Manila, Philippines: Fans of one of the most influential Filipino rock bands of the '90s, Rivermaya, are in for a treat as its original members will hold a reunion concert next year. Concert promoter Live Nation announced that Bamboo Mañalac, Rico Blanco, Mark Escueta and Nathan Azarcon will hold "Rivermaya: The Reunion" on February 17, 2024 at the SMDC Festival Grounds. ‘Rivermaya: The Reunion’ poster PHOTO FROM X/LIVENATIONPH"Be a part of history as Live Nation Philippines stages its first-ever OPM show with Bamboo, Mark, Nathan and Rico - finally together in the country's most coveted reunion," Live Nation posted on social media. Despite the band's successful tour, Mañalac decided to stay in the US with his family, and also to finish his studies. Rivermaya decided to forge on, with Blanco taking the lead.

The Russian military said a Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in annexed Crimea had damaged a Russian ship. Air defenses shot down 13 missiles, but others hit the shipyard and damaged a vessel, a statement from the ministry said. In September, a Ukrainian missile strike on a strategic shipyard in the port city of Sevastopol damaged two Russian ships and wounded 24 people. Later that same month, a missile strike blasted the Crimean headquarters of Russia’s navy in Sevastopol. Subscribe to our daily newsletter SIGN ME UPA deadly missile strike on a Ukrainian village on October 5 killed 59 civilians attending the wake of a local soldier who died fighting Russian troops.

Philippines working to extend e-visas for foreign visitorsMANILA, Philippines — The government is “fine-tuning” measures to extend electronic visas for foreigners staying in the Philippines, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said. In response to Kumaran’s request for e-visa extensions for Indian nationals in the Philippines, Marcos said that the provisions for extending electronic visas would not only apply to Indian citizens but also to other foreigners staying in the country. “It won’t be just India, we are doing it with…several other countries as well to keep it. Earlier in January, Marcos ordered the extension of e-visas for Chinese, Indian, South Korean and Japanese nationals to encourage more visitors to come to the Philippines. The Department of Foreign Affairs launched the country’s e-visa system in August.

Timor-Leste leader in Philippines on November 10 for state visitTimor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 21, 2023. MANILA, Philippines — Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta is set to visit the Philippines this week, with the aim to enhance the ties between the two nations, Malacañang said Sunday. Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize awardee, will be in the country for a state visit on November 10, Friday, to tackle various areas of cooperation between the Philippines and Timor-Leste, spanning technical, political, education and economic partnerships. Timor-Leste officially declared independence in May 2002, becoming the first new sovereign state of the 21st century. It participated in the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia last May as an observer.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) Philippines has announced the availability of the special limited-edition "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang" (MLBB)-themed ROG Phone 6D gaming phone to commemorate the two-year partnership between ROG and Moonton Games. The Philippines will host its grand finals, so stay tuned via the ROG Philippines Facebook page for some exciting announcements. The ROG Phone 6D MLBB special edition is powered by the flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ Mobile Platform for the best mobile experience. With 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, this gaming phone breezes through app switching and any workload efficiently. To know more about the latest ROG Phone 6D MLBB Special Edition, visit https://ph.rog.gg/ROGPhone6DMLBBM5SE, http://www.facebook.com/asusrogph, http://www.twitter.com/rogph or Instagram for more information.

MANILA, Philippines: University of the East (UE) survived Jorick Bautista's overtime scoring barrage to come away with an 87-86 win over Far Eastern University (FEU) and notched its second straight triumph in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, November 5. The Tamaraws, however, could not foul any UE player in the final inbound play as the Red Warriors escaped with the win. UE thus improved to 4-6 for a share of fifth place with the defending champ Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU). FEU, on the other hand, fell to 3-7, good for sixth place. The 5-foot-10 guard also logged eight assists, six rebounds, and three steals albeit he turned the ball over seven times.

(UPDATE) JAPANESE Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the Philippines and Japan expressed serious concerns over China's attempt "to unilaterally change the status quo by force" in the East China Sea and South China Sea. The Philippines and Japan, two of the United States' closest Asian allies, have taken a strong line against what they see as aggressive behavior by Chinese vessels amid disputes over maritime sovereignty. An RAA is a legal framework seen to strengthen collaboration and facilitate exercises between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Japan Self-Defense Forces. "A decision was made to start negotiations on the reciprocal access agreement (RAA), and [we] agreed to further strengthen trilateral cooperation among Japan, [the] United States and the Philippines," Kishida said. "We also confirm to further promote cooperation to improve the Philippines' maritime law enforcement capabilities, including the provision of patrol vessels and defense equipment and technological cooperation, including the transfer of warning and control radar," he added.

