MANILA, Philippines --- Marjorie Barretto clarified rumors involving her daughter Julia Barretto and Gerald Anderson supposedly staying together in a hotel. «Let's stick to the facts. Please swipe,» Barretto captioned a series of photos via Instagram Wednesday. https://www.instagram.com/p/B0TBgivnVLu/?igshid=j32nfvsgcusr Barretto attached screenshots of a certain hotel's Facebook page thanking Julia and Gerald for staying in their establishment. The screenshots recently went viral with some netizens pointing out the hotel shared the posts on the same date.   "April 12, 2019: Between Maybes shooting in Subic. Location: Sagara Villas. Each actor [was] provided one room...Keep on reading: ‘Stick to facts’: Marjorie Barretto quells rumors on Julia-Gerald hotel stay

BERLIN --- Europeans are jumping into public fountains and the sea to keep cool as parts of Europe could see a record-breaking heatwave. Paris and other parts of France could see temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F) on Thursday along with Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. The heat is putting pressure on authorities to help protect the elderly and the sick. Air conditioning is not common at homes, offices, schools or hospitals in European cities. The weather is also aggravating droughts since it hasn't rained much in many parts of Europe this summer. The combination of heat, wind, and the risk of lightning from thunderstorms also increases the risk of wildfir...Keep on reading: Europe braces for record-breaking heatwave

MANILA, Philippines --- Senate President Vicente «Tito» Sotto III on Wednesday slammed a new proposal at the House of Representatives that, among other things, seeks to shorten the tenure of senators from the current six years to four years. «[Constitutional] amendments din 'yan eh. Bakit ba mainit sila sa Senate?» Sotto said in a message to reporters. [That's a constitutional amendment. Why are they zeroing in on the Senate?] Sotto then shared his «fearless forecast» on whether or not the bill will be passed in the Senate, saying: «At the rate some people are focusing on the Senate, senators will stonewall.» The proposal in question --- House Concurrent Resolution No. 1 ...Keep on reading: Sotto: Senators may stonewall on proposed shorter term

MANILA, Philippines--TNT drew a balanced scoring from its primary cast to take down pesky Alaska, 104-93, and tab a spot in the PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinals Wednesday night at Araneta Coliseum in Cubao. Import Terrence Jones regained his lethal form---scoring 37 points and pulling down 22 rebounds---just in time for the topranked KaTropa, who absorbed a humiliating loss in the series opener with the Aces. Troy Rosario tossed in 20 more in his finest scoring performance this conference, helping in the effort buoyed by Don Trollano and Jayson Castro, who had 17 and 14, respectively. «Our first game had a different feel to it,» coach Bong Ravena told reporters, pointing to...Keep on reading: PBA playoffs: TNT ousts pesky Alaska to barge into semis

SAINT INGLEVERT, France --- The man who wowed the crowd in Paris on Bastille Day, whirling over France's leaders on his flyboard, was undertaking final checks Wednesday for his biggest challenge yet: Soaring across the English Channel. Franky Zapata told reporters that it's all systems go but conceded it's «not an easy challenge.» Zapata, 40, plans to take off Thursday, anchored to his flyboard -- a small flying platform he invented -- from Sangatte, in France's Pas de Calais region, to the Dover area in southeast England. He said he's confident but he didn't want to make projections about his arrival across the 36-kilometer (22.4-mile) stretch of water. He, however, said he ...Keep on reading: Frenchman to try flying across English Channel on his flyboard

https://www.facebook.com/pnp.pio/videos/457710244780623/ MANILA, Philippines --- The legal department of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) only had consultation with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) over the sedition case filed against Vice President Leni Robredo and other 35 other individuals, Gen. Oscar Albayalde, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said on Wednesday. «According to the director of CIDG, the legal department ng CIDG had a consultation with the legal department of OSG,» Albayalde, speaking partly in Filipino, said at a press conference in Camp Crame in Quezon City. «The OSG did not make it [the case]. They did not meddle.» ...Keep on reading: CIDG consulted OSG on sedition case vs Robredo, 35 others – Albayalde

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippines has become one of the fastest-growing markets for Youtube thanks to the rising numbers of content creators, an official of the video-sharing site said Wednesday. «Over the years, we have seen an immense growth not only in the number of people watching videos but also in creators starting their own channels and brands going digital to engage their consumers,» Youtube Southeast Asia Content Partnerships Director Vishal Sarin said in a statement. «In 2016, we took a bet -- even if thePhilippines is not big for us -- to invest actively because we believe the potential is high,» he went on to say during the Youtube Brandcast Roundtable Event in Boni...Keep on reading: PH one of fastest-growing markets for Youtube, says site official 

