"We wanted to offer to all medal-winners at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics a piece of the Eiffel Tower from 1889," said the head of the local organizing committee, Tony Estanguet. All the metal used in the Paris medals, which weigh around half a kilogram, has been recycled. This photograph taken in Paris on February 8, 2024, shows the Olympic medals during the unveiling of the Olympic and Paralympic medals for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. AFP PHOTO This photograph taken in Paris on February 8, 2024, shows the Olympic medals during the unveiling of the Olympic and Paralympic medals for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. "We decided to treat the piece of Eiffel Tower like a precious stone.

Start healthy habits this 2024We all know that prevention is better than cure. We can’t “add to cart” the discipline to keep at it, but at the recent Watsons Health and Wellness Expo 2024, the first and biggest health and wellness expo in the country proves that a few informed purchases can jumpstart your healthier habits. “Through the Health and Wellness Expo, Watsons is reiterating its commitment to uplifting the health and wellness of the community,” says Watsons Philippines customer director Jared De Guzman. What better way to do that than in an event like this?”Movement is just as important as eating healthy and taking the right supplements. Jo Villablanca of Holifit talks about the benefits of yoga at Watsons Health and Wellness Expo 2024.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the 17th Meeting of the National Government-Bangsamoro Government Intergovernmental Relations Body at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. In his speech, the President said "there is only one true peace when the bloody tally of war is replaced with the scoreboard of development and that scoreboard shows that peace has won, that the war is over." Video by Catherine Valente

Malacañang Press Briefer Daphne Oseña-Paez and Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy hold a media conference at the Palace on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, to discuss the National Cybersecurity Plan which provides policy direction and operational guidelines to build up the country's cybersecurity posture. Video by Catherine ValenteGet 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

The absence of Argentina football star Lionel Messi in Hong Kong’s match may be politically motivated and involve foreign forces aiming to hit at the city’s mega event economy, according to China’s state-backed newspaper Global Times. It said the Hong Kong government handled this controversy with the greatest sincerity and citizens*have exercised restraint*, displaying a high level of civility and openness. Everyone knows what attitudes and performances to expect in an ordinary football friendly game.”The paper also said Messi’s absence posed many questions on the differential treatment for Hong Kong. “The match in Hong Kong became the only one in Messi’s six pre-season friendly matches on this trip where he was absent. Hopefully we can come back and play a game in Hong Kong,” he wrote in Chinese and Spanish.

Manibela files graft rap vs DOTr execs, OSG over PUV modernizationThis photo shows the transport group Manibela staging a protest in front of the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City. “Maraming vioniolate ang programa nitong mga opisyal ng DOTr, LTFRB, OTC at kasama po dito ang solicitor general,” Manibela Chairman Mar Valbuena said in an interview with reporters. (Many violations have been committed by officials of the DOTr, LTFRB, OTC and the solicitor general is also included in this.) Philstar.com sought comment from Guevarra about the transport group’s complaint. He noted that Manibela’s argument is the same argument that other transport groups filed before the Supreme Court (SC) on December 20.

Following the Oct. 31, 1942 rite, Allied forces won the Second World War in three years. But these conflicts may have actually halted the march toward world war. Still, direct US-Russia conflict and nuclear war may be less likely in the Middle East despite Israel's widely acknowledged atomic arsenal. Bottom line: For now, world war seems far less probable than a year ago. But we must pray more for the world's armed blocs to resist the temptation of seeking geopolitical and military supremacy — spawning arms races in Europe and Asia and risking global if not nuclear war.

What we know so far: China-based hackers targeting government serversMANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology’s investigation into recent cyberattacks targeting multiple government servers has traced the hacking attempts to IP addresses based in China. Unidentified hackers had tried to breach servers used by overseas Filipino workers and the Google Workspace that hosts the Philippine government’s email and storage for non-confidential information, DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy said during a House hearing on Tuesday. ‘Sophisticated’ hackers try to breach PH government’s Google accountsCertain threat actors also attempted to hack into the Philippine government’s Google emails and file storage in January. Google’s report also mentioned that the hackers tried to breach President Marcos’ personal website “bongbongmarcos.com,” Dy said. As the DICT continues its investigation into the cyberattacks, Dy said that the dubious IP addresses have been blocked, and devices with affected accounts have been scanned and cleaned.

