Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. TMT PHOTOA LEADER of the House of Representatives said he will reintroduce two electoral reform bills in the next Congress, including one that will prohibit any candidate from having any substitute in any local or national election. They are intended to put an end to practices by politicians and political parties that put in doubt the integrity of our elections," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez introduced House Bills 10380 and 10381 in October last year, but they were not passed by the current Congress. Under House Bill (HB) 10380, a political party will be forbidden from substituting any candidate unless he or she died or was disqualified.

Two Americans detained in Ukraine while fighting on the Ukrainian side of the war were mercenaries who endangered the lives of Russian servicemen and should face responsibility for their actions, the Kremlin said on Monday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, interviewed by the U.S. television network NBC news, also said U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, held in Russia for more than two months, was guilty of drug offenses and not a hostage. ADVERTISEMENTGriner’s prosecutionMeanwhile, Peskov said Griner, who had come to promote basketball in Russia, was being prosecuted under laws forbidding the import of drugs. He “strongly disagreed” with any notion that Griner, who arrived in Russia in February, was being held hostage. The U.S. State Department determined in May that Griner was wrongfully detained and assigned diplomats to work for her release.

South Korea is set to allow visa-free entry to Hong Kong residents starting July 1, the South Korean Consulate General in Hong Kong announced on Monday. The Korean government has previously suspended visa exemptions and visa-free entry for foreign nationals of 90 countries due to Covid-19. The announcement by the Consulate General noted that holders of a Hong Kong SAR passport or a British National (Overseas) passport (BNO) can enter South Korea without a visa for short-term visits such as tourism, business meetings, and family visits from July 1. However, travelers will still need to apply for a Korea Electronic Travel Authorisation (K-ETA) and get approval before they can board the plane to South Korea. Application for K-ETA (https://www.k-eta.go.kr/portal/apply/index.do) will commence on June 30, and K-ETA is valid for multiple entries within 2 years from the date of approval, according to the announcement.

HKU microbiologist Ho Pak-leung said on Tuesday that it is expected that Hong Kong’s daily Covid caseload will hover at about 1,000, and will have a limited effect on the city’s pace to return to normal. Speaking on a radio program, the health expert said the number came as an expectable figure with the city easing its social distancing measures, as well as businesses reopening. Even if the daily caseload surge to some 2,000 to 3,000 cases, it would have a limited effect on the city resuming normal, as long as citizens complete their Covid vaccinations, he added. Separately, he noted that from the past winter influenza season, health authorities have recorded an average of around 500 to 1,000 deaths per year, and that citizens should not worry too much about the number of Covid deaths. Read more: Rising Macau cases spur panic buying, stock jitters

KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh: Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh on Sunday staged demonstrations demanding repatriation to Myanmar, where they fled a brutal military crackdown five years ago. But authorities allowed several groups of Rohingya to hold simultaneous "Go Home" marches and rallies ahead of World Refugee Day on Monday. Let's go home," top Rohingya community leader Sayed Ullah said in a speech at one rally. A Bangladesh foreign ministry official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that during the meeting, Dhaka pressed Naypyidaw for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to start this year. Police said thousands of refugees, including young children, joined the marches and rallies, standing on roads and alleys with placards that read "Enough is Enough!

TIKTOKERS are a dime a dozen as are skin care products in the market they are handpicked to endorse. Take the case of mother and daughter tandem of TikTokers Russel and Kianna Duntugan who are making waves on the net. Shed is the CEO of Perfect Formula, a skin care product launched July last year. Shed of Perfect Formula for treating them like family as they look forward to helping its owner grow by leaps and bounds. Mary Ann Cabiao, a user of Perfect Formula product, attests, "No worries kahit sobrang init dahil may sun shield gel-cream naman ang Perfect Formula.

MANILA, Philippines — Another group of doctors on Monday filed a complaint with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to suspend or even revoke Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy’s medical license for her red-tagging of doctors and fellow physicians. ADVERTISEMENT“As a physician who works for the government, Respondent Badoy carries with her the responsibilities that attach to both. The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) first asked the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to revoke her physician certificate for repeated red-tagging of the organization. AHW also likewise filed administrative complaints against Badoy at the Office of the Ombudsman for the same reason. Several progressive organizations had also lodged complaints against Badoy last March for linking vice president Leni Robredo to the CPP-NPA-NDF.

This is after Shopwise, through its renovated branch in Antipolo, unveils its updated look and assortment, highlighting a curated selection of imported goods and exclusive international brands. Shopwise Antipolo unveils its updated look and assortment. The grocery shopping center now features curated imported goods and exclusive international brands. Moreover, Shopwise Antipolo houses Project Pie of the Shakey's Group, which was one of the pioneers of the 'build-your-own' pizza service. Shopwise hopes to put up more international grocery shopping like this for every Filipino to experience throughout the country in the near future.

