MANILA, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) reported 289 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, pushing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 2,837,016. The DOH also reported that 47 more people died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the country’s death toll to 50,496. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire … Read more
BRUSSELS, Dec 16, 2021 (AFP) – The lightning spread of Omicron in Europe and elsewhere added a sense of urgency to an EU summit on Thursday, with leaders struggling to present a united, bloc-wide approach. Projections that the highly infectious Covid strain could be dominant in the EU as early as next month have pushed the … Read more
WASHINGTON, (AFP) – Abigail Miller’s parents lost practically all they owned in the weekend twisters that ravaged their small Kentucky town. But with the help of strangers, they tracked down photographs of their daughter’s graduation — via social media groups which thousands are using to reconnect storm victims with cherished possessions strewn many miles away. … Read more
PARIS, Dec 16, 2021 (AFP) – France will ban non-essential travel to and from Britain from the weekend to slow the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant that is causing record numbers of cases on the other side of the Channel, the government said Thursday. From midnight Saturday (2300 GMT Friday) there will be a “requirement … Read more
HANOI, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) — Vietnam reported 15,527 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, including 15,522 locally transmitted and five imported, according to its Ministry of Health. Most of the community cases were recorded in southern localities, including 1,270 in Ho Chi Minh City, 1,072 in Ca Mau province, and 1,035 in Ben Tre province. The … Read more
MANILA, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) — Another 237 cases of coronavirus infections have been reported in the Philippines, taking the total to 2,836,915, the Department of Health said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, 100 more people died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the country’s death toll to 50,449, the health department said. On Wednesday, the Philippines detected its first … Read more
NEW DELHI, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) — Cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been gradually rising in India though the daily number of coronavirus infections has been on the decline in the country over the past few days. On Tuesday, 5,784 new cases were registered across India, the lowest daily tally in 571 days. … Read more
BISHKEK, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) — Kyrgyzstan received another batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China on Tuesday, according to the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek. The handover ceremony of the Sinopharm vaccine took place at Manas International Airport and was attended by Chinese Ambassador Du Dewen and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan … Read more
A woman in Colorado captured the moment a mountain lion approached her front porch and gazed down at her small puppy, who was inside. Sarah Bole, Grand Lake homeowner, shared a video of the terrifying encounter on Facebook, writing, “I came home from work tonight and walked to see this on the patio. Watch the … Read more
NAIROBI, Dec 15, 2021 (AFP) – Kenya has detected its first cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the country’s health minister said on Wednesday. “We have detected the Omicron variant among passengers in airports,” said Mutahi Kagwe, without specifying when and where the variant was first identified. Kagwe said those hospitalised with Covid-19 in Kenya … Read more
BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) — Chinese researchers have discovered a new plant species of endangered orchids in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, said the Wuhan Botanical Garden (WBG) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The new species, Ponerorchis wolongensis, has white flowers. It was named after the Wolong National Nature Reserve, where it was first found … Read more
JIUQUAN, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) — The launch of a pair of GeeSAT commercial satellites, carried by a Kuaizhou-1A carrier rocket, was unsuccessful, the launch center said in a statement Wednesday. Abnormal performance was detected during the flight of the rocket, which lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 10 a.m. … Read more
LAUNCH SITE ONE, United States, (AFP) – Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company blasted its third private crew into space on Saturday and brought it back safely, this time including the daughter of the first American astronaut. The stubby white spacecraft with a round tip blasted off into clear blue skies over West Texas for a … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 15, 2021 (AFP) – Trump media group on Tuesday announced it is negotiating with Canadian online video platform Rumble to provide a stage for a subscription on-demand video service. The organization headed by former US president Donald Trump said that it has already inked a deal to have the specialty firm, which is … Read more
