MANILA, Philippines — A total of 34 areas across the country registered “dangerous” peak heat indices or above 42ºC (degrees Celsius), said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Tuesday. According to Pagasa, heat index refers to the “measure of the contribution that high humidity makes with abnormally high temperatures in reducing the body’s ability to cool itself.”ADVERTISEMENTA heat index ranging from 42ºC to 51ºC is considered part of the “danger category.”Once it reaches this point, the risk for various heat-related illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke during continued exposure increases. Based on Pagasa’s latest computed heat index, Maasin, Southern Leyte registered the highest peak heat index on Tuesday at 49ºC. In Metro Manila, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Pasay City logged a peak heat index of 43ºC. Based on Pagasa’s latest computed heat index, the following areas registered a heat index of or above 42ºC:Maasin, Southern Leyte – 49ºC Virac (Synop), Catanduanes – 47ºC Roxas City, Capiz – 47ºC Catarman, Northern Samar – 46ºC Dumangas, Iloilo – 45ºC Dagupan City, Pangasinan – 44 Bacnotan, La Union – 44ºC ISU Echague, Isabela – 44ºC Iba, Zambales – 44ºC Sangley Point, Cavite – 44ºC Alabat, Quezon – 44ºC Cuyo, Palawan – 44ºC Iloilo City, Iloilo – 44ºC Catbalogan, Samar – 44ºC Tacloban City, Leyte – 44ºC Borongan, Eastern Samar – 44ºC Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur – 44º Calapan, Oriental Mindoro – 43ºC Puerto Princesa City, Palawan – 43ºC Aborlan, Palawan – 43ºC Daet, Camarines Norte – 43ºC Legazpi City, Albay – 43ºC Masbate City, Masbate – 43ºC Juban, Sorsogon – 43ºC Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte – 43ºC Naia Pasay City, Metro Manila – 42ºC Laoag City, Ilocos Norte – 42ºC CLSU Muñoz, Nueva Ecija – 42ºC Baler (Radar), Aurora – 42ºC Casiguran, Aurora – 42ºC Cubi Pt., Subic Bay Olongapo City – 42ºC Ambulong, Tanauan Batangas – 42ºC San Jose, Occidental Mindoro – 42ºC Mactan International Airport, Cebu – 42ºCREAD: Red Cross reminds public to stay hydrated amid high heat indexIn cases of emergency, Pagasa reminded the public to do the following:Move the person to a shady spot and lie him/her down with legs elevatedIf conscious, have them sip cool waterRemove clothing, apply cool water to the skin and provide ventilationApply ice packs to the armpits, wrists, ankles, and groinBring to a hospital immediately

Congress party supporters cheer as they follow proceedings of vote counting at their party headquarters in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. Some four hours into the counting, early leads reported by the Election Commission showed Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party comfortably ahead of the main opposition Congress party. Modi's National Democratic Alliance group was leading in 287 constituencies, while the opposition INDIA alliance, led by the Congress party and its main campaign leader, Rahul Gandhi was leading in 225. Meanwhile, supporters at the Congress party headquarters appeared upbeat and chanted slogans praising Gandhi, the party’s campaign face. His opposition, the INDIA alliance led by the Congress party, has attacked Modi over his Hindu nationalist politics.

Divorce or D-groupWhen it comes to separation or divorce, the most convincing argument or appeal are tears combined with stories of betrayal, mental abuse or years of unrequited love and self-sacrifice. Legislators and activists would want us to believe that divorce is the only solution to a hopeless situation. Just look into the history of divorce in the US and Europe and you realize that it’s not as simple as filling in the blanks and filing a request for divorce. Churches and city halls conduct millions of marriage ceremonies but very few and regular free seminars on marriage, family planning and finance. The rich won’t let divorce come true, so let’s fix the marriages, the system and families instead.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Tuesday that some portions of the Metro Rail Transit Line-7 (MRT-7) is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of next year. According to DOTr Assistant Secretary Jorjette Aquino, the first twelve stations are located in Quezon City. ADVERTISEMENT“Inaasahan po natin na magiging operational ang first 12 stations by end of 2025,” Aquino said in a press briefing. (We expect that the first 12 stations will be operational by the end of 2025.) (We expect the two other stations, Stations 13 and 14, will be operational one year later.)

An executive director of a Tibet travel agency, surnamed Zhang, enjoyed the food and the view in the city. She added that the shopping experience in Hong Kong is also incredible and hoped the duty-free allowance for mainlanders could be increased from the current 5,000 yuan. A deputy general manager of a Harbin travel agency, surnamed Huang, said visitors from Harbin had to spend a night in Shenzhen before coming to Hong Kong. However, the opening of five-hour direct flights makes it more convenient and attractive for the citizens to reach Hong Kong. She said the expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme has led to a 20 percent increase in inquiries about visiting Hong Kong.

The government plans to expand the scope of application of the Sexual Conviction Record Check (SCRC) Scheme in three phases to cover the self-employed, volunteers, and all existing employees. He added that the volunteers, including the university orientation camp organizers, would be covered by the end of next year. When the first two phases are operating smoothly, the scheme will be extended to the existing employees and other self-employed individuals. Tang also added that there would be sufficient security measures at the fingerprint collection kiosks to ensure no foul play. The SCRC scheme enables employers of organizations or enterprises that engage persons in undertaking child-related or mentally incapacitated person-related work to request eligible employees to apply for sexual conviction record check in order to ascertain whether they have any conviction records.