MANILA, Philippines--San Miguel Beer escaped second-ranked NorthPort with a cardiac 90-88 victory and booked a semifinals berth in PBA Commissioner's Cup Wednesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao. Import Chris McCullough scored a tough layup to bring the twice-to-win Beermen up by a hairline with 26 seconds left to play. The American, who took over the tested import Charles Rhodes, plucked down a crucial rebound off a Mo Tautuaa miss in the next sequence then hit the first of the two freethrows to ice the count. He finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds. NorthPort rookie Robert Bolick, who was brilliant down the stretch had another look at the basket, but was sound...Keep on reading: PBA playoffs: San Miguel overcomes no. 2 North Port for semis berth

What are the typical profiles of amateur athletes in the United States? How can public health messaging encouraging physical activity best target local populations? These questions were the basis of a study led by doctors from Boston University's School of Public Health. The authors of the new study published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine fine-combed 1,382,284 exercise-related tweets from 481,146 Twitter users from four U.S. regions: the Northeast, the South, the Midwest and the West. The objective for using this method was to create a list of the most-practiced sports activities at the amateur level and to establish profiles based on sex, regional origin, and exerc...Keep on reading: Researchers used Twitter to study exercise preferences

MANILA, Philippines--Reigning champion San Juan and powerhouse Bataan warmed up for their highly-anticipated duel with huge victories Tuesday night, while Caloocan finally showed a sense of urgency to end a string of heartbreaks on its home floor in the MPBL Lakan Season at Caloocan Sports Complex. The Knights made light work of the Paranaque Patriots, 81-65, to improve to a franchise-best start of 6-0, while the Risers pummelled the Muntinlupa Cagers, 83-56, behind a breakout performance from Alvin Pasaol, who finished 20 points. San Juan and Bataan will square off on Saturday in Bicol. Caloocan held off a resilient Pasay squad, 78-72, in the third game as the Supremos ended a...Keep on reading: MPBL: San Juan, Bataan triumph; Caloocan snaps skid

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Finance (DOF) is optimistic that the entire comprehensive tax reform program of the government would be passed this year. The government's tax reform package 1C needs to be refiled in 18th Congress after it failed to pass in the 17th Congress. This tax package includes raising the motor vehicle user's charge, the lifting of bank secrecy and the automatic exchange of information to finally implement a general tax amnesty, and Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-quality Opportunities bill that will reduce corporate income tax rates while rationalizing investors' fiscal incentives. The tax reform package 2-plus that calls for higher alcohol ...Keep on reading: DOF optimistic on passage of Duterte’s tax reform packages this 2019

    MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the Indonesian National Police's findings will hasten the investigation on the bombing of a cathedral in Jolo, Sulu in January which killed 22 people. Indonesian police's spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said that an Islamic militant had confessed that he recruited Indonesian couple Rullie Rian Zeke and Ulfah Handayani Saleh for the Jolo bombing. READ: Police: Indonesian couple carried out Jolo Cathedral bombing "As the investigation being conducted by the PNP continues, this development is expected to hasten the probe by further narrowing possibilities for DNA matching with the kin of the identifie...Keep on reading: PNP: Indonesian police findings will speed up probe on Jolo twin blasts

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur --- The president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in Siay town was arrested on Tuesday night for illegal possession of a firearm. Police Major Helen Galvez, Police Regional Office 9 spokesperson, identified the town official as Julius Tadeja Acosta Sr., 70, resident of Purok 3, Barangay Dacanay, Siay town in Zamboanga Sibugay. As president of the Liga, Acosta sits in the municipal legislature as an ex-officio member. Acosta was arrested by combined units of Zamboanga Sibugay Police, Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Mobile Force Company, and Siay Municipal Police Station. Police were implementingOperation Bakal Sitaon the night of July 23 when they bump...Keep on reading: Sibugay town councilor nabbed for gun violation

MANILA, Philippines --- Jose Antonio Lopez, the second nominee of Marino party-list, has resigned from his post and the group due to «personal reasons,» the party representing the sea-based sector confirmed Wednesday.   Marino, which won two seats in the May 2019 elections, said the irrevocable resignation of Lopez was effective immediately.   «As his resignation is for personal reasons, it is best that we wait for him to make a statement on the matter when he is ready. We regret to see him go, but we understand that the decision is his to make,» the party-list said in a statement.   The group also said they would not comment further on the issue until le...Keep on reading: Marino party-list’s 2nd nominee resigns