MANILA, Philippines — The random manual audit (RMA) of votes cast for the May 9 polls has so far yielded a nearly 100-percent accuracy rate, an election watchdog said. Preliminary pa lang po ‘yan [That’s only preliminary] but we will release a final report for the record,” Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) representative Atty. ADVERTISEMENT“The purpose of RMA is really to check the accuracy of the machine. “Napakaimportante dahil yung makina po siya po yung nagka-capture kung ano yung will ng voters natin. RELATED STORY:Comelec: Random manual audit of votes matches 99.9% of ERsEDV/abcSubscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address.

Alex Eala fell short on her bid of a third pro title after bowing to hometown bet Marina Bassols Ribera, 6-4, 7-5, in the W60 Madrid International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in Spain Sunday. Photo from Rafa Nadal AcademyEala, 17, couldn’t find the right combination to upset the 14th seed Ribera to settle for the runner-up honors. Even the Rafa Nadal Academy, where she has been a scholar for the past years, congratulated Eala’s feat. “Congrats on your amazing week, Alex Eala!” the academy’s social media page wrote. Her earlier wins came from Bulgaria’s Lia Karatancheva, 6-4, 6-4; Chile’s Daniela Seguel, 6-1, 6-2; Spain’s Yvonne Cavalles-Reimers, 0-6, 6-2, 7-5; Australia’s Jaimee Fourlis, 6-1, 6-4; and Canada’s Katherine Sebov, 6-2, 6-1.

Bianca Pagdanganan shot a closing two-under-par 70 to finish tied at 49th place in the Meijers LPGA Classic For Simply Give in Belmont, Michigan Sunday (Monday in Manila). Photo from AFPThe Tokyo Olympian carded four birdies marred by two bogeys to finish with a four-round total of 281, 11 strokes behind eventual champion Jennifer Kupcho. She fumbled with an opening-round bogey but managed three birdies on the next five holes. She birdied the par-5 14th hole before bogeying the last hole. Pagdanganan, who had earlier rounds of 67, 72 and 72, went home with $8,263 (around P400,000) in the $2.5 million tournament.

ADVERTISEMENTWhile Duterte was not given special powers, he had the six-year Build, Build, Build (BBB) program, which cost P8 trillion. READ: Targets missed in Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’: What’s next? For Move As One, the government should invest in more immediate mobility demands by prioritizing road-based public transportation. BBB ‘not the only way out’It stressed that “we need to learn from the past decade’s mistakes and work together to get out of this,” saying that the government cannot merely Build, Build, Build its way out of the crisis. Move As One stressed that with the public transportation system on the brink of collapse, the legalization of motorcycle taxis would have released additional public transportation supply at a time when there is a large deficit.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Monday that the move to combine the city’s two old-age allowance payments into one to allow elderly residents to benefit from a higher welfare cash subsidy will come in September. With the Normal Old Age Living Allowance and the Higher Old Age Living Allowance combined into one subsidy, as well as applicants assessed under more lenient eligibility criteria, elderly residents currently missing out on a higher subsidy rate under the Old Age Living Allowance scheme will get a HK$990 boost every month. The Normal and the Higher Old Age Living Allowance are currently pitched at HK$2,920 and HK$3,915 per month respectively. Speaking on a radio program on Monday, the outgoing Hong Kong leader said the new measure is set to benefit some 50,000 elderly residents receiving the Normal Old Age Living Allowance in September. Meanwhile, commenting on her administration’s performance under her term, Lam said she had delivered a “decent report card” on livelihood issues.

UNIONIZED In this file photo taken on Sept. 19, 2019, the new iPhone 11 are displayed inside the newly renovated Apple Store at Fifth Avenue in New York City. AFP PHOTOSAN FRANCISCO: A majority of employees at a US Apple store have voted to form a union, a first for the tech giant, which has so far tried to discourage unionization attempts. We won our union vote! "They made a huge sacrifice for thousands of Apple employees across the nation who had all eyes on this election. It was not the first time employees at an Apple store have tried to unionize, but it was the first attempt that resulted in a vote.

The UFC Gym, in partnership with SM Supermalls and SM Game Park, showcases the country's up-and-coming fighters at Musclecontest Philippines' 'King of the Fight 9,' an exhibition match to be held at the SM Southmall Events Center from June 18 to 19, 2022. Since debuting in 2009, UFC Gym has opened over 150 locations across the US, Australia, Canada, South America, and Asia. The fitness franchise offers a full range of functional fitness classes, group and private MMA training, group fitness, and personal and group dynamic performance-based training fit for all ages and fitness levels. And on June 18, history will be made as SM Supermalls opens its doors to a UFC Gym in the south of Metro Manila. To know more about SM Supermalls, check out www.smsupermalls.com or like and follow @smsupermalls on all social media platforms.