Death toll from Brazilian rainstorms rises to 53
RIO DE JANEIRO – The death toll caused by record rainfall in southeastern Brazil jumped to 53 Sunday and officials expressed alarm about continuing storms. At least 44 people had died in the state of state of Minas Gerais and nine more in neighboring Espirito Santo, according to local disaster officials, who said… Keep Reading
Arizona, California cases push US tally of new virus to 5
LOS ANGELES – The U.S. has five confirmed cases of the new virus from China, all among people who traveled to the city at the center of the outbreak, health officials said Sunday. Two new cases were reported Sunday — one in Los Angeles County in California and the other in Maricopa County,… Keep Reading
France to repatriate citizens from Wuhan as virus spreads
PARIS – France’s government announced Sunday it will repatriate up to hundreds of French citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a deadly new virus. Those French citizens who want to leave Wuhan will be taken on a direct flight to France in the middle of the week, and then held… Keep Reading
China ramps up defenses vs new virus
WUHAN, CHINA — China on Sunday expanded drastic travel restrictions to contain a viral contagion that has killed 56 people and infected nearly 2,000, as the United States and France prepared to evacuate their citizens from a quarantined city at the outbreak’s epicenter. China has locked down the hard-hit province of Hubei in the country’s… Keep Reading
China’s wildlife trade, consumption to bring more outbreaks, say experts
SHANGHAI — The animal-borne SARS virus 17 years ago was supposed to be a wake-up call about consuming wildlife as food, but scientists say China’s latest epidemic indicates that the practice remains widespread and a growing risk to human health. Like SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which was traced to bats and civets, the virus… Keep Reading
Koko Pimentel warns vs VFA termination
MANILA, Philippines — Take it easy. Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Sunday warned that President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States due to the revocation of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s visa might prompt Washington to cut its other military treaties with the Philippines. “My appeal… Keep Reading
World-class Edgardo in CCP ‘Lucia’
Out of the blue, tenor Arthur Espiritu has become the most sought-after Filipino singer in the international opera circuit singing lead roles right and left. The first Filipino tenor to sing at the highly revered La Scala di Milan in Italy, Espiritu will sing his second Edgardo in Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” on Jan. 31,… Keep Reading
In Spanish-era Makati, Chinese of Manila celebrate, pay homage to San Nicolas Tolentino
In one of the first galleries of the Chinatown Museum at Megaworld’s Lucky Chinatown Mall in Manila is a computerized image of an elaborate Chinese pagoda used by the Chinese Catholic faithful in Binondo in honoring the Augustinian saint San Nicolas Tolentino. That kind of pagoda which was sourced from Jose Honorato Lozano’s famous 1847… Keep Reading
‘Rak of Aegis’ rocks Binondo
Casts of the monumental and award-winning theater musical “Rak of Aegis” rocked the Metro Manila opening of this year’s National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) National Arts Month celebration at the Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo, Manila. The group composed of Shaira Opsimar, Joshua Bulot, Shiela Valderama, Loy Matinez, Vince Lim, Joan Co,… Keep Reading
Dutch premier issues historic apology at Holocaust memorial
AMSTERDAM — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized Sunday for the failure of officials in the Nazi-occupied country during World War II to do more to prevent the deportation and murder of just over 100,000 Jews. Rutte made the historic apology at the country’s annual Holocaust commemoration in Amsterdam that came on the eve of… Keep Reading
Canadian patient with China virus showed symptoms on plane
TORONTO — Canadian officials said Sunday that they are tracking down airline passengers and others who were in close contact with the first person in the country detected with an emerging virus that originated in China. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said the man, who is in his 50’s, had mild symptoms… Keep Reading
The adventure that’s the Philippines
Published January 27, 2020, 12:24 AM #ASKGOYO By ATTY. GREGORIO LARRAZABAL Atty. Gregorio Larrazabal By the time you’ll read this, I will have already driven to Iloilo from Manila, passing the provinces of Batangas, Mindoro, Aklan, and Capiz, and flown back to Manila to work today (Monday). It will have been taken me about 18… Keep Reading
A weekend of almost everything that flies
Published January 27, 2020, 12:20 AM BELOW THE LINE By AMBASSADOR JOSE ABETO ZAIDE It’s not just hot air. Ambassador José Abeto Zaide On its 23rd year, the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) is coming later, but closer to the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite! Hold your horses! Isn’t that the… Keep Reading
The Governor’s Report
Published January 27, 2020, 12:16 AM SPEAKING OUT By IGNACIO R. BUNYE Ignacio R. Bunye For the last 27 years, it has been the tradition of all Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governors (since Governor Gabriel Singson) to speak before the 1st General Assembly of the Rotary Club of Manila. This usually happens on the… Keep Reading
Medical City denies rumors of coronavirus case
Medical City on Sunday denied online rumors that it has a patient infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus. Read More Keep Reading
Del Monte Pacific raises $130M from sale of shares in PH unit
Campos family-led food conglomerate Del Monte Pacific Ltd. (DMPL) is raising US $130 million from the sale of a 13 percent stake in its Philippine business to Singapore-based consumer-focused fund manager SEA Diner Holdings Pte Ltd. After shelving the initial public offering (IPO) of Del Monte Philippines Inc. (DMPI) due to adverse market conditions in… Keep Reading