BERLIN, Dec 15, 2021 (AFP) – German police and special forces on Wednesday launched an operation in the eastern city of Dresden after death threats were issued against a top politician who backs coronavirus vaccines, authorities said. The security forces in Saxony staged raids following the threats from an anti-vaccine group against state premier Michael Kretschmer. … Read more
ROME, Dec 15, 2021 (AFP) – Italy will tighten restrictions for arrivals from the rest of the EU from Thursday, requiring coronavirus tests of everyone and a five-day quarantine for those who are not vaccinated. Previously, EU arrivals had to show proof of vaccination, recent recovery or a negative test. The decree signed by Health Minister Roberto Speranza … Read more
BERLIN, Dec 15, 2021 (AFP) – Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that Germany would “defend itself” against a violent minority of anti-vaccine militants who have threatened public officials. “We will not allow a tiny minority of uninhibited extremists to try to impose its will on the whole of society,” Scholz said in his first speech as … Read more
A couple from Chhattisgarh fell 12 feet after the swing break during their grand wedding entry, as shown in the video. In the viral video, The couple was seen standing on a circular platform while backup dancers performed on the stage. The rope supporting the structure split as it was being lowered by a mechanical … Read more
LG’s newest TV is named Objet TV (yes, without the “c”), and it’s basically a conventional 65-inch TV with LG’s OLED Evo panel and an 80W, 4.2-channel sound system. Objet is distinguished by the fact that it is covered in fabric. So, while you’re not watching TV, it can disappear into the background, which is … Read more
NEW YORK, Dec 14, 2021 (AFP) – Why buy the latest pair of sneakers, when you can buy the latest pair of virtual ones instead? Nike joined the wave of brands buying into excitement over virtual goods Monday as the sportswear giant announced it has bought RTFKT, a company that makes digital sneakers. RTFKT — pronounced … Read more
BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) — Chinese scientists have revealed that COVID-19 infections significantly accelerate the aging of lung tissue, especially in the elderly. A report by the Science and Technology Daily showed that the main cause of death of COVID-19 patients was respiratory failure caused by severe lung injury. To determine which parts of the … Read more
KIEV, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) — Ukraine will get a loan of about 150 million U.S. dollars from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to combat COVID-19, the country’s finance ministry said on Monday. The funds will partly be used to strengthen the public health system and support the urgent response to the COVID-19 … Read more
TOKYO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) — Japan has prepared 13,000 quarantine rooms for people returning from abroad, up 2,000 from the previous week, as part of the measures against the Omicron variant of the COVID-19, Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto said on Tuesday. Entrants may be required to move to facilities near the airport instead of the … Read more
MAPUTO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) — Another batch of COVID-19 Sinopharm vaccines donated by China has arrived in Mozambique to help the African country better deal with the pandemic. Speaking at a handover ceremony at the Health Ministry here on Monday, Minister of Health Armindo Tiago said the new batch of Chinese vaccines came “at an … Read more
NEW DELHI, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) — India Tuesday reported eight more cases of the Omicron variant, taking the country’s case tally of the new variant to 49, officials said. Of the eight new cases, four have been reported from the national capital region and the remaining four from the western state of Rajasthan. “Four new … Read more
BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) — The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) released on Tuesday a report examining the global frontiers of engineering science and technology. The annual report, titled Engineering Fronts in 2021, deals with nine engineering fields, including mechanical and vehicle engineering, information and electronic engineering, energy and mining engineering, agriculture, and medicine and … Read more
MANILA, Dec 14, 2021 (AFP) – The Asian Development Bank warned Tuesday that the highly mutated Omicron coronavirus variant could have a “substantial” economic impact, as it trimmed its 2021 and 2022 growth forecasts for developing Asia. Despite a sharp drop in infections and increased vaccination across the region stretching from the Cook Islands in the … Read more
SHANGHAI, Dec 14, 2021 (AFP) – State-owned China Mobile has received approval to list publicly in Shanghai, documents showed, nearly a year after it was delisted in the United States along with two other Chinese telecom giants as tensions between Beijing and Washington soared. China Mobile plans to issue up to 845.7 million shares, according to … Read more
