Inquirer Breaking News

NBA Scores, News, Schedules PHOENIX --- The Phoenix Suns signed forward Thaddeus Young on Tuesday, giving the team another veteran presence as they scramble for playoff position in the crowded Western Conference race. The 35-year-old Young has played 1,162 career games, which ranks third among active players behind only LeBron James and Chris Paul. The 6-foot-8, 235-pounder played 23 games for the Toronto Raptors earlier this season, including six starts, averaging 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. The Suns are currently in the No. 6 position in the Western Conference playoff race. The top six teams in each conference automatically advance to the first best-of-seven ...

Keep on reading: NBA: Suns sign veteran forward Thaddeus Young for playoff chase

  LUCENA CITY --- Three motorcycle riders died, including a 7-year-old girl, after their vehicle collided Tuesday night with a passenger bus in Tagkawayan town in Quezon province. Quezon police reported that motorcyclist Dennis Cambel, with two back-riders, was negotiating at 10:40 p.m. a section of the Quirino Highway in Barangay San Diego. The motorcycle occupied the opposite lane and consequently collided with an oncoming passenger bus driven by Gilberto Santos, the police said. All riders suffered grave injuries and Cambel died on the spot. READ: Rider dead in bus-motorcycle collision in Quezon province The two back-riders were taken to the Ma. Lourdes Elea...

Keep on reading: 3 dead in motorcycle-bus collision in Quezon

SANTA BARBARA, California---A judge has declared that Kevin Costnerand his wife of nearly two decades, Christine Baumgartner, are now legally divorced, according to court records filed Tuesday, Feb. 20. The couple's marriage ended, and both became single, on Friday, nine months after she filed for divorce, a judgment entered in Santa Barbara County court showed. In the first months after their split, Costner And Baumgartner fought in court over child custody and support payments and appeared to be headed for a contentious trial. But they reached a settlement agreementin September that allowed them to avoid it. The two will have joint custody of their sons, ages 16 and 15, an...

Keep on reading: Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner are now legally divorced after nearly 20 years of marriage

  SAN FRANCISCO --- The most stolen books from San Francisco public libraries' shelves are not the hottest new novels or juicy memoirs, they are books about recovering from addiction. Now, city officials want to provide universal access to free drug recovery books, including Alcoholics Anonymous' 12-step recovery book. San Francisco City Supervisor Matt Dorsey on Tuesday introduced legislation to expand a pilot program to distribute addiction recovery books for free at the city's 28 public libraries. A record 806 people died of a drug overdose in the city last year. If approved, San Francisco would be the first city in the nation to do so as communities coast to coast c...

Keep on reading: San Francisco mulls free drug recovery books at public libraries

    A Colorado man has died after being bitten by his pet Gila monster in what would be a rare death by one of the desert lizards if the creature's venom turns out to have been the cause. Christopher Ward, 34, was taken to a hospital shortly after being bitten by one of his two pet Gila monsters on Feb. 12. He was soon placed on life support and died Friday, Lakewood Police Department spokesman John Romero said Tuesday. Jefferson County coroner's officials declined Tuesday to comment on the death, including if tests showed yet whether Ward died from the pet's venom or from some other medical condition.   READ: Dog suffers bite while protecting owner f...

Keep on reading: A Colorado man is dead after a pet Gila monster bite

MANILA, Philippines---The shift in policy on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) from Rodrigo Duterte's appeasement to Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr's assertiveness has raised fears, baseless or not, over the row's impact on China's investments in and trade with the Philippines. Here's why. According to a report by the Research and Special Studies Division of the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), "research focusing on the People's Republic of China and its use of economic statecraft, including economic coercion, has started to emerge in recent years." "With its increasing economic clout, being the second largest economy in the world, the world's largest trading ...

Keep on reading: WPS economic sanctions to hurt PH, but China even more

LUCENA CITY --- A retired Army soldier was killed Tuesday after he shot and wounded a husband and wife in this city. Lucena police report said one alias Janeth, 56, was walking her way home in Barangay 5 around 8:30 p.m. when alias "Noel," 66, a former Army soldier, shot her in the head using a caliber .38 gun. After shooting Janeth, the gunman proceeded to her house and also shot her husband, "Fernando," 54, hitting him on the back of his body. Though wounded, Fernando was able to grab the gun and shoot and kill Noel. The report did not provide further information about Noel. READ: Ex-Army soldier slain in Lucena drug sting The wounded couple were taken to Quezon Med...

