READ: BBM economic 'A-team' reassures businessmenPRESIDENT-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s economic "A-team" has gotten a stamp of approval from the business community which believes that it will work to push for the country's recovery and sustainable economic growth. READ: Zubiri looms as top bet for Senate president postSENATE Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri was now perceived as the most formidable contender for the Senate president post. Marcos made the comment when asked if his younger brother, President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, should make known his choice for Senate president. The individual events are Chen, Yang, Wu, Wuu and Sun styles Taijiquan; 24 Simplified Forms Taijiquan, 32 Forms Taijiquan, 42 Forms Taijiquan, 42 Forms Taijijian; and Taijishan. The team events are Taijishan, Taiji (Eight Methods and Five Steps routine), and 24 Simplified Forms Taijiquan.

NOT too long ago, the right-wing fantasy was that a white, muscular Christian world really existed. It was led by Russia's Vladimir Putin, with his fanboy Donald Trump as his fawning sidekick and principal gofer. Massacring blacks on the unhinged pretext that they can't be allowed to replace whites has been routine under this bizarre concept of a white Christian world. Right after Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Trump called Putin a "genius" and hailed his supposed military savvy. And this: Democracies are best nurtured by boring, plodding men with no delusions of grandeur and greatness.

MANILA, Philippines — Daily tourist arrivals have increased significantly but are still some ways off the prepandemic level, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Saturday. “Our average is about 15,000 arrivals per day,” Dana Sandoval, spokesperson for the BI, said during the Laging Handa briefing, but the figure was still far from the 45,000 daily tourist arrivals in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic paralyzed travel and tourism activities. ADVERTISEMENTShe, however, remained hopeful that daily tourist arrivals will continually increase after the government eased travel restrictions. “Our daily arrivals were just around 4,000 to 5,000 per day, but now it has increased to 15,000 per day — still a little bit far from our prepandemic figures, but we’re getting there,” she said. The new guidelines cover fully vaccinated minors ages 12 to 17 and those below 12 years old “regardless of vaccination status” as long as they are with their fully vaccinated parents or guardians.

MANILA, Philippines — A Hermes 900 drone of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) crashed Saturday morning during a functional check flight in Cagayan de Oro. All emergency procedures were performed and Field Service Representatives were called for troubleshooting.”No civilian casualties and damage to properties were reported. The PAF said it would conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the incident. The Israeli-made Hermes 900, which can be used for ground support and maritime patrol missions, has a service ceiling of 30,000 feet and flight endurance of up to 36 hours. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyRead Next

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur — A personnel of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) was caught after allegedly extorting money from a business owner in Zamboanga City . Tamayo asked that the name of the business owner be withheld as they are still doing a follow-up investigation of the incident. Last May 13, the business owner went to the BIR office to clarify and submitted documents to justify a lower tax assessment. The business owner eventually sensed she was being taken for a ride and sought the assistance of the NBI. On Friday, the business owner delivered the remaining P500,000 to Albao, at the BIR office.

Three teenagers were arrested on Thursday and Friday for possessing offensive weapons after police busted an armory hidden in a residential flat in Kowloon Bay. As officers continued their operation, they targeted and raided a flat at Richland Gardens in Kowloon Bay that was suspectedly used by the triad society as a secret armory. Police added the trio aged between 18 and 23 were members of a triad society and were remanded in police custody. Officers added they have been charged with possessing offensive weapons and will appear in Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts next Monday (May 30). Police believe the weapons are meant to be used in gang fights and their operation successfully stops future illegal activities.

(AFP)Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal closed in Friday on a blockbuster clash at the French Open as both reached the last 16, while 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest man to make the second week in Paris since 2006. Reigning champion Djokovic and 13-time winner Nadal are on course to meet in the quarterfinals, with the Spaniard seeded outside the top four at Roland Garros for just the second time. Next up for Djokovic, who was also French Open champion in 2016, is a match-up with Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, the 15th seed. The Spanish teenage star is the youngest man in the Roland Garros fourth round since Djokovic 16 years ago. I love playing tennis,” said Alcaraz, who saved a match point against countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the previous round.

A drunk driver fell asleep inside a police vehicle and was sent to a hospital after being arrested for crashing into a bakery and hitting a pedestrian in Cheung Sha Wan. The incident occurred around 4am on Saturday as the 26-year-old Tesla driver surnamed Ho was heading towards Lai Chi Kok along Un Chau Street. He suspectedly lost control at an intersection between Un Chau Street and Cheung Wah Street in Cheung Sha Wan and crashed into a three-meter-long fence railing, breaking the road sign and ramming into a rubbish bin on the way. The Tesla finally stopped as it mounted on the street and collided head-on into the exterior wall of a bakery. Ho was then arrested by police for drunk driving and boarded a police vehicle.

