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JAKARTA --- A sulfur miner was killed when volcanic activity at Mount Ijen in East Java released poisonous gas and triggered a 3-meter wave in a natural lake situated within the volcano's crater on Friday afternoon. The tremor occurred within the mountain at 12:30, resulting in toxic air and an isolated wave from the lake in the crater, kompas.com reported. The wave that was formed in the wake of the volcanic activity recorded on Friday qualified as a tsunami, according to Indonesian tsunami expert Widjo Kongko. He said a tsunami typically occurred when activities at the bottom of an ocean, gulf or lake disturbed the column of water on the surface. "[A tsunami] may be tri...

Keep on reading: Tremor at Indonesia’s Mount Ijen triggers isolated tsunami, killing one

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that she was "horrified" by George Floyd's death, and welcomed peaceful solidarity protests in New Zealand, but noted that they flouted social distancing restrictions.

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippines' aviation industry will face an unpredictable and potentially dangerous future due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said Tuesday. "The future of the aviation industry (in) one word: dicey. Kasi meron ho tayong kalaban na masyado maraming variables. Ni hindi natin nakikita itong punyeterong COVID na ito. Kaya talagang it's really very dicey," Tugade declared in a televised press briefing in Malacaang. (The future of the aviation industry, one word, is dicey. Because we have an enemy with so many variables. We don't even see this freaking COVID-19. So it's really really dicey.) The transp...

Keep on reading: Aviation industry off to a ‘dicey’ future — Transportation chief

PETALING JAYA --- Malaysian actor Henry Golding has criticized former Miss Universe Malaysia, Samantha Katie James for her controversial remarks on the ongoing nationwide protests in the United States. Golding said the remarks made by Miss Universe Malaysia 2017 winner had "infuriated" him. "You have zero idea what black people have to go through on a day-to-day basis. For you to be talking such racist nonsense on a platform like yours needs to be called out. "The majority of us will never truly be able to understand what the black community go through every single day, but one thing for sure you can do is to lend a voice. "To teach people and educate them on opening thei...

Keep on reading: Expressing solidarity with US protests, actor Henry Golding raps former Malaysian beauty queen

BANGKOK --- Thailand's Cabinet has approved a 90 percent reduction in land and building taxes for the year 2020 and a two-month postponement in the deadline for filing personal income tax returns, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said today (June 2). "The move aims to alleviate people's financial burden due to the Covid-19 situation. The reduction in land and building taxes will be valid for this year only and should not affect the country's future revenue," he said. "The Cabinet at a next meeting will discuss measures to help local agencies that will be affected by the lower revenue from taxes," he added. Furthermore, the Cabinet has agreed to postpone the deadline ...

Keep on reading: Thailand OKs whopping 90% reduction in land, building tax for 2020

Mark Bautista is auctioning off his paintings to help raise funds for COVID-19 mass testing amid the ongoing pandemic. All profits from the sales of the pieces will be given to Angel Locsin and Anne Curtis' "Shop & Share" effort, as per his Instagram post last Sunday, May 31. Bidding for his artworks started yesterday, June 1. "Been working on this and I think it's time for me to let go of these 'babies,'" Bautista said before explaining how he came to his decision. https://www.instagram.com/p/CA1PietBz8H/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link The singer stated that his laptop that contained all of his accompaniment tracks had crashed when the lockdown began last March. He added that he ...

Keep on reading: Mark Bautista auctions paintings to raise funds for mass testing amid COVID-19

HONG KONG --- A coronavirus outbreak in a Hong Kong residential estate that ended a 16-day streak of zero local infections has sparked warnings from the city's Chief Executive, prompting the government to extend existing social distancing measures that are about to expire. Local broadcaster TVB on Tuesday (June 2) said the city's Executive Council has agreed to extend coronavirus prevention measures, including a ban on public gatherings of more than eight people and border restrictions. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday morning expressed concerns about the local outbreak where nine people have been infected with Covid-19. Speaking before the weekly Executive Council mee...

Keep on reading: Local coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong sparks warnings after 9 infected

MANILA, Philippines --- The local government of the municipality of Rodriguez, Rizal announced that it has set up free transportation for stranded commuters as general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila takes effect. In a statement released Tuesday, Rodriguez Mayor Dennis Hernandez said that the LGU rolled out free van andbus rides to ferry passengers to their respective workplaces as public transportation is limited in GCQ areas. "Dahil limitado po ang pampublikong transportasyon sa ilalim pa rin ng GCQ at marami na ang nagbabalik trabaho, prayoridad po natin na matulungan at mapagaan ang kanilang biyahe pagpasok lalo na ang ating mga essential frontliners, health workers,...

Keep on reading: Rizal town offers free rides for commuters amid GCQ

  Liverpool players showed their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd in the United States by taking a knee around the center circle at Anfield on Monday. Reds stars including Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold tweeted the same photograph with the words "Unity is strength," accompanied by the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Made famous by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's kneeling during pre-game renditions of the US national anthem, bending down on one knee has become a symbol in the fight against racial injustice. Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford said he feared society was "more divided than ever" in th...