SCHOLARS from the University of the Philippines and Philippine Normal University, led by UP Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jerwin Agpaoa and PNU President Bert Tuga, gathered at the Chinese Embassy in Dasmariñas Village, Makati City, on Monday, February 5, for the 10th anniversary celebration of the Chinese Ambassador Scholarship (CAS). A total of 236 scholars from UP and PNU have since benefited from the scholarship. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN MANILA"These young brilliant minds have demonstrated resilience, determination, and a commitment to excellence. A decade is just the beginning of our long-lasting scholarship program. Besides the Chinese Ambassador Scholarship program, UP also hosts the Confucius Institute, which offers free online Chinese (Mandarin) Language courses for UP students, faculty, staff, officials and alumni.

IN the engineering discipline, there's this thing they call the strength of materials, or the ability of substances to withstand stress and strain. For safety's sake, they have models of the structures "tested to destruction." The closest popular expression of this that I can think of is the English idiomatic expression "the last straw that broke the camel's back." As in these tales of perdition and destruction, the danger to all of us is that we have been so mercilessly conditioned by our contemporary culture, religion, and media to believe that everything is possible. Read this essay and listen to its voice recording in The Manila Times: "Tales of perdition and destruction"This essay subsequently appeared as Chapter 151 in my book "Give Your English the Winning Edge," 2009 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday said that two American sex offenders were recently intercepted and denied entry to the country. According to the BI, Nathan Woodward, 56, arrived in the country on January 27, 2024 from Los Angeles. FEATURED STORIESAccording to BI official Joseph Cueto, Woodward was sent back to Los Angeles on the same day. “He was immediately issued an exclusion order and boarded on the next available PAL flight to Los Angeles that very same day,” Cueto said. Flores was listed in the California State Registry for child sexual abuse, the immigration bureau said.

MANILA, Philippines — It is imperative for the national government to confront the threat posed by artificial intelligence, particularly its potential to facilitate the exploitation and abuse of children by sexual predators, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Wednesday. For the senator, modernization follows an alarming trend of sexual abuse among children. FEATURED STORIES“It’s important for us to address this and make certain that anyone who uses the internet or technology to abuse children will be penalized,” he added. READ: Over 900,00 websites showing online child abuse blocked in 2023 — CWCREAD: PH is No. 2 in online child abuse – execsThe Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) earlier warned against worsening child abuse, saying that some unscrupulous people use artificial intelligence to peddle child pornography.

House of Representatives Dangerous Drugs Committee Chairman and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers tells media on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, that the bill allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes in the country has been approved by his committee and the Committee on Health. Among the salient features of the measure are penalties for over prescription and the creation of a 'medical cannabis office' under the Department of Health (DoH) to regulate the drug. Video by Red Mendoza

The next two to three weeks will be most crucial for 48-year-old mechanic Kwok Ho-wing to receive a heart transplant as Queen Mary Hospital appealed to Hongkongers to donate an O blood type heart. Kwok’s blood type is O positive. He can accept any heart from a donor with an O blood type and standing at least 1.6 meters. Wong Ka-lam, a heart transplant physician at Grantham Hospital, said Kwok suffered issues with cardiac vessels as well as heart arrhythmia that has greatly damaged his heart. The hospital will search for a suitable heart in the city first in accordance with existing mechanisms, Wong said.

It was reported to Meta and later the company's oversight board as hate speech. The tech giant's oversight board, which independently reviews Meta's content moderation decisions, said the platform was technically correct to leave the video online. But it also insisted that the company's rules on manipulated content were no longer fit for purpose. Already one US robocall impersonating Biden urged New Hampshire residents not to cast ballots in the Democratic primary, prompting state authorities to launch a probe into possible voter suppression. The oversight board urged Meta to reconsider the manipulated media policy "quickly, given the number of elections in 2024."