Keep on reading: Ex-Army soldier killed after shooting couple in Lucena City

Ivana Alawi announced that she will be treating one lucky Swiftie to a VIP ticket and an all-expense paid trip to Singapore for Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" concert. "Mamimigay tayo ng all-expense paid trip to Singapore from March 6 to March 8 para makanood ng Taylor Swift [concert]. Kasama na do'n ang VIP ticket mo, ang airplane ticket mo, and also your food and your hotel," Alawi said via a video on her Instagram page last Saturday, Feb. 17. (I will be giving away an all-expense paid trip to Singapore from March 6 to March 8 for Taylor Swift's concert. The giveaway prize includes a VIP concert ticket, an airplane ticket, as well as budget for food and hotel accommodation.) ...

Keep on reading: Ivana Alawi to give away Taylor Swift VIP concert ticket

  MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) is facing renewed pressure to crack down on remaining "e-sabong" operations in the country almost two years after the online cockfighting games were suspended by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. In a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Senator Raffy Tulfo questioned Pagcor chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco on the steps that the corporation is taking in curbing the proliferation of online cockfighting games. "E-sabong has been suspended since May 3, 2022, but as of now, there are still 789 active and ongoing operations. What happened to your intel funds, why can't it be stopped yet?" Tulfo asked in a mi...

Keep on reading: Tulfo pressed Pagcor to shut down remaining 789 e-sabong ops nationwide

    MEREDITH, New Hampshire --- As temperatures plunged on Mount Washington and ferocious winds made it near impossible to see, hiker Cole Matthes began to drift away from the trail. Then he hit a patch of snow-covered ice and slid hundreds of feet down a ravine. His fall Saturday sparked a rescue mission that would last 11 hours, utilize the mountain's famed Cog Railway and prompt harsh criticism from rescuers, who said the hiker made "numerous poor decisions" in preparing for the hike and then deciding to push on. Both Matthes and the rescuers agree that without help, he would have died within hours.   READ: US hiker found after two weeks lost in Ha...

Keep on reading: Hiker describes 11-hour ordeal after falling on Mount Washington

SAN FRANCISCO, AGUSAN DEL SUR --- At least 216 residents affected by floods in Esperanza town's isolated village of Tandang Sora were reportedly poisoned by food served to them on Monday evening by staff members of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC). Dr. Maria Theresa Labiao, the municipal health officer, however, informed reporters in a press conference on Tuesday morning that all the patients suffering from vomiting, stomach pains, and diarrhea had already shown improvement after receiving immediate medication at the Esperanza Medicare Community Hospital (EMCH), where most of the victims were promptly rushed. Dr. Jaqueline Momville, the provincial health officer, said they would ...

Keep on reading: Food poisoning downs 216 flood victims in Agusan del Sur town

MANILA, Philippines --- The House committee of the whole may finish discussions on the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 7 after three hearings, Lanao del Norte 1st District Rep. Khalid Dimaporo said on Wednesday. Dimaporo explained in a press briefing at the House complex that the committee of the whole hearings would be faster because the House Majority can take note of concerns by those against RBH No. 7 and have the leadership answer it. RBH No. 7 is a proposal to amend the 1987 Constitution's economic provisions, which the House leadership has aligned with the Senate's RBH No. 6. "So if it will be taken up via committee of the whole, I believe mabilis 'yan (that will be f...

Keep on reading: RBH 7 talks may take 3 hearings at most, says House rep

Xian Lim has yet to speak up about the real score between him and film producer Iris Lee, but he piqued the interest of netizens after making cryptic posts about wanting what's "real" and controlling his emotions. Lim didn't make a direct response to the romance rumors with Lee. However, with the comments section of his posts still turned off, he dropped a cryptic remark on how being "real" exposes the truth while sharing a video of content creator JB Copeland. Copeland's post appeared as a reminder to his followers that being "authentic" has the "power" to reveal the truth. "Anything you lose by being real... is fake. Our authenticity has the power to expose the truth. And...

