MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City and Metro Manila led the list of cities and regions, respectively, with the most number of new COVID-19 cases recorded on Saturday, independent pandemic monitor OCTA Research said on Sunday. The Department of Health’s COVID-19 tracker on Saturday showed 777 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of active cases to 6,425. ADVERTISEMENTOCTA Research fellow Guido David, in a social media post, said that Quezon City accounted for 74 of the 353 new cases recorded in Metro Manila. The City of Manila had the second most number of new COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila with 52, followed by Makati City (39) and Pasig City (31). Earlier, the DOH placed Pasig City, Quezon City, San Juan City, Marikina City and the municipality of Pateros under moderate risk for COVID-19.

ELMAU CASTLE, Germany — G7 leaders including US President Joe Biden gather on Sunday in southern Germany, seeking emphatic backing for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion while grappling with the intensifying global fallout of the war. From soaring inflation to a looming food crisis and energy shortages, the conflict in Ukraine, now in its fifth month, has mired the world in a series of crises. The G7 leaders, who will head to Madrid right after the summit in Bavaria for a gathering of Nato powers, will also begin addressing the challenges posed by China. As the gulf separating Western allies from Russia and China widens, the G7 will also be looking to broaden its base. Domestic woesFor many of the G7 leaders, the crises facing the world also provide a distraction from domestic woes.

(UPDATE) CHINA looks forward to continuing talks with the Philippine government under the administration of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on the joint oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea, a Foreign Ministry official said. The Philippines claims parts of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone and calls it the West Philippine Sea. After an extensive exploration program, the Philippines finds the Nido oil field off the coast of Palawan Island, marking the first oil discovery in the Northwest Palawan Basin. The discovery comes four years after the government passed the Oil Exploration and Development Act of 1972, which provides the legal basis for exploring and developing petroleum resources as Manila pushes for energy independence. In 2012, the International Monetary Fund noted that the Philippines' petroleum industry may have "significant potential" in the South China Sea, which is adjacent to the Northwest Palawan Basin.

LONDON – Monkeypox is not yet a global health emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) ruled on Saturday, although WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was deeply concerned about the outbreak. “I am deeply concerned about the monkeypox outbreak, this is clearly an evolving health threat that my colleagues and I in the WHO Secretariat are following extremely closely,” Tedros said. ADVERTISEMENTThe “global emergency” label currently only applies to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio, and the U.N. agency has stepped back from applying it to the monkeypox outbreak after advice from a meeting of international experts. The WHO decision is likely to be met with some criticism from global health experts, who said ahead of the meeting that the outbreak met the criteria to be called an emergency. Its January 2020 declaration that the new coronavirus represented a public health emergency was largely ignored by many governments until around six weeks later, when the agency used the word “pandemic” and countries took action.

A man from mainland was on Friday night arrested by police at a Tsuen Wan mahjong parlor after officers caught him showing a vaccine pass that belongs to another person. The raid was conducted jointly by New Territories South regional anti-triad unit, tactical unit and Tsuen Wan district police. Officers inspected restaurants, bars and entertainment establishments to remind citizens and operators to comply with the Covid curbs. The mainland man was arrested for using false document and overstaying at the mahjong parlor located on Ho Pui Street. The operator will also face prosecution as police found that restaurant's registration has expired.

ADVERTISEMENTThe NTC ordered ISPs to block access to 27 websites “affiliated to and are supporting” CPP-NPA-NDF, which the Philippine government designated as terrorist organizations. READ: Telcos ordered to block 27 websites with alleged communist ties“The NTC has no power to restrict access to news websites and members of the press based on mere allegations,” the IBP said in a statement. Such a drastic move can’t be anchored on statements that in court would be treated as hearsay,” the IBP also said. RELATED STORIES:Telcos ordered to block 27 websites with alleged communist tiesHRW denounces order to ban sites tagged as CPP-linkedGroups slam NTC order to block websites linked to terror organizations/MUFSubscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyRead Next

LOS ANGELES – Sports stars across the United States reacted with shock and anger on Friday after the Supreme Court’s decision to scrap the right to abortion after nearly five decades. WNBA players and teams led a chorus of outrage over the seismic decision which threatens to result in abortion becoming illegal in nearly half of the 50 US states. ADVERTISEMENTThe WNBA noted that the conservative-leaning Supreme Court’s abortion decision had come just a day after another bombshell ruling that decreed Americans have a right to carry a handgun in public. “Are we in a democracy where guns have more rights than women?” the WNBA statement asked. Several male sports stars also spoke out against the decision.

SHANGHAI – Beijing’s education commission said on Saturday all primary and secondary school students in the capital can to return to in-person classes from Monday, as COVID-19 cases have receded in recent days. ADVERTISEMENTBeijing shut its schools in early May and asked students to move to online learning amid a spike in locally transmitted COVID cases. Senior year students at middle and high schools were allowed to return to classrooms from June 2. The efforts have brought cases down but have taken a heavy toll on the country’s economy. Shanghai, which endured a two-month lockdown that was lifted on June 1, on Saturday reported no new local cases – both symptomatic and asymptomatic – for the first time since Feb. 23.

HONG KONG: Stocks rose in Asia on Friday following another rally on Wall Street, as investors try to process central bank moves to fight soaring inflation with the growing possibility that those measures will induce a recession. However, analysts said speculation that a recession is on the way has helped push yields down in recent days and led traders to scale back their expectations for the length of rate hikes. In early Asia trade, investors took their cue from Wall Street where all three main indexes closed with healthy gains, including a more than 1 percent advance on the Nasdaq. Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were well up. Markets are negotiating "a fraught transition from 'front-loaded' synchronized tightening toward demand destruction and peak 'price-pressure,'" Citigroup Inc. strategists William O'Donnell and Edward Acton wrote in a note.

Lovi Poe as police detective Iris Castillo-del Rosario, her first intense lead role as a Kapamilya. Multitalented actress Lovi Poe couldn't help but turn emotional when looking back on her adjustment period at ABS-CBN. "It's my first project so the transition wasn't the easiest thing but with the help of everyone, I was able to go get past that challenged" a teary-eyed Poe said. I have my moments with the audioman, si Kuya Adler, and our cameraman si Kuya Fred. Get the latest newsdelivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times’ daily newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy"Ang sabi sa akin ni Kuya Adler and ni Kuya Fred, 'Huwag ka mag-alala, nandito kami para sa 'yo.'

Citybus yesterday got Hong Kong's first tri-axle hydrogen double-decker bus that is tailor-made for the city. It is the SAR's first public bus to be powered by hydrogen. The hydrogen bus is designed and built by Bravo Transport and Wisdom (Fujian) Motor. The bus is a prototype designed to showcase hydrogen fuel cell bus capabilities in meeting what is considered one of the world's most challenging operating environments, comprising steep road gradients, high passenger loadings and consistent use of air-conditioning systems. KMB is also expecting 52 double-decker electric buses from BYD and the UK's Alexander Dennis, to be delivered next year.

The Marine Department says the owner of the Jumbo floating restaurant boat has informed it that the vessel remains on the waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea after it capsized. Writing in the statement, the department said they knew nothing of the incident involving the Jumbo prior to media reports. "After learning about the media reports, the Marine Department immediately requested Jumbo's owner to submit a written report. Today, the Marine Department received the written report from the agent appointed by Jumbo's owner,” it wrote. “At present, both Jumbo and the tugboat are still in the waters off Xisha Islands.

Even with cracks in the walls and rusted steel bars exposed to naked eyes, residents of Man Yuen Building in Jordan were not too worried that the building would collapse. Concerns were raised after photos showing the poor conditions of a flat on the lower floors of the building circulated on the internet. Concrete fell from the walls and ceiling, allowing the eyes to see the rusted steel bars within. A resident there believed the cracks on the walls were “not a big deal” and there was no evidence that the building could collapse at any moment. Merchants expressed faith in the structure of the building as well and showed little concerns on its impact on businesses.

EXPERTS from the government and private sector believe an industrial policy will boost the growth of the manufacturing sector and the Philippine economy as a whole. The DTI is developing a program called Securing Manufacturing Revitalization and Transformation to provide fiscal and non-fiscal support to industries that will adopt Industry 4.0 technologies. Under its initial proposal, a total of P30 billion fiscal support will be allotted for manufacturers of electric public utility vehicles, buses, trucks, 2- and 3-wheelers, passenger cars, batteries, auto electronics and charging stations. The DTI also proposed a P53-billion fiscal support for buyers of e-jeepneys, motorcycles and tricycles. Aldaba reported that the manufacturing sector grew by 8.8 percent in 2021.

Agents of the Jalisco Attorney stand guard at the site where four police officers and eight members of the organized crime were killed, and six others were wounded, in a confrontation in El Salto, Jalisco state, Mexico, on June 23, 2022. AFP PHOTOGuadalajara, Mexico: A gun battle left four police officers and eight suspected gang members dead in Mexico's western state of Jalisco, authorities said Thursday (Friday in Manila). The clash happened on Wednesday night at a house in El Salto on the outskirts of the city of Guadalajara and, according to witnesses, lasted for more than an hour. Eight suspects were killed and three others seriously injured, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said. More than 340,000 people have been killed in a spiral of bloodshed in Mexico since the government deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006.