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A prestigious scientific panel told the White House Tuesday that it doesn't look like coronavirus will go away once the weather warms up. Trump has claimed that "when it gets a little warmer [the virus] miraculously goes away."

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippines' economy was hit by the coronavirus crisis "in a very hard way" that it may not experience any growth this year.   Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez made the forecast this Thursday in a televised press briefing with President Duterte and other members of the Cabinet, noting that their estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth this year would be as low as 0 to -1 percent.   He also reported that unemployment is estimated at 1.2 million workers.   "Ngayon, itong COVID-19 has hit us in a very hard way. Ang katotohanan lang, ang estimate natin our GDP growth will be zero or minus one percent," Dominguez said. ...

Keep on reading: Finance chief sees negative economic growth in 2020 as COVID-19 hits PH hard

MANILA, Philippines --- The local government of Quezon City has passed an ordinance prohibiting acts of discrimination against confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, as well as health and emergency workers on the frontline of the battle against the pandemic. In a statement on Wednesday, Mayor Joy Belmonte signed Executive Order No. 26, Series of 2020 on April 6, where it punishes those who will discriminate COVID-19 positive patients, as well as those suspected of carrying the disease. The ordinance will also protect the families of health and emergency workers from any kind of discrimination, Belmonte added. This comes after the Department of Interior and Lo...

Keep on reading: Quezon City bans discrimination against COVID-19 patients, frontliners

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his bid for the 2020 Democratic Party's presidential nomination on Wednesday. Not only did he lose a second time in a row, but he actually ended up with less support.

      MANILA, Philippines -- The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has claimed the lives of 16 more persons of Quezon City, raising the death toll to 50, while the total number of cases rose to 670 with 45 new cases confirmed , the local government unit said early Thursday morning.   One more patient was able to recover from the respiratory disease, bringing the total to 27. Meanwhile, 625 confirmed COVID-19 cases have complete addresses in the city, and the local government was able to validate 557 cases. A total of 480 cases are considered active COVID-19 cases. Majority of the cases were reported at the city's fifth district, with 15...

Keep on reading: QC COVID-19 watch: 16 more patients succumb; Death toll rises to 50, total cases up to 670

Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, New Zealand has identified over 1,200 Covid-19 cases but suffered only one confirmed death. CNN's Ivan Watson investigates New Zealand's strategies to curb the pandemic.

The recently resigned acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly's Monday trip to Guam where he addressed the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt and slammed their former commander, cost the Defense Department an estimated $243,000, according to a Navy official.

    MANILA, Philippines --- The P275-billion COVID-19 response funds have yet to be collected by the government, President Rodrigo Duterte pointed out as he hit back at critics of the administration's management of the budget to respond to the health crisis.   In his pre-taped public address aired early Thursday, Duterte lambasted a lawmaker whom he did not name for questioning the government on the COVID-19 crisis budget.     A visibly irked Duterte explained that the P275 billion is not yet on hand since it is yet to be collected in the second, third, and fourth quarters of the year.   "'Yung pinagdadald...

Keep on reading: ‘Wala pa ‘yang pera na ‘yan’: Duterte says govt yet to collect COVID-19 response funds

President Donald Trump reacted to Sen. Bernie Sanders ending his 2020 presidential campaign, clearing the way for Joe Biden to become the Democratic nominee.

    MANILA, Philippines --- It will be a hot and humid Maundy Thursday nationwide due to the easterlies, the state weather bureau said.   "Sa kasalukuyan, easterlies pa rin po ang prevailing weather system natin, kaya't tuluyan po tayong makakaranas ng mainit at maalinsagang panahon," weather specialist Ezra Bulquerin said in the 4 a.m. live weather update of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).   (As of now, the Easterlies is still the prevailing weather system, that is why we will still experience hot and humid weather.)   Due to the easterlies, Bulquerin added that partly cloudy to c...

Keep on reading: Pagasa: Hot, humid Maundy Thursday

Kobe Bryant is back atop the best-seller lists, days after the late Los Angeles Lakers superstar was selected to the Hall of Fame.     The latest release from Bryant's Granity Studios, "The Wizenard Series: Season One" will debut at No. 1 on The New York Times' middle-grade hardcover list that will be published April 19. Earlier this week, it had already hit No. 1 on Amazon's bestseller list for children's basketball books. Bryant and daughter Gianna were among nine who died in a helicopter crash in late January. Season One, the latest installment of Bryant's Wizenard story line that follows the progress of a young basketball player dealing with various trial...

