All posts filed under: World

Govt moves to curb LPG hoarding ahead of winter

Govt moves to curb LPG hoarding ahead of winter

Published by Sam Flores

• Petroleum Division flags irregular lifting of imported LPG from terminals • Ogra asked to ensure supplies at notified prices, particularly in remote areas ISLAMABAD: The government has taken notice of the alleged hoarding of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to create an artificial shortage ahead of winter and directed all relevant federal and provincial agencies to take coordinated action. Consequently, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) is also reported to have directed provincial governments and federal authorities concerned with port operations and clearance to take swift corrective measures. The action followed reports that LPG was being sold in the market at almost 50 per cent higher rates (Rs5,000 per 11.8kg domestic cylinder) than the Rs3,296 notified by Ogra. “It has been reported through various sources that, although LPG importers are importing LPG as per indigenous LPG demand, the imported volumes do not appear to be regularly lifted from LPG import terminals, raising concerns regarding possible hoarding and the creation of an artificial shortage in the domestic market,” according to a Petroleum Division letter to …

Military to enlist civilians to map coast

Military to enlist civilians to map coast

Published by Sam Flores

DUAL-USE ASSETS: The surveys would help identify sites for defensive mines and obstacles, while sensitive military planning would remain classified, an official said By Lo Tien-pin and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer The navy plans to use civilian ships and aircraft to map beaches China is likely to use in an invasion, in a first-of-its-kind initiative, a senior military official said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense’s Defense Innovation Division plans to employ civilian fishing boats and aircraft to conduct high-precision hydrographic surveys and beach terrain mapping at potential Chinese invasion landing sites, known as “red beaches,” across Taiwan, the official said on condition of anonymity. “Red beaches” are locations where the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is most likely to attempt amphibious assaults in the event of a conflict across the Taiwan Strait. Photo: CNA Four to 20 potential landing sites have been identified by the ministry, US think tanks and the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, including Zhuwei (竹圍) in Taoyuan, Wazihwei (挖子尾) in New Taipei City’s Bali …

Wearable robots offer mobility to people with disabilities in Seoul

Wearable robots offer mobility to people with disabilities in Seoul

Published by Sam Flores

Advanced rehabilitation involving wearable robotics has traditionally remained out of reach for many due to high costs and limited availability outside major medical centers. Now, a pioneering municipal program in western Seoul is bringing this cutting-edge technology directly into neighborhood streets. The Mapo District office is running a specialized robotic rehabilitation initiative designed to help registered residents with mobility impairments regain independence. By partnering with the Seoul Seobuk Hospital and wearable robotics firm Angel Robotics, the district has established a collaborative support framework bridging public health infrastructure with advanced medical engineering. Driven by leading tech firms, research institutes and startups like Hyundai Motor, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Angel Robotics, Korea has rapidly expanded wearable robot technology beyond specialized medical rehabilitation into everyday industrial, agricultural and community mobility applications. The program utilizes robotic exoskeletons to analyze participants’ gaits and provide tailored physical therapy. Unlike traditional stationary therapy, these battery-powered devices actively assist movement based on individual walking patterns and can be adjusted to introduce resistance modes for targeted leg strengthening. Under …

Pope Leo Leaves Hospital After Lung Surgery

Pope Leo Leaves Hospital After Lung Surgery

Published by Sam Flores

Key Facts —Who. Pope Leo XIV, 71, the first US-born pope, a US citizen and also a Peruvian national. —What. Discharged after surgery that removed the lower lobe of his right lung; pathology confirmed lung adenocarcinoma. —Where. Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, from where he returns to the Vatican. —When. Admitted Tuesday 13 October 2026, discharged Saturday 17 October at about 15:30 local time. —Next. Audiences cancelled through 20 October; trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru planned for 6 to 17 November. —As of 17 October 2026, 18:45 GMT Pope Leo XIV left Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic on Saturday 17 October 2026, five days after the lung cancer operation described in our earlier report on the surgery. He is the first US-born pope and a US citizen who also holds Peruvian nationality, so his health matters directly to American readers. The 71-year-old walked out of the hospital at about 15:30 local time, according to El Financiero and Expansión. His doctors described his recovery as favourable, Expansión reports. Expansión reports that further tests are still needed, …

Dial *315# before buying phones, NCC tells Nigerians

Dial *315# before buying phones, NCC tells Nigerians

Published by Sam Flores

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged Nigerians to verify their phones using the code *315# before paying for them, warning that unverified devices could be counterfeit or substandard. The commission’s Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Edoyemi Ogoh, said the verification process would protect consumers from buying fake devices and help prevent substandard handsets from affecting network service quality for other users. “Before you buy a phone, dial *315# and confirm that the phone is fully verified before you pay,” Mr Ogoh said. He spoke on Friday during an interview on News Night on Arise News, explaining the NCC’s new Device Checker, which took effect on 7 October. Why the NCC introduced the check Mr Ogoh gave three reasons for the verification process: compliance with the law, consumer protection and improved service quality. He said the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 requires telecommunications equipment to undergo type approval to ensure it meets the country’s standards. “The whole intent of that is to ensure that every device coming into the country is genuine and works …

