Middle East

Utter devastation as toll from Beirut monster blast tops 100

by Tony Gamal-Gabriel and Layal Abou Rahal Agence France Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Rescuers searched for survivors in Beirut Wednesday after a cataclysmic explosion at the port sowed devastation across entire neighbourhoods, killing more than 100 people, wounding thousands and plunging Lebanon deeper into crisis. The blast, which appeared to have been caused by a fire igniting 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate left unsecured in a warehouse, was felt as far away as Cyprus, […]

Like an atomic bomb: Scenes of Beirut explosions that killed at least 100, wounded thousands

  (Eagle News) — These are just some of the scenes as provided by photos from Agence France Presse that showed the two enormous explosions which rocked Beirut’s port on Tuesday that killed at least 100 people and wounded thousands more. The explosions that shook distant buildings, with an enomous orange fireball seen in the sky, had “tornado-like shockwaves” that shattered windows kilometers away. Agence France Presse described the bloodied and dazed  people wounded by […]

Trump says will bar TikTok from US

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Friday he will bar fast-growing social media app TikTok from the United States as American authorities have raised concerns the service could be a tool for Chinese intelligence. US officials and lawmakers in recent weeks have voiced fears of the wildly popular video platform being used by Beijing for nefarious purposes, but the company has denied any links to the Chinese government. Media reports circulated earlier […]

Qatar coronavirus cases pass 100,000 mark

  DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar passed the milestone of 100,000 coronavirus cases on Monday, the health ministry said, as the country presses ahead with plans to re-open its economy. The gas-rich emirate has one of the world’s highest per capita infection rates with 100,345 people, 3.65 percent of its 2.75 million population, having tested positive for COVID-19. Almost 94,000 of those infected have recovered and 133 people have died, one of the lowest reported […]

PHL embassy in Kuwait suspends on-site ops until July 16 after employee tests positive for COVID-19

(Eagle News) — The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait has suspended its on-site services after one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. In a statement, the embassy said the suspension, effective July 2 and which will last until July 16, was in accordance with the protocols of the World Health Organization and the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health which require people in close contact with a COVID-19-positive to undergo a 14-day quarantine. Those with scheduled appointments […]

WHO says Mideast at ‘critical threshold’ in virus numbers

  CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The World Health Organization warned Wednesday the Middle East was at a decisive moment in the fight against the novel coronavirus, with cases surging as countries ease lockdown measures. “We are at a critical threshold in our region,” the WHO’s Middle East head, Ahmed al-Mandhari, said in an online press conference. According to figures published by the global health body on Wednesday, the 22 countries from Morocco to Pakistan had […]

PHL condemns latest missile, drone strikes vs Saudi Arabia

(Eagle News) — The Philippines on Friday, June 26, condemned the latest drone and missile strikes against Saudi Arabia. In a brief statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Philippines “places utmost importance on the stability and security of the Gulf…” It also urged “a halt to the repeated attacks and provocations” on Tuesday, June 23. The attacks have been claimed by the Houthis, who gained a stronghold in Yemen’s capital Sanaa in late […]

Israel says it will make millions of high-spec masks against virus resurgence

  JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel said Sunday it had opened a factory to make millions of high-spec masks as it prepares for a possible “second wave” of coronavirus cases. After imposing tough measures to tackle the COVID-19 illness, Israel has fared relatively well in the initial months of the pandemic. More than 17,700 infections have been registered among a population of nine million, with nearly 300 deaths. But as the country has gradually opened up […]

Sons of murdered Saudi journalist Khashoggi say they ‘forgive’ killers

  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — The sons of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said Friday they “forgive” the killers of their father, an announcement analysts said effectively grants clemency to five convicted people on death row. Khashoggi — a royal family insider turned critic — was killed and dismembered at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, in a case that tarnished the reputation of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. […]

Locked in by virus, Iraq hit with new pandemic: domestic abuse

by Ammar Karim Agence France Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — “More morphine!” Malak’s mother cried, her 20-year-old daughter hospitalized after a marital dispute left her severely burned — the latest victim of domestic violence exacerbated by confinement in Iraq. The nationwide lockdown since mid-March is meant to keep coronavirus cases down in the country, but it has led to a spike in another sad statistic: domestic violence. The head of Iraq’s community police, Brigadier General […]

Watch: PHL Consul General in UAE talks about the situation of Filipinos there

The Philippine consul general in the United Arab Emirates said Filipinos there are being helped by the UAE government in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes said that Filipinos, along with the other migrants in UAE, who have been affected by the lockdown measures, are also being provided with food and testing for COVID-19. There is also a program in UAE who are helping people who had to stop work […]

Stay-at-home orders sparks scattered protests in US

by Jeff Kowalsky with Chris Lefkow in Washington Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — As US President Donald Trump unveils plans on Thursday for a partial reopening of the country, some Americans are chafing at the stay-at-home orders imposed because of the coronavirus epidemic. There have been scattered protests in several US states this week against lockdown measures aimed at halting the spread of the highly contagious virus. A handful of stay-at-home opponents […]