KYIV— President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed his nation’s spirit and defiance in holding out against Russian forces in a rallying speech on Thursday marking Ukraine’s Independence Day. ADVERTISEMENTIn a video address filmed in front of government buildings in central Kyiv, Zelensky thanked Ukrainians – from soldiers to utilities workers and journalists – for their contribution to the country’s defence and urged them to reflect on how were contributing to Ukraine’s independence. Local Ukrainian officials said at least one person was killed and 16 people were wounded in Russian attacks. Exhaustion but hopeIn his address, Zelensky focused much more on current events than the 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Russia’s invasion last year galvanised Ukrainians and inspired waves of volunteers to join the military, donate to the army, or help the cause in other ways.

14 activists charged over SONA protestsThe QCPD filed the complaint after it learned from the Quezon City department of public order and safety on Aug. 14 that a permit to conduct a rally was not issued to the militant leaders’ groups for the July 24 anti-SONA rally. MANILA, Philippines — Criminal complaints were filed by the police against 14 leaders of cause-oriented groups for staging rallies during the second State of the Nation (SONA) of President Marcos without allegedly securing a permit from the local government. The leaders of the militant groups were charged by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) for violation of Batas Pambansa 880 or the Public Assembly Act. Reyes also condemned the QCPD for filing complaints against the creators of an effigy that was burned during the SONA. “This case is clearly repression hiding behind feigned concern for the environment,” he said in a statement.

Bulls on paradeIf Jake LaMotta pummeled slabs of beef with a barrage of punches, that would make for really tender burger patties. Raging Bull Burgers is a homegrown brand by Shangri-La currently with three branches in Metro Manila. “Everything is homemade, particularly the patties and sauces.”Chef de cuisine John Buquir reveals Raging Bull’s meat-to-fat ratio: 70 percent lean meat, 30 percent fat. We’ve talked about the patties, but what gives these Raging Bull bad boys something extra is the bread itself. Follow Raging Bull Burgers on social media for information.

Based on these results, the top team in Group A might be too hot to handle for the rest. The Smart Araneta Coliseum gets a facelift ahead of the FIBA World Cup. Their campaign started with a 90-89 win against Turkey in an overtime thriller. The Philippines started playing preparation games very early, but not against World Cup opposition. Group A action starts on August 25 at the Philippine Arena, with Italy taking on Angola at 4 p.m.

WASHINGTON — North Korea’s attempted satellite launch on Thursday violates United Nations Security Council resolutions despite failing in flight, the US State Department and the White House said, adding Washington sought dialogue with Pyongyang without preconditions. The United States urged North Korea to refrain from “further threatening activity,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. The United States and other countries appear to be as concerned about the satellite launches as they are about the nuclear-armed country’s weapons tests. The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure US security and the defense of South Korea and Japanese allies, the White House said. “Any DPRK (North Korea) launch that uses ballistic missile technology, which would include SLVs used to launch a satellite into space, violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions.”Your subscription could not be saved.

It was with the aim of exposing Hong Kong’s youth to Southeast Asia’s diverse cultural riches that the Hong Kong-ASEAN Foundation launched the festival. “I would like to thank the Hong Kong-ASEAN Foundation for organizing the ASEAN FILM FESTIVAL,” Yeung remarked. “The ASEAN and Hong Kong enjoy long-standing and deep-rooted partnerships that span decades. “Both Southeast Asian countries and Hong Kong have come through a challenging period in the last three years because of Covid. Pham Binh Dam, Consul General of Vietnam in Hong Kong, encouraged Hong Kong filmmakers to actively explore and tap into the ASEAN markets, citing the historical influence of Hong Kong TV and films on Southeast Asian audiences through the decades.

Hong Kong’s exports fell again in July as waning global demand and China’s slowing recovery continue to weigh on the city’s economy. That was worse than the median estimate of a 8.8% decline in a Bloomberg survey of economists. Exports to Asia for the month declined by 11.6% from July 2022, a government spokesperson said in a statement accompanying the data. “The difficult external environment will continue to weigh on Hong Kong’s exports performance,” a government spokesperson said in a statement. The trade figures are an added challenge for Hong Kong’s economy, the outlook for which has grown less optimistic recently as the city’s post-pandemic activity boom loses some steam.

