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A volcano that destroyed an entire town in Colombia with the death of some 25,000 people spewed ash and gas this weekend on the 36th anniversary of that devastating eruption.

The Nevado del Ruiz volcano showed noticeable activity starting Saturday, the Colombian Geological Service said.

The Nevado del Ruiz in western Colombia is one of the many volcanoes on the Ring of Fire, a path around the Pacific basin characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.

In late 1985, after decades lying dormant, this one began to rumble.

And on November 13 it erupted, emitting so much heat that it melted the snow that caps the mountain permanently.

This triggered a cascading wall of mud that swallowed the town of Armero, killing half its population of 50,000.

Etched in the memories of Colombians and people around the world is footage of 13-year-old Omayra Sanchez, who was trapped in the debris of her destroyed house with water and mud up to her neck. She spent three days that way, until she finally died.

The eruption was considered the worst natural disaster in Colombian history and one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century.

Now, Nevado del Ruiz has been in a period of instability for more than 11 years, the geological service said.

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Volcano that wiped out town in Colombia is active again - Macau Business

The death toll from a lethal crowd surge at a rap concert in Texas has risen to 10, a lawyer for the victims said Sunday, after a nine-year-old boy trampled during the event died of his injuries.

Scores were injured attending a performance by hip-hop artist Travis Scott at the Astroworld Festival on November 5 in Houston when concert-goers found themselves crushed against barriers, unable to move or breathe as the mass pressed toward the stage.

Some fell and others tumbled on top of them, crushing the bodies beneath, with the density of the crowd closer to the stage making it hard to pick them up and evacuate them, attendees said.

Among them was nine-year-old Ezra Blount, who sustained severe injuries and was placed in a medically induced coma as doctors fought for his life.

Ben Crump, a prominent US attorney representing the victims of the tragedy, issued a statement late Sunday saying that Blount had succumbed to his injuries.

The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss of their precious young son, Crump said.

This should not have been the outcome of taking their son to a concert, what should have been a joyful celebration. Ezras death is absolutely heartbreaking.

At least 60 lawsuits have been announced singling out Scott and fellow singer Drake, who took to the stage in the final 15 minutes of the concert well after authorities had declared an emergency.

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Death toll in Texas concert tragedy rises to 10 - Macau Business

Britains prime minister said Monday that finding a solution with the European Union to Brexit agreement problems regarding Northern Ireland still seems possible, but reiterated he was ready to trigger a suspension clause in the deal.

The Northern Ireland Protocol, the part of the Brexit deal that deals with the British province, was designed to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland a key requirement of the 1998 peace deal that ended three decades of violence over British rule.

It imposes checks on goods heading to the province from mainland Great Britain England, Wales and Scotland to prevent them travelling via EU member state Ireland into the rest of the bloc unchecked.

Unionists in Northern Ireland argue the checks effectively create a border in the Irish Sea, compromising the provinces place in the wider UK.

Britain and the EU are at loggerheads over the rules, which London signed up to in 2019 but now says are unworkable, and which Brussels maintains are needed to protect the integrity of the EU single market.

Speaking at the Lord Mayors Banquet in London, Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted his government would rather find a negotiated solution to the problems created by the Northern Ireland Protocol, and that still seems possible.

He added: But if we do invoke Article 16 (the suspension clause) which by the way is a perfectly legitimate part of that Protocol - we will do so reasonably and appropriately, because we believe it is the only way left to protect the territorial integrity of our country.

The EU has warned of serious consequences if the suspension goes ahead.

Talks to resolve the deadlock broke up without agreement last week, but will resume in Brussels this week.

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Solution to post-Brexit N. Ireland trade row 'still possible': PM - Macau Business

Fitch Solutions Country Risk and Industry Research said Monday it still forecast Malaysias real gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.5 percent and 5.5 percent in 2021 and 2022, respectively, following the release of the countrys third quarter growth.

The Fitch group unit said in a note, while Malaysias economy contracted 3.6 percent on a quarter-on-quarter basis, tipping the country into a technical recession, it expects the technical recession to end in the fourth quarter, which should post positive growth on the back of broad-based, lifting of restrictions for fully vaccinated individuals.

In addition to the fourth quarter recovery, the research house said the countrys economy should be much more resilient against COVID-19 in 2022, given higher vaccination rates and the improved resistance among the population conferred by the severe wave of infections experienced in 2021.

Domestic demand will likely see a strong recovery as a result, with private consumption in particular, benefitting from the lifting of restrictions, it said.

It also said, the fixed investment of Malaysia will receive a further boost from the ongoing global chip shortage and government consumption will be supported by a highly expansionary budget.

Net exports should also contribute positively once more to headline growth, despite mixed risks, it added.

Last Friday, Malaysia announced that its GDP contracted by 4.5 percent year on year in the third quarter of 2021, dragged by strict containment measures implemented by the government to curb the pandemic.

