Good omen

Police officers stand in formation during a protest in the Loyalist Tigers Bay Area of Belfast, Northern Ireland April 9, 2021. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff BELFAST — Pro-British loyalist militants in Northern Ireland said on Friday there had been a “spectacular collective failure” to understand their anger over Brexit and other issues as there was some respite in street clashes following a week of riots. Despite appeals for calm from London, Dublin and Washington, the nightly unrest in pro-British areas spread further into Irish nationalist parts of Belfast on Thursday, where police responded to petrol bomb and stone attacks with water cannon. A number of loyalist protests planned for Friday night were postponed in what posters put up in pro-British areas said was a mark of respect for Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family following the death of her husband, Prince Philip. However some masked individuals threw bricks and missiles at police in a loyalist area of Belfast where ... » Learn More about Northern Irish loyalists demand Brexit changes, call for end to street violence

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner VIENNA — The U.N. atomic watchdog on Friday flagged a new breach by Iran of its nuclear deal with major powers on the day those powers met to revive the agreement, a report by the agency seen by Reuters showed, likely raising tensions with Western powers. The International Atomic Energy Agency avoids saying Iran has breached the deal. At the same time, it generally only issues such ad hoc reports to member states in the event of a breach. Two diplomats told Reuters what the report described amounted to a fresh breach. The breach has to do with what counts officially towards Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, a highly sensitive issue since that stockpile could be enriched further to weapons-grade material suitable for nuclear bombs if Iran chose to do so. It denies seeking such ... » Learn More about UN atomic watchdog reports new Iranian breach of nuclear deal

Coronavirus-stricken former President Joseph Estrada has been taken off assisted breathing and is in better condition but not yet completely out of danger, his sons said on Friday. “We are extremely happy to announce that my father has now been removed from ventilator support although he continues to require high-flow oxygenation,” former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said on his Facebook page. The 83-year-old Estrada was intubated and sedated as his pneumonia, an ailment associated with COVID-19, took a turn for the worse this week. “While we thank his doctors for their excellent care, we give all the credit to Our Lord Almighty and enjoin everyone to continue praying for my father,” Jinggoy said. “We hope that he continues to fight with his usual tenacity as only Erap can,” he added.His half-brother, former Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, also took to social media to share the news. “God is good! My dad was extubated already but next 24 hours remains critical. Asking for continued ... » Learn More about Estrada taken off ventilator, in better condition

In an unprecedented move, 22 organizations representing the business community appealed to the next chief justice for the uniform imposition of mandatory periods for case disposition. In a paper entitled “Need for Speedy Disposition of Court Cases,” these business organizations urged the next chief justice to lead by example and treat the periods prescribed by the Constitution to decide cases as uniformly mandatory across all levels of the judiciary, including the Supreme Court. Relatedly, the deans of three law schools, and the local chapter of the integrated bar, in Iloilo City, representing law professors, members of the bar, and officers of the Court, petitioned the President in an “Open Letter” to appoint a chief justice who shall similarly ensure mandatory observance of the periods prescribed by the Constitution for case disposition. Both initiatives were anchored on the maxim “Justice delayed is justice denied.” Section 16, Article III of the 1987 Constitution provides that ... » Learn More about The next chief justice’s first task

MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Friday (Apr 9) said he was overwhelmed after receiving effusive praise from his Leeds United counterpart Marcelo Bielsa ahead of their Premier League clash on Saturday. Argentine Bielsa, who steered Leeds back to the top flight after a 16-year absence this season, described Guardiola as a magical man, and said he had given up trying to emulate the Spanish coach's style of play. Guardiola, who previously hailed Bielsa as one of the most important influences on his trophy-laden managerial career, was quick to return the compliment. "I'm overwhelmed, I feel weird. He's a huge competitor. I'm not going to try to be weak after these words because they can do whatever they want," Guardiola told a news conference. "He's the most honest person. He will always be in my heart and I always feel I don't deserve it because of course if there is one person who can find the secret or the way we want to play it is him." Leeds, who have ... » Learn More about Football: Man City’s Guardiola moved by Bielsa’s glowing tribute