Pope Francis’ new aide is priest who worked with street kids
Pope Francis has chosen a Uruguayan priest who has worked with street children to be one of his two personal secretaries. The Vatican said Sunday that Pope Francis has known Rev. Gonzalo Aemilius since 2006 when the pontiff was then-archbishop of Buenos Aires in neighboring Argentina. A few days after Pope Francis was elected pontiff… Keep Reading
Pope asks Catholics to say ‘Never Again’ to the Holocaust
Published January 26, 2020, 9:45 PM By Reuters Pope Francis on Sunday asked the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics to stop for a moment of prayer and reflection on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz and say “Never Again”. The pope mentioned Monday’s anniversary during his weekly noon address… Keep Reading
Intramuros admin calls on public to observe ‘responsible tourism’
Published January 26, 2020, 9:40 PM By Gabriela Baron The Intramuros Administration (IA) on Sunday urged the public to practice responsible tourism, especially in heritage sites, after a man was caught in a photo allegedly defecating on a larger flower pot at the Intramuros Wall. Intramuros Administration (FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN) IA added that it… Keep Reading
Germany urged to fight anti-Semitism to avoid Jewish exodus
BERLIN — Germany’s foreign minister is calling for strengthened efforts against anti-Semitism to ward off the possibility that many Jews decide to leave the country. Heiko Maas said in an article Sunday for the weekly Der Spiegel that German politicians must do more “but there is one thing they can’t do: replace solidarity in… Keep Reading
16 ‘tired’ BIFF members surrender to Army in Maguindanao
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao — Sixteen members of the Islamic State-linked Bangasamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) surrendered to military authorities in Maguindanao in the last two days, military officials said over the weekend. Twelve of the BIFF fighters surrendered Thursday in Sultan sa Barongis town, handing their firearms to Lt. Colonel Elmer Boongaling, 33rd Infantry Battalion… Keep Reading
Pope Francis praises China’s efforts to contain coronavirus
Published January 26, 2020, 9:15 PM By Reuters Pope Francis praised China’s “great commitment” to contain the coronavirus outbreak on Sunday and said he was praying for the dead, the sick, and families of victims. Pope Francis greets the faithful during the weekly general audience at the Vatican, January 15, 2020. (Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/FILE/MANILA… Keep Reading
Lassa fever kills 29 in Nigeria
Published January 26, 2020, 9:11 PM By Agence France-Presse Nigerian health authorities have announced stepped-up emergency measures to tackle a rise in Lassa fever cases after 29 people died this month. “As at 24th of January 2020, 195 confirmed cases and 29 deaths had been reported in 11 states,” the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control… Keep Reading
No waste where foreigner allegedly defecated, says Intramuros admin
There was no human waste seen in the area in Intramuros where a foreigner was earlier photographed seemingly defecating into a receptacle, the authorities at the historic site said on Sunday. Read More Keep Reading
Public anger grows over coronavirus in Thailand, with eight cases of the illness
The health minister in Thailand, the country with the most confirmed cases outside China of the new coronavirus, called an emergency meeting on Sunday with the transport and tourism ministries amid rising public discontent over the government’s handling of the illness. A health worker uses an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of a tourist… Keep Reading
In one Wuhan hospital, long lines, fear and frustration
Published January 26, 2020, 9:05 PM By Agence France-Presse Overwhelmed staff, patients waiting for hours to see a doctor, people fending for themselves: Wuhan residents describe scenes of chaos from one swamped hospital struggling to cope with crowds who may be infected by the new coronavirus. Medical staff outside the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital, where… Keep Reading
Anxious foreigners await rescue from China virus epicenter
Published January 26, 2020, 8:12 PM By Agence France-Presse Anxious foreigners in the locked-down city that spawned China’s deadly viral epidemic say they are stranded at home, running out of food and desperate to leave, as governments scrambled to draw up evacuation plans. A hotel employee takes the temperature of a man who just arrived… Keep Reading
New China virus ‘not as powerful as SARS’: health official
Published January 26, 2020, 8:07 PM By Agence France-Presse A top Chinese health official said Sunday that a new deadly virus that has infected nearly 2,000 people and killed dozens in China is “not as powerful as SARS”. The new virus has sparked alarm amid a rising death toll and the discovery that it comes… Keep Reading
Around 150 Filipinos still in Wuhan
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the consulate in Shanghai, China is already in touch with around 150 Filipinos in Wuhan City, ground zero of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak. In a statement issued Sunday, January 26, the DFA said the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai has requested Filipino community… Keep Reading
French carmaker to evacuate expats from virus-hit Chinese city
Published January 26, 2020, 7:48 PM By Agence France-Presse French carmaker PSA on Saturday said it would repatriate expat staff from Wuhan as fears grew that more cases of coronavirus would be found in France. Two of the three cases confirmed in France are being treated at Paris’s Bichat hospital (AFP / Alain JOCARD /… Keep Reading