(UPDATE) WASHINGTON: Las Vegas police said Thursday (Friday in Manila) they had investigated an incident between French NBA top draft pick Victor Wembanyama's security and pop star Britney Spears, who said she had been hit in the face. Media reports said that Spears was pushed away by Wembanyama's security, which the singer's husband Sam Asghari said was "violent" and "out of control." Spears said she had simply wanted to greet the player and questioned Wembanyama's account. The Las Vegas Police Department investigated the incident but did not take any action. "On July 5, 2023, at approximately 11 p.m., LVMPD officers responded to a property in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard regarding a battery investigation," the police said in a statement.

Puregold's official YouTube channel, a first in Philippine retail, marks an exciting milestone as it racks up 200,000 subscribers, accomplishing the feat by expanding its market reach and providing more engaging content. ‘Ang Lalaki sa Likod ng Profile’ is the latest digital series hit available on the Puregold Channel. In 2021, Puregold introduced its retailtainment digital series featuring heartwarming, feel-good stories that capture the Filipino imagination. The Puregold Channel not only entertains — it creates brand synergy, too. New episodes of "Ang Lalaki sa Likod ng Profile" go up every Saturday, at 7 p.m., on the Puregold Channel on YouTube.

"Circle of Influencers" gears up for its highly anticipated second season with the introduction of a captivating new segment "A Journey with Joana Marie." The show is available on free-to-air TV station Light TV. Hosting this exciting segment is Joana Marie Lazaro, who serves as the CEO and owner of Laurus Philippines, an esteemed events company in the country. Each episode of "A Journey with Joana Marie" will feature industry leaders sharing their passions and insights, all for the benefit of their chosen charities and foundations. The pilot episode of "A Journey with Joana Marie" is set to premiere on July 8, Saturday, at 1:30 p.m. on Light TV network, the sister station of A2Z.

(REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo)The Philippine military on Friday reported an "alarming" increase in the number of Chinese fishing vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea, which it said threatens the security of the oil and gas-rich Reed Bank. "China must cease its swarming of vessels to respect our sovereign rights," Ariel Coloma, spokesperson for the Western Command, said in a statement. The Philippines won a landmark arbitration case in 2016 that invalidated China's expansive claims in the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion worth of sea-borne goods pass every year. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Philippine counterpart, Gilbert Teodoro, on Thursday that the U.S. commitment to the defense of its ally was "ironclad," including in the South China Sea, according to a U.S. summary of the call. The Philippines on Wednesday accused the China Coast Guard of harassment, obstruction and "dangerous maneuvers" against its vessels, after another incident near a strategic feature of the South China Sea.

Making Pinoy-style vegetable spring rolls, also known as lumpiang toge, is easy and can be part of your pondo meals when you find yourself with no time to cook or to prepare. Vegetable spring roll or lumpiang toge is delicious as a snack and as a meal. Vegetable spring roll or lumpiang toge is delicious as a snack and as a meal. Below is an easy recipe my mom used that has elevated this lumpiang toge to a memorable heirloom snack that I now make for my family. For the sweet potato, use the yellow/orange variety.

Last month was declared the hottest June on record – perhaps the hottest in several thousand years. The same EU agency tells us the nine hottest Junes on record all happened over the past nine years. Climate change continues to worsen since all the world’s efforts have not slowed the emission of greenhouse gasses. All the climate change conferences held every year have accomplished nothing to reverse this global trend. Ahead of it, we now see dramatic reductions of the ice caps, rapid ocean warming, severe flooding and murderous droughts/wildfires everywhere.

The only ‘Men Who Matter’ that mattersOften imitated but never equaled, PeopleAsia’s “Men Who Matter” awards select men who exemplify what it means to “man up” — as they roll up their sleeves and take part in the action, onscreen or off, day in, day out. Josh Boutwood, corporate chef of the Bistro Group, is in charge of menu development, costing and marketing of 137 restaurants, including such iconic names as TGIFriday’s, Italianni’s, Olive Garden and Denny’s, among others. Greg Camacho, director for deliveries of Grab Philippines, which includes GrabFood, GrabMart and GrabKitchen, makes delivery his business and his mission statement. “Whenever there are consumers and there are restaurants to serve, we want to be there helping them out.” he says. Indeed, we celebrate these extraordinary gentlemen not just because they’re male, but because they embody the best qualities of humanity that matter to all, including women, children and the LGBT community.

RICKY Martin and Jwan Yosef are divorcing after nearly six years of marriage, the couple announced Thursday. ALL SMILES Jwan Yosef, left, and Ricky Martin appear at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California, on March 27, 2022. Martin, singer of such Spanish-language and English-language hits like "Livin' la Vida Loca," "She Bangs," "La copa de la vida" and "Vente pa' ca," has won two Grammys and four Latin Grammys and also acted. Yosef and Martin had two other children together: Lucía, now 4, and Renn, now 3. Last September, Martin sued his nephew over the fallout of sex abuse allegations the nephew recanted.

SINT-TRUIDEN, Belgium — A Belgian hospital has built a pavilion to allow pets to visit patients who are in palliative care or with illnesses that require long-term care in a bid to boost patients’ wellbeing. Most hospitals worldwide do not allow pet visits for reasons of hygiene and contamination risks, and for years long-term patients at the Sint-Trudo hospital who wanted to see their pets had to do that in the hospital courtyard. ADVERTISEMENTBut in conversations between cancer patients and hospital psychologists, the idea grew for a dedicated indoor space – separate from but connected to the hospital – and the result is a pet visit pavilion that opened last month. “For long-term hospital residents, mental wellbeing is very important in their recovery, and reconnecting with pets really helps,” said spokeswoman Miet Driesen at Sint-Trudo in Sint-Truiden, Belgium. Funded by a cancer charity for 140,000 euros ($152,000), the new space allows patients to meet with pets one hour per week.

A self-claimed relationship expert was sentenced to 160 hours of community service on Thursday after being found guilty of violating the Trade Descriptions Ordinance by charging two men a total of HK$540,000 in teaching them dating techniques. He was charged with tricking his clients, Chang Hin-shing and Chan Pak-hang, from January 26 to February 15 last year by asking them to pay more than the course fees. He was later charged with two counts of "engaging in a commercial practice that is a misleading omission." During the hearing at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today, the prosecution also requested a court order for Chau to pay compensation and confiscate the mobile phone and tablet computer seized from him. However, the magistrate, Philip Chan Chee-fai, decided against imposing a compensation order and confiscating the items and suggested the victims file a civil lawsuit if they wished to pursue compensation.

China has released its first homegrown open-source desktop operating system, named OpenKylin, state media said, as the country steps up efforts to cut reliance on U.S. technology. China's massive market for operating systems was worth 15.5 billion yuan ($2.1 billion) last year, state media said, citing an industry report. Developing an operating system independent of U.S. technology has been an important goal for China's tech industry in recent years, with many companies and organisations having contributed to the development of the OpenKylin system. More than a dozen Chinese companies are trying to develop operating systems that could replace Microsoft's Windows and Apple's MacOS operating systems. One such company, UnionTech Software Technology Co Ltd, has been developing what it calls the "Unity operating system".

4 Chinese, 3 Taiwanese nabbed for online gamblingChinese nationals Zhang Quanbao, Song Tianming, Yu Liming and Liu Jianxin as well as Taiwanese Li Yi Liang, Huang Hsin-Chiang and Lin Yue Hong are being held at the BI detention facility in Bicutan, Taguig. MANILA, Philippines — Four Chinese and three Taiwanese who were allegedly running an online gambling hub in Las Piñas City have been arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI). Chinese nationals Zhang Quanbao, Song Tianming, Yu Liming and Liu Jianxin as well as Taiwanese Li Yi Liang, Huang Hsin-Chiang and Lin Yue Hong are being held at the BI detention facility in Bicutan, Taguig. Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the foreigners were apprehended by members of the Las Piñas police on Wednesday. So a mission order was issued for their arrest,” Tansingco said.

(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the implementation of a new strategy to counter money laundering, terrorism financing, and proliferation financing in the country. The President signed on Tuesday Executive Order (EO) 33, directing all government offices and departments to adopt the National Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorism Financing, and Counter-Proliferation Financing Strategy (NACS) 2023-2027. It also authorized the National Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing Strategy Coordinating Committee (NACC) to reorganize its subcommittees. The Terrorism Financing and Proliferation Subcommittee will be reorganized into two subcommittees — the Terrorism Financing Subcommittee and the Proliferation Financing Subcommittee. The NACC shall be chaired by the executive secretary, while the governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the concurrent chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Council, will serve as vice chairman.

(UPDATE) THE Department of Justice (DoJ) said it is closely watching six or seven possible perpetrators running the cartel responsible for hoarding onions and other agricultural products in the country. Workers unload sacks of Red onions as they delivered it to stores inside the Marikina public market. Republic Act (RA) 10845 declares large-scale agricultural smuggling as "economic sabotage." Remulla said the cartel is hoarding onions with the help of storage facilities, warehouses and middlemen. DoJ records showed that the BoC had filed 159 cases of agricultural smuggling before the courts since 2016, but 48 percent of these were dismissed for lack of evidence.

NGO accuses Chinese renewables firms of abuses in 18 countriesBeijing has been blamed for environmental damage and poor workers' rights in Indonesia where electric battery-producing companies hungry for nickel have invested heavily. The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, an international NGO, logged 102 alleged cases of abuse committed by Chinese firms involved in sourcing transitional minerals overseas between January 2021 and December 2022. More than a third were allegations of harming workers' rights. The accusations concerned 39 Chinese companies, of which only seven have published human rights policies, according to the report. "However, this can only be achieved if Chinese businesses and regulators take proactive measures to address endemic human rights and environmental abuses."