Jim Brown, all-time NFL great and social activist, dead at 87
CLEVELAND: Jim Brown was virtually unstoppable in every arena. A spokeswoman for Brown's family said he died peacefully in his Los Angeles home on Thursday night with his wife, Monique, by his side. "To the world, he was an activist, actor, and football star," Monique Brown wrote in an Instagram post. "We all stand on your shoulders Jim Brown. If you grew up in Northeast Ohio and were Black, Jim Brown was a God."
Source:Manila Times
May 20, 2023 12:55 UTC
President Marcos views Navy’s demo of new weaponry, but...
President Marcos views Navy’s demo of new weaponry, but...President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. attends the Philippine Navy capability demonstration inside a ship along the coast of Zambales, within West Philippine Sea on May 19, 2023. MANILA, Philippines — Aboard a Navy frigate off Zambales in the West Philippine Sea, President Marcos witnessed yesterday the Philippine Navy’s demonstration of its latest weaponry and defense capabilities. The weapons were acquired by the Navy from MBDA missile systems based in France for about P670 million. The SAM capability demonstration was among the major events leading to the Philippine Navy’s 125th anniversary celebration today. The weapons were acquired through the Philippine Navy’s Frigate Acquisition Project Lot 2B awarded to MBDA Missile System based in France, with a budget of around P670 million.
Source:Philippine Star
May 20, 2023 11:20 UTC
Justin or Jordan: Chot still undecided
Justin Brownlee (left) and Jordan Clarkson FIBA PHOTOS(UPDATE) AS Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes starts mapping a game plan on the Philippines' campaign in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the national mentor said a decision has not been reached on who to tap as the team's naturalized player. Will it be Justin Brownlee or NBA star Jordan Clarkson? Not even Justin or Jordan," Reyes told One News' The Big Story in an interview on Thursday. Gilas opens the FIBA World Cup versus the Dominican Republic on August 25 at the Philippine Arena. The national squad's next two World Cup matches will both be played at the Big Dome, starting with Angola on August 27, followed by Italy two days later.
Source:Manila Times
May 20, 2023 05:48 UTC
Twenty students at Harrow Int'l School HK suffer from food poisoning
Twenty students at Harrow International School HK in Tuen Mun suffered from food poisoning about nine to 13 hours after having dinner at the canteen on Wednesday night. The cluster involved nine boys and 11 girls aged 11 to 17. they developed abdominal pain and diarrhea after having chicken, macaroni, and cheese. Preliminary investigations by the Centre for Health Protection revealed that the affected students consumed common food, with a higher chance of involving food poisoning. Officers from the CHP and the Centre for Food Safety visited the place for environmental investigation and provided preventive advice against food poisoning to the school on Friday. The CHP reminded citizens to avoid eating raw seafood and to ensure food is thoroughly cooked before eating to prevent foodborne disease.
Source:The Standard
May 20, 2023 04:40 UTC
Nadal to miss French Open with hip injury, may retire next year
FOR months, Rafael Nadal waited for his body to heal. Speaking at a news conference at his tennis academy in Manacor, Spain, the 36-year-old Nadal announced he will miss the clay-court French Open for the first time since making his debut — and, naturally, claiming the trophy — there in 2005. "Even though your head wants to keep going, your body says this is as far it goes." He did not offer a date for his return to the tennis tour, but said it is likely to take months. "I don't deserve," Nadal said, "to end my career like this."
Source:Manila Times
May 20, 2023 04:14 UTC
China’s Xi unveils grand development plan for Central Asia
China’s support for Central Asia also appear to be a counter-weight to U.S. accusations of its coercive diplomacy. He did not mention Ukraine, which like the Central Asian nations, was part of the Soviet Union. “China is ready to help Central Asian countries improve their law enforcement, security, and defence capability construction,” he said. It will encourage Chinese-funded businesses in Central Asia to create more jobs, build warehouses, and launch a special train service aimed at promoting tourism, he added. “To bolster our cooperation and Central Asian development, China will provide Central Asian countries with a total of 26 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) of financing support and grants,” Xi said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 20, 2023 02:25 UTC
Onion price cap set this Monday
Onion price cap set this MondayMANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) will implement a P150 per kilo suggested retail price (SRP) for red onions and P140 for white onions starting Monday to address the spike in prices of the bulbs. He said that during consultation, the operators of cold storage, brokers, traders, retailers and farmers all agreed that there is enough supply of onions as the warehouses are still full. We need to bring down the retail price by next week to remove the pressure to import as importation will be the last resource,” Cainglet added. He noted that it would be up to the BPI to process the possible importation of 8,000 metric tons of white onions as agreed during a hearing in Congress. Cainglet said they also found during the meeting that cold storage operators released limited volumes of the bulbs or sell to wholesalers at higher prices.
Source:Philippine Star
May 19, 2023 22:48 UTC
'Half of world's largest lakes, reservoirs drying up'
More than half of the world's largest lakes and reservoirs are dwindling and placing humanity's future water security at risk, with climate change and unsustainable consumption the main culprits, a study said on May 18, 2023. AFP FILE PHOTOWASHINGTON: More than half of the world's largest lakes and reservoirs are dwindling and placing humanity's future water security at risk, with climate change and unsustainable consumption the main culprits, a study said Thursday. The results: 53 percent of lakes and reservoirs saw a decline in water storage, at a rate of approximately 22 gigatons a year. Increased temperatures from climate change drive evaporation, but can also decrease precipitation in some places. Globally, freshwater lakes and reservoirs store 87 percent of the planet's liquid freshwater, underscoring the urgency of new strategies for sustainable consumption and climate mitigation.
