CHINA REPORTS ALMOST 13,000 COVID-RELATED DEATHS IN A WEEK Beijing: China reported nearly 13,000 Covid-related deaths in hospitals between January 13 and 19, after a top health official said the vast majority of the population has already been infected by the virus. China a week earlier sa
600,000 CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR IN BINONDO MANILA — Over half a million people participated in the Lunar New Year festivities in Binondo, Manila over the weekend. According to the Manila Police District, at least 600,000 people converged in Binondo from Saturday morni
LAVROV SAYS NATO CREATING PROBLEMS IN INDIA-CHINA TIES Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the US-led military bloc NATO of attempting to make "overtures" to India to create "additional problems' in India's already strained relations with China. Speaking at a press conferenc
‘I JOINED POLITICS FOR OUR FAMILY’S SURVIVAL, LEGACY’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said his ambition to enter politics turned on his family’s survival and legacy, and that it was something he had to take upon himself after his namesake father
UN CALLS ON PAK TO CURB FORCED MARRIAGES OF TEENAGE GIRLS FROM MINORITY SECTS Islamabad: The United Nations (UN) has called upon Pakistan for an immediate curb on coerced religious conversions, child marriages, kidnapping of teenage girls and their forced conversions and marriage to men twi
MASSIVE FLOODING LEAVES 30 DEAD, 1 MILLION AFFECTED ACROSS PHILIPPINES MANILA — The death toll from the massive flooding across the Philippines brought by a series of low-pressure areas (LPA) and the shear line has climbed to 30, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Wednesday. &nbs
RUSSIA CLAIMS CAPTURING OF SOLEDAR, UKRAINE DENIES Just minutes after Russia's defence ministry said its forces captured the Ukrainian town of Soledar, Ukraine denied the claim and said "severe" fighting is ongoing in the area. The nearly destroyed town in eastern Ukraine ha
US, JAPAN RECOGNIZE LANDMARK SOUTH CHINA SEA RULING MANILA — The United States and Japan expressed opposition against China’s “unlawful” maritime claims, militarization of reclaimed features, and “provocative” actions in the South China Se
US, JAPAN AGREE TO STRENGTHEN SECURITY TIES AMID CHINA WORRIES The United States and Japan have unveiled plans to strengthen security cooperation in the face of shared worries about China. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday in Washington, DC after talks betwee
UKRAINE ENVOY APOLOGIZES FOR MISUNDERSTANDING OVER REQUEST FOR MARCOS-ZELENSKY CALL MANILA — A Ukraine envoy on Friday apologized to the Department of Foreign Affairs for the supposed misunderstanding on Kyiv's request for a phone call between their President Volodymyr
