Masters plans for a limited number of spectators in April – The Manila Times
Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) the club intends to allow a limited number of spectators for the Masters on April 8-11, provided it can be done safely amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Ridley said holding the Masters with only essential personnel made the club confident in its ability to stage a major championship with limited fans. The Masters does not publicize how many tickets it sells or how many people typically are on the grounds. “I feel as though the atmosphere around there was obviously down this year,” said Smith, who has played the Masters four times. For the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt Finals, limited patrons would be allowed, most likely family members.
Source:Manila Times
January 13, 2021 16:18 UTC
1,564 more die a day in UK from virus - highest yet
Another 1,564 coronavirus deaths have been reported in the UK - the highest daily figure since the pandemic began following the late addition of some data going as far back as May. The previous highest increase was 1,325, which was reported on 8 January, Sky News reports.
Source:The Standard
January 13, 2021 16:07 UTC
Reds’ death squads a matter of money – The Manila Times
The law allows the AMLC to check the bank accounts of people and groups identified as terrorists. Since NPA fiscal accountability is vague, the AMLC might uncover the sources, where and how they spend their extorted cash. Subsequently, the National Democratic Front called on the CPP-NPA to create armed urban partisan groups. This partisan armed group is also known as terrorist NPA assassins carrying out extrajudicial killings of government officials and unarmed civilians. The fear of running out of financial resources has made the CPP-NPA to resort to its utmost conduct of violence.
Source:Manila Times
January 13, 2021 16:07 UTC
AC Milan beats Torino on penalties to reach quarterfinals – The Manila Times
MILAN: AC Milan beat Torino on penalties on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) to reach the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup, where it could face Serie A title rival Inter Milan. After the match finished 0-0, Milan scored all its penalties and won the shootout 5-4, with Hakan Çalhanoglu converting the decisive kick. Torino defender Tomás Rincón, who took his side’s third penalty, had his effort saved by Ciprian Tatarusanu. Milan had beaten Torino 2-0 in the league on Saturday and that match also marked the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from injury. Apart from Çalhanoglu, Franck Kessié, Theo Hernández, Sandro Tonali and Alessio Romagnoli scored their penalties.
Source:Manila Times
January 13, 2021 16:07 UTC
Higher gas prices push US December consumer prices
U.S. consumer prices edged up by 0.4 percent in December, led by a sharp rise in gasoline prices. Inflation for all of 2020 increased by a modest 1.4 percent, well below the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target. For December, energy prices increased by 4 percent with gasoline prices surging by 8.4 percent. Even with that big jump, gasoline prices are 15.2 percent below where they were a year ago, when people were still commuting to work. Core inflation, excluding volatile food and energy, climbed by a slight 0.1 percent last month, and just 1.6 percent over the past 12 months.-AP
Source:The Standard
January 13, 2021 15:55 UTC
US House moving to impeach Trump for a second time
The US House has begun debating the rule to set up the debate on the impeachment article later today, which will precede the vote on the article. McGovern recounted how Donald Trump incited the crowd to attack the Capitol, by encouraging a group of his supporters at a rally to march down Pennsylvania Avenue as Congress certified Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election. Speaking against impeaching President Trump, Republican representative Jason Smith called the impeachment proceedings “reckless” and urged lawmakers to put “people before politics.”“President Trump will be leaving in seven days. "The president, not only incited an insurrection against our government, but has in word and deed led a rebellion. Earlier, the House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer was asked by a reporter this morning if the House will send the article over immediately to the Senate and Hoyer said "yes."
Source:The Standard
January 13, 2021 15:40 UTC
US stocks drift
U.S. stocks are drifting Wednesday as Wall Street continues a pause from its big recent rally, and even Treasury yields are stalling following their rapid rise. The S&P 500 was 0.1 percent higher after flipping between small gains and losses in early trading. It remains close to its record high set at the end of last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 19 points, or 0.1 percent, at 31,088, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3 percent higher. Markets around the world have rushed higher recently on building optimism that a healthier economy is on the way because of the rollout of coronavirus vaccines and the prospect for more stimulus from a U.S. government soon to be run by Democrats.-AP
Source:The Standard
January 13, 2021 15:00 UTC
NBA, union stiffen virus protocols; more games postponed – The Manila Times
The virus is still very much out there.”Utah’s game in Washington on Wednesday was postponed because contact-tracing issues among the Wizards meant they wouldn’t have eight available players for that matchup. “I’m for whatever the NBA wants us to do,” Washington coach Scott Brooks said. Players have been told to limit on-court interactions with fellow players to elbow or fist bumps, with no extended socializing. There were at least 36 players in the league dealing with virus-related issues or protocols when Tuesday began, based on information released by teams. Counting the two new postponements and another on December 23 between Oklahoma City and Houston, the league has seen six games moved because of virus issues.
