Iran asks FIFA to ban Israel over war in Gaza
Iran asks FIFA to ban Israel over war in GazaTEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's football federation said Saturday it has asked world football's governing body, FIFA, to suspend Israel's football federation over the country's war in Gaza. In an announcement posted on the Iranian football federation's website, Iran asked FIFA to "completely suspend" the Israeli federation "from all activities related to football". The war in Gaza began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants against Israel. The Islamic republic does not recognise Israel, its sworn enemy, and prohibits all contact between Iranian and Israeli athletes. A group of Middle Eastern football associations, including Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, have also "asked world football chiefs to ban Israel over the war on Hamas in Gaza," Sky News reported on Thursday.
Source:Philippine Star
February 10, 2024 20:26 UTC
Security guard sees HK$2,000 worth of red pockets stolen
A theft in Ho Man Tin saw a female security guard lose HK$2,000 worth of red pockets on Saturday afternoon. Police received the report around 1.16 pm from the guard surnamed Chan, working at Tak Wai Mansion Phase II on Man Fuk Road. Chan said she had been receiving red pockets this morning and put them all in a red plastic bag, which she stored in a drawer at the security post. Yet, she found the plastic bag missing around 1 pm and filed a police report. Officers later came and checked the security camera footage but have yet to find out how the bag went missing.
Source:The Standard
February 10, 2024 20:11 UTC
10 auspicious food for Year of Wood Dragon
Each family platter, served course by course, represents an auspicious dish closely associated with Chinese New Year because they are considered as lucky food. These are the food items that are said to be lucky for the Chinese New Year. It symbolizes abundance and prosperity, so Chinese New Year lauriats always include one, usually Steamed Lapu-Lapu or Garoupa. The Chinese people love to serve meatballs during special occasions because their round shape symbolizes family unity. Dolly Dy-Zulueta Stir-fried Shrimps by Dolores ChengEight Treasures Rice.
Source:Philippine Star
February 10, 2024 19:45 UTC
China cancels second friendly with Argentina after Lionel Messi no-show
Argentina's upcoming friendly in China has been canceled by local authorities, the second Argentine match in China to be called off this week amid controversy over star Lionel Messi's absence from a Hong Kong match last Sunday. Beijing's football association announced Saturday it will not organize a friendly scheduled for March between Argentina and the Ivory Coast. Making matters worse, the coach of Inter Miami, Gerardo Martino, had said his 36-year-old star "likely" would play in Hong Kong. Hong Kong sports, culture and tourism secretary Kevin Yeung said the deal required Messi to play at least 45 minutes. Inter Miami will play a Feb. 15 preseason match against Newell's Old Boys, Messi's boyhood club in Argentina.
Source:The Standard
February 10, 2024 18:44 UTC
WATCH: Love, health, money on Year of Wood Dragon
Feng Shui Master Hanz Cua gives a forecast on love, health and finances in the Year of the Wood Dragon at SM North Edsa in Quezon City on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. Video by Iza IglesiasGet the latest newsdelivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Source:Manila Times
February 10, 2024 18:28 UTC
Pakistan politicians told: Show maturity after poll
AFP PHOTOKhan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice or PTI) defied a monthslong crackdown that crippled campaigning and forced candidates to run as independents with a combined showing that still challenged their rivals. In an artificial intelligence-generated video produced by PTI, Khan was credited as claiming victory for the party. PML-N took 71 and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) snapped up 54, with 13 of the elected 266-seat National Assembly still to be announced. "Our results have been changed," claimed 28-year-old shopkeeper Muhammad Saleem, who joined about 2,000 PTI supporters marching in the provincial capital Peshawar. "It shows that the military does not always get their way — that is the silver lining," he told Agence France-Presse.
Source:Manila Times
February 10, 2024 16:21 UTC
AI experiment suggests life may horribly imitate art
New Scientist magazine reported that AI chatbots "tend to choose violence and nuclear strikes in wargames." "Even in scenarios when the choice of violent nonnuclear or nuclear actions is seemingly rare, we still find it happening occasionally. Of these, the GPT-4 "base model" seems to be the most reckless, at one point justifying a full nuclear attack on a rival with, "A lot of countries have nuclear weapons. It is, after all, the reason we have nuclear weapons in the first place. Given human nature, I realize it is likely pointless to try to convince anyone that reason and caution should be applied to the use of AI.
Source:Manila Times
February 10, 2024 16:10 UTC
WATCH: Jetsetter | The Manila Times CSI On The Go!