Authorities on Sunday conducted an inter-departmental drill at the Tung Wah Eastern Hospital in Happy Valley in response to a simulated large-scale power outage on Hong Kong Island. The exercise simulated a significant power outage in Wan Chai district during morning peak hours. An oil truck crashed into an electricity substation and burst into flames, causing some traffic lights to malfunction and disrupting the electricity supply to some buildings on the island, including Tung Wah Eastern Hospital. With the power outage, the hospital's backup generators also failed, creating the need to transfer patients to other hospitals urgently. The system provides spatial information about a specific location by presenting various terrains and buildings in a three-dimensional format.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said the continuous sanctions suggested by the United States officials were more akin to what triads would do to threaten innocent people. Speaking on a radio show on Sunday, Tang stressed that the SAR has been fulfilling the responsibility of safeguarding national security under the law and to hold lawbreakers accountable is an unalterable principle. "If foreign governments use sanctions to threaten officials in Hong Kong to protect their 'henchmen,' it's more akin to what triads would do and it's much more immoral and unjust," he described. Tang also stated that common law generally does not have a retroactive effect, but national security law has been listed as having an extraterritorial effect. Some of them even tore the flag of the United States.

MANILA, Philippines: The Presidential Task Force on Media Security on Sunday called for the immediate activation of a special investigation group following the killing of a radio news anchor in Misamis Occidental. The victim, Juan T. Jamalon, aka "Johnny Walker," was shot twice by an unknown assailant while in the middle of his show on Gold FM 94.7 where he is also the station manager. "Even as we extend our sympathy to the victim's family and friends over this dastardly attack, we also call on the Misamis Occidental Police Office to immediately constitute its SITG to investigate this incident and apprehend the suspect and others possibly involved in the interest of justice," PTFoMS Executive Director Paul Gutierrez said in a statement. The National Bureau of Investigation has started gathering evidence in support of the ongoing investigation to hasten its resolution, the official said. "While the motive is yet to be determined, we consider this incident as work-related for the moment," Gutierrez said.

Photo of slain broadcaster Juan JumalonA radio broadcaster was fatally shot inside his studio in the Philippines on Sunday, police said, the latest in a long list of journalists killed in the country. The suspect gained entry to the studio by pretending to want to make an on-air announcement, a police statement said. Jumalon is the fourth journalist killed since President Ferdinand Marcos took office in June of 2022, theNational Union of Journalists said. The archipelago nation is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, and their killers often go unpunished. "He tackles mostly current events and is not known to have criticised anyone in his broadcasts," Ragonio told AFP.

House sends 2024 proposed budget to SenateFacade of the House of Representatives at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City. MANILA, Philippines — In a special session held on Saturday to welcome Japan Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, the House of Representatives officially transmitted the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or the proposed 2024 national budget to the Senate. During the plenary session, Majority Leader and Zambaonga City 2nd District Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe made the motion to send House Bill (HB) No. Speaker, I move to immediately transmit to the Senate, House Bill No. 8980 took place before minor committee adjustments were made to the proposed budget.

Philippines prepared for escalation in Israel-Hamas conflict — DFAThis picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip on Nov. 2, 2023, shows Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government assured the public of its readiness to handle emergencies and crisis situations if the Israel-Hamas conflict escalates into a regional war. (If you recall from last night, Hezbollah pointed fingers at the United States for the conflict, but had not made any direct threats against Israel. De Vega also said that some Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, are returning to normal, according to Filipinos living in Israel. During the forum, De Vega discussed plans to evacuate Filipinos from Gaza.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's military said its forces killed nine armed men who attacked an air force training base on Saturday, with a group affiliated with the Pakistan Taliban claiming responsibility. "All nine terrorists have been sent to hell," the armed forces said in a statement, adding that its operation was over. Three men were killed before they entered the base, and three other attackers had been "cornered/isolated," the military said earlier. In a statement to the media, the Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), a new militant group that is an affiliate of the homegrown Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) movement, claimed responsibility for the attack. They have largely focused on targeting security forces, with civilians sometimes caught up in the violence.

Previous NextMore than a thousand athletes gathered in a Hong Kong stadium on Saturday to open the Gay Games, the first time the international LGBTQ sporting event has come to Asia. “The first time Gay Games (is held) in Asia... that’s awesome,” said Helene Germain from France, who traveled to Hong Kong for the first time to compete in dragon boat racing. Hong Kong does not permit same-sex marriage and there is no law against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. - Local opposition -A few members of a religious group protested against the Gay Games outside the ceremony venue on Saturday as police watched on. The delay of Hong Kong’s event meant that Mexico’s city of Guadalajara was chosen as a Gay Games co-host.