Avanti Mehta, 32, India's youngest water sommelier, talks about different brands of packaged water at "Sip and Sense", a water tasting event in Hyderabad, India, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Rishika Sadam

History beckons for Djokovic and Alcaraz in Australian Open finalSpain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning against Germany's Yannick Hanfmann during their men's singles match on Day 4 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 21, 2026. MELBOURNE, Australia — History is on the line in the Australian Open men's final on Sunday with tennis gladiators Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz each vowing no surrender. Should he do so, he will also become the oldest man to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup at the Australian Open. "The finals of a Grand Slam, you know there's a lot at stake, but it's no different from any other big match that I play." Alcaraz won their most recent clash, at the US Open last year, but Djokovic came out on top at the Australian Open in 2025 with a gutsy four-set quarter-final victory.

SMC shows how to thrive in an economic slowdownIn 2025, the economy had its worst year under the six-year presidency of Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. The Philippines’ largest and most diversified conglomerate, San Miguel Corporation, however, had one of its best years. The economy grew 3.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, bringing full-year 2025 growth to just 4.4 percent, slower than the 5.7 percent annual gain in 2024. The three percent October to December 2025 growth is the lowest quarterly rate for Marcos Jr. since he assumed office on June 30, 2022. Amid the turmoil and trust erosion of last year, one company managed to keep its head above the turbulent waters – 136-year-old San Miguel under chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.

WatsonsRestock your beauty and wellness needs as several brands are offering up to 50% discount and triple club points on Watsons. You can score exclusive vouchers, freebies on select items, free shipping nationwide, plus one year warranty. The promos are available on their official Shopee store. Crissa’s got chic blouses and jeans at up to 38% off, with a free shipping voucher when you shop through their official Shopee store. Enjoy up to 38% off regular items, plus a free shipping voucher when you shop via their official Shopee store.

Capsized MV Trisha Kerstin death toll reaches 33MANILA, Philippines — Victims of the sunken Basilan boat have reached 33 after four bodies were recovered on January 30, the Philippine Coast Guard said. In a statement on Saturday, January 31, the PCG said the Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao recovered two more cadavers from the sunken roll-on/roll-off MV Trisha Kirstin 3 on Friday around 5:30 p.m. According to PCG spokesperson Captain Noemie Cayabyab, the search and rescue teams recovered 11 bodies on Thursday, January 29. The Coast Guard also deployed the BRP Melchora Aquino, its largest multi-role response vessel, in the ongoing search and rescue operations on Friday. The MV Trisha Kerstin 3 capsized off the coast of Basilan early morning on January 26, carrying 332 passengers and 27 crew members.

Sed LexThere are no surprises here.The Supreme Court last year unanimously ruled the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional. The Court ruled the first three impeachment complaints, according to the chamber’s own rules, effectively resulted in the initiation of the proceedings. This was not how the impeachment process should be, the Court ruled. The Court ruled that operative fact doctrine cannot be invoked by parties responsible for unconstitutional acts. The executive secretary is first among equals in the Cabinet.

Motorists, plan your trips accordingly. Starting Sunday, Feb. 1, portions of EDSA near West and North Avenues in Quezon City will be closed to traffic to make way for MRT-7 girder launching activities, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Department of Tourism announced. These closures are necessary to safely install a steel superstructure connecting the MRT-7 North EDSA turnback track. The closures will specifically affect the two outermost lanes on the northbound side and the two innermost lanes on the southbound side of EDSA near North Avenue. Motorists are encouraged to monitor updates and plan for delays as these critical infrastructure works proceed.

O'Hara was born in Toronto in 1954, where she joined the legendary comedy theater Second City, alongside Eugene Levy, with whom she would collaborate throughout her career, including on the smash TV series "Schitt's Creek." Emmy-winning actress Catherine O'Hara, who starred in Schitt's Creek and Home Alone, has died at the age of 71, her management agency said Friday. "Now it's mostly about (her character) Moira and Schitt's Creek. I thought we had time," Culkin wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of the pair of them in Home Alone. "Over 5 decades of work, Catherine earned her place in the canon of Canadian comedy," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

How Supreme Court ruled on Sara Duterte’s impeachment — and what changedIllustration shows Vice President Sara Duterte, a facade of the Supreme Court, and its ruling on her impeachment. MANILA, Philippines — When the Supreme Court ruled in finality that Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment was unconstitutional, it also laid down “new” standards specifying what a valid impeachment looks like. July 2025 ruling: “In this case, the three impeachment complaints were properly endorsed within the 10-session-day constitutional requirement. Dealing with multiple complaintsThe Supreme Court set the record straight that the filing of multiple impeachment complaints against the same official is allowed. House to revisit impeachment rulesDespite criticizing the ruling as judicial overreach, lawmakers said revising House impeachment rules is necessary to prevent future cases from being delayed or struck down.

Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty after a U.S. judge on Friday dismissed murder and weapons charges against the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, in a major blow to federal prosecutors. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan said she felt constrained by Supreme Court precedents to dismiss the murder charge, calling it legally incompatible with the two federal stalking charges Mangione still faces. Mangione still faces murder charges in a separate case brought by state prosecutors. Federal murder statutes carry different legal requirements than comparable state laws, and Garnett said federal law required Mangione's murder and weapons charges to be tied to another crime of violence. Mangione, 27, still faces possible life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted on the stalking charges.

‘Long-term economic fundamentals intact’Despite weaker 2025 growthMANILA, Philippines — Finance Secretary Frederick Go expressed optimism that the Philippine economy would regain momentum this year, even after gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to 4.4 percent in 2025, missing the government’s target for the third straight year. However, he said that Philippine growth “should be back on track this year.”“I’m hopeful that we will achieve our growth targets this year. Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, GDP growth slowed to three percent in the fourth quarter of 2025. Go noted that while GDP growth averaged 4.4 percent last year, this remained above global and regional benchmarks. The global average of GDP growth all over the world is only 2.9 percent.

President Marcos: No persona non grata vs China envoyMANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has rejected calls to declare Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata, in the face of the Chinese embassy’s trading verbal jabs with Philippine officials over disagreements on the West Philippine Sea (WPS). On Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said declaring Chinese embassy personnel persona non grata – or unwelcome persons – for their statements against some Filipino officials “is an option of last resort.”Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro noted that such declaration is one of the most severe forms of diplomatic action that can be imposed by the government on foreign diplomatic personnel. Kalayaan, a municipality in Palawan located in the WPS, recently declared Jing persona non grata, citing his supposed violations of diplomatic protocol and interference in the country’s internal affairs. The DFA said Undersecretary for policy Leo Herrera-Lim met with Hou Yanqi, director-general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

Economy faces downside risks – StanChartIn an economic outlook briefing, Standard Chartered Bank Asia economist Jonathan Koh said GDP growth came in much weaker than expected at 4.4 percent in 2025, down from 5.7 percent in 2024 and below the government’s 5.5 to 6.5 percent target. As sentiment weakensMANILA, Philippines — Despite an earlier economic growth forecast of 5.7 percent for the Philippines this year, Standard Chartered Bank said there are now clear downside risks following the weaker-than-expected gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2025. “Sentiment needs to turn around before we actually see a real improvement in terms of growth,” Koh said. Koh forecast inflation at around 2.8 percent this year, up from 1.7 percent last year, largely due to base effects. On the peso, Koh said Standard Chartered remains cautious relative to other Southeast Asian currencies due to structural headwinds.

Toyota vehicle output in Philippine hits record high in 2025Speaking at the automotive firm’s media thanksgiving, TMP president Masando Hashimoto said the company produced 63,804 units at its Santa Rosa manufacturing plant last year. MANILA, Philippines — Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) achieved a milestone in 2025 as its local vehicle output hit a record high. TMP senior vice president Sherwin Chua-Lim said that TMP’s vehicle output last year was six percent higher than those produced in 2024. Last year’s vehicle output was also TMP’s highest production volume in history. In 2025, Toyota Suppliers’ exports of auto parts and components also reached $1.09 billion, accounting for 30 percent of the country’s total auto parts exports last year.

How national budgeting worksOne of the most persistent myths in fiscal debates is that money carries memory. Once these revenues enter the National Treasury, they do not retain labels. The President later ordered the return of PhilHealth funds already in the treasury back to PhilHealth. Subsequently, the 2026 GAA allocated nearly P129.8 billion to PhilHealth, which includes the restored P60 billion transferred to the National Treasury in 2024. There are those who assert that PhilHealth funds should have remained permanently earmarked for PhilHealth.