MANILA, Philippines -- The Manila Police District (MPD) alerted motorists on the temporary closure of a portion of U.N. Avenue on Wednesday to give way to a retirement rite rehearsal.   In an advisory, the MPD - Traffic Enforcement Unit said the stretch of U.N Avenue from San Marcelino Street to Taft Avenue will be closed to motorists at 8:30 a.m.   The MPD will conduct a rehearsal for the retirement of Col. Marcelino Pedrozo Jr. who is the Deputy District Director for Administration of the Manila police force.   MPD also came up with a rerouting scheme: -West-bound vehicles may turn right to Romualdez Street or turn left to San Marcelino Street to poi...Keep on reading: Portion of U.N. Avenue temporarily closed to traffic

SEATTLE - Starbucks says it will offer delivery in most of the U.S. by early next year.   The Seattle coffee company launched delivery last fall in Miami with its partner, Uber Eats.   It has since expanded to 10 additional U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.   Starbucks says Uber Eats will remain its preferred provider as it rolls out delivery more widely.   Customers in most areas where Starbucks and Uber Eats operate will be able to order drinks and other menu items.   Uber Eats says it currently covers more than 70% of the U.S. population.   Starbucks and Uber Eats will also work together to impro...Keep on reading: Starbucks to expand delivery nationally in 2020

WASHINGTON - Two senior senators --- a Republican and a Democrat --- unveiled compromise legislation Tuesday to reduce prescription drug costs for millions of Medicare recipients, while saving money for federal and state health care programs serving seniors and low-income people.     Iowa Republican Charles Grassley and Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden said the bill would for the first time limit drug copays for people with Medicare's «Part D» prescription plan , by capping patients' out-of-pocket costs at $3,100 a year starting in 2022. They're hoping to have it ready soon for votes on the Senate floor.   The legislation would also require drugmakers to pay a ...Keep on reading: GOP, Dems offer compromise to reduce drug costs for seniors

SAN PEDRO CITY, Laguna, Philippines --- The provincial health office in Cavite is proposing a year-round, government-led «search and destroy» campaign targeting breeding areas of mosquitoes, amid an outbreak of dengue in the province. Cavite, home to more than 3.6 million people, has recorded 4,225 suspected and confirmed dengue cases from Jan. 1, posting the highest number of patients in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) region. Last week, the provincial government, led by Gov. Juanito Victor Remulla, placed the province under a state of calamity to expedite the release of funds for the purchase of blood supply, intravenous fluids, diagnostic kits and oth...Keep on reading: Dengue outbreak declared in Cavite

MANILA, Philippines --- Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., a pastor and returning lawmaker, formally took the helm of the minority of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, vowing to make it a «critical and collaborative» force, and «not a company union.» Most of the 31 House members who didn't vote for Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano in Monday's election officially constituted themselves as the minority bloc, including Makabayan bloc's six members and another five from the divided Liberal Party. There was no challenge to Abante's assumption of the post of minority leader. Conservative A pastor at Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church and Ministries in Santa Ana, Manila, Abante is ...Keep on reading: Abante vows to be critical but collaborative

MANILA, Philippines --- Seven foreign terrorists have joined forces with local terrorist groups, the chief of the military command in Western Mindanao confirmed on Tuesday. Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said that 42 other foreigners in his area had been «watch listed,» and their movements were being monitored. He pointed out that the seven foreign terrorists had spread out among the Abu Sayyaf group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Sulu, Maguindanao and Basilan. According to Sobejana, the seven foreign terrorists, whose nationalities are still being validated, have been training local terrorist grou...Keep on reading: 7 foreigners link up with Abus, says Westmincom chief

MANILA, Philippines --- Interior Secretary Eduardo Ao on Tuesday said the push for a federal form of government would continue, despite the lack of mention in President Rodrigo Duterte's fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona). «Though the President did not mention it yesterday, in a talk in Mindanao, he mentioned he is still for federalism. Ultimately, this is the solution and we will continue,» Ao told a press conference in Quezon City with other Cabinet secretaries. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles likewise said that the budget allocated for the government's federalism campaign would not be wasted since Task Force Federalism's «consultation, discussion and vetting» tasks conti...Keep on reading: Push for federalism on, says Año, but it’s dead for Drilon

