All 120 people onboard a ferry that caught fire at sea in central Philippines on Sunday have been rescued, the coast guard said. The M/V Esperanza Star, which was carrying 65 passengers and 55 officers and crew members, caught fire while sailing from Siquijor island in the south to nearby Bohol island, the coast guard said. Coast guard firefighters onboard another vessel used a water canon and declared the fire out by around 0200 GMT, a spokesperson said. Two coast guard vessels involved in firefighting and rescue operations were still in waters in the vicinity of the fire. The whereabouts and conditions of the rescued passengers and crew members were not disclosed.

WILL Brazilian coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito get a contract extension as the Philippine women's volleyball head coach? The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) is set to decide on the matter when the de Brito-led national team returns to the country after the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup for Women in Indonesia slated from June 18 to 25. That is according to PNVF Chairman for National Team Department Tony Boy Liao. "We're going to have a meeting regarding his (de Brito) contract extension when the national team returns after the AVC Challenge Cup," Liao told The Manila Times. De Brito's two-year contract is set to expire this July.

[The residents were] afraid that it would happen again, so they always build temporary huts every time Mayon becomes restive,” he said. The hut was made of wooden poles, with tarpaulin sheets serving as its walls and roof. Lorna Abayon of San Andres village said she spent more than P3,000 to build the hut where her family was transferred. Living conditionsEmma Milarpes, 61, said she and her family chose to stay in the huts, rather than the crowded evacuation centers. [During the eruption] in 2018, we also stayed in the huts because the activity at Mayon scared us,” she said.

Wes Anderson's dazzling cinematic universe is expanding, with its latest feature takes on aliens and the West. Asteroid City, the American director's new film, is preparing to fly into Hong Kong cinemas, with an all-star cast led by the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Tom Hanks. The writer-director has kept busy since then, working on both Asteroid City and a Netflix adaption of Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Asteroid City is an American romantic comedy-drama with a sci-fi twist. The film is written and directed by Anderson, alongside his long-time collaborator Roman Coppola, while Anderson also produces alongside Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson.

Bulacan village chief slainMANILA, Philippines — A barangay chairman was killed in a gun attack in Barangay Partida, Norzagaray, Bulacan on Friday night. Reports reaching Brig. Gen. Jose Hidalgo Jr., Central Luzon police director, identified the fatality as Marcelino Punzal, 63, chairman of Barangay Bangkal. Punzal was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in his Mitsubishi Strada after police was informed about a shooting incident in the area. Hidalgo ordered Col. Relly Arnedo, Bulacan police director, to conduct a thorough probe into the incident.

FILIPINO American body builder Jaclyn Ruby Garcia grew up and formed a strong bond with her Filipino grandparents Quirino Sulay and Purificacion Sulay. And that is why it was painful for Garcia and her relatives when the Sulay couple passed away last year. They lived through World War 2 and the Japanese occupation of the Philippines," said the 38-year-old Garcia. "I wanted to honor them in some kind of way and continue on their legacy of philanthropy. I know if they were still alive they would be donating to the Pantay Tamurong Elementary/High School building project.

LOS ANGELES: Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was suspended for 25 games by the NBA on Friday after being caught waving a gun in a social media video for the second time this year. In a statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Morant's latest suspension would send a message that the league will crack down on "reckless behavior" with firearms. In a separate statement, the Grizzlies accepted Morant's suspension. Ban 'excessive'However, the National Basketball Players Association, the league's players union, hit out at the severity of Morant's suspension, branding it "excessive and inappropriate." Morant's suspension means he will be unlikely to challenge for any individual end-of-season honors in 2024.

A poodle was found locked in a private car for three hours in Ma On Shan and was later rescued by firefighters on Friday night as they broke one of the windows to retrieve the dog. The citizen then spotted the poodle inside as he was about to leave the car park. Firefighters, police, and staffers from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals soon came but failed to contact the car owner. According to security camera footage, the car entered the car park at about 9 pm, and it was estimated that the dog had been trapped for about three hours. There was a small plastic cage in the car’s trunk, and officers believed the poodle left the cage on its own.

Twenty-five people were arrested as police busted 20 scams in which the suspects defrauded victims out of HK$13 million, including one case that saw the highest loss at over HK$5.5 million. They were arrested for obtaining property by deception, evasion of liability by deception, conspiracy to defraud, and money laundering. They lost about HK$688,000 altogether, and one saw the highest loss of HK$268,000. Police further located and arrested a 23-year-old man also named Chan, who collected the crime proceeds from the duo in Tuen Mun on Friday night. Police also mounted a series of anti-scam operations from Monday to Friday and arrested 22 others.

Bivalent vaccines rolled out next weekHealth Secretary Ted Herbosa yesterday urged members of the A1 (health care workers) and A2 (senior citizens) population to receive their bivalent vaccines as soon as possible.“People should not be complacent, especially the senior citizens, who are high-risk individuals, and persons taking care of those with COVID-19,” Herbosa said in a statement. Vaccines are proven to be safe, effective and free,” he added.Herbosa said they must still avail themselves of the bivalent vaccines even if COVID-19 cases in the country are already on a downward trend. “We encourage all eligible individuals to get vaccinated as the threat of infection continues,” the DOH chief stressed.The formal ceremony to launch the bivalent COVID-19 vaccination will be on June 21 at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City, with President Marcos in attendance. The country received the more than 390,000 donated vaccines from the Lithuanian government last June 3. The DOH said the bivalent vaccines shall be used as third booster shots of HCWs and senior citizens after at least four to six months from their second booster shots.

TOKYO: Nissan top executive Ashwani Gupta is leaving the company, the Japanese automaker said on Friday, in a surprise departure that will revive concerns about the stability of the firm's leadership. AFP PHOTOBut ahead of Friday's announcement, a source close to the matter told AFP Gupta was stepping down, citing in part "rivalry" between him and chief executive Makoto Uchida. Earlier this year, Nissan and Renault signed a deal to reboot their troubled 24-year relationship, following months of painstaking negotiations and repeated delays. They said Masakazu Toyoda, a second senior director at the firm who opposed Nissan taking a stake in Ampere, had also been forced out. Gupta's departure is a "loss for Nissan," given he was a "driving force of bringing a battered Nissan back from the brink," said Tatsuo Yoshida, an auto analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

Villar, ‘Ambassador of the Women in Organic Agriculture in Asia’MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Cynthia Villar was appointed as “Ambassador of the Women in Organic Agriculture in Asia” in the Philippines or WOAA-Ph, by IFOAM-Asia and the League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities, Cities and Provinces during the 6th Organic Asia Congress hosted by Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte on June 4-6. “As organic agriculture ambassador, I am determined to continue promoting the transition to affordable, environment-friendly agricultural practices and making available to many Filipinos healthy and affordable nutritious organic food, abandoning the use of costly and soil degrading chemical fertilizers and pesticides,“ Villar said. Villar was appointed Organic Ambassador because of her significant work in promoting organic agriculture. The law also provided for the inclusion of representatives from NGOs in the National Organic Agriculture Board, the policymaking and implementation arm of the organic agriculture programs of the Department of Agriculture. Mayor Rommel Arnado spearheaded the event which showed the best organic practices of the municipality, which is now 100 percent organic.

Starting from July 8 for five consecutive weekend evenings, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is hosting the Harbour Chill Carnival, a free, relaxing, and fun event for the public and visitors to enjoy a variety of street performances, music shows, and X-game performances in the Wan Chai harbourfront while taking in the beauty of Victoria Harbour. Members of the public can register for an account on the Discover Hong Kong website now. The performances will showcase a special theme each week along the Wan Chai Waterfront Promenade, from European-inspired acrobatics and juggling, dynamic and passionate Samba drumming to time-honored kung fu and diabolo performances. Among them, the former Australian artistic gymnastics champions will bring Hong Kong an attractively lit hula hoop show, dazzling across the city’s streetscapes at night. During the ten days of the Carnival, Victoria Harbour will host a waterfront pyrotechnic edition of the multimedia show, lighting up the harbor with a vibrant summer scene.

(UPDATE) A MUNTINLUPA City judge has inhibited from hearing the remaining drug-related case against former senator Leila de Lima after his impartiality was questioned. Just last week, Regional Trial Court Branch 256 Judge Romeo Buenaventura denied the bail petition of de Lima and her co-accused Joenel Sanchez, Ronnie Dayan, Jad Dera and Franklin Bucayu. Former senator Leila de Lima. File Photo Former senator Leila de Lima. De Lima's case will be reassigned to a new judge by the RTC.

realme C53 arrives June 22Launching publicly via Facebook, TikTok and YouTube simultaneous livestream on June 22 at 6 p.m., the realme C53 is positioned as a stylish, segment-leading device for the young. Get to know more about the Champion looks of realme’s latest C-Series model, launching via Facebook, TikTok and YouTube on June 22 at 6 p.m.MANILA, Philippines — realme Philippines confirms the arrival of its latest Champion in the budget segment, the all-new realme C53. Here are three things to get you hyped up for the upcoming realme C53! It will be realme’s thinnest phone to dateAt only 7.49mm thin, the realme C53 will be realme’s thinnest phone to date. It comes in two gorgeous colorsLastly, the realme C53 will have two colorways: Champion Gold and Mighty Black.