U.S. and Filipino marines staged combat exercises involving the mock defense of an island from aggressors in a northern Philippine town facing the sea border with China.

The Philippines has lifted a nearly two-year ban on foreign travelers in a lifesaving boost for its tourism and related industries as an omicron-fueled surge eases.

“The Mole Agent” infiltrated a nursing home in Chile winning many hearts around the world, including several at the film academy.

(AP Photo/Bikas Das)NEW DELHI — India’s COVID-19 fatalities are closing on 100,000 with another 1,095 deaths reported in the past 24 hours. Like in most countries, the pandemic has devastated the tourism industry in the Philippines, which now has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia at more than 314,000, with 5,504 deaths. Local Health Department director Bruce Dart said later that the event “likely contributed” to a sharp surge in new coronavirus cases. As of Thursday, Oklahoma’s state health department has recorded 88,369 virus cases and 1,035 deaths due to COVID-19, increases of 1,170 and four, respectively, from the previous day. — Nearly half Montana’s confirmed COVID-19 cases came in September as the state continues to report record numbers of infections.

(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)MANILA – Australia and New Zealand on Friday announced a partial opening of their borders to travel between the neighboring countries. But New Zealand will continue to insist on travelers from Australia going into hotel quarantine for two weeks on arrival. Australian authorities have concluded that New Zealand posed a low risk of COVID-19 transmission to Australia, McCormack said. The South Australia state capital Adelaide would likely become the next city to allow quarantine-free travel from New Zealand, McCormack said. When New Zealand would allow quarantine-free travel from Australia was a question for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, he said.