Continue under pressure

BACOLOD CITY—More government offices and health facilities in Negros Occidental are going on lockdown as COVID-19 cases continued to surge in the province. Mayor Neil Lizares said the new Talisay City Hall would be closed on Monday (April 12) and Tuesday (April 13) while contact tracing and disinfection are underway. An employee assigned to the Talisay City Public Market tested positive for SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and contact tracing showed that the person had gone to the Talisay City Hall. Mayor Rogelio Raymund Tongson, who tested positive for SARS Cov2, also ordered the lockdown of the Himamaylan City Hall, the city healtho office and village health centers for seven days starting last Saturday (April 10) to prevent coronavirus transmission. Mayor Rhumyla Nicor Mangilimutan said the La Castellana municipal hall will be closed from Monday (April 12) to Wednesday (April 14) for disinfection as government employees were instructed to work from home after ... » Learn More about Coronavirus infections continue to spread in Negros Occidental

PHOTO: Jor Sor 100 traffic radio – Bangkok Air Quality Bangkok’s governor is calling on experts to provide advice on how best to tackle the severe air pollution that blankets the city and is causing the wrong sort of headlines for the capital. The Pollution Control Department reported 41 Greater Bangkok areas as having unsafe levels of PM2.5 – airborne particulates 2.5 microns in diameter and smaller – this morning and affirmed the PM2.5 would continue accumulating until at least February 4. Aswin called on expert assistance while presiding over a ceremony at the Khon Muang Plaza on Thursday morning to dispatch 50 drones to spray water at haze-affected locations including Kasetsart University, the Lat Phrao five-prong intersection, Lumphini Park and Rama 9 bridge areas. The drones – each with a capacity to carry 10 litres of water – were provided by a private contractor in Nakhon Ratchasima While the drones buzz overhead, spraying a mixture of water and molasses (gooey, sugary ... » Learn More about Bangkok Air Quality: BKK Governor calls for help as PM2.5 smog continues

Continuously mitigating credit risk and fraud in operational processes and systems has become a prevailing problem for the financial sector. As businesses deal with the aftermath of the lockdown, lenders may expect a surge in working capital loan requests from entrepreneurs hoping to recover from these trying times. Covering more than the Financial Sector, The Republic Act (RA) 11521 is the law relating to Anti-Money laundering and also includes real estate developers and brokers as well as offshore gaming operators and their service providers. The push for recovery and the demand for business loans means all covered sectors have to improve credit compliance as well as strengthen Anti-Money Laundering (AML) practices to ensure that members and employees comply with the law against fraudulent acts. Framedia Inc., a family-owned and well-respected Filipino company, pioneered the first full-service AML certification in the country. Accredited by the Anti-Money Laundering Council ... » Learn More about Framedia continues to lead the digital learning innovation in PH

BERLIN (Reuters) -Bavarian premier Markus Soeder put himself forward on Sunday to run as the conservative candidate for German chancellor in a September election and said he would settle the question soon and amicably with his rival, the Christian Democrat (CDU) chief. Pressure is mounting for a swift decision on whether Soeder, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), or the CDU's Armin Laschet should stand for the two-party bloc in the Sept. 26 election, making them the candidate to succeed Angela Merkel. "Markus Soeder and I had a long conversation before today. We declared our willingness to run for the chancellorship," CDU leader Armin Laschet told a joint news conference. Laschet lags Soeder in opinion polls but, as leader of the larger CDU, effectively has first refusal and enjoys the support of some powerful state premiers. With September elections nearing, conservatives are pressing for a decision on the candidacy to end speculation which is highlighting divisions. ... » Learn More about Bavarian leader joins race to run as German chancellor candidate

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU) backed party chairman Armin Laschet on Monday to run for chancellor at a September election, and asked him to speak to his Bavarian rival to agree a single candidate for their conservative bloc quickly. Laschet said he would contact rival Markus Soeder, who lead's the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), later on Monday to settle on a candidate to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel "very soon". After months of speculation, the candidacy question came to a head on Sunday when Soeder, Bavarian premier, put himself forward. Pressure is mounting for a swift decision on who should stand for the two-party bloc as the candidate to succeed Merkel, who has ruled out standing for a fifth term. "There is broad support for Armin Laschet as candidate for chancellor from CDU and CSU," CDU Secretary General Paul Ziemiak told a joint news conference with Laschet after a meeting of CDU party leaders. As the larger ... » Learn More about German CDU backs Laschet to succeed Merkel as chancellor

