Japan Agriculture Minister urges PH, Asian countries to import Japanese grapes

TOKYO – Japanese Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has recently met with his Philippine counterpart, Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., in Manila and urged the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries to begin importing Japanese grapes, including the renowned Shine Muscat variety. After the meeting, Koizumi told reporters online that the Philippine official showed a positive response about…

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Aging trend accelerates; global elderly population now tops 8 billion

ISTANBUL– The global population aged 65 and over has nearly doubled to 10.3%, and this trend is expected to continue. The world’s population, which continues to grow at varying rates in different regions, has already surpassed 8 billion people. According to the UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) “2024 State of World Population Report,” global population dynamics…

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Indon volcano eruption cause extensive damage

JAKARTA — The Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB has reported at least 498 houses and three public facilities damaged by the eruption last March 18 of Mount Ruang in Sitaro Islands District, North Sulawesi. The head of BNPB’s Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, said that in addition to 135 mildly damaged houses and 363 moderately to severely damaged houses, two churches and…

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Pope Francis urges dialogues among Middle East leaders

VATICAN — Pope Francis has expressed concern over the conflict situation in the Middle East and called for dialogue and diplomacy among leaders in the region. During his traditional Sunday Angelus prayer at the Vatican, the pope said: “I continue to follow the situation in the Middle East with concern and sadness. I reiterate the plea not to yield to the claims of…

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