Keep on reading: Kobe Bryant’s latest book to debut atop best-seller list

LONDON --- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care with the coronavirus but is improving and sitting up in bed, a senior government minister said Wednesday, as the U.K. recorded its biggest spike in COVID-19 deaths to date.     Johnson, the first world leader diagnosed with the disease, has spent two nights in the ICU at St. Thomas' Hospital in London. "The latest from the hospital is the prime minister remains in intensive care where his condition is improving," Sunak said at a news conference. "I can also tell you that he has been sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team." That glimmer of good news came as the ...

Keep on reading: UK’s Johnson in ICU with coronavirus, condition improving

Just as the coronavirus outbreak has boxed in society, it's also squeezed high-flying tech companies reliant on people's freedom to move around and get together. Since the beginning of March, for instance, Uber shares have lost a quarter of its value. Rival Lyft is down 28 percent. Over the same period, the S&P 500 has fallen just 10 percent, even with wild swings along the way. The picture is even less clear for other, still-private "unicorn" companies once valued at more than $1 billion, such as Airbnb and WeWork. "What market pressure will mean for all companies is survival of the fittest," said Allen Adamson, co-founder of the marketing firm Metaforce and a business pro...

Keep on reading: Virus outbreak delivers tech darlings a harsh reality check

MADISON, Wis. --- The decision to forge ahead with Wisconsin's election amid a pandemic has stirred fears about a possible spike in the state's coronavirus cases in the face of stay-at-home orders and efforts to limit contact with others.     Public health experts, elected officials, poll workers and many voters pushed to delay the election. After the Republican-controlled Legislature refused to cancel in-person voting, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order to do so. But the state Supreme Cour t, less than 24 hours before voting was to begin, blocked the order. Voters who didn't get absentee ballots were forced to choose Tuesday between voting in ...

Keep on reading: Wisconsin worried about spike in virus cases due to election

NEW YORK --- As health officials around the world push to get more ventilators to treat coronavirus patients, some doctors are moving away from using the breathing machines when they can.   The reason: Some hospitals have reported unusually high death rates for coronavirus patients on ventilators, and some doctors worry that the machines could be harming certain patients. The evolving treatments highlight the fact that doctors are still learning the best way to manage a virus that emerged only months ago. They are relying on anecdotal, real-time data amid a crush of patients and shortages of basic supplies. Mechanical ventilators push oxygen into patients whose lungs...

Keep on reading: Some doctors moving away from ventilators for virus patients

GENEVA --- In a heartfelt plea for unity, the World Health Organization's chief sought Wednesday to rise above sharp criticism and threats of funding cuts from U.S. President Donald Trump over the agency's response to the coronavirus outbreak.     The vocal defense from the WHO Director-General came a day after Trump blasted the U.N. agency for being "China-centric" and alleging that it had "criticized" his ban of travel from China as the COVID-19 outbreak was spreading from the city of Wuhan. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian and the WHO's first African leader, projected humility and minimized his personal role while decrying invective and even racist sl...

Keep on reading: UN health agency on defensive after Trump slams it on virus

The stage is set for November. Barring unforeseen disaster, Joe Biden will represent the Democratic Party against President Donald Trump this fall, the former vice president's place on the general election ballot cemented Wednesday by Bernie Sanders' decision to end his campaign.     Biden likely won't secure the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination until June. But without any Democratic rivals left, a general election campaign that will almost certainly be the most expensive and among the nastiest in U.S. history is underway. "It won't be easy. Nobody's confused about that. But we are ready for the general election. We are ready for our standa...

Keep on reading: Biden vs. Trump: General election battle is now set

NEW YORK --- Stocks shot to a 3.4% gain on Wall Street Wednesday as investors chose to focus on the optimistic side of data about the coronavirus outbreak's trajectory.   It's the latest about-face in this brutally volatile stretch for the U.S. stock market, which has flip-flopped from gains to losses for six straight days. Just a day before, stocks had been headed for a similar gain only for it to vanish in the last minutes of trading. The market's upward swings have recently been bigger than the down moves, though, amid signs that deaths and infections may be nearing a peak or plateau in some of the world's hardest-hit areas.   That's led some investors to envi...

Keep on reading: Wall Street jumps 3.4%, actually holds on this time

NAGA CITY, Camarines Sur, Philippines --- Police here arrested an 18-year-old man for stabbing his father to death at Concepcion Grande village Wednesday night. Police report said the victim Mariano Conrado, 52, had a heated argument with his son Mark Christian, 18. The argument led to Mark Christian stabbing his father at around 7:40 pm. Police said the suspect used a fan knife. The victim died while being taken to the hospital. Police are investigating the incident. /atm...

Keep on reading: Son stabs father to death in Naga City