SHANGHAI — The Chinese metropolis of Shanghai inched further towards a gradual reopening from two months of grinding COVID-19 lockdown, while officials in Beijing prepared to ease curbs in parts of the capital, saying on Saturday the outbreak was under control. Shanghai aims to essentially end its lockdown from Wednesday after relaxing restrictions over the last week. Shanghai officials urged continued vigilance, even though the vast majority of its 25 million residents live in areas that are in the lowest-risk “prevention” category. “Wear masks in public, no gathering, and keep social distance,” Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, told a daily news conference. While Shanghai officials reported one community-level case in the Songjiang district, they expressed confidence in the steps they were taking to trace and control the infection chain.

KYIV — Russian forces stepped up their assault on the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk on Saturday after claiming to have captured the nearby rail hub of Lyman, pressing their offensive in the eastern Donbas. Russian artillery was also shelling the Lysychansk-Bakhmut road, which Russia must take to close a pincer movement and encircle Ukrainian forces. The governor of Luhansk, which along with Donetsk makes up the Donbas, said on Friday that Russian troops had already entered Sievierodonetsk. Ukrainian troops may have to retreat from the city to avoid capture, governor Serhiy Gaidai said. “Russian forces have performed poorly in operations in built-up urban terrain throughout the war,” they said.

Health authorities are now investigating another new outbreak cluster at a bar -- ZENTRAL on Hong Kong Island where up to 11 infections have been reported as the city added 270 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday. They all developed symptoms between Friday last week (May 20) and Thursday. Six of the students caught Covid later, involving two cases reported yesterday and four reported today. They developed symptoms between Wednesday and Friday. Another case was added to the outbreak cluster at DSC International School after a student tested positive this morning.

GENEVA — The World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned Friday that some 200 monkeypox cases found in recent weeks outside of countries where the virus usually circulates could be just the beginning. ADVERTISEMENTSince Britain first reported a confirmed monkeypox case on May 7, nearly 200 cases have been reported to the UN health agency in countries far from the states where the virus is endemic. The Spanish health ministry said Friday that 98 cases had been confirmed there so far, while Britain currently counts 90 verified infections. Portugal has meanwhile registered 74 confirmed cases, health authorities said Friday, adding that all the occurrences are in men, mainly aged below 40. No need to panic“We are still at the very, very beginning of this event,” Briand told member state representatives attending the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

Former Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon is facing a graft complaint over her revelation of information relating to the disqualification case of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. from the presidential race. Guanzon’s revelation of her vote to disqualify Marcos were “premature public disclosures [that] were made without authority or justifiable reasons,” the complainants said. Responding to the complaint, notably by Topacio, Guanzon recalled the time she sued the former in Bacolod City for libel and unjust vexation. She dismissed the complaint as being a “personal grudge” of Topacio against her over the cases he faced that Guanzon filed. “That’s why he has a personal grudge against me.” —Dempsey ReyesREAD: Lawyer faces raps for maligning election commissionerRead Next

The Philippines will no longer require a predeparture COVID-19 negative test result for inbound fully vaccinated travelers with at least one booster shot starting May 30, according to Malacañang. 168, the predeparture testing requirement will also exempt children ages 12 to 17 who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and those 12 years old and younger “regardless of vaccination status” as long as they are accompanied by their fully vaccinated parents or guardians. The IATF also said that travel insurance would also no longer be required for inbound passengers but it would still be highly encouraged. A win for tourism industryThe DOT thanked the IATF for approving its recommendation to further ease the government’s travel requirements. READ: More than 50 percent of tourism workers vaccinated vs COVID-19 — DOTRead Next

MANILA, Philippines — Authorities on Friday confiscated more than P7-million worth of crystal meth, locally known as shabu, hidden in a water purifier. “The confiscated shabu was shipped via Tanaporn of Ban, Nong Phaya Chonthabouly, Vientiane, Laos through Philpost-CMEC, Domestic Road, Pasay City. The illegal substance has an estimated value of P7,425,600 based on the current standard drug price,” PNP explained. RELATED STORIES:Drug suspect yields over P1-M shabu in Laguna buy-bustJPVSubscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyRead Next