By Linh Le  April 3, 2023 | 11:29 am GMT+7 Vogue Philippines has put Apo Whang-Od, 106, on the cover of its April issue, making the tattoo artist the oldest person to ever appear on the front page of Vogue. Apo Whang-Od is the last “mambabatok” in the Philippines. Photo by Vogue Philippines Whang-Od, who has lived all her life in the tiny, remote village of Buscalan, in Kalinga province in the Philippines’ far north, is the last “mambabatok” from an ancient age. “Mambabatok” means “one who pounces”.The term describes the 1,000-year-old technique used when putting ink on skin. During…
Author: Mike Harrison
By Reuters  April 3, 2023 | 10:27am GMT+7 The logo for McDonald’s restaurant is seen as McDonald’s Corp. reports fourth quarter earnings, in Arlington, Virginia, US, January 27, 2022. Photo by Reuters/Joshua Roberts Burger chain McDonald’s Corp is temporarily closing its US offices this week as it prepares to inform corporate employees about its layoffs as part of a broader company restructuring, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. In an internal email last week to US employees and some international staff, McDonald’s asked them to work from home from Monday through Wednesday so it can deliver staffing decisions virtually,…
By Reuters  April 3, 2023 | 10:25am GMT+7 Workers install a battery for a new electric vehicle model at Mitsubishi Motor Corp’s factory in Kurashiki, Japan May 19, 2022. Photo by Reuters/Satoshi Sugiyama Japan’s factory activity shrank at the softest pace in five months in March due to an expansion of inventories, but still-weak global and domestic demand conditions meant the post-COVID economic recovery will take a while to solidify. The final au Jibun Bank Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index released on Monday rose to 49.2 in March from February’s 47.7, marking the slowest contraction since November 2022. It was…
The pledges bring the total volume of cuts by OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries with Russia and other allies, to 3.66 million bpd according to Reuters calculations, equal to 3.7% of global demand.Sunday’s development comes a day before a virtual meeting of an OPEC+ ministerial panel, which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia, and which had been expected to stick to 2 million bpd of cuts already in place until the end of 2023.Oil prices last month fell towards $70 a barrel, the lowest in 15 months, on concern that a global banking crisis would hit…
By Nhu Y  April 3, 2023 | 07:00 am GMT+7 I’m 30 and my husband is 34. We have been married for less than a year and don’t have any kids yet. Before we got married, my husband already had a car and a house. My husband’s monthly salary is VND45 million ($1,896) while I make VND18 million ($759). I also have a monthly rental income of VND16 million ($674) thanks to a property that my parents gave me.We agreed to both pay expenses for things such as house renovations, household bills, groceries, eating out and gas.My husband takes care…
By Sao Mai  April 3, 2023 | 06:00 am GMT+7 Platform footwear is trending among Vietnamese celebrities as it helps increase their heights significantly. When singer Phung Khanh Linh arrived at the Dedication Awards, one of the biggest music awards in Vietnam, on Thursday in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), she wore a short pleated skirt with a 15-centimeter high white platform heels, which helped enhance her height of 1.55 meters.Platform shoes have been one of the prominent trends on the world fashion scene in the past three years. They are known for their obvious thick soles that can add…
Pope Francis wounds the olive branches as he leads the Palm Sunday mass on April 2, 2023 at St. Peter’s square in The Vatican. Photo by Filippo Monteforte/Pool via Reuters Thousands of people waved palm and olive branches as Francis was driven into St. Peter’s Square sitting in the back of a white, open-topped vehicle, before descending and starting the service from beneath an ancient Egyptian obelisk.The pope, 86, was taken to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties, but recovered quickly following an infusion of antibiotics and returned to his Vatican residence on Saturday.Looking to allay…
By Reuters  April 2, 2023 | 11:31 am GMT+7 Police and firemen carry a bag off their search boat from the marshland in Akwesasne, Quebec, Canada March 31, 2023. Photo by Reuters/Christinne Muschi Police in Canada on Saturday identified two victims among eight bodies recovered from two families who died this week trying to enter the United States from Canada by boat across the St. Lawrence River. The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service said 28-year-old Florin Iordache died and had two Canadian passports in his possession for a two-year-old and one-year-old whose bodies were also recovered. Police also identified 28-year-old victim…
At least five people were killed in Arkansas, according to officials, as first responders sifted through debris for more possible victims after tornadoes sliced through the state on Friday.Officials also reported four deaths in Illinois and three in Indiana.Meanwhile, the Tennessee Department of Health confirmed seven weather-related deaths in McNairy County, at the Mississippi border. Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick Sheehan said the number of people injured and damaged structures in several counties were not yet determined.Just south of the Tennessee border in Madison County, Alabama, 90-year-old Ovie Lasater was killed when a tornado destroyed her home, county coroner…
By Reuters  April 2, 2023 | 11:31 am GMT+7 Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits positions of Ukrainian Border Guards near the border with Russia, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Sumy region, Ukraine March 28, 2023. Photo by Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters Russia assumed charge of the United Nations Security Council on Saturday causing fury in Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy calling it an absurd and destructive move. The last time Russia held the rotating presidency of the body responsible for maintaining peace and combating acts of international aggression was in February 2022 when Moscow troops launched a…