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MAKATI CITY, Philippines---Over 1,000 applicants turned up for the first edition of the "Queen of bECQi" pageant launch in 2020 when the government placed Metro Manila and other parts of the country on enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as part of its pandemic response. After a series of online challenges, Marian Crisologo beat 120 other official contenders, including "It's Showtime" Miss Q&A grand finalists Matmat Centeno and Lars Pacheco, who both finished as runners-up. The winner took home P100,000 in the online beauty pageant in 2020, organized by the Sir Wil Online Challenge team. The team's head, entrepreneur and LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, ...

Keep on reading: Online pageant for ‘beki’ draws 4,000 wannabes

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine Embassy in Australia is monitoring the investigation into the death of a Filipino seaman whose body was discovered on a beach in Vanuatu, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday. "It was in the local news there that a Filipino crew member was discovered missing from the foreign vessel as it left Vanuatu. Shortly, the body was found on the beach," Ivy Banzon-Abalos, executive director of the DFA's strategic communications office, said in a message to reporters. This, in response to a query on reports that a body of a Filipino seaman was found on a beach in the Pacific island nation. Some reports indicated that the Filipino tested...

Keep on reading: Filipino seaman found dead on Vanuatu beach; DFA yet to confirm if deceased positive for COVID-19

KUALA LUMPUR --- Microsoft Corporation will invest $1 billion over the next five years in Malaysia as part of a new partnership program with government agencies and local companies, the Southeast Asian nation's prime minister said Monday. The announcement on what would be the U.S. tech giant's biggest investment in Malaysia comes after the country in February gave conditional approvals for Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and state telecoms firm Telekom Malaysia to build and manage hyper-scale data centers and provide cloud services. It also comes after the country saw foreign direct investments (FDI) plunge by 68% last year, the biggest decline in Southeast Asia. Malaysia has def...

Keep on reading: Microsoft to invest $1B in Malaysia to set up data centers – Malaysian PM

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday called on local government units (LGUs) to issue guidelines so that health protocols can be properly observed in carrying out community pantry initiatives. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press briefing that there is no need to stop the operations of such pantries, but noted that its organizers should be properly guided so that it would not be an area for transmission of coronavirus. She added that the DOH recognizes such efforts to help other people in need in the time of pandemic. "I call on our local governments na sana tingnan natin ang mga pantries na ito. Bigyan lang natin n...

Keep on reading: DOH urges LGUs to issue guidelines for community pantries

MANILA, Philippines---Only less than a month after it issued Japanese yen-denominated samurai bonds, the Philippines will tap the euro debt market next. In an announcement on Monday (April 19), the Philippine government said meetings with fixed-income investors will be held in Asia, Europe and the United States starting April 19, after which it may soon issue euro-denominated securities "subject to market conditions." The Philippines was looking at selling tenors, or maturity periods, of four, 12, or 20 years. The government hired BNP PARIBAS, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Nomura, and Standard Chartered Bank as joint lead managers and bookrunners. National Treasure...

Keep on reading: PH eyes euro bond next less than a month after issuing samurai debt papers

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Health (DOH) said Monday that the traffic of calls to the One Hospital Command Center (OHCC) is now "decongested," weeks after the COVID-19 referral center found itself swamped with hundreds of calls. According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the government has already augmented the manpower and equipment at the OHCC. "'Yung One Hospital Command ay nagkaroon sila ng, nadecongest ang calls sa kanila, hindi na ganoon karami ang traffic sa pagtawag doon sa One Hospital Command," Vergeire said in an online press briefing. (Calls to the One Hospital Command have been decongested. The traffic of calls is not that heavy anymore...

Keep on reading: DOH says calls to COVID-19 referral center now ‘decongested’

JERUSALEM --- Four Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police in annexed east Jerusalem, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Monday, after officers cordoned off a popular gathering spot for Ramadan crowds. Separately in the historically Arab Jaffa district of Tel Aviv, residents assaulted a rabbi seeking to acquire land for housing for Jewish seminary students in a predominantly Arab neighborhood, prompting clashes with police. Police said they made three arrests after the Jerusalem clashes, during which they used tear gas and water cannon to disperse a large crowd gathered outside one of the gates to the walled Old City, video posted on Twitter showed. Police said t...

Keep on reading: Four Palestinians injured in Ramadan clashes in Jerusalem

When Diarra Bousso was a child she dreamed of being a fashion designer, artist, mathematician and ballerina when she grew up. Today she's achieved three out of four and added teacher to the list, too. With her Senegal-based brand Diarrablu she uses her gift for algorithms and equations to design artisan-made womenswear, including a bikini modeled by Kendall Jenner in Vogue, all the while supporting local leatherworkers, textile makers and tailors in Dakar.

