being so unusual. In 2017, then-Labour and Welfare Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung was appointed chief secretary after Carrie Lam resigned to run for the chief executive office. As said, this chief executive election has not been the same.
Source:The Standard
April 11, 2022 01:29 UTC
Faced with repudiation, leftist bets should reflect
As people have learned, Mr. de Guzman is a labor activist and chairman of a socialist federation of militant unions. According to their platforms, Mr. de Guzman and Dr. Bello are running to help workers and others in the lower class, including farmers and the urban poor. Of course, the race is not yet over, but this early, they may want to reflect on their political philosophy. Even today, Mr. de Guzman and his ticket remain antagonistic against entrepreneurs and others they tag as "capitalist." In fairness to Mr. de Guzman, he did say that his vision for the country includes a place for the capitalists.
Source:Manila Times
April 10, 2022 22:13 UTC
Six children among 13 migrants found dead off Tunisia
TUNIS, Tunisia: Tunisian authorities recovered the bodies of 13 migrants, including six women and six children, after their boats capsized trying to make the dangerous sea crossing to Italy, a court official said Saturday (Sunday in Manila). The migrants were all from sub-Saharan Africa and had set off in two boats, said Mourad Turki, spokesman for the court in the Mediterranean port city of Sfax. Rescuers pulled 37 migrants from the water on Friday and Saturday but a dozen more remained unaccounted for, he said. Tunisia and neighboring Libya are key departure points for migrants seeking to reach European shores, often in vessels that are barely seaworthy. The United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) has said that around 1,300 migrants drowned or went missing in the central Mediterranean in 2021, making it the world's deadliest migration route.
Source:Manila Times
April 10, 2022 22:13 UTC
Authorities mull rapid tests for students returning to school: Carrie Lam
Authorities mull rapid tests for students returning to school. Students may have to take rapid Covid tests every day or every other day as face-to-face classes resume after the coming Easter weekend, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said. Authorities are considering to require students to undergo rapid tests before returning to school, but they have yet to decide whether the students should do the tests daily or every other day, she said. There are around some 200,000 kindergarten or primary school students aged 3 to 11 who are not yet vaccinated, accounting for about 30 percent of the age group. The government is expected to obtain all the information from voluntary rapid tests by Tuesday.
Source:The Standard
April 10, 2022 20:49 UTC
Imran Khan dismissed as Pakistan PM after losing no-confidence vote
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. AFP FILE PHOTOISLAMABAD: Imran Khan was dismissed Sunday as Pakistan's prime minister after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament following weeks of political turmoil. No prime minister has ever served a full term in Pakistan, but Khan is the first to lose office this way. "History will expose all those, who set the stage for this move to topple the government," he said, to chants of "vote, vote" from the opposition. Local media quoted an election commission official as saying it would take them at least seven months to prepare for a national vote.
Source:Manila Times
April 10, 2022 19:55 UTC