OVERSEAS | ABS-CBN News

‘Seek shared resolutions’: Pope urges end to clashes in Jerusalem

Agence France-Presse
May 10 03:24 AM

The violence around Jerusalem's revered Al-Aqsa mosque compound and the Old City is fueled by a bid by Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem. Read more »

India turns to ex-army medics, as COVID surge sparks calls for lockdown

Abhirup Roy and Aishwarya Nair, Reuters
May 10 02:06 AM

Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a nationwide lockdown as it did during the first wave last year. Read more »

Hong Kong health minister warns of heightened risk posed by variant strains

Gigi Choy and Cannix Yau, South China Morning Post
May 10 01:10 AM

Referring to a recent dispute with some residents who were issued quarantine orders, the minister warns those who break the law will face legal action.  Read more »

Peak performer: Nepali climber claims record 25th Everest ascent

Agence France-Presse
May 10 01:01 AM

Kami Rita Sherpa on Friday reached the summit of Everest for the 25th time, breaking his own record for the most summits of the highest mountain in the world. Read more »

US turning corner on pandemic, says White House COVID coordinator

Doina Chiacu, Reuters
May 10 12:28 AM

US health officials are aiming to meet President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of American adults having at least one shot by the July 4 U.S. Independence Day. Read more »

Vietnam says new COVID outbreak threatens stability

Reuters
May 09 10:56 PM

Vietnam reported 102 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday as the Southeast Asian country battled a fast-spreading outbreak which Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said threatened political stability if not brought under control. Read more »

Myanmar poet dies after being detained, his family says

Reuters
May 09 10:43 PM | Updated May 10 12:47 AM

(UPDATE) Myanmar poet Khet Thi, whose works declare resistance to the ruling junta, died in detention overnight and his body was returned with the organs removed, his family said on Sunday. Read more »

Laos records first COVID-19 death

Reuters
May 09 10:36 PM

The Southeast Asian country of Laos recorded its first death from coronavirus on Sunday, losing its place among the few countries yet to suffer a fatality, state media said. Read more »

'Freedom' fiestas: Spaniards celebrate end of COVID curfew

Michael Gore and Jordi Rubio, Reuters
May 09 08:12 PM

Exhilarated Spaniards danced in streets, chanted "freedom" and partied on beaches overnight as a COVID-19 curfew ended across most of the nation. Read more »

India Covid-19 deaths surge past 4,000

Sanjay Kanojia, AFP
May 09 05:15 PM

Family members perform the last rites during the cremation of their loved one who died due to COVID-19 in Allahabad, India on Saturday. Read more »

Variant accelerating India's COVID explosion: WHO top scientist

Nina Larson, Agence France-Presse
May 09 01:55 PM

A COVID-19 variant spreading in India is more contagious and may be dodging vaccine protections, contributing to the country's explosive outbreak, the World Health Organization's chief scientist said Saturday. Read more »

US wants COVID vaccine patent waiver to benefit world, not boost China biotech

Andrea Shalal, Carl O'Donnell and David Lawder, Reuters
May 09 01:42 PM

The Biden administration is examining ways to ensure that a waiver of COVID-19 vaccine patents to aid poor countries will not hand sensitive US biopharmaceutical technology to China and Russia, responding to a chorus of concerns, US and industry officials say. Read more »

Chinese rocket segment disintegrates over Indian Ocean

Agence France-Presse
May 09 01:09 PM

A large segment of a Chinese rocket re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated over the Indian Ocean on Sunday, the Chinese space agency said, following fevered speculation over where the 18-ton object would come down. Read more »

S. Africa picks up first cases of coronavirus variant from India

Reuters
May 09 09:28 AM

South Africa's health ministry said on Saturday it had detected the first four cases of a new coronavirus variant that emerged in India and was responsible for a surge of infections and deaths in the Asian country.   Read more »

Myanmar junta designates shadow government as a 'terrorist' group

Agence France-Presse
May 09 08:26 AM

Myanmar's junta declared Saturday night that a group of ousted lawmakers running a shadow government would now be classified as "terrorists", as the military moves to tighten its grip over a country in turmoil.  Read more »

Times Square shooting leaves three injured including a girl

Agence France-Presse
May 09 08:05 AM

A shooting in New York's bustling Times Square has injured two women and a four-year-old girl, in an incident US authorities were still scrambling to understand, police said Saturday. Read more »

HK U-turn on COVID-19 jabs for domestic helpers: diplomatic row averted, but...

Lilian Cheng and Natalie Wong, South China Morning Post
May 09 07:30 AM

The rushed decision on mandatory testing and vaccination of helpers was ‘made without consultation’. The flip-flop episode shows that the government needs to think through new moves thoroughly, observers say. Read more »

Chinese rocket debris set for re-entry by Sunday - tracking centers

Reuters
May 09 01:01 AM

SHANGHAI - Remnants of China's largest rocket launched last week are expected to plunge back through the atmosphere late Saturday or early Sunday, European and US tracking centers said on Saturday. Read more »

Trump administration obtained phone records of journalists: Washington Post

Agence France-Presse
May 08 09:16 PM

The Trump administration secretly obtained the phone records of Washington Post journalists who reported on allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, the newspaper reported Friday, prompting concerns over freedom of speech. Read more »

First patients in HK with COVID-19 variants arrested over providing misleading info

Kanis Leung and Christy Leung, South China Morning Post
May 08 09:09 PM

Hong Kong’s first two patients found locally with Covid-19 variants were arrested on Saturday over providing misleading information to authorities for contact tracing, the South China Morning Post has learned.   Read more »

China to restrict mobile app news notifications in internet clampdown

Reuters
May 08 08:34 PM | Updated May 08 08:35 PM

SHANGHAI - China's internet watchdog said on Saturday that it will ban some mobile app notifications and tighten regulations as the government ramps up a campaign to rein in the growing influence of internet companies over its citizens' daily lives. Read more »

Key Scottish election on knife edge as pro-independence party heads for win

Russell Cheyne, Reuters
May 08 07:04 PM

The Scottish National Party (SNP), which has vowed to hold an independence referendum that could tear the United Kingdom apart should it be returned to power, will find out on Saturday if it has won a majority in Scotland's parliament. Read more »

EU seeks 'concrete' US plan on lifting vaccine patents

Agence France-Presse
May 08 06:00 PM

EU chief Charles Michel said the bloc is ready to discuss a US proposal to lift patents on Covid-19 vaccines once the details are clear. Read more »

Pope Francis backs waivers on intellectual property rights for vaccines

Reuters
May 08 05:40 PM | Updated May 08 06:00 PM

Pope Francis on Saturday supported waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, backing a proposal by U.S. President Joe Biden that has been rebuffed by some European nations, including Germany. Read more »

Hospital honors Fil-Am nurse who beat COVID-19 with room named after her

Steve Angeles, ABS-CBN News
May 08 05:38 PM | Updated May 08 07:18 PM

LONG BEACH, California - A hospital in Southern California honored a Filipino-American nurse who beat COVID-19 after eight months of being hospitalized with a room named after her.  Read more »