Source:Manila Times
January 13, 2021 14:03 UTC
Christine Lagarde keeps faith in eurozone growth projections
The European Central Bank, President Christine Lagarde, says December forecasts are still plausible. The European Central Bank is sticking to its growth projections despite new coronavirus restrictions across Europe that could further dent business activity and output. “I think our last projections in December are still very clearly plausible,” President Christine Lagarde said at a Reuters event on Wednesday. In others, that may not happen before March,” Florian Hense, a euro zone economist at Berenberg, said in an email on Wednesday. The euro zone began vaccinating citizens just before 2020 came to an end, but the rollout has been embroiled in some controversy.
Source:The Standard
January 13, 2021 12:45 UTC
Ten arrested in anti-illegal worker operation
Immigration Department arrested six suspected illegal workers and four suspected employers in a territory-wide operation codenamed "Swordfish" today. During the operation, officers raided over 10 target locations including a restaurant, a warehouse, retail shops, a farm and an industrial building. The suspected illegal workers included a man and five women, aged 24 to 43. Meanwhile, two men and two women, aged 39 to 63, were suspected of employing them. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment.
Source:The Standard
January 13, 2021 12:37 UTC
Local experts will study Sinovac trial data before approval but Sinovac vows to ship vaccines to HK on time
However, Sinovac's executive director Yin Weidong yesterday insisted its vaccines provide good protection and vowed to supply Hong Kong the first batch of 1 million shots among 7.5 million the SAR government agreed to procure by end of this month on schedule. This came as the general efficacy of the vaccine was 50.38 percent in a late-stage trial in Brazil, the company’s local partners Butantan Institute announced on Tuesday (Brazil time) – lower than the clinical efficacy of 78 percent announced last Thursday. Nip in charge of the city's vaccination program said the government's panel of experts overseeing vaccination will be meeting this week to review the vaccines' clinical data. “We've signed an agreement to provide 1 million jabs (in the first batch) to Hong Kong government. Its president William Chui Chun-ming called for the government to consider inoculating care home residents and senior citizens with the Europe-made BioNTech vaccine.
Source:The Standard
January 13, 2021 11:48 UTC
Outrage after RTHK producer axed from program production
RTHK’s Programme Staff Union slammed the public broadcaster’s decision to cut its staffer Bao Choy Yuk-ling from the production of the documentary program “Hong Kong Connection”. But she is set for a court appearance again tomorrow at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court at 2 pm. The Union deemed the latest move by the RTHK as an “act-first-ask-later” attitude. “Choy has been refrained from participating in the production of “Hong Kong Connection” since November,” the union said. It also said that the representatives of the union would voice their support for Choy outside the West Kowloon Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.
Source:The Standard
January 13, 2021 11:45 UTC
Two groups of four from the same rally still breaches social gathering ban, court heard
A group of eight appears in court today for breaching the social gathering ban during a rally last July, making it the first case on trial for breaching the ban during demonstrations. This came after members from the Labour Party and League of Social Democrats demonstrated in Admiralty on May 1 last year, calling on the government to set up an unemployment relief subsidy alongside other labor rights. The eight, including Labour Party chairman Steven Kwok Wing-kin, 33, League of Social Democrats chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming, 31, “long hair” Leung Kwok-hung, pled not guilty, as the court heard that although the eight were divided into two groups of four, they are still taking part in the same rally. “I have made repeated warnings to them, but it was in vain, and they tried to leave in two groups after they saw police officers ready to hand out fixed fines for breaching the social gathering ban,” Wai told the court. But Wai disagreed, insisting that the protest is not exempted by the social gathering ban.
Source:The Standard
January 13, 2021 11:31 UTC
Teenager returned by China brought to court over protest-related charges
Hoang Lam-phuc is one of the two minors among the 12 Shenzhen detainees who returned to Hong Kong on December 30. One of the 12 Hongkongers previously being detained in Shenzhen for allegedly crossing the border illegally has been brought to court the first time since his arrest in August. Magistrate Ada Yim Shun-yee adjourned the case to February 26 for the prosecution to seek legal advice on possibly laying more charges against him. Hoang is one of the two minors among the 12 Shenzhen detainees who returned to Hong Kong on December 30 after the Chinese court decided not to press charges on them. The other 10 were sentenced to between seven months and three years in jail for illegally crossing the border.
Source:The Standard
January 13, 2021 10:20 UTC
US carries out first federal execution of woman in decades – The Manila Times
“Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame.”The execution came after a legal back-and-forth that ended with the country’s highest court allowing it to proceed. On Monday evening, a federal judge offered the defense a brief lifeline, ordering a stay of execution to allow time to assess Montgomery’s mental state. Despite the decline of capital punishment in the US and around the world, Trump’s administration resumed federal executions in July after a 17-year hiatus and has been carrying them out at an unprecedented rate ever since. In addition to Montgomery, two men are scheduled for federal execution this week. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin on Monday announced the introduction of legislation to end federal executions.
Source:Manila Times
January 13, 2021 07:41 UTC