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Abandoned or idle rice terraces in Ifugao province would be brought back to life under a new government strategy to sustain the granaries of the Cordillera, agriculture officials said. In other upland Cordillera towns, farmers carved out vegetable gardens by following the natural contour of the mountains. READ: Save the rice terracesThe new DA allocations would rebuild broken terraces and finance the reactivation of idle terraced farms to improve productivity, added Jennilyn Dawayan, DA Cordillera director. Outside the World Heritage Site, smaller rice terraces were converted into vegetable gardens to maintain the family businesses, Banaue Mayor Joel Bungallon had said in March. Jerry Dalipog employed chawwa to revive 341.7 hectares of idle terraces to supply a popular restaurant.

What books do you read and recommend? I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I don’t read investing books. I’m old, so I’ve obviously read some investing books over the course of my life, but I honestly don’t read a huge volume of investing books and curate an up-to-date ranked list of my favorites. I’ve read Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad enough to know that I didn’t want to read any more books from Kiyosaki, and I read Bo Sanchez’s My Maid Invests in the Stock Market enough to know that those books weren’t going to be of any help to me either. Mostly because I’ve never read a trading book that I’ve truly resonated with in its entirety, and certainly not enough to be able to recommend that book openly to the public.

While total numbers of voters were up, turnout appeared to be slightly reduced from the last general elections. Final voter turnout data will only be released after repolling in two stations in West Bengal state on Monday. "It shows the incredible power of voters of India," Kumar added, saying that there had been "no major incidents of violence". Analysts have partly blamed the drop in voter turnout on hotter-than-average temperatures heading into the Indian summer. At least 33 polling staff died from heatstroke on Saturday in Uttar Pradesh state alone, where temperatures hit 46.9C (116.4F), according to state election officials.

Japan is one of the world's top tourist destinations due to its gastronomical delights, bustling cityscapes, and other spectacular attractions. A multiple-entry visa allows the holder to enter Japan many times for at least 15 to 30 days per stay within a specified period. Except for retirees, housewives, and unemployed individuals, the Japanese Embassy would soon require "considerably high-income" individuals to provide the following documents for a multiple-entry visa: Original copy of the bank certificate showing the balance within the last six months. The spouses and children of "considerably high-income" individuals may also apply for a multiple-entry visa. They must provide a Philippine Statistics Authority-issued birth certificate or marriage certificate to prove the relationship.

Most exit polls projected the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) could win a two-thirds majority in the 543-member lower house of parliament, where 272 is needed for a simple majority. Three of the five polls projected BJP alone could win more than the 303 it won in 2019. The opposition "INDIA" alliance led by Rahul Gandhi's Congress party was projected to win between 125 and 182 seats. In his first comments after voting ended, Modi claimed victory without referring to the exit polls. Market analysts said the exit polls had lifted uncertainty about the likely result and signaled the continuity of Modi's growth-focused economic policies.

Tap water again safe to drink, Maynilad tells customersResidents line up their containers to collect water along Mel Lopez Boulevard in Tondo Manila on March 18, 2024. Maynilad Water Services Inc. lifted last night its advisory warning customers in its service area not to drink water from the tap. We want to understand the situation and investigate why they are not able to provide potable water,” Ty told reporters yesterday. On Saturday, Maynilad issued the advisory about the tap water, citing turbidity in water quality. Maynilad must fix the water quality problem within three days in accordance with its concession agreement, he said.

Women’s workIt still amazes me that, in 2024, there are still some people who speak of “women’s work.” Not in the simple sense of work that women just so happen to do, but as work that supposedly, by its very nature, is work that women are best suited to do – and where the idea of ‘best suited’ quickly morphs into one where women have the obligation to do such work. For instance, closing the gender gaps in employment could boost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita by 20 percent across all regions. The primary cause of women being held back from full economic equality and empowerment lies in the continued prevalence of the idea of “women’s work,” of the stubborn persistence of gender-based division of labor. On average, women spend around three times more time on unpaid care and domestic work than men. It is estimated that closing existing gaps in care services and expanding decent work programmes would create almost 300 million jobs by 2035.”In 2024, it is time to stop partitioning work, and time to get to work – the essential work of improving the lives of women, to improve the lives of all.

As reported by AP, Dong on Sunday accused Washington of causing friction with China because of its support for Taiwan and the Philippines. "Anyone who dares to separate Taiwan from China will only end up in self-destruction." Their main objective is to deter China in its expansionist claims and aggressive actions in the South China Sea, which have led to numerous incidents with vessels and troops of the Philippines and Vietnam, among others. AdvertisementIt is just possible that the deterrence strategy may have already spared Taiwan from an imminent invasion by China. Even more likely, Japan's strong response to Chinese claims to the East China Sea off its coast may have already discouraged Chinese expansionism in the area.

The Director of Water Supplies, Roger Wong Yan-lok, sought to allay public concerns by demonstrating drinking tap water to prove its quality is among the best in the world. Wong emphasized that besides chlorination, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) conducts around 600,000 water sample tests annually, ensuring a robust safety monitoring system. He even drinks directly from the tap, proving that it is safe to consume as long as the building's internal water system is properly maintained. The chief of the water department mentioned that they monitor water quality using over 800 indicators, which is well above the 95 recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). He believes that with proper management of a building's internal water system, direct consumption of tap water is not an issue.