MANILA, Philippines — The low-pressure area (LPA) east of the country expected to develop into a tropical cyclone may enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) by the weekend, state meteorologists said Monday afternoon. Latest weather forecasts from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) showed that the LPA, currently located 1,636 kilometers east of Mindanao, may develop into a tropical cyclone in the next 24 to 36 hours. It would still have no effect on the country as it is still very far from the landmass.  However, Pagasa said that based on the global spectral model on wind directions, the LPA may move near the eastern side of the country, bringing rains over Mindanao, and other parts of Eastern Visayas. As of now, Pagasa sees a possible recurve scenario, or the cyclone moving back east toward the Pacific Ocean after it enters the PAR. “Hindi rin natin niru-rule out na posibleng within 36 or 24 hours or less ay ... » Learn More about Pagasa: If LPA develops into storm, it may enter PAR by weekend

MANILA, Philippines — Strict quarantine rules in Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces of Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal will be eased slightly starting Monday up to April 30 as hospitals have committed themselves to provide more beds for patients with the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Sunday. President Rodrigo Duterte approved the less stringent modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) for Metro Manila and the four provinces — dubbed “National Capital Region (NCR) Plus” — from the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), even as COVID-19 cases continued to rise and swamp hospitals. Total detected cases surged to 864,868 after laboratory tests confirmed 11,681 new infections on Sunday, the third straight day of breaching the 10,000 mark, according to the Department of Health (DOH). The death toll climbed to 14,945 after 201 more fatalities were reported. More than 200 deaths had been reported daily in five of the ... » Learn More about Quarantine restrictions eased in Metro Manila, 4 adjacent provinces

Naga Sadhus (Hindu holy men) take a holy dip in the waters of the Ganges River on the day of Shahi Snan (royal bath) during the ongoing religious Kumbh Mela festival, in Haridwar on April 12, 2021. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) NEW DELHI — Hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees flocked on Monday to take a holy bath in India’s Ganges river, even as the nation racked up the world’s highest tally of new daily coronavirus infections . With 168,912 new cases, India accounts for one in six of all new infections globally, although the figure is still well below the U.S. peak of nearly 300,000 new cases on Jan. 8. In the northern city of Haridwar, nearly a million devotees thronged the banks of the Ganges, a river many Hindus consider holy, to participate in the months-long ‘Kumbh Mela’ or pitcher festival. “The crowd here is surging…the police are continuously appealing to people to maintain social distancing,” police official Sanjay Gunjyal told Reuters at the site. By ... » Learn More about India’s daily coronavirus infections are world’s highest but crowds gather for festival

Brothers91/Getty Images via ETX Daily Up Streaming platforms often boast of having created sophisticated algorithms, which line up with the musical tastes of each user. No matter whether they like folk music, rock or even drill and “ethereal.” However, these recommendation systems are far from perfect, as highlighted by a recent study led by Christine Bauer from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Xavier Serra and Andres Ferraro from Pompeu Fabra University in Spain. These researchers found that recommendation algorithms neglect songs performed by female artists and promote the generation of playlists dominated by their male counterparts. Before coming to these conclusions, the researchers combed through the listening habits of 330,000 users over nine years. It turns out that only a quarter of the artists they used to listen to were women. But what is the reason for this apparent lack of interest in female musicians? The answer: the algorithms. Indeed, the researchers ... » Learn More about Does your playlist only contain tracks by male artists? Blame the algorithms

SINGAPORE - Covid-19 vaccines protect people from the symptoms and more severe forms of the disease but are not designed to fully prevent them from being infected, experts said yesterday, following the case of a migrant worker who tested positive despite having both doses. They said inoculation was vital because although those who have had the jabs may still catch the virus, they are much less likely to get seriously ill than unvaccinated patients. The migrant worker, who was reported on Sunday (April 11) to have tested positive, received his first dose on Jan 25 and his second on Feb 15, the Health Ministry said. Finding someone who records a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result does not mean a failure of the vaccine, said Professor Ooi Eng Eong from the Duke-NUS Medical School, who is also developing a self-replicating mRNA vaccine with Arcturus Therapeutics. The primary goal of vaccination is to prevent the Covid-19 disease, not infection, Prof Ooi said. ... » Learn More about Covid-19 vaccines are vital but aren’t designed to fully prevent infection, say experts