Keep on reading: Xian Lim makes cryptic post after being spotted with rumored GF Iris Lee

    RAFAH, Gaza Strip --- The World Food Program said Tuesday it has paused deliveries of food to isolated northern Gaza because of increasing chaos across the territory, hiking fears of potential starvation. A study by the U.N. children's agency warned that one in six children in the north are acutely malnourished. Entry of aid trucks into the besieged territory has been more than halved in the past two weeks, according to U.N. figures. Overwhelmed U.N. and relief workers said intake of trucks and distribution have been crippled by Israeli failure to ensure convoys' safety amid its bombardment and ground offensive and by a breakdown in security, with hungry Pale...

Keep on reading: Food deliveries into northern Gaza halted because of war’s chaos

MANILA, Philippines --- Grateful for President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. 's trust, senators on Wednesday said they are determined to "come out" with best amendments that will ease restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution. Marcos earlier ended the political noise surrounding economic Charter change (Cha-cha), saying it was already made clear months ago that the upper chamber will lead the discussion on proposed amendments to the Constitution. For his part, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri assured Marcos that the review of the suggested amendments is "well underway." "I thank President Marcos for reiterating his trust in the Senate to lead the review o...

Keep on reading: Senate to ‘come out’ with constitutional amendments to ease economic restrictions

  BUDAPEST, Hungary --- A vote in Hungary's parliament on ratifying Sweden's bid to join NATO could come as early as Monday, according to a senior member of the country's governing Fidesz party. It would bring an end to more than 18 months of delays by the nationalist government that have frustrated Hungary's allies. In a letter on Tuesday to the speaker of the parliament, the head of the Fidesz caucus, Mt Kocsis, requested that a vote be scheduled for the opening day of the spring session, which begins on Monday. Kocsis wrote that Fidesz, which has repeatedly blocked a vote on the matter, will opt to support Sweden's bid to join the trans-Atlantic military alliance. ...

Keep on reading: Hungary says ready to approve Sweden’s Nato accession on Monday

The pageant community was turned upside down after former Miss Universe Organization (MUO) president Paula Shugart declared she was planning to sue the pageant company co-owner Anne Jakrajutatip, who accused her of taking money to ensure certain titleholders win the crown. Since 1997, Shugart was a key figure behind the glory of the pageant's brand of a diverse group of empowered women, until her sudden decision to step down in November 2023. She was a driving force behind the titleholders' advocacies, that was why many of them vouched for her "integrity and intelligence" when she finally spoke against the Thai mogul. Below are some of the most notable Miss Universe winners who...

Keep on reading: IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Miss Universe queens under Paula Shugart’s helm

UAAP volleyball schedule of games (February 21) Araneta Coliseum 10:00 a.m. La Salle vs FEU (men's) 12:00 p.m. UE vs UST (men's) 2:00 p.m. La Salle vs FEU (women's) 4:00 p.m. UE vs UST (women's) FULL SCHEDULE HERE https://twitter.com/LanceAgcaoilINQ/status/1760154797020451256...

Keep on reading: LIVE UPDATES: UAAP Season 86 volleyball February 21

https://youtube.com/live/wlnHm6q5wro Here's a quick roundup of today's top stories: B-52H bomber joins PH jets for WPS patrol, irks China The United States has sent a nuclear-capable bomber for its first joint patrol with the Philippine military over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), prompting China's military to send its forces there to monitor that activity. Three FA-50 light fighters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Monday flew in tandem with a B-52H Stratofortress long-range strategic bomber deployed by the US Pacific Air Forces. The joint flyovers covered 90 nautical miles (166.7 kilometers) west of Candon, Ilocos Sur, and 50 NM (92.6 km) northwest of Lubang, Mindoro, withi...

Keep on reading: INQToday: B-52H bomber joins PH jets for WPS patrol, irks China

MANILA, Philippines --- Most areas in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM) have logged an uptick in index crimes, police records show. BARRM Police Regional Director Police Brigadier General Allan Nobleza presented the data during the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hearing on Wednesday. Nobleza said the number of index crimes increased from 768 on Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022, to 892 on Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 last year. Lanao del Sur logged the biggest uptick in index crimes from 185 to 246. READ:Crime wave? Also, Maguindanao del Sur's index crimes increased from 151 to 171, while it rose from 133 to 159 in Maguindanao del Norte, from 86 ...

Keep on reading: Index crimes increased in most BARMM areas, police data show