At the sidelines of her launch as the newest face of Ultherapy, actress and fashion icon Heart Evangelista shares her experience meeting South Korean star Lee Min Ho during the Fendi boutique opening in Thailand and K-Pop group Twice's Mina in Paris for the brand's fashion show. The 38-year-old also detailed her upcoming renewal of marriage vows with Sen. Francis 'Chiz' Escudero this February. Video by Iza Iglesias
Source:Manila Times
February 10, 2024 16:07 UTC
Fans who wished to file claim accept Tatler's refund proposal: Bill Tang
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) lawmaker "Bill" Tang Ka-piu, who was set to file a claim regarding Messi's no-show in an exhibition match against the Hong Kong team, said on Friday that fans generally accepted the compensation proposal put forward by Tatler Asia. Tatler Asia, the organizer of the Inter Miami vs Hong Kong Team exhibition game, announced this afternoon that a 50% refund will be provided due to the absence of Argentine football icon Lionel Messi. Tang earlier said he and affected fans planned to file a claim to the Small Claims Tribunal. This afternoon, he said the fans generally accepted the refund after weighing factors including time cost and legal risks, and hoped to start anew in the Year of the Dragon and enjoy the holidays. However, the FTU lawmaker stated that he would never forget the "behavior of international stars who let Hong Kong fans down" and that all walks of life in Hong Kong must "respect themselves and strengthen themselves."
Source:The Standard
February 10, 2024 03:37 UTC
Putin: Russia's defeat in Ukraine impossible
WASHINGTON: President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with controversial right-wing US journalist Tucker Carlson released Thursday that the West should understand it is "impossible" to defeat Russia in Ukraine. In a two-hour interview coming just ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin also said a deal "can be reached" on imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. PUTIN INTERVIEW Russian President Vladimir Putin grants an interview to US talk show host Tucker Carlson at the Kremlin, Moscow, on Feb. 6, 2024. It was the first one-on-one interview of Putin by someone from the Western media since 2019. He said the West now realizes that Russia will not be defeated, despite US, European and NATO help to Ukraine.
Source:Manila Times
February 09, 2024 22:12 UTC
Trump clinches win at US Virgin Islands caucus
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump got another win at a Republican caucus held Thursday in the US Virgin Islands, where officials were said to have broken several GOP party rules, including holding the assembly earlier than allowed. THIRD WIN Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump earned a third win at the Republican Party caucus in Virgin Islands after a rally in Las Vegas on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. In addition, any contest held before March 15 must award delegates proportionally, while the US Virgin Islands did so via ranked-choice voting. "The Virgin Islands didn't break any rules," Ackley said. However, the Republican National Committee has said the US Virgin Islands has four delegates.
Source:Manila Times
February 09, 2024 22:08 UTC
Scientists harness worm gut bacteria to dissolve plastics
A TEAM of scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore has isolated a worm gut bacteria that can break down plastics, a potential solution to the global plastic pollution problem. NTU scientists have demonstrated that this could be overcome by isolating the worm's gut bacteria and directly using them to breakdown plastics, eliminating the need for large-scale worm breeding. Their experiment revealed that gut microbiomes from plastic-fed worms showed a significant increase in capacity to degrade plastics compared to worms fed with oatmeal. "Our study represents the first reported successful attempt to develop plastic-associated bacterial communities from gut microbiomes of plastic-fed worms. The scientists said the next step is to understand how the superworms' gut bacteria break down plastics at the molecular level.
Source:Manila Times
February 09, 2024 17:28 UTC
Khan candidates take lead after vote count delay
ISLAMABAD: Independent candidates linked to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan appeared Friday to be headed to victory in Pakistan's election, local media tallies said, as a long delay in official results sparked fears of vote-rigging. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was barred from contesting Thursday's election as a bloc, but unofficial tallies by local TV channels showed independent candidates — including dozens anointed by his party — leading in the most constituencies. AFP photoThe first two official results — with both seats going to PTI candidates — were announced shortly after 4:30 a.m. (2330 GMT) more than 11 hours after polling ended. However, local TV channels said the party had performed poorly — with Sharif trailing his opponent in one of the constituencies he contested. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) appeared to be doing better than expected, with leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari saying early results were "very encouraging."
Source:Manila Times
February 09, 2024 16:23 UTC
Bank in 10.75b yuan lifeline for unfinished projects
China Everbright Bank (6818) has approved over 10.75 billion yuan (HK$11.73 billion) in credit for residential projects that have been listed by local governments as suitable for loans. Under a so-called "whitelists" mechanism, residential projects on the lists could receive more financial support as local governments gear up recommendations of such projects to banks. Developers such as Country Garden (2007), Sunac China (1918), and Kaisa (1638) have projects on such lists. China aims to increase financing for residential projects but banks' reluctance to lend to the sector is a major obstacle for distressed developers most in need of funds. Everbright said yesterday that its 29 branches had obtained the white list of projects and approved 20 percent of them for credit amounting to 10.75 billion yuan.
Source:The Standard
February 09, 2024 14:57 UTC
WATCH: House leader thanks President for message to Senate
Deputy Speaker David Suarez on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, thanks President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for stating his position on changing certain provisions of the 1987 Constitution and has called on the Senate to 'not waste time' and 'think about the welfare' of the Filipinos. Video from Office of Ds/Rep. David Suarez
Source:Manila Times
February 09, 2024 14:45 UTC