Source:Manila Times
May 19, 2023 22:26 UTC
Life imprisonment ruling upheld as High Court rejects appeals by woman who shot dead relatives
The High Court on Friday rejected the appeal filed by a 49-year-old woman – convicted of murder for shooting dead two relatives in 2018 – and upheld the original life imprisonment sentence. The defendant Ada Tsim Sum-kit, who once worked as a bodyguard, was previously convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of shooting with intent. On June 26, five years ago, Tsim shot dead her 80-year-old aunt and 62-year-old uncle and also wounded another aunt and an uncle at Quarry Bay Park. Tsim was later sentenced to life for the murder charges and 18 years imprisonment for the remaining shooting charges. In the judgment released Friday, Court of Appeal vice-president Andrew Macrae, appeal justices Kevin Zervos and Anthea Pang Po-kam rejected both Tsim’s appeals against the convictions and sentences.
Source:The Standard
May 19, 2023 21:16 UTC
Secretariat's 1973 Triple Crown records took 39 years to become official
The colt not only won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 1973 — he finished each in record time. It just took 39 years for that part of his incredible sweep to become official. But the dispute over that time was only beginning, and it wasn't until 2012 when Penny Chenery — Secretariat's owner — finally succeeded in securing her horse's Preakness record. The official time was changed to 1:54 2/5 — not quite good enough to beat Canonero II's 1:54. He concluded that the commission's regulation still mandated that 1:54 2/5 should remain the official time.
Source:Manila Times
May 19, 2023 17:10 UTC
Half world's largest lakes and reservoirs drying up — study
Half world's largest lakes and reservoirs drying up — studyDried up La Mesa dam in Quezon City is pictured in this March 9, 2019 photo. WASHINGTON, United States — More than half of the world's largest lakes and reservoirs are dwindling and placing humanity's future water security at risk, with climate change and unsustainable consumption the main culprits, a study said Thursday. Increased temperatures from climate change drive evaporation, but can also decrease precipitation in some places. Globally, freshwater lakes and reservoirs store 87 percent of the planet's liquid freshwater, underscoring the urgency of new strategies for sustainable consumption and climate mitigation. "If a good chunk of freshwater lakes are drying, then you're going to see the impact come to you one way or the other, if not now in the not too distant future," said Rajagopalan.
Source:Philippine Star
May 19, 2023 12:01 UTC
17 in betting ring busted
Seventeen Hongkongers were arrested as police smashed an illegal gambling syndicate tied to money laundering through HK$240 million laid in bets. To conceal the operation the syndicate rented a 1,000-square-foot flat in an industrial building in the New Territories as a money laundering office. "We believe the syndicate used at least 18 virtual bank accounts to launder some HK$240 million of criminal proceeds from June to April," Chan said. In an operation codenamed Calmorder on Tuesday and Wednesday, the key members were arrested for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Officers also seized HK$760,000 in cash, 16 computers, 80 phones, 270 SIM cards and bank documents and ATM cards.
Source:The Standard
May 19, 2023 07:11 UTC
Sounding the alarm on the rise of chatbots
"I think if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong, and we want to be vocal about that. These cases are alarming because more chatbots are finding their way into the workplace. The sharp focus on the dark side of chatbots has for the moment obscured the benefits derived from AI. One research has predicted that by 2023, consumers and businesses will be saving over 2.5 billion customer service hours because of chatbots. Some countries have taken the initiative to tackle the long-term risks from the rise of chatbots.
Source:Manila Times
May 19, 2023 02:17 UTC
It's all in how you express love as hundreds rush to exchange vows on special day
It is because 520 [or May 20] sounds like "I love you" in Putonghua. Last year, about 400 couples married on May 20, while there were some 200 on the same day in 2021 during the peak of Covid. According to the Immigration Department, 68 applications were received from new couples who intend to wed at marriage registries. To ensure smooth operation and solemnization of the marriage ceremonies, the department officer said "sufficient manpower resources will be deployed to marriage registries." Some young couples said the cost of raising a child and the city's competitive culture - which begins at toddler levels - have caused emotional stress and financial burden.
Source:The Standard
May 19, 2023 01:13 UTC
Philippines, Vietnam vow to work for 'substantive' South China Sea code
Philippines, Vietnam vow to work for 'substantive' South China Sea codeMANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Vietnam vowed to strengthen their collaboration on maritime issues in regional and multilateral bodies, with the conclusion of a “substantive” Code of Conduct on the South China Sea among their priorities. China’s sweeping nine-dash-line claim overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam and the Philippines. Both countries have had incidents with Chinese vessels either intercepting or harassing their fisherfolk in their waters. “They committed to work together to protect their rights and legitimate interests under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and enhance confidence-building measures between relevant agencies.”China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are still working on the South China Sea Code of Conduct. China has stressed that tension in the region should be addressed through bilateral dialogues and engagement with countries in the South China Sea — a rebuke at involvement by the US, which it has accused of stirring up trouble from afar.
Source:Philippine Star
May 19, 2023 01:12 UTC