Swiatek, Rybakina fight back to reach Qatar Open quarterfinalsPoland's Iga Swiatek hits a return against Australia’s Daria Kasatkina during their women’s singles match at the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha on February 11, 2026. DOHA, Qatar — Iga Swiatek came from a set down to defeat Daria Kasatkina on Wednesday and keep her bid for a fourth Qatar Open title alive, as Elena Rybakina also reached the quarterfinals. 2 recovered to beat Russian-born Australian Kasatkina, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, and set up a tie with Greece's Maria Sakkari. Swiatek remains on course for a possible rematch with Australian Open champion Rybakina in the final after the Kazakh's win in their quarterfinal clash at Melbourne Park last month. Muchova will play Anna Kalinskaya on Thursday after the Russian defeated Australian Open semifinalist Elina Svitolina, 6-4, 6-3.

In a seven-page resolution dated February 10, the anti-graft court denied the motion for inhibition against Associate Justice Karl Miranda, which Revilla filed on February 8. According to Revilla, Miranda should recuse himself from the proceedings to "remove any lingering doubt about his impartiality." However, the anti-graft court noted that Miranda's brother is neither a party nor a counsel in the present Sandiganbayan case. "In this case, Revilla failed to demonstrate any act or conduct that indicates Associate Justice Miranda's bias or partiality. Other than the imputation of 'lingering doubt' on Associate Justice Miranda's impartiality, Revilla failed to indicate any circumstance that Associate Justice Miranda exhibited bias and prejudice towards him," the anti-graft court said.

LeBron James watches from the sideline as his son and Lakers teammate Bronny James walks up the court during the game against the Spurs.

Photo by HANDOUT / US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE / AFP This undated photo in an unidentified location provided by the US Justice Department on December 19, 2025 shows Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy US financier who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls.

Raymond Tam, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs of The Hong Kong Jockey Club; Andy Kwok, Captain of Hong Kong Golf Club and students from the Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Go Fun Junior Golf Program; HKGC junior golfers; at the launch ceremony.

PNP intensifies crackdown on online baby-sellingMANILA, Philippines — Amid the spike in cases of baby-selling, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has intensified its crackdown on crime rings involved in the sale of children through social media platforms. PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said yesterday they are targeting not only local groups, but also international drug rings suspected of orchestrating human trafficking schemes. Specialized police units have been mobilized to dismantle the networks involved in online baby-selling. “This is an alarming racket that needs to be stopped for it degrades the sanctity of human life,” Nartatez said. He said the PNP would file criminal cases against social media platforms that fail to take action against the sale of babies on digital platforms.

Blue Ribbon won’t recommend preliminary probe vs RomualdezMANILA, Philippines — The Senate Blue Ribbon committee will not recommend a preliminary investigation of former speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez in its revised partial report on the flood control controversy, opting instead to pursue further evidence against President Marcos’ cousin. “If in the course of the hearings there is validation or corroboration linking former speaker Romualdez, that could be changed in the Blue Ribbon’s final report. He could then be included among those to be recommended for preliminary investigation,” he said. The property may be among the subjects of the next Blue Ribbon hearings. Revilla sought Miranda’s recusal because the magistrate’s brother, Buenaventura Miranda, had served as legal counsel to former DPWH undersecretary Robert Bernardo during Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearings on the flood control controversy.

Chinese envoy tells Philippines government: Let’s talkMANILA, Philippines — China’s top diplomat urged the Philippines to talk with China in order to find ways to manage differences, while admitting that winning a confrontation with a smaller neighbor risks losing a long-term relationship. In his remarks at a Lunar New Year reception on Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan suggested that the two sides sit down and talk. Let’s talk. The Chinese embassy in Manila retaliated, banning 16 people from Kalayaan, including local officials led by Mayor Beltzasar Alindogan. Kalayaan is the country’s only municipality located inside the WPS and is considered the frontline of Philippine sovereignty in the area.

New era, same fiery fight for NUMANILA, Philippines — The road to the UAAP volleyball supremacy still has to go through National U. Pundits, however, see a wide-open race, with La Salle and Santo Tomas tipped to be the biggest threats to NU’s throne. But the Lady Bulldogs of returning coach Regine Diego will march into the battlepit confident that they have what it takes to battle – and wage a fight as champs. The Lady Bulldogs last season completed a back-to-back feat for their third overall crown in the last four seasons, giving their “Big 4” a sweet swan song. Expected to stand in the NU’s way are La Salle and Santo Tomas, which took turns in challenging the Lady Bulldogs in their four straight finals.

I wore a totally different hat and perhaps one of the most meaningful to me: that of a descendant of a Philippine-American War hero. It was a moment that linked my family’s story to a larger national narrative, offering a rare opportunity to share my roots and reflect on how they continue to shape the person I am today. “My name is Agapito Del Rosario Zaldarriaga, son of Cristina Baby Sicangco Del Rosario Zaldarriaga, grandson of Agapito Abad Santos Del Rosario. She led guerrillas, negotiated with American forces and helped stabilize Angeles after the war.”The deeper discussion at the forum centered on the Philippine-American War. Forgetting this is forgetting the sacrifices of martyrs like Kapitan Bikong, whose courage helped secure the freedoms we now enjoy.

Philippines falls in corruption index, among worst in SEAMANILA, Philippines — Mirroring trends observed in other parts of the world, perceived levels of public sector corruption in the Philippines worsened in 2025, coinciding with the widespread scandal surrounding flood control projects. The Philippines ranked 120th among the 182 countries and territories included in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday, down six notches from the 2024 edition of the annual report. The Philippines’ score was only higher than Cambodia’s and Myanmar’s’ among its Southeast Asian neighbors. Reacting to the 2025 CPI, Malacañang said the Philippines’ lower score was expected because of President Marcos’ exposé of anomalies in flood control projects. “The vast majority of countries are failing to keep corruption under control: 122 out of 182 score under 50 in the index,” the report read.

Tulfo confronts Meta over Marcos deepfake proliferationSenator Raffy Tulfo urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to strengthen farmer and fisherfolk cooperatives, reforms in the DA’s Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), and faster delivery of government support to the sector during a Senate committee hearing on agriculture on January 26, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Raffy Tulfo grilled officials of Meta yesterday over the tech giant’s failure to swiftly remove a malicious deepfake photo of President Marcos that has been circulating on Facebook for over a week. “Why not take it down immediately?” an irate Tulfo asked Meta executives. Why would the President of the Republic of the Philippines be disrespected like this and you allow it?” he added. He explained that the image Tulfo’s team found was likely a repost from a different account, and he requested the specific link so Meta could immediately review and remove it.

Palace: Sara is talented in spreading falsehoodsIn a Facebook post on Aug. 5, 2025, Vice President Sara Duterte shared photos of her administering the oath of office to newly elected officials of the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte. This was Malacañang’s reaction to Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that she has stopped talking to her senator allies because the Marcos administration threatens or harasses those who help or speak to her. The Beverly Hills police clarified that the report, which circulated on social media, had been altered, according to the Philippine consulate in Los Angeles. “It’s another storytelling lie... We do not know when their talent for spreading fake news originated,” Castro said at a press briefing yesterday. The Vice President resigned as education secretary and vice chairperson of the government’s anti-insurgency task force in June 2024, after her relationship with the Marcoses soured.

Palace: Marcos respects China diplomats’ opinionsPresidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro made the remarks after the Chinese embassy on Tuesday denounced the resolution approved by the Senate condemning embassy officials for their statements against Philippine officials speaking out on WPS issues. “The President respects freedom of expression. She declined to comment, however, when asked whether she sees the condemnation of the Senate resolution by the Chinese embassy a way to silence the chamber. In a statement, Chinese embassy spokesman Ji Lingpeng called the Senate resolution a “political stunt” and accused the legislators of repeatedly resorting to “threats” and “intimidation” against Chinese diplomats. Reacting to the embassy statement, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said it was the Chinese diplomats who were disrespectful and needed rebuke.

House to treat Sara impeach cases like MarcosMANILA, Philippines — The same constitutional standards applied in the impeachment cases against President Marcos would be used by the House of Representatives in dealing with the cases against Vice President Sara Duterte, committee on justice chairperson Rep. Gerville Luistro said yesterday. “It is not yet in the justice committee. That’s why we haven’t seen yet these impeachment complaints. She said impeachment complaints must first be referred by the plenary to the justice committee before the latter can make its move. She also explained that the impeachment complaints against the Vice President were not taken up last Monday because they were still with the Office of the Speaker.