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Trio jailed for Hong Kong’s priciest art heist

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

Three burglars who carried out a record-breaking $637 million art heist in Hong Kong but remained oblivious to the value of their historic haul were jailed Friday, local media reported ... The items were lifted in September 2020 from an apartment belonging to Chinese collector Fu Chunxiao in the city’s bustling Kowloon district ... ....

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Ukraine wins 2022 Eurovision song contest as UK finishes second in Turin

The Guardian 15 May 2022

“Please help Ukraine, Mariupol. Help Azovstal right now,” lead singer Oleh Psiuk shouted from the front of the stage after the band had performed ... ....

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Emirates airline announces ‘significantly’ lower $1.1 billion annual loss

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

Emirates airline announced a “significantly reduced” annual loss of $1.1 billion dollars on Friday, five times lower than a year before, as pandemic travel restrictions ease ... The Middle East’s largest carrier said it received a capital injection of $954 million from its owner, the government of Dubai, to help it survive the crisis.

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Djokovic reaches Rome final with 1,000th career win

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

World number one Novak Djokovic took his place in the Italian Open final on Saturday by claiming his 1,000th career win in straight sets over Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-3 in Rome ... AFP ... “Let’s go for another thousand.” ... “I thought I played really, really well in the first four and last four games of the match ... ....

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Ten killed in 'racially motivated' shooting at US grocery store

Raw Story 15 May 2022

A heavily armed 18-year-old man shot 10 people dead on Saturday at a Buffalo, New York grocery store in a "racially motivated" attack that he live-streamed on camera, authorities said ... Eleven of the victims were African Americans ... A spokesperson for streaming service Twitch confirmed to AFP that the shooter used the service to broadcast the attack ... .

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Ten killed in ‘racially motivated’ shooting at US grocery store

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

A heavily armed 18-year-old man shot 10 people dead on Saturday at a Buffalo, New York grocery store in a “racially motivated” attack that he live-streamed on camera, authorities said ... AFP ... He is being held without bail ... A spokesperson for streaming service Twitch confirmed to AFP that the shooter used the service to broadcast the attack ... .

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Chile defense minister’s home robbed, presidential car stolen

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

The home of Chilean Defense Minister Maya Fernandez was robbed by attackers who beat her son and threatened her husband, authorities said Saturday. Fernandez, a granddaughter of former Socialist leader Salvador Allende, was not at home at the time of the attack late Friday in Santiago’s Nunoa neighborhood ... ....

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North Korea reports 15 more ‘fever’ deaths amid COVID outbreak

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

North Korea on Sunday reported 15 additional deaths from “fever”, days after officially confirming its first-ever COVID-19 cases and ordering nationwide lockdowns ... AFP ... North Korea has no Covid vaccines, antiviral treatment drugs, or mass-testing capacity ... Learning from China ... ....

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Britney Spears and partner announce miscarriage

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

Pop star Britney Spears said in an Instagram post Saturday that her surprise pregnancy, which she announced last month, had ended in miscarriage. “It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that we have lost our miracle baby early in the pregnancy,” the 40-year-old singer wrote in a joint post with her partner Sam Asghari ... ....

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US rate hikes strain Hong Kong’s virus-weakened economy

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

“The Covid outbreak in Hong Kong and in mainland China is already hurting growth,” senior economist at Oxford Economics Lloyd Chan told AFP ... Small and medium-sized businesses also potentially face a “really tough time” if the rising rates coincide with a Covid resurgence, economist Samuel Tse of DBS Bank told AFP.

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Tech titans curb hiring in a ‘challenging macro environment’

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

Facebook parent Meta told analysts that hiring goals were being adjusted as it continued to look to a bright future. “We regularly re-evaluate our talent pipeline according to our business needs, and in light of the expense guidance given for this earnings period, we are slowing its growth accordingly,” a Meta spokesperson told AFP ... ....

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Lebanon votes in first election since crisis

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

Lebanon headed to the polls Sunday for its first election since multiple crises dragged it to the brink of failed statehood, with the ruling elite expected to comfortably weather public anger ... AFP ... The outgoing chamber was dominated by the Iran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah and its two main allies ... Corruption ... Low hopes ... ....

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Iraq’s prized rice crop threatened by drought

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

The long-grained variety of rice takes its name from its distinctive scent, which is similar to that of amber resin ... Except for this one ... The country’s available water reserves “are well below our critical level of 18 billion cubic metres (4.8 trillion gallons)”, Shaker Fayez Kadhim, Najaf’s water resources manager, told AFP.

photo: Creative Commons / MHM55

Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in Geneva, Switzerland

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Swiss vote on ‘Netflix’ law, organ donations and Frontex

Manila Standard 15 May 2022

Switzerland votes on Sunday on whether streaming services should cough up money to boost Swiss film-making—and whether everyone should automatically become an organ donor unless they say otherwise ... The polls close at midday (1000 GMT), with most ballots having already been sent in by post over the past four weeks ... Lex Netflix ... Transplant laws ... ....

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