French Open champ Djokovic back as World No. 1
French Open champ Djokovic back as World No. It was a 388th week as the world's number one for the 36-year-old Djokovic, who jumped two places in the standings after his French Open victory. He beat Spanish rival Carlos Alcaraz, 20, who had held the number one spot until the French Open, in the semi-final. Fourteen-time French Open winner Nadal, however, paid the price for his absence through his long-term hip injury, dropping 121 places to 136th in the rankings. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 7595 pts (+2)2.
Source:Philippine Star
June 12, 2023 13:44 UTC
Kai to join Gilas after NBA SL
(UPDATE) ONCE his potential stint in the NBA Summer League is over, Filipino NBA hopeful Kai Sotto said that he will shift his focus to his Gilas Pilipinas duties and the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Sotto, 21, is a member of the 21-man Gilas pool for the World Cup set in August. Kai Sotto FIBA PHOTO Kai Sotto FIBA PHOTO"Summer League won't be a conflict in terms of scheduling before the World Cup. I'm just about to focus all in on the Summer League, try my best to make it to the NBA. After the Summer League, I'm pretty much focused on the World Cup."
Source:Manila Times
June 12, 2023 08:37 UTC
Mighty duck still lures crowds
Below: mini ducks in Ngong Ping and Florentijn Hofman with the reinflated second duck. "I thought it was a common rubber duck. The deflated duck was spotted being reinflated in the shipyard with its tail attached to a crane. University of Hong Kong chemistry professor Fung Ying-sing said higher temperatures will result in higher pressure on the duck, affecting its structure. Some 1,000 of the mini ducks will be sold at Ngong Ping Village today with profits to be donated to the council.
Source:The Standard
June 12, 2023 07:09 UTC
Hainan Free Trade Port gathers steam
LONDON: Representatives from business associations and enterprises in the United Kingdom have expressed their strong interest and unwavering confidence in China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). Speaking at a promotion conference of Hainan FTP held here on Friday, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang highlighted that building Hainan FTP is a national strategy and a great number of breakthroughs have been made. A NATIONAL STRATEGY Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Zheng Zeguang delivers a speech at China Hainan Free Trade Port — the UK Promotion Conference in London, Britain, on Friday, June 9, 2023. XINHUA PHOTO A NATIONAL STRATEGY Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Zheng Zeguang delivers a speech at China Hainan Free Trade Port — the UK Promotion Conference in London, Britain, on Friday, June 9, 2023. This further strengthens our confidence in the future development of the free trade port."
Source:Manila Times
June 12, 2023 06:19 UTC
Gilas women eye stunning performance in FIBA Asia Cup
Gilas women eye stunning performance in FIBA Asia CupMANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas will not troop to Australia only to play and participate in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup. We need to improve," Aquino, also the concurrent program director, told The STAR ahead of the team's departure this week. "We have to come out and play our game and show them who we are and why we’re here. Hindi yung pupunta lang kami doon just to play," he added, also mentioning their SEA Games' silver medal finish as added motivation. In Melbourne where Duke University ace Vanessa de Jesus will join the SEA Games' Gilas core, the team will play two to three friendlies against Australian clubs before flying to Sydney.
Source:Philippine Star
June 12, 2023 04:42 UTC
'No place is safe'
Lee with 10 other Hong Kong officials is supposed to be barred from entering the United States under the sanctions imposed in 2020 for helping introduce the national security law. The chief executive has also said it was the United States' responsibility to invite members to join this year's 21-member meeting in California as APEC does not "belong to any country or economy." The Hong Kong currency, backed by the Exchange Fund, is traded at between HK$7.75 and HK$7.85 per greenback under the system. While calling the US moves including confiscating the Russian and Afghanistan assets in the country "stupid," Lui also said Hong Kong must prepare for a trade war. He believes Hong Kong can leverage its status as a financial center to facilitate the internationalization of the yuan, including providing more financial products denominated in the Chinese currency.
Source:The Standard
June 12, 2023 03:42 UTC
World-first sea tunnel milestone
A 6,845-meter-long underwater tunnel - part of a cross-sea link project between Shenzhen and Zhongshan - has reached a milestone. The world's longest and widest sub-sea steel shell concrete tube tunnel consists of 32 tubes. Some 450,000 Hong Kong cars - or half of the 820,000 registered vehicles - will be eligible for the scheme, SAR authorities said. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said he hopes the scheme will boost economic, trade, social and cultural links between Hong Kong and Guangdong. They must also have their cars checked at a designated vehicle examination center in Hong Kong and purchase insurance that also covers the mainland from any of 16 Hong Kong companies.
Source:The Standard
June 12, 2023 01:12 UTC
Messi gets superstar welcome in China
(UPDATE) BEIJING: Hundreds of jubilant fans greeted Lionel Messi as he arrived on Saturday in Beijing, where his World Cup-winning Argentina will face Australia in a friendly match next week. Lionel Messi AFP PHOTO Lionel Messi AFP PHOTOSeveral hundred others waited outside the team's hotel, not far from the banks of the Liangma River, popular with Beijingers for strolls. This is Messi's seventh trip to China, the last being in 2017, according to local media. "As I couldn't buy a ticket for the game, I booked a room in the same hotel as Messi and was hoping to catch a glimpse of him." World champions Argentina will play a friendly against Australia on June 15 at Beijing's newly renovated 68,000-capacity Workers' Stadium.