In this series, AsiaOne speaks to individuals who find themselves changing careers and steering their lives in a new direction, whether by choice or circumstance. Jon Yongfook Cockle did what many wouldn't at the peak of their career in 2018. Then 38, he quit his cushy job in Singapore as Aviva's Head of Digital Product & Design to bootstrap his own startup. He also set himself a formidable challenge: to launch one product every month for a year. By his own admission, his corporate career looked great on paper. He was drawing a good salary of about $15,000 a month and was also leading a great team. But something gnawed at him. The experienced software developer shared with AsiaOne that it was clear to him that he had "reached the peak of [his] career". "Any higher in rank and I would be looking at a much more political-style role where your job is more about influence and relationships rather than hands-on building stuff. "I'm really good at the latter, and terrible ... » Learn More about Man quits $15k Singapore job to build own startup, matches previous salary after 3-year grind

Agriculture Sec. William Dar. Image from Department of Agriculture MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured Filipinos that the food supply for 2021 remains sufficient. “We assure our countrymen that we will have enough food on our table, during the rest of the year,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in a virtual meeting of IATF Task Group on Food Security (TGFS) on April 8. In the same meeting, Secretary Dar also thanked farmers, fishers and other players in the food chain for their continuing labor and resilience amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “We thank our farmers, fishers, and other players in the food value chain for their continuing labor and resilience. Based on our inventory and projections, our food supply situation remains on the optimistic side,” he said. In a statement on Friday, the DA said it forecasts a 2021 year-end stock of rice, good for 75 days. “This year, the DA aims to produce another record harvest of 20.4 million metric ... » Learn More about DA: Food supply for 2021 sufficient

Colliers believes that the successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine will play a crucial role in the country’s economic recovery.—INQUIRER FILE PHOTO The Philippine economy contracted by 9.5 percent in 2020, the country’s worst performance since World War II. Colliers believes that the successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine will play a crucial role in the country’s economic recovery. The government-projected economic recovery in 2021, albeit slow, will likely support the growth of the property sector. We recommend that office landlords and condominium developers continue seizing opportunities in the market, especially with remittances from overseas Filipinos seen to grow by 4 percent in 2021, and with office tenants willing to implement split operations and hub-and-spoke leasing schemes. Firms providing essential goods and services, such as e-commerce, are likely to lead office space take-up in 2021. Meanwhile, mall operators should consider repurposing brick-and-mortar ... » Learn More about COVID-19 vaccine-led rebound to benefit property stakeholders

SINGAPORE - Any change in the tudung policy for nurses is a sensitive issue that needs to take into account the views of other communities in Singapore, said dialogue participants who met government leaders to discuss the topic on Saturday (April 10). Mufti Nazirudin Mohd Nasir said that the issue of wearing the tudung with the uniform is about balancing the needs of Muslim nurses who choose to put on the tudung, "while maintaining a high level of trust and confidence between communities". "I think it is very important that on such matters, we should not make a move that can undermine our social cohesion, but instead continue to strengthen it and to enlarge our common spaces. This is something very unique in Singapore," he said. Asked how asatizahs, or religious teachers, can play a bigger role to help the community better understand the issue, Dr Nazirudin - who is the highest Islamic authority here - said they will continue to provide guidance to the Muslim community while ... » Learn More about Any change in tudung stance should be sensitive to views of other communities: Dialogue participants

(Reuters) - West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice could be out of action for a month due to a knee ligament injury sustained on England duty, the Premier League club said. The 22-year-old picked up the issue late in England's 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Poland at Wembley last Wednesday but managed to finish the game. Rice was absent for West Ham's 3-2 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday, the first league game he has missed all season, and local media reported he could be out for a month. "It was a rather innocuous challenge which has caused the injury but unfortunately these things happen in football," West Ham's head of medical services Richard Collinge said. "Declan has approached the situation positively and in an exemplary manner, which is no surprise to us, while he's in peak physical condition and we hope that will assist with his return to action." Rice has been a key figure in West Ham's transformation this season with his performances helping the club ... » Learn More about Soccer-West Ham’s Rice sidelined with knee ligament injury