  MANILA, Philippines --- Education Secretary Leonor Briones has defended her agency's action of identifying members of two teachers' groups, saying it is just "a standard requirement which we require all organizations." The Department of Education (DepEd) chief issued this remark on Monday in a bid to allay fears that her agency's move could pave the way for harassment of teachers. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and the Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC) earlier expressed concern over an online survey that purportedly seeks to profile teachers who are members of the two groups. ACT's Raymond Basilio even likened the survey to the police's profiling of its m...

Keep on reading: Briones: Identifying teachers’ affiliations ‘standard requirement’

Prosecutors and the defense will offer competing visions of Derek Chauvin's role in George Floyd's death during closing arguments Monday in the former Minneapolis officer's criminal trial.

PORT VILA, Vanuatu --- Vanuatu slapped travel restrictions on its most populous island Monday after tests confirmed a body that washed ashore on the largely coronavirus-free Pacific nation was infected with Covid-19. Government sources said the deceased was a Filipino sailor whose vessel had left Port Vila a day before his body was found washed up near a village about five kilometers (3.1 miles) outside the city on Sunday 11 April. The man's crewmates and police officers who retrieved the body had all tested negative for the virus, said the sources, who wished to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to discuss the matter. It was not clear how or where the man died, o...

Keep on reading: COVID-19 alert in Vanuatu after infected body of Filipino sailor washes ashore

European football's governing body UEFA has warned clubs linked to a breakaway Super League that they face being banned from domestic and international competitions if they set up a rival to the Champions League. In a joint statement with Spanish, English and Italian leagues and federations, UEFA said it will consider "all measures", including the courts and bans from domestic leagues, in opposition to plans for a breakaway competition. UEFA said it had learned that clubs from those countries "may be planning to announce their creation of a closed, so-called Super League". "If this were to happen, we wish to reiterate that we....(and) also FIFA and all our member association...

Keep on reading: UEFA threatens to ban breakaway clubs from all competitions

Difficult times make strong people. It is something that Filipinos are very familiar with. They learn to adapt, be hopeful, and ultimately pivot to champion over challenges. Just like proudly-Filipino startup, Dingdong. During the pandemic, actor, philanthropist and entrepreneur Dingdong Dantes has managed to launch a full-service tech-solutions company that seeks not only to innovatively address everyday needs, but also provide livelihood to Filipinos. Dingdong Delivers It all started with a delicate flower arrangement that needed to be delivered on time and undamaged. In 2019, Dantes' wife, actress Marian Rivera-Dantes, needed help in delivering flowers for her shop, Flora Vid...

Keep on reading: A pandemic triumph: Dingdong® is a rising startup in the tech industry

Americans awoke Friday to news of yet another mass shooting, this time at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, where eight people were killed late Thursday.

Nikki Valdez opened up about the excitement and anxiety she experienced on her first day back to work since recovering from COVID-19. "Still thankful. First day back at work after recovering from COVID was a bit of a struggle," she stated while showing a photo of herself on-set, through her Instagram page yesterday, April 18. She admitted having mixed feelings about going back to work, saying she was happy and excited to return, but also nervous and anxious. "Nevertheless, I am thankful to see everyone today. We had our own share of stories to tell," Valdez added. "My body is extra tired but my heart is filled with gratitude for this day and all the people I am surrounded wi...

Keep on reading: Nikki Valdez back to work after surviving COVID-19

Hester Ford, a North Carolina woman who was recognized as the oldest living American, died peacefully on Saturday in her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, her great-granddaughter Tanisha Patterson-Powe confirmed.

MANILA, Philippines --- Dito Telecommunity has completed the interconnection of its mobile network with major telecommunications providers in the Philippines. This means subscribers of Dito can send text messages and make voice calls to those using PLDT Inc.-Smart Communications and Globe Telecom. "This effort is a reflection of Globe's commitment to fair and healthy competition in the telco industry, as well as its adherence to the rules and regulations prevailing in competition and telecom laws," Froilan Castelo, Globe general counsel, said in a statement. Globe said it was further working to finalize the interconnection of fixed landline service with Dito, a telco startup own...

Keep on reading: Dito completes interconnection with Smart, Globe

Actress Carla Abellana is asking for help for a cat and a dog, both having been ran over by a vehicle. Abellana narrated how a cat named Whitey got into an accident which left it seriously injured as per her Instagram post yesterday, April 18. "Whitey is an indoor domesticated cat from Iligan City. He is usually kept indoors, but one time he managed to exit the house and stay under a vehicle, which unfortunately was the same vehicle that ran him over by accident," she said. Abellana took it upon herself to "personally supervise" the case, saying she has a direct contact with the veterinarian who can amputate his broken leg and treat his ascites. "PLEASE DM ME SCREENSHOTS of y...

Keep on reading: Carla Abellana seeks help for cat and dog, both hit by vehicles