Source:Manila Times
June 11, 2023 22:18 UTC
BFF
President Marcos has also described his running mate Vice President Sara Duterte as his “BFF” while the VP has openly professed her love for BBM. Currently, with the first session of the 19th Congress in sine die adjournment, all is quiet on the House front. But what really mattered in House leadership fights at the time, it seemed, was the support of Inday Sara, a.k.a. * * *She’s clearly still aligned with President Marcos’ elder sister, who was with her in the video where she poked fun at an unnamed, ambitious tambaloslos. “There was no Speaker Romualdez in the picture,” the VP sniffed.
Source:Philippine Star
June 11, 2023 21:58 UTC
Valenzuela evacuates 28 families
Valenzuela evacuates 28 familiesMANILA, Philippines — The city government of Valenzuela evacuated 28 families from two barangays due to floods brought about by the southwest monsoon exacerbated by Severe Tropical Storm Chedeng yesterday. Of the 24 families from Barangay Viente Reales who were evacuated, 20 sought shelter at the Bartolome covered court while three families stayed at the Luis Francisco Elementary School. Four families were evacuated from Barangay Arkong Bato. Glenn Mark Lanozo, who heads the city’s disaster risk reduction and management office, told The STAR they decided to evacuate the families early. The two barangays are closely monitored during typhoons or heavy rains as they are considered flood-prone areas in the city.
Source:Philippine Star
June 11, 2023 21:58 UTC
Marcos asks residents to follow evacuate orders
Marcos asks residents to follow evacuate ordersThe mandatory evacuation of residents from Barangay Maninila, for temporary relocation at Mauraro High School and Guinobatan Community College, Barangay Mauraro, Guinobatan, Albay, earlier last Friday, June 10, 2023New lava dome emerges in Mayon – PhivolcsMANILA, Philippines — Amid mounting concerns over a potential “hazardous eruption,” President Marcos appealed to residents near Mayon Volcano in Albay yesterday to follow local orders to evacuate, as state seismologists discovered the emergence of a newly formed lava dome – a grim indicator of escalating volcanic unrest. In an interview with dzBB radio, Phivolcs officer-in-charge Teresito Bacolcol warned that this new lava dome could contain high amounts of gas that could get trapped and may result in explosive activity if it accumulates. He noted that Mayon Volcano usually erupts between three to 10 years from its last eruption in January 2018. Mayon Volcano remains on Alert Level 3, which means there is a high level of unrest and that hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or days. Teodoro said he wants a “timely and orderly” evacuation of families affected not only near Mayon, but also around in Taal.
Source:Philippine Star
June 11, 2023 13:50 UTC
Zelensky says counteroffensive actions ‘taking place’ in Ukraine
“Counter-offensive and defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine, but I will not say in detail what stage they are at,” Zelensky said, listing Ukraine’s top military brass by name. Russian forces, it said, “continue to suffer heavy losses which they are trying to conceal”. Some progress–British ministry“In some areas, Ukrainian forces have likely made good progress and penetrated the first line of Russian defenses. In others, Ukrainian progress has been slower,” it said, also characterizing the Russian military’s performance as mixed. Ukrainian military analyst Oleksiy Hetman told NV Radio the events of recent days were only initial steps.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
June 11, 2023 11:25 UTC
Drunk man hospitalized after breaking a glass door by opening it the wrong way
A drunk man broke a glass door at One Capital Place in Wan Chai on Sunday as he was supposed to push to open the door but kept pulling the door forcefully. The incident occurred around 3.30 pm today as the drunk man wished to enter the building after he hung out nearby for more than an hour. At the building’s front door, he mistakenly pulled the glass door towards himself instead of pushing it to open the door. The glass door then collapsed and shattered as the glass shards injured the man. Photos showed that tissue papers were stained with blood and the glass door shatter completely.
Source:The Standard
June 11, 2023 10:50 UTC
'History hovering' over Djokovic as Grand Slam record beckons
PARIS: Novak Djokovic admits "history is hovering" over him as he takes on Casper Ruud in the French Open final on Sunday with a men's record 23rd Grand Slam title tantalisingly close. Novak Djokovic AFP PHOTO Novak Djokovic AFP PHOTOIn the women's game, only Margaret Court, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams can make a similar boast. I'm thinking really just to win another Grand Slam title here on Sunday, and I'm so close. Alcaraz admitted that the tension he felt in facing the Serb for the first time in a Grand Slam match caused the body cramps which torpedoed his hopes in the semi-final. "Of course playing a semi-final of a Grand Slam, you have a lot of nerves, but even more facing Novak.
Source:Manila Times
June 11, 2023 10:17 UTC
Three men caught by Macau customs strapping smartphones on their bodies
Three men were caught by Macau customs trying to smuggle over 228 phones by strapping the phones onto their bodies and hiding the phones in their luggage. Their smuggling attempt was revealed by Macau customs officers on Thursday night as the three men aged 47 to 55 traveled to the casino city on the HZM “Golden” coach bus. After investigation by Macau customs, the men admitted they were paid to smuggle the phones across the border. Macau customs have initiated prosecution against the three in accordance with Macau law and confiscated the phones they were trying to smuggle. Macau customs said they will strengthen their work on collecting intelligence and step up their efforts in searching people in order to combat illegal trafficking activities.
Source:The Standard
June 11, 2023 10:01 UTC