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New Zealand's Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has entered self-isolation until Tuesday after being deemed a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case.

On paper, the change was subtle -- the word "caste" appearing in parentheses after the term "race and ethnicity."

The worst of the nor'easter that dumped record snowfall in parts of the East Coast has passed, but "dangerously cold" wind chills were set to stick around in some areas Sunday morning, forecasters said.

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Sunday said that the "no vaccine, no ride" policy in Metro Manila will automatically be lifted while the region is placed under alert level 2 starting Feb. 1. In a message to reporters, Assistant Secretary Goddes Libiran reiterated that the said policy will only be implemented when Metro Manila is under Alert Level 3 or higher. "Once we de-escalate to Alert Level 2, the policy shall automatically be lifted," Libiran said. Libiran made the clarification after Malacaang announced that Metro Manila, along with seven other provinces, will be placed under alert level 2 starting Feb. 1 to 15. The "no vaccine, no rid...

Keep on reading: ‘No vax, no ride’ policy suspended under Alert Level 2 — DOTr

Denise thought her divorce was behind her. Then the pandemic hit.

Janet Jackson told fans that she and fellow pop superstar Justin Timberlake have already moved on from the Super Bowl incident, as she urged them to do the same. Jackson and Timberlake hit the headlines in 2004 after Jackson experienced a wardrobe malfunction while performing with the pop singer in the Super Bowl halftime show. Timberlake accidentally exposed Jackson's nipple while singing a part of his hit song "Rock Your Body" that goes "I'll have you naked by the end of this song." Jackson stressed that she has a good relationship with Timberlake, noting how people should stop the blame game regarding the incident. This she talked about in her recently released "Janet" docum...

Keep on reading: Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake still ‘good friends’ after Super Bowl incident

MANILA, Philippines --- Senator Nancy Binay on Sunday slammed the decision to lift facility-based quarantine for fully-vaccinated travelers, as it will lead to even more public health risks and another "inevitable" spike in COVID-19 infections. "I'm not sure if the intent is to stop the spread or [if the] government has already given up on us. The spikes will definitely be inevitable," Binay said in a statement. The senator said this after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases suspended the "green-yellow-red list" system, subsequently lifting facility-based quarantine for fully-vaccinated travelers regardless of the country of origin. REA...

Keep on reading: Binay slams lifting of facility quarantine for fully-vaxxed travelers: ‘Has gov’t given up?’

For actor-singer Franco Laurel, there are two things that make his marriage work with Ayen Munji-Laurel -- communication, and putting God at the center of their relationship. Laurel was asked about the secret of his marriage during the online conference for ABS-CBN's new teleserye "The Broken Marriage Vow" last Jan. 17. In this Philippine adaptation of the hit BBC drama series, as the main character, Jodi Sta. Maria as Dr. Jill Ilustre, discovered her husband's Zanjoe Marudo's infidelity. Laurel plays Atty. Dante Pugong, annulment lawyer and patient of Dr. Jill. "As [cliched] as it may sound, the reason why my marriage has lasted this long is because of God. God is the center of ou...

Keep on reading: The secret to a lasting marriage? God, says Franco Laurel

  SEOUL -- Yu Kyoung-suk found joy by making special tteokguk, or rice cake soup, this year. As the year became 2022, he came up with a fancy tteokguk -- topped with flower-shaped dumplings and jidan (egg garnish) -- to share with his wife and their two sons. He squeezed juice from beets and carrots to add colors to the dumpling dough to make a special tteokguk this year. "When the New Year comes, Koreans eat tteokguk made using rice cake slices from garaetteok (a stick of long rice cake) which symbolizes good health and long life. I used to eat it without giving it any special meaning, but this year feels different," Yu said. "I wanted to try something new, with fancy dec...

Keep on reading: Making tteokguk gets trendy in pandemic times

    SEOUL -- South Korean global phenomenon "Squid Game" has been nominated for the annual Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards. The PGA on Thursday (US time) announced nominations for this year's awards show, honoring excellence in film and TV productions. The 33rd edition will take place on March 19. "Squid Game," a Korean-language Netflix original, was listed as a contender for the category of Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television - Drama. It will vie with "The Handmaid's Tale," "The Morning Show," "Succession" and "Yellowstone." It is the first time that a non-English TV program has received a nod at the PGA Awards. In ...

Keep on reading: ‘Squid Game’ nominated for best TV drama series at US producers guild awards

CITY OF CALAPAN --- Police arrested on Friday, January 28, one of the suspects in the killing of a woman and her two children inside their house in San Jose town in Romblon province, according to a report from Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) police office Sunday afternoon. On Wednesday, January 26, Wielyn Mendoza, 29, a single mother and her sons TJ, 9, and JB, 7, were found dead due to stab wounds in their house in Sitio (sub-village) Upper Hinulugan in Barangay (village) Poblacion. Patrick Cahilig, 35, a resident of Barangay Busay and one of the four "persons of interest" in the killings earlier identified by San Jose police was arrested on Friday at around 6 p.m...

Keep on reading: Suspect in killing of mother, 2 kids in Romblon nabbed

  TOKYO -- The number of pregnant women infected with the novel coronavirus in Japan has surged amid the spread of the Omicron variant. According to preliminary data compiled by the Tokyo metropolitan government, 261 expectant women contracted the virus from Jan. 1 to Jan. 20, marking an about 50-fold increase on the previous month. At some hospitals, beds reserved for infected pregnant women have been fully occupied. This raises the possibility of no hospital beds being available for those recuperating at home who experience a sudden deterioration in condition. Only a limited number of medical institutions accept infected pregnant women due to difficulties associated w...

Keep on reading: Japan: Pregnant women with coronavirus facing hospital bed shortage

  Mirrors cover the west gate's 38 stone steps at Kiyomizudera temple, a Unesco World Cultural Heritage site in Kyoto City, reflecting the sun and sky. The art piece has received quite a bit of attention with visitors posting photos on social media. The installation was planned by Oki Sato, who designed the Tokyo Olympic cauldron. "I want people to get a sense of how amazing this old city is by bringing a new perspective to the stone steps," Sato said. The event is scheduled to run through Feb. 13.   RELATED STORIES LOOK: Gateway to another world at shrine in Kyoto Michelle Obama gets taste of Japan's ancient culture in Kyoto Playing god: Japan temple puts...

Keep on reading: LOOK: Art installation gives new perspective to old Kyoto temple

  BANGKOK -- Renowned virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan has dismissed ideas that Covid-19 will become endemic, as predicted by health authorities in Thailand and around the world. Posting on his Facebook page, Yong noted that the words Covid-19 and endemic were frequently being used together. However, he pointed out that "endemic" describes a disease that is confined to a certain area -- such as Yellow Fever in Africa or MERS in the Middle East -- while a pandemic describes a worldwide outbreak. He explained that Covid-19 has spread all over the world and will not be confined to a certain area, so there is no chance it will become endemic. Other communicable diseases ...

Keep on reading: Why COVID-19 will never become endemic

      DHAKA -- As Omicron pushes Western countries towards reopening, Asia is hunkering down, sharpening an East-West divide on the balance between public health, the economy and basic rights and freedoms. While the highly transmissible coronavirus variant is accelerating the move toward living with Covid-19 in Europe and North America, life in much of the Asia Pacific is little less restricted -- and in some cases even more restricted -- than at the start of the pandemic. The widening divide comes even as many Asia Pacific countries boast vaccination rates higher than those of their Western counterparts. The region's ultra-cautious stance two years i...

Keep on reading: Asia hunkers down as Omicron pushes West to reopen

    SINGAPORE -- People around the world seem to be leaving their jobs in droves as they rethink priorities as the Covid-19 pandemic wears on. While this may not be the case here, work-life balance is becoming increasingly important to locals. Some sectors bear watching even as the economy recovers. The Sunday Times examines the issue. The Great Singapore Resignation: Fact or myth? It is a trend that has been called "The Big Quit", "The Great Resignation", or even "Lying Flat", as scores of people in countries around the world leave their jobs. A QuitTok fad has even popped up on social media, with people posting about their resignations on video platform T...

Keep on reading: The Great Resignation: Has the global trend reached Singapore?

        SEOUL -- On Jeju, South Korea's largest island, it is common for women to wear the pants in the family. For a long time, the Jeju women, many of whom are primary income earners for their households, are literally responsible for putting seafood on our tables. Jeju haenyeo, which roughly translates to "women of the sea", are free-diving seafood gatherers who can hold their breaths for long periods as they harvest from the sea floor. "They used to call us 'jomnyeo' which means diving woman in the Jeju dialect," said Madam Koh Bok-im, 73, a Jeju native who has been working as a Jeju haenyeo since the age of 18, following her mother and gr...

Keep on reading: Jeju haenyeo, an extreme job putting fresh seafood on tables

Joel Embiid had 36 points,12 rebounds and six assists to lead the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Sacramento Kings 103-101 on Saturday night. The Sixers held on after taking a 103-93 lead on an Embiid layup with 2:28 left. Embiid was 10 of 18 from the field and 14 of 18 from the free-throw line while scoring at least 25 points for the 17th game in a row. https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1487653225855651843?s=20&t=BnJ4co5i-OTrS7eUbt-F7g For the 76ers, Tobias Harris added 16 points and eight rebounds, Tyrese Maxey contributed 13 points with seven assists and Danny Green scored 11. The Kings played without De'Aaron Fox for the fourth straight game because of his sore l...

Keep on reading: NBA: Joel Embiid scores 36 as 76ers edge Kings

Earlier this month, two NYPD officers were killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call. According to authorities, the suspect used a Glock 45 that was stolen in Baltimore in 2017, prompting city and state officials to call for stronger measures against gun violence and gun trafficking across state lines. The tragedy highlighted a growing concern about the seeming flood of firearms across America.