MANILA -- The Philippine economy is forecast to remain on a steady growth path in 2021 and 2022, supported by an acceleration in the government's COVID-19 vaccination program and a sharp drop in coronavirus cases, according to an Asian Development Bank report released Tuesday.

The supplement to the Asian Development Outlook 2021 says the Philippine economy will grow by 5.1 percent in 2021 and 6.0 percent in 2022, up from a previous forecast of 4.5 percent in 2021 and 5.5 percent in 2022, respectively. (Philippines-ADB-Forecast-Growth)

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WELLINGTON -- Food prices fell 0.6 percent in November compared with last month, mainly driven by lower prices for tomatoes, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Tuesday.

Tomato prices fell 49 percent in November compared with October. But, their price was still 54 percent higher than a year ago, Stats NZ said. (New Zealand-Food prices)

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Alaska Airlines on Monday announced plans of new nonstop international flights by next summer from the U.S. West Coast hubs to airports with its oneworld member airlines.

According to Alaska Airlines, British Airways will begin nonstop service from Portland to London Heathrow five days a week starting June 3, 2022. (US-Alaska Airlines-Oneworld-Flight)

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CAIRO -- The sixth edition of Food Africa, a major international exhibition for the agro-food industry in the African region, opened on Monday in Egypt's capital Cairo, attracting over 400 exhibitors from various countries.

Held at the International Exhibition Center, the three-day fair is expected to welcome some 21,000 professionals seeking business opportunities. (Egypt-Food Africa-Expo)

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JERUSALEM -- Israel's total exports of goods recorded an annual increase in 2021 compared to the previous year, Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics revealed on Monday.

Even before the addition of December's data, Israel's exports of goods reached 50.42 billion U.S. dollars since the beginning of this year, higher than the total of 47.49 billion dollars recorded in all of 2020. (Israel-Export)