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Malaysia to see strong recovery in 2022: Fitch Solutions - Macau Business

Health authorities will trial a new health code app this month, with the system to include a self-reported movement tracking option to facilitate contact tracing, Health Bureau Director. Alvis Lo, stated in an interview with TDM Radio Forum yesterday (Wednesday).

Lo underlined that users of the new health code system can choose whether or not to scan the QR codes placed at premises they are visiting, with travel history records only being stored on their smartphones after they scan the QR codes, and will not be uploaded onto the bureaus database.

The new function aims to assist authorities and residents to more accurately assess their Covid-19 infection risks by confirming whether they have been in contact with those who are later confirmed as novel coronavirus patients.

The first stage of the trial will be conducted in public medical institutions, such as the Conde de So Janurio Hospital Centre, health centres and health stations.

The new app will also aggregate all functions added to the Macau Health Code, such as the three-colour health code system that indicates the smartphone users risk of having been infected with Covid-19, Covid-19 nucleic acid test result display and Covid-19 vaccination records.

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New health code app with tracking option available in November - Macau Business

The Macau government has lent more than MOP2 billion (US$249.2 million) to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2020, a year marked by the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to data from the authorities consulted today by Lusa, these companies received MOP2 billion last year under the SME Support Plan, practically the same amount approved between 2003 when the scheme started and 2015, and about ten times more than the average annual value of loans approved between 2016 and 2019.

Applications for help from Macao SMEs under the support plan have slowed down this year, but October was when the highest number was registered (107), having even tripled in relation to some of the previous months.

In 2021 up to October, the Macau Government had also approved MOP109.1 million in interest-free loans.

Retail trade, construction and public works, restaurants and hotels were the most benefited economic activities in 2021, similarly to what had happened since the beginning of the support program.

The SME Support Plan was launched in May 2003 to financially help, with interest-free loans, companies that felt the economic impact due to SARS-CoV, detected in February of that year.

In 2020, with the pandemic of the new coronavirus, SARS-Cov-2, the Government reinforced economic support, with interest-free loans to finance the acquisition of equipment, renovation works, the companys working capital and acquisition of intellectual property rights, among others.

Currently, the maximum amount of the budget is set at MOP600,000 and the Government is still providing second aid to companies that have fully reimbursed the amount of support previously granted.

Despite the few cases (77) of Covid-19, border restrictions and the consequent decrease in visitors to the worlds gaming capital at casinos forced the authorities to proceed with exceptional measures to support the population and companies.

The Macao Governments budget for 2022 will continue to record a budget deficit, covered by the mobilization of the financial reserve, of MOP30.3 billion.

The government expects expenditure of MOP99.4 billion and income of MOP100.1 billion.

In the budget for next year, the Government will continue to support companies and the population defined since the beginning of the pandemic, amounting to MOP20.4 billion.

The Government proposes to maintain a set of tax deduction and exemption measures, totalling MOP3.09 billion.

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Gov't lent more than MOP2 bln to SMEs in 2020 - Macau Business

A 17-year-old French girl who disappeared while jogging, triggering a mass search and kidnapping investigation, was reunited with her family Wednesday, a day after being found in a takeaway restaurant.

Some 200 police officers were deployed in the search for the teen, who went missing on Monday afternoon while jogging in a forest in the Mayenne region of northwest France.

After more than 24 hours she was found in a takeaway in the town of Sable-sur-Sarthe, about 10 kilometres (sux miles) away, where the mayor described her as being in a state of severe shock.

France Bleu public radio reported that she had taken refuge in the restaurant after telling the owner she had escaped from a gang of kidnappers who snatched her in the forest.

She was taken to hospital for tests and later questioned by police.

The public prosecutor in charge of the investigation gave no details about the circumstances of the girls disappearance, saying only that police were trying to establish a timeline of events based on her statements.

Prosecutor Celine Maigne added that no-one had been arrested in connection with her disappearance. A man who was taken into custody on Monday night has been cleared of suspicion, Maigne revealed.

Several news outlets reported that the man had called the police several times to try to obtain information about the case, sparking their suspicion.

The girls parents raised the alarm on Monday evening when she failed to return from her regular afternoon jog.

Investigators used data from her running app which showed that her workout had stopped abruptly at a fork in the woods in Bellebranche forest.

Her father searched the area where she went running and found some of her personal effects.

Maigne said on Tuesday that no line of investigation was being ruled out.

She described the girl as perfectly focused, cared-for, sporty.

France Bleu said that her telephone and earphones had been found with traces of blood on them.

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Teen French jogger in suspected abduction case reunited with family - Macau Business

Cyprus said Wednesday it would seek to suspend asylum applications to cope with an influx of irregular migrants entering the eastern Mediterranean island that it blames on Turkey.

Data showed European Union member Cyprus was facing demographic change and acute socio-economic effects as a result the migrant crisis, said government spokesperson Marios Pelekanos.

A request will be submitted to the European Commission to take action in favour of the Republic of Cyprus, including granting it the right to suspend asylum applications by people entering the country illegally, he told reporters.

The Republic of Cyprus says it has the highest number of first-time asylum applications among all 27 EU members relative to its population of roughly one million.

It accuses Turkey of orchestrating the crisis by allowing irregular migrants to cross over from the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Cyprus has been divided since Turkish mainland troops invaded the north in 1974 after a Greek Cypriot coup engineered by the ruling junta in Athens sought to unite the island with Greece.

The 180-kilometre (112-mile) Green Line has split the island from east to west since then, separating the Republic of Cyprus, the European Unions easternmost member, from the self-proclaimed TRNC, recognised only by Ankara.

Migrant flows recorded in Cyprus in 2021 were 38 percent higher than for all of last year, said Pelekanos.

In the first 10 months of the year, 10,868 irregular migrants arrived in Cyprus, 9,270 having illegally crossed the islands dividing line in a prescribed and conscious policy by Turkey, he said.

The current flows added to the more than 33,000 people already illegally residing in the republic, the government spokesman added.

The percentage of asylum seekers exceeds four percent of the population, when in the rest of the EU front-line countries it does not exceed one percent, Pelekanos said.

His remarks came after ministers agreed on a series of measures to tackle the spike in irregular migration at an emergency meeting chaired by President Nicos Anastasiades.

Nicosia expected EU solidarity for the immediate relocation of asylum seekers to other member states, but also the repatriation of asylum seekers to their countries of origin, Pelekanos said.

According to the government, 15,000 people have had their asylum applications rejected but cannot be deported because there is no coherent EU policy or agreement with their home countries on sending them back.

Pelekanos said Cyprus was calling on the European Commission to offer emergency measures to face a deteriorating situation.

Also on Wednesday, Cypriot police said a boatload of 61 migrants thought to be from Syria and Lebanon, including 28 children, were escorted to shore in Paphos, on islands east coast.

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Cyprus seeks to suspend asylum applications - Macau Business

Cuba on Wednesday accused the United States of trying to destabilize the island nation with an opposition street protest next week.

Cubas outlawed opposition has said it will defy a government ban to protestfor change and against violence in Havana and six other provinces on Monday.

The government was jarred by a nationwide day of protests over the summer, as Cubans took to the streets to complain about miserable living conditions and a lack of freedom.

Last month, the communist government rejected the organizers request to demonstrate again, claiming the march would be a provocation supported by the United States with the aim of provoking regime change.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Wednesday that Havana will not allow the persistent aggression by the United States government, its intense and constant attempts to create conditions for internal destabilization, to alter the citizens calm and security.

Mondays march will coincide with Cuba reopening its tourism sector and primary schools after months of disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the capital will celebrate the 502nd year since its foundation.

There have been 29 statements from the United States government and influential figures in that nations congress since September 22 alone all aimed at encouraging, guiding, instigating destabilization actions in our country, said Rodriguez.

Havanas public prosecutors office has warned protest organizers about the criminal consequences they face if they go ahead with their plans. But the opposition remains unbowed.

It says the government ban is illegal as the countrys constitution guarantees the right to protest.

The new demonstration will take place four months after unprecedented anti-government protests that erupted on July 11 in around 50 Cuban cities.

The subsequent government crackdown left one dead, dozens injured and more than 1,000 people detained, several hundred of whom remain behind bars.

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Cuba accuses Washington of 'destabilization' over protest - Macau Business

Macaus gross gaming revenue was estimated at around MOP$1.65 billion (US$206 million), or MOP$235 million per day (US$29.3 million), for the first seven days of November, representing a 12% week-on-week increase.

According to industry analysts, the figures are weaker than first anticipated but still reflect a decent recovery trajectory following the easing of border restrictions between Macau and Zhuhai on 19 October, with daily arrivals departures combined reaching 50,000 per day not far from Mays peak of 57,000. As reported by Inside Asian Gaming, total visitor arrivals reached 30,512 on 29 October.

In a Monday note, Bernstein analysts Vitaly Umansky, Louis Li and Kelsey Zhu said, Given Chinas COVID outbreak is continuing and has spread to 20 (of total 34) provinces, visitation to Macau seems reasonably solid, but average visitor spend seems low.

The MOP$235 million run rate over the past week is 69% lower than in November 2019 but 67% higher than October, when daily GGR was just MOP$141 million (US$17.6 million). It remains below the MOP$250 million to MOP$300 million (US$31.2 million to US$37.4 million) in daily GGR achieved through the first six months of this year.

VIP average daily volume is said to be up by 75% to 80% versus October while mass GGR is up by between 50% and 55%.

JP Morgans DS Kim, Amanda Cheng and Livy Lyu described it as am okay start to the month and also noted GGR is not too bad either considering the recent COVID flare-ups in multiple provinces (in China).

Macau GGR for November is estimated to finish between 60% and 70% lower than November 2019, when GGR was MOP$22.88 billion (US$2.85 billion).

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Macau visitation improving but GGR spend low in first week of November, say analysts - IAG - Inside Asian Gaming