KAKAMMPI News

Reuters Posted at Dec 01 2020 02:34 PM SYDNEY - An intense heat wave returned to Australia's south and east on Tuesday, the first day of the southern hemisphere summer, raising risks of bush fires after the country sweltered through its hottest November on record. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) expects temperatures to break records in the coming days due to the heat wave, which has been building across much of the country's outback interior over the last week. "While bursts of heat and heat wave are normal for this time of year, what's making this burst of heat exceptional is temperatures up to 18 degrees (Celsius) above average," BoM Meteorologist Dean Narramore said. People flocked to beaches and pools to cool off after a slight reprieve from the heat when temperatures stayed in the mid-20s on Monday. "It's been a long time since anyone had to deal with that sort of heat and when it comes and it hits you like that, not fun for anyone,...

ABS-CBN News Posted at Dec 01 2020 07:21 PM MANILA - It is a tradition for thousands of Filipinos to consider visiting and partying with thousands of people in Rizal Park or Luneta Park in this city every Christmas. But now that there is still a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the National Parks Development Committee of Rizal Park has laid out some health protocols. From December 3, the park will be open from 5 to 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Only then will the park be opened for exercisers. Luneta is also open for Christmas and New Year but it is forbidden to eat and partake here. Health protocols such as wearing a face mask and face shield should also be followed and should be written on health sanitation forms. "We know the source of transmission also really is when people eat, is they bring down their mask," said Cecille Lorenzana-Romero, executive director of NPDC. About 500 people can stay in the park at the same time. It is much smaller than the 30,00...

Kyodo News Posted at Dec 01 2020 07:31 PM TOKYO - The Japanese government will ask people aged 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions to refrain from making trips to or from Tokyo using its domestic travel subsidy campaign, amid a recent resurgence of coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday. Suga disclosed the decision to reporters after holding talks with Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike at the prime minister's office. He said they had agreed to "closely cooperate to prevent the spread of infection at all costs." The two had been at odds over who would take the initiative in pulling the capital out of the program, which the cities of Osaka and Sapporo were excluded from last week. Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of Japan's virus response, said the government is requesting those people refrain from domestic trips until around Dec. 17. The decision came as Japan's cumulative total of confirmed novel coronavirus cases...

Reuters Posted at Dec 02 2020 01:33 AM BERLIN - The European Union and the ASEAN group of southeast Asian countries have agreed to upgrade their relationship to a strategic partnership, current EU president Germany said on Tuesday. "As close economic partners, we will stand up for safe and open trade routes and a free and fair trade," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after a virtual meeting with his counterparts from the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). "Together, we represent more than a billion people and almost 25 per cent of global economic power. Together, we have a strong voice in this world," said Maas, who gave no specific details on what the strategic partnership would entail. ASEAN groups Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. The EU has 27 member states. Two weeks ago, the 10 ASEAN nations joined China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to f...

Doina Chiacu, Reuters Posted at Dec 02 2020 03:14 AM WASHINGTON - US officials on Monday unveiled details for the swift distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to millions of Americans after the United States broke records for new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. The rampant virus infected 4.36 million more people in November, more than doubling the previous month, as large numbers of Americans still refuse to wear masks and travel for holiday gatherings against the recommendations of health experts. With outgoing President Donald Trump's coronavirus strategy relying heavily on a vaccine, the chief adviser of his administration's Operation Warp Speed program said on Tuesday that 20 million people could be vaccinated by the end of 2020, and that by the middle of 2021 most Americans will have access to highly effective vaccines. "Within 24 hours, maybe at most 36 to 48 hours, from the approval, the vaccine can be in people's arms," Moncef Slaoui, a form...

Agence France-Presse Posted at Dec 02 2020 06:36 AM BEIJING - China landed a probe on the Moon on Tuesday, said Beijing's space agency, which aims to bring back to Earth the first lunar samples in four decades. China has poured billions into its military-run space program, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022 and of eventually sending humans to the Moon. The latest mission's goal is to collect lunar rocks and soil to help scientists learn about the Moon's origins, formation and volcanic activity on its surface. The Chang'e-5 spacecraft -- named for the mythical Chinese moon goddess -- "landed on the near side of the Moon late Tuesday," state media agency Xinhua reported, citing the China National Space Administration. If the return journey is successful, China will be only the third country to have retrieved samples from the Moon, following the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. This mission is the first attempt to ...

Agence France-Presse Posted at Dec 02 2020 08:59 AM WASHINGTON - Health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities should be prioritized in the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, an advisory committee of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. The panel voted overwhelmingly in favor of the non-binding recommendations for "Phase 1a" of distribution to states and other local jurisdictions if the Food and Drug Administration grants emergency approval to frontrunner vaccines. "I believe that my vote reflects maximum benefits, minimum harm, promoting justice and mitigating the health inequalities that exist, with regard to distribution of this vaccine," said Jose Romero, chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The two priority groups account for around 24 million people, which is the approximate number of people who can be immunized in December if vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna are approved and the compa...