Jalen Green taken 5th, Kai Sotto snubbed anew in NBA mock draft
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American Jalen Green is projected to be the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft in the latest mock draft of American website Bleacher Report. Posted on Thursday (Friday, Manila time), Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman pegged Green to head to the Oklahoma City Thunder via the Houston Rockets at No. Green's NBA G League Ignite teammate Jonathan Kuminga came in at third, with the Washington Wizards forecasted to take the forward. READ: Kai Sotto shrugs off mock draft snubs, focuses on improvementTeam Ignite is currently in Walnut Creek, California getting ready for the new NBA G League season set to tip off in February. They will test their mettle against 17 NBA G League teams to improve and hopefully increase their draft stock as the NBA draft approaches.
Source:Philippine Star
January 15, 2021 02:37 UTC
New bloc in Congress generated awareness for BTS fans, says lawmaker
MANILA, Philippines — The new BTS sa Kongreso (BTS in Congress) bloc in the House of Representatives is already a success as it has created “awareness” among fans of the Korean boy group where it was named after, Camarines Sur 2nd District Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte Jr. said Friday. Villafuerte said fans of BTS, who call themselves the ARMY, became aware of the goals of the newly-formed House bloc because of its name. ADVERTISEMENT“We don’t want to anger anyone, whether the ARMY or anyone, but the fact that it created awareness. Now a lot of BTS fans are now attuned to what we want to do, I think in that sense, it’s a success already,” he said on ABS-CBN News Channel. He even said that non-millennials started to listen to songs of the widely popular boy group after the creation of the bloc.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 15, 2021 02:15 UTC
Young gun Ryan Garcia wants crack at Manny Pacquiao
MANILA, Philippines – Another up-and-coming boxing star in Ryan Garcia wants a piece of Manny Pacquiao. Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) spoke to US journalist Rich Eisen about his dream to fight the Filipino boxing legend. Now, with Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KO) at 42 years old, Garcia hopes to be the sport’s next big star. "Maybe after Gervonta (Davis), hopefully.... Can we share that ring together and please pass that torch to me?," he said. The young boxer just wants a chance to share the ring with the legend while he still can.
Source:Philippine Star
January 15, 2021 02:15 UTC
LIVE: Senate hearing on COVID-19 vaccination program — Day 2
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Committee of the Whole is set to resume its probe on the government's vaccination program against COVID-19, and Senate President Tito Sotto is hoping it will be the last installment. READ: A roundup of local governments who secured vaccine deals in advanceBut Sotto is looking to grant local governments even more leeway when it comes to vaccine procurement and rollout. On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer's vaccine for emergency use, making it the first jab to get the authorization needed for rollout in the government's national vaccination plan. Senators question Sinovac purchaseThe government has procured 25 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine, which recently proved only 50.4% effective in Brazil, barely meeting the threshold of 50% to 60% set by global authorities. Watch the Senate inquiry LIVE, at 10 a.m. on FRIDAY, Jan. 15, 2020.
Source:Philippine Star
January 15, 2021 01:51 UTC
US extends tariffs of up to 40pc on domestic washers
US President Donald Trump on Thursday extended "safeguard" tariffs on large residential washers for another two years in a move that further shields domestic manufacturers such as Whirlpool Corp from import competition, Reuters reports. The tariffs imposed in January 2018 were among the first that Trump imposed in his "America First" trade push, along with duties on solar panels, steel aluminum and Chinese goods. The washer tariffs, imposed under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974, were designed to shield American manufacturers from import surges for three years and were originally due to expire on February 8. The "tariff rate quota" safeguards on washers impose levies of 20 percent to 40 percent, depending on import volumes, but exclude machines made in Canada. In the months before Trump imposed the tariffs, South Korean producers Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, which had battled U.S. anti-dumping tariffs for years, made commitments to open washer factories in the United States.
Source:The Standard
January 15, 2021 00:55 UTC
Joe Biden rolls out US$1.9 trillion financial relief plan
President-elect Joe Biden speaks about the pandemic during an event at The Queen theater, Thursday, January 14, 2021, in Wilmington, Delaware, as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris listens. President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan Thursday to turn the tide on the pandemic, speeding up the vaccine rollout and providing financial help to individuals, states and local governments and businesses struggling with the prolonged economic fallout. The plan would also extend a temporary boost in unemployment benefits and a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures through September. The last item would make it easier for women to go back to work, which in turn would help the economy recover. “Remember that a bipartisan US$900 billion #COVID19 relief bill became law just 18 days ago,” tweeted Republican Senator John Cornyn, of Texas.
Source:The Standard
January 15, 2021 00:45 UTC
US sanctions China National Offshore Oil Corp and Xiaomi
The Commerce Department’s move against China National Offshore Oil Corp., the nation’s main deepwater explorer, denies it access to U.S. technologies without specific permission. And Xiaomi was one of nine firms added to the Defense Department’s list of Chinese military companies. Cnooc is the smallest of China’s so-called big three state-owned oil majors after China National Petroleum Corp. and China Petrochemical Corp., also known as Sinopec. The Commerce Department also added Skyrizon to the military end-user list, saying it poses a threat to national security. Wilbur Ross said the company’s push to acquire and “indigenize” foreign military technologies posed a significant threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
Source:The Standard
January 15, 2021 00:31 UTC
Big Tech drags down US stocks
The S&P 500 fell by 0.4 percent. The benchmark index, which had been up by 0.4 percent, was weighed down by losses in Apple, Microsoft and other huge tech companies even though most of the stocks in the index rose. Small-company stocks bucked the trend and continued to rally, a sign that investors are feeling more optimistic about the economy. Still, the market pullback has the S&P 500 on track for its first weekly loss in three weeks. “Sentiment is still pretty hot, but has cooled a little bit.”The S&P 500 fell by 14.30 points at 3,795.54.
