Baby no more: Justin Bieber celebrates 30th birthday with wife HaileyMANILA, Philippines — Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber has reached another milestone in his young decorated career, his 30th birthday. Justin turned 30 years old last March 1, and leading the celebrations was his wife Hailey. The popular wax museum unveiled a new wax figure of Justin in Hollywood after creating two replicas of the singer in the past. Hailey and Justin tied the knot in September 2018 after an on-and-off two-year relationship. RELATED: Justin Bieber sells music rights for $200 million

Game director Naoki Hamaguchi visits the Philippines for the first time and meets the fans of the Final Fantasy VII game as part launch of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth at the SM City North Edsa on Saturday, March 2, 2024. In a Q and A, Hamaguchi said that the development team and game developer Square Enix tried to remain true to the vision of the original game while allowing newer gamers to experience the world of Final Fantasy. Alodia and Ashley Gosiengfiao, celebrity cosplay siblings and Final Fantasy VII fans, met with the director for autographs on the FFVII-related merchandise. Video by Red MendozaGet 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

It's a 'dream come true' for Ben&Ben as its music becomes the heart of a PETA play, 'One More Chance, The Musical' in April and the band has been invited to do a special performance at British singer Ed Sheeran's Manila concert on March 9, 2024. Video by Christina Alpad

Analiza Solis, head of the Climate Monitoring and Prediction of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), says that extreme El Niño will be felt in over 40 provinces from March to May of this year. As a result, extreme drought is expected in these areas where government must exert efforts to ease its effects. Video and Interview by Ezrah Raya

BEIJING: Factory activity in China contracted for the fifth straight month in February, official figures showed Friday, as sluggish demand in the world's second-largest economy continues to drag on growth. The purchasing managers' index (PMI) a key measure of factory output came in at 49.1 percent in February, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported that factory activity shrunk for the fifth straight month by 49.1 percent in February. China's National Bureau of Statistics reported that factory activity shrunk for the fifth straight month by 49.1 percent in February. Factory activity has consistently contracted since then, with February marking the fifth consecutive month of decline.

SC disbars ex-customs official over illegal sale of SUVThis photo shows a picture of the building of the Bureau of Customs. MANILA, Philippines — A former official from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) has been disbarred by the Supreme Court (SC) who misrepresented himself as a BOC director with the authority to sell seized vehicles. In a press release of the high court released on Friday, it said that lawyer Jorge Monroy’s name has been removed from the roll of attorneys after violating the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA). Monroy assured the complainant that the transaction was legal and that official receipts would be issued. The estafa conviction from the anti-graft court, meanwhile, is also a sufficient ground for disbarment, according to the SC.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.: US economic growth was slightly weaker than previously estimated in the fourth quarter (Q4) last year, according to government data released on Wednesday, due mainly to a downward revision to business investment. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the world's biggest economy was revised to an annual rate of 3.2 percent in the final three months of 2023, from an initial estimate of 3.3 percent released last month. While real GDP was revised down, "consumption was stronger in the second estimate," said economist Rubeela Farooqi of High Frequency Economics. "More than the fourth quarter data, the trend in growth and inflation going forward will be important," she added in a note. "We think growth will slow but will remain positive over coming quarters," she said.

MANILA, Philippines–Faulty warning systems, poverty and deforestation of mountains in Mindanao turned recent unseasonably heavy rains into deadly disasters, scientists said in a report Friday. ADVERTISEMENTA study by the World Weather Attribution group found the unusually heavy rain in eastern Mindanao was not “particularly extreme”. But with people living in landslide-prone areas and shortcomings in weather alerts, the rains became “devastating”. The report also faulted the country’s weather forecasts and warnings, which “have limited granularity on local risk and lack instructions on where and when to evacuate”. “Evacuations from high-risk locations were carried out when the island was hit by the rainfall in late January.

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES – Israeli forces in war-torn Gaza opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians at an aid distribution point Thursday, killing at least 104 people and wounding over 700 according to Palestinian health officials. Israeli sources confirmed that troops shot at the crowd, believing they “posed a threat”, in the pre-dawn incident in Gaza City in the north of the besieged territory. ADVERTISEMENTThe Palestinian health ministry in Gaza condemned what it labelled a “massacre” and said it had claimed at least 104 lives and left 760 people wounded. A witness told AFP that the violence unfolded when thousands of people desperate for food rushed towards aid trucks at the city’s western Nabulsi roundabout. According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, just over 2,300 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip in February, down by around 50 percent compared to January.

NEW DELHI: India's richest man has kicked off lavish pre-wedding parties for his son by feeding more than 50,000 people in his hometown, with celebrations in the coming days expected to include some of the world's most influential figures. Ambani, 66, chairman of oil-to-telecoms giant Reliance Industries, is Asia's richest person according to the Forbes real-time billionaires list, worth more than $114 billion. The merger will create a $8.5 billion entertainment giant in the world's most populous nation and fifth-largest economy. Dhoni, and industry titan Gautam Adani are also invited in a who's-who of India's super-rich elite. The Ambanis are building a Hindu temple complex in Jamnagar, to keep "India's rich cultural and spiritual identity at the heart of the wedding festivities", the Reliance Foundation said on social media.

No big weekend event in Manila mattered enough when going home was the order of the day to be with my mother. And every day that we were huddled on a video call, I would always ask her to pose for a screenshot. To read my journal is to relive the memories of Candida, to retain the patina of her love. Every time I was home for the weekend, Candida pampered me with love. I miss kissing her on a weekend and updating her about the going-ons in my life in the concrete jungle.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese walks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, February 29, 2024. REUTERS/Kirsty NeedhamPhilippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr told the Australian parliament on Thursday he would not allow any foreign power to take "one square inch" of the country's territory, and that Manila was firm in defending its sovereignty. Australia and the Philippines began their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea in November, aimed at countering an increasingly assertive China, which claims the entire sea as its own. "I will not allow any attempt by any foreign power to take even one square inch of our sovereign territory," Marcos said in the address. The South China Sea is a conduit for more than $3 trillion worth of ship-borne commerce each year, and is a major source of tension between the Philippines and neighbour China.

A video was posted online on Thursday showing a container truck crushing an empty sedan in Fanling, leading to a discussion online. A sedan parked near the area was flattened by the 40-foot-long container. The 43-year-old truck driver did not suffer any injuries and did not have to be hospitalized. The driver of the sedan, surnamed Cheng, later arrived at the scene and contacted the police for assistance. After the video was posted online, it led many people to talk about how lucky it was that the driver was not in the sedan and was able to avoid serious injuries or even death.

In a historic and record-setting fashion, Filipino swimmer Jamesray Ajido seizes the gold medal in the 11th Asian Age Group Championships boys 12-14 100m butterfly event at the New Clark City Aquatics Center on Tuesday evening, Feb. 28, 2024. Ajido covered the distance in a new personal, national, and meet record of 55.98 seconds to also hand the Philippines its first gold medal in tournament's swimming history. Video by Niel Victor Masoy