Finance Minister: IMF raises its forecast for Egypt’s economic growth to 4.7% in 2027

Finance Minister: IMF raises its forecast for Egypt’s economic growth to 4.7% in 2027

Published by Sam Flores

Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its forecast for Egypt’s economic growth to 4.7 percent in 2027, up from its previous estimate of 4.4 percent. He noted that clarity and transparency in dealings with investors increase predictability and strengthen confidence in Egypt’s economic trajectory. Speaking during an open dialogue with international investors at two meetings hosted by JPMorgan and Bank of America on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the Minister said, “Our economy is moving in the right direction, and indicators are improving as economic and fiscal reforms are implemented.” “We are pursuing a balanced approach to sustain improvements and financial stability, stimulate investment, and increase production and exports,” he added. “We have adopted a proactive approach to addressing shocks, which has received positive responses from investors and markets. We also have promising investment opportunities, along with incentives and tax and customs facilitations that support economic activity and the business community,” Kouchouk said. He added that Egypt …

Russia Hits 15 Energy Sites in Massive Strike, Zelensky Says

Russia Hits 15 Energy Sites in Massive Strike, Zelensky Says

Published by Sam Flores

Russian forces launched one of their largest coordinated assaults against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, striking more than 15 critical electricity generation and transmission facilities across multiple provinces, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday, Oct. 17. The president reported that emergency restoration operations are underway across the country, mobilizing municipal utility workers and specialized engineering crews from domestic power companies to restore severed power supplies. JOIN US ON TELEGRAM Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “On the eve, the Russians delivered one of their largest strikes against Ukrainian energy: more than 15 critical electricity generation and energy transmission facilities in various regions of Ukraine were attacked,” Zelensky stated. “Restoration work is ongoing, involving all necessary services and all available resources of Ukrainian energy companies. I thank everyone working virtually non-stop to restore power.” Regional impact and grid dispersion tactics Zelensky highlighted that the most severe disruptions to municipal electricity networks were recorded in northwestern and central urban centers, specifically identifying Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Shepetivka, Slavuta, and Netishyn. Additional kinetic strikes and falling debris …

Transport minister: RM1,000 aid for remaining eligible taxi, rental car and school bus drivers to be paid via EFT

Transport minister: RM1,000 aid for remaining eligible taxi, rental car and school bus drivers to be paid via EFT

Published by Sam Flores

GEORGE TOWN, Oct 17 — The remaining eligible taxi, rental car and school bus drivers nationwide will receive the RM1,000 Special Financial Aid directly into their respective bank accounts through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the disbursement through this method would be carried out in the next phase, following the first phase of direct handovers to eligible drivers in several zones. He said that in the first phase, the aid would be handed directly to eligible recipients in selected zones, with Penang hosting the second presentation ceremony after the launch in Putrajaya on October 14. “For the second ceremony, we are very pleased to be able to bring together 700 taxi and rental car drivers in Penang, who were selected as symbolic representatives to receive the aid in person. “All the aid will be handed over to those who have been verified as eligible before Deepavali,” he told reporters after the special financial aid presentation ceremony for taxi, rental car and school bus drivers at Dewan Sri Pinang here today. He …

Bangkok Post – We must save the poor, just not see them or hear them

Bangkok Post – We must save the poor, just not see them or hear them

Published by Sam Flores

As expected, Thailand made sure IMF-World Bank luminaries never got to meet the people they claim to help Fully acknowledging that international financial bodies do not have direct influence over the decisions of countries like, say, Thailand, it is still difficult to deny the disconnect as conference delegates gravely discuss “safety nets” for the vulnerable while police keep those very people physically at bay. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings this week devoted hundreds of hours of consideration — and international media hundreds of thousands of words — to protecting the poor and economically precarious.  We heard about “safety nets” during the “Food Security in the Age of Shocks” seminar, when Rodrigo Valdes, director of the IMF’s fiscal affairs department, underlined how poor households are particularly exposed to food price fluctuations spurred by conflict, trade and transport disruptions, volatile energy and fertiliser costs and extreme weather. The conversation took place as actual representatives of the poor, indebted and economically vulnerable were told, and even shown in no uncertain terms, by host Thailand …

[Rear View] The night they asked Pete Lacaba to sing, and the song that made him cry

[Rear View] The night they asked Pete Lacaba to sing, and the song that made him cry

Published by Sam Flores

The night ended with a rare request. Pete was asked to sing.  Pete Lacaba walked into My Brother’s Mustache, a folk house in Quezon City, just as Pat Castillo began her set. It was past eight, and word had gone around that he might not make it. For a moment no one noticed him come in with his son, Kris. He could have been any silver-haired retiree, come to honor a man whose life and work is being celebrated that night. Then he scanned the standing-room-only crowd, waved at familiar faces, and the room stirred. People came up to greet him. Pete smiled, the fog of memory lifting with a firm handshake, a pat on the back, a familiar face, a name. Call time had been five. By half past five, the place was nearly full, and extra tables and chairs had to be brought out. Most of the crowd have gone silver: faces behind the bylines, faces you see on television or in movies, faces from one underground meeting or another, faces one had known by …