While newly installed Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has prevailed over rival factions in the House of Representatives, including the Davao bloc led by President Duterte's own children, his victory might be short-lived, an opposition lawmaker warned on Monday. After all, the 2022 presidential election is already on the minds of many House members, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said. 'War of dominance' «So for now, it appears one faction won over the other, but that is not to say that that faction will eventually be victorious come 2022,» he told the Inquirer. The Makabayan bloc leader predicted that a «war of dominance» would persist through the 15 months that Cayetano would...Keep on reading: Cayetano’s speakership reign seen as short-lived

MANILA, Philippines --- The red lightning alert raised at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) has been lowered to yellow alert, the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) said. The Miaa said that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa)raised the red lightning alert at 7:13 p.m. This was lowered to yellow lightning alert less than 30 minutes later at 7:41 p.m. When a red lightning alert is raised, flight and ground operations at Naia are suspended "The alert is a safety measure taken to prevent any untoward incident from happening when [flashes of lightning] are prevalent in the immediate area and may endanger...Keep on reading: Lightning alert over Naia lowered from red to yellow

    MANILA, Philippines --- The daughter of Senator Francis Pangilinan and Megastar Sharon Cuneta was not too happy about the «little extra attention» she's been getting lately.   Because for Frankie Pangilinan, there are more important concerns in the world today that people should be talking about than her in her bikini.   In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Frankie took note of how pictures of her in a bathing suit appear to get more attention which she said makes her feel uncomfortable.   "Whenever I post a swimsuit pic it seems to get a little extra attention. I definitely don't feel comfortable with that when there are so many more impo...Keep on reading: Frankie upset on ‘little extra attention’: More worthy issues to discuss than me in swimsuit

  MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said on Tuesday that 61% of P23.75 million in uncollected funds mentioned in a Commission on Audit (COA) report had been collected as of June 2019. According to a statement from PEZA's Finance Group (FG), P14.12 million worth of permit, inspection, and administrative fees have been remitted to the agency, while collecting the remaining balance is ongoing. «Regarding the P11.179 million Inspection Assessments for Annual Permits for the year 2018, the Finance Group has exerted efforts to collect the unpaid amount from locators,» said J. Porfirio Ll. Yusingco, PEZA deputy director-general for finance and a...Keep on reading: PEZA says 61% of uncollected fees already remitted

BEIJING --- Li Peng, a former hard-line Chinese premier best known for announcing martial law during the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, has died. He was 91. The official Xinhua News Agency said Li died Monday of an unspecified illness. Li, a cautious, uninspiring figure, was a keen political infighter who spent two decades at the pinnacle of power before retiring in 2002. He leaves behind a legacy of extended and broad-based economic growth coupled with authoritarian political controls. While broadly disliked by the public, he oversaw China's reemergence from post-Tiananmen isolation to rising global diplomatic and economic clout, a development he celebrated i...Keep on reading: Li Peng, Chinese premier during Tiananmen crackdown, dies

  ILOILO CITY --- The Iloilo provincial board on Tuesday placed the province under a state calamity due to continuing increase of dengue cases.   An outbreak has also been declared in Iloilo City.   Dengue cases in the province reached 6,806, including 23 fatalities from January to July 13 this year. This is more than 10 times the 543 cases recorded from January to July 6, 2018, according to authorities.   With this, the provincial board also approved the release of P26.5 million for the purchase of medicines, laboratory supplies, insecticides, and fogging equipment.   On Monday, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treas declared a dengue outbr...Keep on reading: Iloilo placed under state of calamity amid rising dengue cases

CEBU CITY ---- It was a restoration and not demolition. This was how former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmea explained why he stripped his office bare before his term ended on June 30. In his July 18 letter addressed to City Mayor Edgar Labella, Osmea said his order was «to remove whatever belonged to me personally and to restore the office to its 2016 state.» Osmea said the «work» was supposed to continue the following days but City Attorney Rey Gealon and City Administrator Floro Casas Jr. interfered on June 28. They also brought in policemen to the office, he added. "This caused unfinished work to stop. Also, the unfinished work was brought to the attention of the media, and the media...Keep on reading: Ex-Cebu City mayor Osmeña says he just restored mayor’s office to 2016 state