Keep on reading: Liverpool stars take a knee to show support for Black Lives Matter

SEOUL --- A recent audio sampling controversy surrounding BTS member Suga's new album shows that even global K-pop superstars are not bulletproof from potential public relations debacles. It highlights the inevitable risks associated with celebrities trying to step up their game on the international stage amid heightened calls for political correctness. On Sunday evening, Big Hit Entertainment issued an apology over the use of an audio clip of American cult leader Jim Jones, associated with the infamous mass-murder suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1979, in BTS member Suga's track "What Do You Think," from his latest solo mixtape album, "D-2." "D-2," Suga's second solo projec...

Keep on reading: Sampling blunder by BTS member serves as cautionary tale for K-pop act going forward

The government is being urged to make a dramatic shift in modernizing public transportation to include overhauling the decades-old system of how operators make money, which could result in better service to commuters. Urban development expert Benjie dela Pea said on Tuesday (June 2) that this can start with migrating franchise holders, like operators of buses and jeepneys, to service contracts. Under service contracting, the government collects fare from riders and pays the public utility vehicle (PUV) operator a fixed amount, which will be subject to key performance standards like number of trips and safety. "The customer is the government and not the passengers," Dela Pena sai...

Keep on reading: Modern public transport for PH requires overhaul of current systems, says expert

MANILA, Philippines --- Interior Secretary Eduardo Ao said Tuesday that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Philippine National Police (PNP) would boost its anti-narcotics operations after the government eased quarantine protocols in Metro Manila. "Habang lumuluwag na ang quarantine levels sa iba't ibang panig ng bansa ay siya rin namang paghihigpit ng kampanya laban sa iligal na droga. The DILG and PNP will work double time in maintaining the drop of the crime rate in the country that was achieved during the stricter quarantine period," Ao said in a statement. (As quarantine levels ease in some areas in the country, the campaign against illegal drugs wil...

Keep on reading: Año vows intensified anti-drug campaign as lockdown eases

Canadian researchers have developed a mathematical model of the effectiveness of social distancing in controlling the COVID-19 epidemic in Ontario. They predict that a radical lifting of these precautionary measures in the province, without parallel screening tests or other compensatory measures, could saturate hospital services within a month. In Europe and elsewhere around the world, countries are gradually emerging from lockdown. But to what extent is it possible to reopen parks and restaurants and return to normal life without risking a second wave of contagion? Canadian researchers have analyzed the different possible scenarios. Published on May 27 in the Annals of Interna...

Keep on reading: COVID-19 study models the impact of the end of social distancing

MANILA, Philippines --- The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Tuesday announced the deployment of "social distancing patrollers" in establishments to make sure that minimum health requirements are followed in the wake of the transition to the less stringent general community quarantine (GCQ). "Isa sa mga adjustment is yung papalakasin yung social distancing patrol, kasi ngayon naka-focus kami sa designated LRT (Light Rail Transit), MRT (Metro Rail Transit), buses, 'yung malls, 'yung public market saka convergence," said NCRPO chief Major Gen. Debold Sinas in an online press conference when asked about police adjustments during the GCQ. (One of our adjustments is to r...

Keep on reading: ‘Social distancing patrollers’ deployed in metro amid GCQ

SEOUL --- Over 70 cases of damage to properties owned by South Koreans in the US have been reported due to violent protests convulsing across the country, fueled by the police-involved death of an African American man George Floyd, officials here said Tuesday. The Foreign Ministry said a total of 79 stores operated by Koreans reported damage -- 50 cases in Philadelphia, 10 in Minneapolis, five in Raleigh, North Carolina, and four in Atlanta -- due to looting and vandalism. No casualties from Korean communities have been reported so far. Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho presided over an emergency videoconference in the morning, with the consuls of eight Korean diplomat...

Keep on reading: Over 70 Korean-owned properties suffer damage in US protests

Many restaurants around the world have relied on takeout to stay in business while under lockdown. But in a city known for its fine dining, some of Dubai's top eateries are making gourmet home delivery a regular offering.

In the years leading up to George Floyd's death with his neck beneath the knee of a Minneapolis policeman, at least 58 people lost consciousness after the city's officers put them in neck restraints, according to a CNN analysis of use of force data from the police department.

Emirates restarted regular passenger flights with very new measures in place. CNN's John Defterios speaks to the passengers and the crew adjusting to this new normal in air travel.

MOSCOW --- When nurse Maria Alexeyeva caught coronavirus at work, she isolated herself at home and followed the rules set down by Moscow authorities: She checked in with doctors regularly, didn't leave her apartment, and downloaded a smartphone app required by the city to keep tabs on quarantined patients. The Social Monitoring app tracks users via GPS and sends them random notifications demanding a selfie to prove they're still at home. If it detects they've left home or they fail to provide a photo, they face a fine of about $56 each time. But soon the app became a nightmare for Alexeyeva. It crashed when she tried to take a photo. Weak with illness, she struggled with the softwa...

Keep on reading: Virus-tracking app angers thousands in Moscow with fines

BACOLOD CITY ---- Testing clinical specimens for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can now be conducted in Negros Occidental. The Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) has given the go-signal for the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) molecular laboratory in Silay City to perform independent testing for COVID-19 through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). "A little past 10 tonight (June 1), we received a certification that the Molecular Lab of TLJPH is now a certified COVID-19 laboratory. This is a big progress and development in the efforts of the provincial government in handling the COVID pandemic," said Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson. "Ou...

Keep on reading: Testing for COVID-19 now done in Negros Occidental