New Way Normal

    An order has been made to remove a police chief of an affluent area of the Philippine capital, Manila, for his handling of a probe into the suspected rape and murder of an air stewardess. The case of Christine Dacera, found dead in a hotel room after a New Year's Eve party, made headlines for weeks. Police quickly said she had been raped and murdered, arresting three men. But the men have now been released while questions have been raised over officers' initial conclusions. The ordered removal of Makati Police Chief Colonel Harold Depositar is the latest development, and comes in the wake of massive criticism for their handling of the high profile case. Critics say the case represents a denial of due process, an issue that has been raised before in relation to their implementation of President Rodrigo Duterte's "War on Drugs" What did police initially say? On 4 January, police issued a statement that they had "solved" the death of the 23-ye...

    Five people have been killed in a fire at the site of the world's largest vaccine producer in western India. The blaze started at a building which was still under construction at the Serum Institute of India's facilities in Pune on Thursday afternoon. Footage showed thick plumes of smoke billowing from a building on the company's sprawling site. The company said vaccine production would not be affected. The cause of the fire has not been identified. The fire was later brought under control, but the city's mayor confirmed that five people had died. "We have just received some distressing updates; upon further investigation we have learnt that there has unfortunately been some loss of life at the incident," the Serum Institute's CEO, Adar Poonawalla, said in a tweet. "We are deeply saddened and offer our deepest condolences to the family members of the departed." Mr Poonawalla said there would be no impact on the production of the Oxfor...

   Poco C3 sales in India have surpassed the milestone of one million units, Poco India announced on Thursday. The budget smartphone was launched in the country in October as a slightly tweaked version of the Redmi 9C that debuted in Malaysia in June. Poco C3 competes against the likes of Realme C11, Infinix Smart 4 Plus, and Samsung Galaxy M01. It comes with triple rear cameras, waterdrop-style display notch, and a MediaTek Helio G35 SoC. Poco C3 also includes up to 32GB of onboard storage option. Poco C3 crossed the one-million sales mark in a little over three months since its launch in the Indian market. The smartphone has also received a discounted price that is applicable until January 24. Poco C3 price discount Under the limited-period discount, Poco C3 is available at Rs. 6,999 for the 3GB + 32GB storage variant, while its 4GB + 64GB storage model comes at Rs. 7,999. Both prices show a Rs. 500 cut from its regular pricing and are applicable through Flipk...

  A Chinese restaurant in Montreal has been winning the hearts of netizens for its brutally honest menu card that is now doing the rounds on social media. Restaurants are generally known to boast about their dishes before customers. But Feigang Fei, who runs Aunt Dai Chinese restaurant, chose to design a menu with honest descriptions of the dishes. Each description features the owner’s take on the dishes. For instance, about orange beef, it reads, “Comparing to our General Tao Chicken, this one is not THAT good. Anyway, I am not a big fan of North American Chinese food and it’s your call.” Another such description for yet another beef dish reads, “According to a lot of customers, this one is very popular I still didn’t have a chance to taste it. Looks like I should spend more time eating in my own restaurant.” Fei, who opened the restaurant seven years back, would initially be disappointed when customers returned the food uneaten. “Some customers who hadn’t tried cer...

 A relationship requires love, care, and understanding to blossom over time. But the open secret to a stable and balanced relationship is something couples often find difficult to comprehend: hard work. “The way a gardener goes about de-cluttering the garden of unwanted weeds, dry leaves and twigs, the same has to be done in any relationship. Crystal clear communication helps remove unwanted baggage and allows space for more understanding,” said Jayapalashri Anil, meditation facilitator, Samskara Healing. She added that a balanced relationship is a two-way street and requires equal give and take. “The element of forgiveness and clear communication becomes critical during off days and days of mismatched efforts. A relationship does not work on auto-mode rather it requires constant willingness to put hard and heart work. Perfect marriages are not made in heaven but made perfect by imperfect individuals,” she told indianexpress.com . *Understand your partner’s likes and...

 Popstar Lady Gaga is all set to sing the National Anthem at US President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, DC today. But before the much-awaited performance, she shared a picture of herself from the US Capitol Building. In the photo, The A Star Is Born actor was seen in an all-white ensemble — a white overcoat that featured cape sleeves. The singer never really plays it cool, and it will be interesting to see what all she has in store. Sharing the picture she wrote, “I pray tomorrow will be a day of peace for all Americans. A day for love, not hatred. A day for acceptance not fear. A day for dreaming of our future joy as a country. A dream that is non-violent, a dream that provides safety for our souls. Love, from the Capitol” On the eve of his inauguration, President-elect Joe Biden paid tribute Covid-19 victims. He led a national mourning ceremony at Lincoln Memorial, where 400 lights were lit to honour the 400,000 people who died due to the virus in...