Source:The Standard
January 15, 2021 00:27 UTC
At least three dead in Indonesia's Sulawesi island quake
At least three people have died and 24 been injured after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island, the country's disaster mitigation agency said in a statement on Friday. The epicentre of the quake was six kilometres (3.73 miles)northeast of Majene, at a depth of 10 kilometers. Thousands of residents fled their homes to seek safety after the quake, the statement said. The disaster mitigation agency said a hotel and the governor's office were severely damaged.
Source:The Standard
January 15, 2021 00:22 UTC
North Korea shows off new submarine-launched missiles after rare party congress
At the end, a number of what analysts said appeared to be new variants of short-range ballistic missiles and SLBMs rolled into the square on trucks. “The world’s most powerful weapon, submarine-launch ballistic missiles, entered the square one after another, powerfully demonstrating the might of the revolutionary armed forces,” news agency KCNA reported. North Korea has test-fired several SLBMs from underwater, and analysts say it is seeking to develop an operational submarine to carry the missiles. Photos released by state media showed the SLBM was labelled Pukguksong-5, potentially marking an upgrade over the Pukguksong-4 that was unveiled at a larger military parade in October. North Korean officials have been meeting in Pyongyang for the first party congress since 2016.gsgRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 15, 2021 00:00 UTC
WHO tackles new virus strains, fresh restrictions imposed
GENEVA, Switzerland – Global health experts gathered on Thursday to tackle new coronavirus strains blamed for a fresh surge in infections as countries including Britain and France tightened restrictions to head off a further worsening of the pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) emergency committee session came as their colleagues were seeking the origins of the virus on a long-delayed mission to the pandemic ground zero in Wuhan. Much of the planet is facing a second or third wave of infections, with populations chafing under painful and economically damaging restrictions. They quoted her as saying the virus could only be stopped with “significant additional measures”. The death comes as a 10-strong investigation team arrived in Wuhan, where the virus emerged in late 2019.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 14, 2021 22:41 UTC
Malacañang: No reason to hold back on Sinovac
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang will proceed to buy 25 million doses of a China-made COVID-19 vaccine despite misgivings in some sectors about its low efficacy rate and steep price. He said the first batch of 50,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine would arrive in February. Domingo cited the FDA finding that the Pfizer vaccine’s benefits outweighed its known and potential risks. “The [Pfizer] vaccine had mild to moderate side effects comparable to usual vaccines already in the market,” Domingo said. Ultralow temperaturesDomingo, however, said it might be difficult for local governments to handle the Pfizer vaccine, as it requires storage in ultra-low temperatures.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 14, 2021 21:33 UTC
Cold chain group offers help, awaits word from gov’t
Based on CCAP’s estimates, 50 million doses of vaccines could easily be stored in a total of 1,000 pallets or containers. It would cost about P10.8 million to store 50 million vaccine shots for six months, the group said. Ball in gov’t courtHe said, however, that the ball was still in the government’s court and his group was awaiting details of official vaccine storage and distribution plans. He said the state-run Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) had cold storage capacity of -70 C to -20 C.Health-care service providers like Zuellig and other pharmaceutical companies had purchased cold storage, including mobile freezers that could hold about 100,000 shots. In addition to RITM, the Philippine General Hospital and San Lazaro Medical Center would also be provided with cold storage facilities.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 14, 2021 21:33 UTC
Best of both worlds coming to an end?
Ip was not factually wrong when appealing for the end a long-standing practice that permits Hong Kong emigrants to have the best of both worlds, while mainlanders and the nationals of some other countries do not have such a benefit. Hong Kong's situation is rather special due to historical reasons, with residents having emigrated to, say, the UK and naturalized as UK nationals able to continue living in Hong Kong without restrictions. It is very likely that BNO holders will not be allowed to have the best of both worlds and will have to choose between them. Considering the UK's domestic politics, it is not guaranteed the BNO scheme will last permanently after it comes into effect at the end of this month. In this sense, there could be policy risks in the future when the Sino-British relationship improves and the UK government changes the terms and conditions for the BNO scheme.
Source:The Standard
January 14, 2021 19:07 UTC
New World dishes out bonuses, halts pay cuts
SING TAONew World Development (0017) has suspended its no-pay leave and pay cut plans and its hotel staff will receive a half-month bonus despite the economy not having recovered. The news came as vacancy rate for Grade A office space surged to an 11-year high in Hong Kong, with shop rents expected to fall a further 10 percent year-on-year. Overall street rents were down 27.2 percent last year - the sharpest annual fall on record. CBRE also projects Grade A office rents to fall 5 percent this year. Overall vacancy of grade A office space rose to 9.9 percent last year, the highest since 2009, on top of 8 million square feet of underlying vacant space, CBRE said.
Source:The Standard
January 14, 2021 19:07 UTC