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Written by: Kenneth M. del Rosario In the digital world, OPPO knows that with 5G, the possibilities are limitless for its consumers to do more and be more. As tech becomes an even greater integral part of people's lifestyles, connectivity remains a crucial focus for the global technology giant. This is especially true in the past two years, when much of the world, including Filipinos, were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing them to stay at home for their own safety. This, in turn, changed the way people live and do things. "We've seen people appreciate the benefits of becoming more digital and embracing the idea of living a highly digital lifestyle from this point on," s...

Keep on reading: OPPO’s 5G vision and how it plans to bring to life a ‘true smart life’

  MANILA, Philippines --- "I still believe that the Filipino people know their votes for FPJ were stolen." Senator Grace Poe on Monday said this after Manila Mayor Isko Moreno's campaign strategist, Lito Banayo, claimed her father's refusal to attend debates and interviews affected his presidential bid in 2004. "For a campaign strategist as seasoned as Lito, I'm surprised he would largely attribute the results of the 2004 elections to a single aspect of the campaign. It's almost as if he forgot about the 'hello Garci scandal' and other election-related issues of the past," Poe said in a statement. While Poe recognized the importance of a debate, she said she does not...

Keep on reading: Votes ‘stolen:’ Grace Poe says 2004 debates alone did not cause FPJ’s loss

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday registered 14,546 new cases of COVID-19 and an additional 26,500 recoveries, active cases slightly decreased to 190,818. This is the first time active cases have dipped below the 200,000-mark since January 11. Based on the DOH's report, 70 percent or 10,203 of the new infections were logged within the last 14 days. It showed Region 11 as the top region that posted the highest number of new cases at 1,381 new cases (14 percent) in the recent two weeks, followed by Metro Manila with 1,053 (10 percent) and Region 7 with 973 (10 percent). The positivity rate, meanwhile, is at 28.4 percent out of the 52,013 tests co...

Keep on reading: PH logs 14,546 new COVID-19 cases, 26,500 latest recoveries

Federal prosecutors have reached plea agreements with Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, on hate crime charges they faced in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, court documents show.

MANILA, Philippines --- The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill that aims to strengthen the country's law against human trafficking. With 22 affirmative votes, no negative votes, and no abstention, senators passed Senate Bill No. 2449, which intends to amend the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. Bill sponsor Senator Risa Hontiveros described its passage as an "important milestone in the protection of women, children, and other victims of trafficking." Among the key provisions of the measure is making accountable internet intermediaries which "knowingly [allow] their infrastructure to be used for acts of trafficking of victims of all ages," Hontiveros e...

Keep on reading: Senate passes bill bolstering anti-human trafficking law

Saddiq Bey scored 31 points, Cade Cunningham recorded his second career triple-double and the host Detroit Pistons rallied past the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-105 on Sunday. Cunningham had 19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals for Detroit, which outscored Cleveland 31-17 in the fourth quarter. Frank Jackson had 19 points, Trey Lyles supplied 15 and Isaiah Stewart added 14 while grabbing 12 rebounds. https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1487968879997435909?s=20&t=Y_cM7gubIbq54XKK3bo0JQ Darius Garland led Cleveland with 24 points and seven assists, while Evan Mobley had 18 points and nine rebounds. Jarrett Allen contributed 15 points and nine rebounds and Dean Wade added ...

Keep on reading: NBA: Pistons use big fourth quarter to overcome Cavaliers

  MANILA, Philippines --- The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill mandating the granting of COVID-19 benefits and allowances to public and private health workers during the state of national public health emergency amid the pandemic. Voting 23-0-0, the Senate approved on second reading Senate Bill No. 2421 or the proposed COVID-19 Benefits and Allowances For Health Workers Act of 2022. The proposed law covers all public and private health workers, regardless of employment status during the state of public health emergency. The compensation for COVID-19 related sickness and death provided under the measure also covers "non-medical workers and o...

Keep on reading: Senate approves bill granting benefits to COVID-19 frontliners

    SINGAPORE -- Mr. Jarrod Chua happily indulged his hobby of drawing planet-themed comics after being issued a stay-home restriction order when he was doing his national service in June 2020. He then put the drawings on an Instagram page called @spaceytales. A life-long space enthusiast, his hobby also helped to ward off boredom. To Mr. Chua's surprise, his Instagram account attracted about 1,000 followers in just one month and now has rocketed to more than 9,000.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Spaceytales (@spaceytales) He said: "Because I like sp...

Keep on reading: Nasa buys Singaporean undergrad’s planetary artwork

Iya Villania recounted the day her husband Drew Arellano proposed to her as they marked their eighth anniversary as a married couple. Villania looked back on the day Arellano popped the question, while admitting that she already anticipated the proposal, as per her Instagram page today, Jan. 31. Her anniversary address to Arellano came with a photo of him on one knee and a video of them crying while hugging. "Took awhile for it to sink in when you finally proposed (even if I was waiting in anticipation during the trip!) But I think now, with [three] kids in and another on the way, it couldn't be more real," she said. "What a life I have with you, love [Drew Arellano]." Villa...

Keep on reading: LOOK: Iya Villania gives throwback to Drew Arellano’s proposal, marking their 8th anniversary

MANILA, Philippines --- Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso said on Monday that he does not see any problem with the investigation into the country's war on drugs if it would allay concerns from Filipinos and done within the jurisdiction of the local courts. Moreno, during the official launch of his 10-point economic agenda, said that he would allow drug war investigations if he is elected president as long as it is bound by the country's laws and Constitution --- in reference to his insistence that the International Criminal Court (ICC) cannot prosecute President Rodrigo Duterte. "Will our government initiate such a probe? Yes, why not, bakit hindi kung talagang mapapanatag ko l...