VETERAN Gilas big men Japeth Aguilar and June Mar Fajardo both agree that the 2023 edition of the Philippine team that is preparing for the FIBA World Cup is more talented compared to the 2014 batch that saw action in Seville, Spain. The 36-year-old Aguilar, one of the few senior players in the national team, however, reiterated that they intend to emulate the way the 2014 batch played during the World Cup. Japeth Aguilar FIBA PHOTO Japeth Aguilar FIBA PHOTOThat batch, which had diminutive playmaker Jimmy Alapag leading the way, gave world-class national squads like Croatia, Greece, which then had a budding forward by the name of Giannis Antetokoumpo, and Argentina, scary moments before eventually folding up during the group stage match. Meanwhile, Fajardo sees the expected mammoth crowd come opening night as a huge advantage for Gilas. The 6-foot-10 Fajardo and Aguilar were members of the 2019 Gilas side that failed to win in five games in Foshan, China.

BENGALURU – An Indian spacecraft landed on the moon on Wednesday in a mission seen as crucial to lunar exploration and India’s standing as a space power, just days after a similar Russian lander crashed. ADVERTISEMENTScientists and officials clapped, cheered and hugged each other as the spacecraft landed and as the government now looks to spur investment in private space launches and related satellite-based businesses. “India is on the moon,” said S. Somanath, chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the lunar south pole. This was India’s second attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon and comes less than a week after Russia’s Luna-25 mission failed. “Landing on the south pole (of the moon) would actually allow India to explore if there is water ice on the moon.

THE Ambassador of India vowed to strengthen defense security cooperation with the Philippines as he reassured the timely delivery of a Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile System, as part of the country's military upgrade. Both officials agreed to elevate the level of their dialogue in view of the increasing and deepening defense and military engagements. Teodoro, for his part, reiterated the invitation to meet with India's Minister of Defense, face-to-face or online. On acquisition and defense industry cooperation, Secretary Teodoro highlighted the importance of deepening collaboration among defense industries of both countries as the Philippines is currently in the phase of developing a credible defense posture. In response, Kumaran welcomed the initiative and further conveyed India's willingness to support, through line of funding or credits, the development of the Philippine's defense infrastructure, including extensive maintenance support for various projects and transfer of technology.

‘Stakeholders support June school opening’“There is an overwhelming support from the public. MANILA, Philippines — Stakeholders are supportive of returning the opening of classes to June, saying teachers and learners can endure monsoon rain much better than the heat of the dry season inside the classroom, according to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian. Meanwhile, Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas says it can take five years to gradually revert to a June school opening. So we are looking at least on the fifth year, we will have a normalization for a June opening,” he explained. EnrolmentDepEd is confident that the basic education enrollment for the upcoming school year will hit its initial target of 28 million students.

Big tech to face full force of new EU lawIn this file photo taken on June 27, 2022, a worker walks along a path at Google’s Bay View campus in Mountain View, California. BRUSSELS, Belgium — The world's biggest digital companies will have nowhere to hide starting Friday, when the toughest EU rules on online content since social media first burst onto the scene enter into force. The landmark law is part of the European Union's legal arsenal deployed to bring tech companies to heel and enforce order in what officials have described as an online "Wild West". Meanwhile, another EU law is looming for big tech firms. Next month, the bloc will name which tech companies have to obey tougher competition rules under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA).

(UPDATE) FILIPINO pole vault ace Ernest John "EJ" Obiena is set to compete anew in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Ernest John ‘EJ’ Obiena PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIOCompetition starts at 4:15 p.m. (Manila time), with the qualifiers advancing to the finals on August 27. American Christopher Nilsen, who overtook Obiena in the men's pole vault world rankings, is likewise in the field. 3 in the world, Obiena rose to second last month but Nilsen overtook him as they switched places anew recently. The 27-year-old's last competition was in the Monaco leg of the Wanda Diamond League last month, placing second to Nilsen.

“Reduction is included, but not P20.”For her part, Agriculture Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla cited various factors “beyond [their] control” as the reason behind rising rice prices. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that as of May, the farm-gate price of palay reached P19.06 a kilogram, an increase of 10.4 percent from P17.24 per kilogram a year ago. In the country, the commercial price of rice is traditionally double that of the farm-gate price. Based on the DA’s price monitoring per kilogram of rice as of Tuesday, local regular milled rice was being sold from P41 to P55 in Metro Manila compared to P38 a year ago. As for local well-milled rice, the prices ranged from P46 to P57 as against last year’s P40 while for local premium rice, the prices were between P47 and P60 compared to P45 in 2022.

Manga cover so many genres they appeal to every kind of reader, and now that manga has become popular around the globe, there's a growing number of overseas manga creators too. We talk with Åsa Ekström from Sweden who created a manga about her experiences living in Japan that became a major hit with Japanese readers. At the annual Japan International Manga Awards ceremony for overseas manga creators held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, first prize this year went to Weili Joming from Taiwan for a manga on a serious topic – how we face death, seen through the eyes of a young funeral director. VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN