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  WASHINGTON --- US President Joe Biden signed half a dozen executive orders on Wednesday to reverse several hard-line immigration policies put in place by former President Donald Trump, although migration experts warn that it will take months or longer to unravel many of the restrictions imposed in the past four years. In a sharp departure from his Republican predecessor, Biden, a Democrat, just hours after being sworn in, also sent an immigration bill to Congress that proposes opening a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants living in the United States unlawfully. After he was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, he offered a message of unity a...

Keep on reading: Biden swiftly starts undoing Trump policies

The House on Thursday approved a waiver to permit retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to serve as secretary of defense in the Biden administration.

The former head of the Vatican bank, Angelo Caloia, has been sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for money laundering and aggravated embezzlement.

As researchers around the world race to see if new coronavirus variants will pose a problem for the vaccines, a second study in two days says a variant from South Africa could possibly do just that.

Stopping the mandatory hike in private workers' monthly contributions to the Social Security System (SSS) this year would result in P41.37 billion in foregone collections and could place the state-run pension fund's bottom line in the red, its top official said on Thursday. During a hearing conducted by the House committee on government enterprises and privatization to tackle the pending measures aimed at halting the contribution rate hike to 13 percent, SSS president and chief executive Aurora Ignacio warned, "the provisions of the bills tend to weaken, rather than strengthen the SSS, especially in these difficult times." Having delayed the collection of contribution payments from...

Keep on reading: SSS chief: Fund facing P14.9-B deficit amid halt in contribution hike

Local borrowing rates will remain low for the foreseeable future in an effort to boost economic growth after being savaged by the coronavirus pandemic last year, according to the central bank. In an online press briefing, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Francisco Dakila Jr. said last year's aggressive moves by the regulator to pump trillions of cash into the financial system had also met with some success as there were now emerging "encouraging signs of recovery." "The BSP is of the view that prevailing monetary policy settings remain accommodative to help quicken the economy's transition toward a sustainable recovery," he said referring to the country's record lo...

Keep on reading: PH loan rates expected to remain low amid muted inflation outlook

  The national pool is eager to have Kai Sotto in the training bubble, something that is getting closer to reality after the 7-foot-3 teenager announced on social media that he is excited to have "an opportunity to play" for Gilas Pilipinas in the third window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers. "We're excited to see how much he has already improved and what he can bring to the system," Jong Uichico, one of the national coaches handling the training of the Gilas pool in Laguna province, said on Thursday. Sotto posted a video entry on Instagram on Thursday morning saying: "I'm heading home soon. I'm excited that I have been given an opportunity to play for Gilas for th...

Keep on reading: Gilas pool eager to have Sotto in bubble

The local stock barometer dipped for the fifth straight session on Thursday as foreign investors continued to dump local equities. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) lost 3.01 points or 0.04 percent to close at 7,140.29. "The PSEi ended flat as there was very little action in blue chips. There was increased selling pressure at the open, which lasted throughout the session. Last minute buying allowed it to recover some of its losses to end flat," said Christopher Mangun, head of research at AAA Equities. "The trend remains the same for the PSEi as sentiment remains cautious. This trend will continue until investors see clearer signs that the economy continues to recover,"...

Keep on reading: Waiting for inspiration, PSEi still feeling blah on fifth day

Questions have arisen over the constitutionality of former President Donald Trump's impending trial in the Senate. Trump is the first president to be impeached twice and would be the first ex-president to have his impeachment tried in the Senate while out of office.

Media giant ABS-CBN Corp. announced a partnership with rival TV5 that would allow more of its popular content to air on free television across the Philippines. ABS-CBN said on Thursday its programs "ASAP Natin 'To" and "FPJ: Da King" would air on TV5 starting Jan. 24 this year. This also includes TV5's affiliate Cignal TV, a satellite TV company. This was possible through a blocktime or airtime leasing deal with TV5, which was once the country's third-biggest TV network before President Duterte's allies in the House of Representatives ended ABS-CBN's bid for a new franchise last year. TV5 and Cignal are part of the media of arm of telecommunications giant PLDT Inc., which is led...

Keep on reading: ABS-CBN makes bigger free TV comeback via TV5 partnership

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have moved out of their Washington, DC, home, and have signed a one-year lease on a luxury condo in Miami at the Arte, an expensive oceanfront residential building, a source familiar with the couple's move confirmed to CNN.

  San Miguel Beer champion coach Leo Austria urged the youth in his hometown Sariaya, Quezon province, to continue chasing their sporting dreams amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Austria, who steered the Beermen to five straight all-Filipino championships before yielding the throne last season, said facilities put up by San Miguel Corp. (SMC) will provide young athletes a platform to showcase their skills as they aim for athletic excellence. "I came from here, too, and made it all the way to the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association)," Austria said in Filipino as he joined PBA legend and four-time most valuable player (MVP) Alvin Patrimonio and local officials during the rec...

Keep on reading: Austria tells Sariaya youth: Don’t give up on sporting dreams

Low-income households have to be spared from possible disconnection of electricity services due to unpaid bills for as long as quarantine restrictions continue to take a toll on people's livelihood, according to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian. For this reason, the lawmaker called on the Energy Regulatory Commission to again extend the "no disconnection" policy for such households, at least until the end of general community quarantine. For distribution giant Manila Electric Co., the policy that benefits at least three million customers that are billed for no more than 200 kilowatt-hours (KWH) a month had been extended by one month from Dec. 31, 2020 to Jan. 31. "Except for a few, who are ...

Keep on reading: ‘No power disconnection’ policy extension pushed

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said that former President Donald Trump did not incite the riot at the Capitol earlier this month, contradicting previous comments he made that the President did bear some responsibility for the assault.

Our universe may be filled with unseen giants. Astronomers have discovered two giant radio galaxies, which are some of the largest-known objects in the universe. This revelation suggests that the enormous galaxies may be more common than previously believed.

It had once been a transatlantic art scandal -- or at least various actors of questionable intent would have you believe it was.

CNN's Brianna Keilar looks at how the decor President Biden chose for the Oval Office differs from Trump's.

Some Peruvian medics are going on hunger strike to demand more funding as cases of Covid-19 spiral in the country, according to a statement from Peru's Social Security National Medical Union (SINAMMSOP) published Wednesday.