OVERSEAS | ABS-CBN News

HK national security police arrest Apple Daily executives, seize reporting materials

Sharon Tam, Reuters
Jun 17 11:31 AM

It was the second time for police to raid the Apple Daily headquarters; 200 officers went in last year to arrest its owner Jimmy Lai on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces. Read more »

China launches mission to space station

Greg Baker, AFP
Jun 17 11:06 AM

A Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft and a crew of three astronauts, lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert in northwest China. Read more »

Blast off! Chinese rocket carries first crew to new space station

Agence France-Presse
Jun 17 09:49 AM

JIUQUAN, China - The first astronauts for China's new space station blasted off Thursday for the country's longest crewed mission to date, a landmark step in establishing Beijing as a major space power. Read more »

Gigantic diamond in Botswana could be world's third largest

Reuters
Jun 17 09:09 AM

A 1,098 carat diamond believed to be the third largest gem-quality stone ever to be mined, has been discovered in Botswana. Read more »

Sizzling heat wave blankets US Southwest

Dan Whitcomb and Scott DiSavino, Reuters
Jun 17 08:54 AM

LOS ANGELES - Much of the western United States baked for a third day on Wednesday under a punishing heat wave that has set temperature records, prompted health warnings and strained power grids. Read more »

Arthritis drug shows promise against severe COVID: study

Agence France-Presse
Jun 17 08:38 AM

WASHINGTON - A repurposed arthritis drug has shown positive results in a clinical trial of patients hospitalized with Covid-19, according to a paper published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read more »

Delta variant fueled 50 percent rise in English COVID prevalence: study

Reuters
Jun 17 07:15 AM

LONDON - The rapid spread of the Delta coronavirus variant has driven a 50% rise in infections in England since May, a large prevalence study led by Imperial College London found on Thursday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed the end of restrictions. Read more »

Biden, Putin hail positive talks, but US warns on cyber warfare

Agence France-Presse
Jun 17 04:18 AM | Updated Jun 17 04:20 AM

The leaders emerged in mostly positive moods after more than three hours of talks, including two hours alone with just the Russian foreign minister and US secretary of state. Read more »

Biden pushes Putin for stable 'great powers' relationship

Maria Panina and Sebastian Smith, Agence France-Presse
Jun 17 12:04 AM

The two leaders shook hands, striking cautiously positive notes at the elegant Geneva villa chosen for their first summit. Read more »

Pilipinas posibleng magpatupad ng deployment ban sa Oman

Robert Mano, ABS-CBN News
Jun 16 11:22 PM

MAYNILA - Posibleng magpatupad ng deployment ban sa Oman ang Pilipinas matapos isama ng Oman ang Pilipinas sa travel ban nito. Read more »

COVID-19 restrictions, inalis na sa New York

ABS-CBN News
Jun 16 08:26 PM

Nasa 0.40% na lang ang COVID-19 positivity rate sa state ng New York.  Read more »

Centuries-old shipwrecks found off Singapore

Agence France-Presse
Jun 16 08:11 PM

Two centuries-old shipwrecks packed with ceramics and other artefacts have been found off Singapore in a rare discovery that will shed light on the city-state's maritime heritage, archaeologists said Wednesday.   Read more »

Thailand targets reopening within 120 days as economy flounders

Reuters
Jun 16 08:08 PM

BANGKOK - Thailand will reopen to visitors within 120 days after more than a year of coronavirus travel curbs, a calculated risk needed to revive its troubled economy, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Wednesday. Read more »

Moscow orders mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations

Agence France-Presse
Jun 16 07:46 PM

The mayor of Moscow on Wednesday ordered mandatory vaccinations for residents of the Russian capital working in the service industry, citing a "dramatic" rise in coronavirus infections. Read more »

Taj Mahal reopens to tourists

Money Sharma, AFP
Jun 16 06:54 PM

A group of tourists take souvenir photos at the Taj Mahal after it reopened to visitors following authorities easing COVID-19 restrictions in Agra, India on Wednesday. Read more »

New ICC prosecutor takes on daunting job

Julie Capelle, Agence France-Presse
Jun 16 05:32 PM | Updated Jun 16 09:25 PM

Bensouda has left him with a bulging inbox including a probe into the Philippines war on drugs that she announced on Monday, an investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan, and of course the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Read more »

India's famed Taj Mahal reopens for tourists as COVID-19 curbs ease

Uday Sampath Kumar, Reuters
Jun 16 04:28 PM

India's iconic Taj Mahal reopened to the public on Wednesday as the country, still reeling from a disastrous second wave of the pandemic, rushes to lift restrictions in a bid to revitalize its economy. Read more »

Israel strikes Hamas sites in Gaza in first attack since May fighting

Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters
Jun 16 01:59 PM

Israeli aircraft struck Hamas sites in Gaza on Wednesday after incendiary balloons were launched from the Palestinian enclave in the first such attacks since the end of 11 days of cross-border fighting last month. Read more »

China's internet watchdog intensifies clampdown on 'chaotic' online fan clubs

Xinmei Shen and Coco Feng, South China Morning Post
Jun 16 01:25 PM

The Cyberspace Administration of China said it will crack down on activities that induce minors to contribute money to their idols and engage in doxxing. Read more »

Liberty from COVID-19

Angela Weiss, AFP
Jun 16 12:44 PM

New York City announced that restrictions are lifted immediately as 70 percent of New Yorkers aged 18 or older have received the first dose of their vaccination series.  Read more »

Russia and China defy attempts to destroy ties, Putin says

Laura Zhou, South China Morning Post
Jun 16 12:40 PM

Relations between Beijing and Moscow remain at an “unprecedentedly high level”, despite attempts to destroy the relationship, Russian President Vladimir Putin said ahead of a key meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden on Wednesday.   Read more »

Car bomb attack at Colombian military base wounds 36

Agence France-Presse
Jun 16 11:38 AM

A car bomb blast inside an army base in the Colombian city of Cucuta wounded 36 people Tuesday, officials said, blaming the attack to ELN guerillas. Read more »

Spycam epicenter: Digital sex crime affecting life for S.Korean women, girls - watchdog

Reuters
Jun 16 11:35 AM

South Korea has become the global epicenter of spycam - the use of tiny, hidden cameras to film victims naked, urinating or having sex. Read more »

28 Chinese air force planes enter Taiwan's air defense ID zone

Kyodo News
Jun 16 10:06 AM | Updated Jun 16 12:52 PM

According to a Taiwanese newspaper, when the Taiwan air force told the Chinese air force planes to leave the zone, they responded: "Here is the high seas." Read more »

Israel scraps indoor mask order as COVID-19 infections wane

Reuters
Jun 16 07:56 AM

JERUSALEM - Israel told its citizens they could stop wearing masks indoors on Tuesday, ending one of its last main restrictions as new COVID-19 infections continued to wane even as vaccinations tapered off after a record rollout. Read more »