Keep on reading: Isko Moreno OK with drug war probe but only under PH courts’ jurisdiction

China's government is using new intimidation methods against journalists and their sources, according to an annual survey by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.

    A Delhi girl and travel blogger, Saanya Bhandari Jain is one of the youngest women who would represent India on a global platform as she has been chosen for the 2041 ClimateForce expedition to Antarctica as a global ambassador. In a few months' time, the 22-year-old entrepreneur will be sailing with a diverse 80-person team comprising citizens from every continent, united in a common mission to benefit our home planet. The expedition will be led by polar explorer and sustainability champion Robert Swan O.B.E. --- the first person to trek to both of Earth's poles. The "carbon-negative" expedition aims to inspire, develop, and train the next generation of leaders...

Keep on reading: Indian climate activist blogger hopes Antarctic voyage will inspire countless others like her

    SEOUL -- The Lunar New Year or Seollal is one of the two most important and celebrated traditional holidays in South Korea. But, though both halves of the peninsula share many aspects of culture, nearly 77 years of division between the two Koreas have led to divergent holiday traditions. In North Korea, the significance of socialist holidays, including the birth anniversaries of the late leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, the national foundation day on Sept. 9, and the party foundation day on Oct. 10, far outweighs traditional holidays. So how do North Korean people welcome the Year of the Tiger? Not surprisingly, North Koreans begin celebrating the ...

Keep on reading: How do North Koreans celebrate Lunar New Year?

    SEOUL -- Dongdaemun Market is the center of the Korean apparel and fashion industry. Near the market is another "secret" spot for shoppers who want luxury fashion items but cannot afford them. This place is called Dongdaemun Saebit Market, the nation's largest fake designer goods market. Near Dongdaemun Design Plaza Station Exits 2 and 3, about 80 small yellow tents are clustered together, selling counterfeit luxury fashion goods that look pretty much like high-priced brands such as Moncler, Thom Browne, Cartier and Rolex. The products on offer include almost every type of fashion item, from bags and clothes to running shoes and watches. Despite deepening concer...

Keep on reading: South Korea’s counterfeit market is very much alive

OLONGAPO CITY----For the fifth consecutive day, there were fewer active COVID-19 cases in this city as more patients recovered from the viral disease, local data showed on Sunday, Jan. 30. The local task force said 14 patients have recovered and eight new infections were recorded on Sunday. So far, the number of active infections here has gone down to 412 from over 500 last week. Data also showed that Barangay New Ilalim, one of the 17 villages in the city, posted zero active COVID-19 cases on Sunday. Since the pandemic struck in 2020, the city has recorded 6,825 COVID-19 cases with 6,091 recoveries. Its COVID-19 death toll stood at 328, with no new deaths in the last ...

Keep on reading: COVID-19 spread slowing down in Olongapo

The first hundred days are proving to be particularly unforgiving for Germany's first government of the post-Merkel era.

At the start of 2020, the National Symphony Orchestra was planning its first international tour with conductor Gianandrea Noseda, and an epic Beethoven cycle to mark the 250th anniversary of the legendary composer's birth. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic forced the ensemble out of the Kennedy Center in the United States capital for 18 months, and the Beethoven symphonic series has been rescheduled, starting this month and wrapping up in... 2023. The NSO and other professional orchestras in the U.S. have resumed live performances in recent months while navigating a maelstrom of COVID-19 rules, trying to keep everyone healthy, and convincing wary listeners to buy tickets again....

Keep on reading: Despite COVID hurdles, US orchestras find the joy in music

No need to wait until you can travel to Japan or scout for inconspicuous suppliers to enjoy Japanese convenience store favorites, thanks to FamilyMart. Iconic items such as Strong Zero, and Cheeza are now easily accessible across all FamilyMart stores in the Philippines. "We are so glad to add more Japanese treats to our stores, especially nowadays when travel is still limited. As a brand that originated in Japan, it's only proper that we finally bring in these favorites so that we can delight more Filipinos amid these trying times," shared FamilyMart General Manager Celina Matias. The local franchise of the convenience store chain from Japan opened the new year by stocking its she...

Keep on reading: Japanese faves now available in FamilyMart

  MANILA, Philippines --- Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Secretary Joey Concepcion is seeing that the Philippines will be ready to live without the COVID-19 alert level system by March or April. Concepcion on Monday said that they will meet with the private sector to develop a COVID-19 exit plan. "We will craft a plan on how each sector can develop their exit plan. The idea eventually is to reach a point wherein there are no more alert levels, we develop a standard protocol," Concepcion said during the Laging Handa briefing. "So, I think we will eventually get there. I think by March, sometime that period, palagay ko [I think] April, I think we will be rea...

Keep on reading: Palace adviser sees PH ‘ready to move out’ from alert levels by March or April

MANILA, Philippines --- Malacaang has expressed confidence that the Commission on Elections (Comelec), a constitutional body, can resolve any internal issues that it may have. During Monday's Palace press briefing, acting presidential spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles was asked to give a reaction on the ongoing situation at Comelec over the disqualification cases against Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Marcos Jr. is running for president in the upcoming elections. His running mate is vice-presidential aspirant Sara Duterte-Carpio, incumbent Davao City mayor and eldest daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte. "The Comelec is made up of a chairman and six commissioners. The...

Keep on reading: Palace confident Comelec officials can address any ‘internal issues’