  MANILA, Philippines --- As expected, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, who has been implementing rigorous clearing operations in the streets of the capital city, is backing President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to reclaim public roads being used for private purposes nationwide.   «It's good that the President is doing it and we are in support. The City of Manila and the capital of the country is in support of the President's call,» Moreno told reporters in an ambush interview on Tuesday.   In his fourth State of the Nation Address on Monday, Duterte ordered Interior Secretary Eduardo Ao to suspend mayors, governors, and other local government leaders who would...Keep on reading: Isko Moreno: Manila supports Duterte’s order to reclaim public roads

ZURICH--- FIFA says its ethics judges have banned a soccer official from Botswana for life for taking bribes linked to convicted match-fixer Wilson Perumal. FIFA says Mooketsi Kgotlele, the former general secretary of the Botswana Football Association, was also fined 50,000 Swiss francs ($50,100). It is unclear how FIFA can enforce fines on officials unable to return to the sport. FIFA has previously also banned referees from Niger and Tanzania and federation officials from Zambia and Mozambique for links to Perumal, a notorious fixer from Singapore. Perumal often provided referees for corrupt international games for betting scams. His schemes included fixing warmup games for So...Keep on reading: FIFA bans Botswana official for life for taking bribes

BEIJING ---President Xi Jinping called on Monday for joint efforts with the United Arab Emirates to accelerate the high-quality building of the Belt and Road, as the two countries signed a number of landmark programs for bilateral cooperation. Xi made the remark during a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is visiting China from Sunday to Tuesday. China and the UAE should work toward increasing bilateral trade volume to $200 billion by 2030, and expand long-term, steady and comprehensive strategic cooperation in the energy sector, Xi said. In 2018, trade between the two countries reached $45.9 billion, which was up by 12 percent from the previ...Keep on reading: China hails UAE as strategic partner

    MANILA, Philippines --- If Senator Imee Marcos wearing yellow at President Rodrigo Duterte's fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) meant acknowledging «past sins» and showing «remorse,» then Kris Aquino is willing to meet the Marcoses halfway. In the comment section of Aquino's Instagram post on Tuesday, a netizen asked about her thoughts on Imee's choice to wear yellow during the Sona. «Nagdilaw po si Sen. Imelda sa SONA yesterday. Ano pong masasabi niyo tungkol don? Kasi yellow symbolizes the Liberal Party [LP] which is their rival?» the netizen commented. [Kris on Imee's yellow gown] Screenshot from @krisaquino on Instagram "1st, yellow isn't...Keep on reading: Kris Aquino willing to ‘meet halfway’ if Imee Marcos wearing yellow means ‘remorse’

Frankie Pangilinan admitted that while her sister Miel Pangilinan and mother, megastar Sharon Cuneta, are huge K-pop fans, she is actually not. The young celebrity does not have anything against K-pop but she has reservations about the industry, as she said in an episode of the talk show «Tonight with Boy Abunda» which aired on Monday, July 22. Frankie stated that Miel's favorite K-pop group is NCT 127, a 10-member sub-unit of the group NCT. «I do not necessarily have anything against the boys themselves. I think they're all professional, they're really great, they're so talented, all of them in general,» the 18-year-old, a budding writer and singer, clarified. "It's just that I h...Keep on reading: Frankie Pangilinan explains why she’s not a fan of K-pop

MANILA, Philippines -- A person with disability (PWD) was found dead in Muntinlupa City early Monday morning.   Police identified the victim as Christian Paas with an estimated age of 30 to 35 years old.   The victim's body was discovered lying on the pavement with «incised wounds» in front of Park Homes Subdivision in Barangay Tunasan at around 5:45 a.m.   Major Allan Cabral of the Muntinlupa police station's Investigation Unit said their initial probe showed that the victim was hit by a car the night before the body was found.   «Nabangga muna [yung victim]... [pero] hindi na sila nagkademandahan,» Cabral told INQUIRER.net in a phone intervie...Keep on reading: PWD found dead in Muntinlupa City

        MANILA, Philippines --- President Rodrigo Duterte has promised to provide free legal assistance to police officers «unjustly» sued in performing their duties, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said Tuesday.   Albayalde said Duterte has requested the PNP to produce a list of personnel facing counter charges as they carry out legitimate police operations. The PNP chief said these policemen will be the first to benefit from the free legal assistance.   "We still do not know how it will come, kung ano ito, but 'yun yung pinromise niya, that the Office of the President will give the legal assistance sa...Keep on reading: Duterte vows free legal aid to cops, soldiers sued in peformance of duties