Inquirer Breaking News

MANILA, Philippines--Magnolia arranged a showdown with sister team San Miguel Beer for the PBA Commissioner's Cup title after ending the fairytale run of Phoenix, 89-79, in Game 4 of their semifinal series Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena. The Hotshots made sure that there wouldn't be any collapse this time as they leaned on a strong first quarter anchored by Mark Barroca before their defense prevented the Fuel Masters from completing any of their comeback tries in the second half. Barroca finished with a conference-high 21 points as Magnolia won the best-of-five series, 3-1, to progress into the PBA Finals against the Beermen, who a few days earlier swept last season's Commissi...

Keep on reading: Magnolia ousts Phoenix to set up PBA Finals duel vs San Miguel

Magnolia feels the manner of how it won the first two games of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup semifinals is no reason for the Hotshots to feel that sweeping Phoenix is going to be moot and academic. "I think we will see a different Phoenix team this time," Paul Lee said after the Hotshots moved on the cusp of a Finals berth after recovering in the final frame to pull out an 82-78 win on Friday at SM Mall of Asia Arena. Their bid to put away the Fuel Masters starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the same venue as they aim to get back to the big league's grandest stage for the first time since the 2021 Philippine Cup. The championship matchup could be k...

Keep on reading: Magnolia, 2-0 up in a battle of attrition with Phoenix, goes for a sweep of Fuel Masters for first title series slot

San Miguel reached for the door of the PBA Commissioner's Cup championship series on Friday night following its 106-96 dismantling of Barangay Ginebra in Game 2 of the semifinals. The Beermen will have a chance to turn the knob this Sunday, but skipper Chris Ross has been playing the game long enough to know that doing so is easier said than done. "We know firsthand how it is to be on that side," he told the Inquirer while shaking his head. Ross was a member of the fabled Beermen squad that came back from three games down to win the 2015 Philippine Cup against Alaska, so the defensive whiz knows all too well that such a task is doable. It would also be a mortal sin to cou...

Keep on reading: Beermen not about to take Kings lightly

Roger Gorayeb knows that his comeback in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) will be challenging, to say the least, as he tries to build a competitive Capital1 squad three weeks before the Power Spikers plunge into action. "We do not need luck here---what I need to do is a miracle because the season will start in just a few weeks," Gorayeb said as Capital1 announced its entry to the PVL on Thursday. "We will start to train next week, so we will just have two weeks to practice. "This is huge for me, but everything is a challenge for me." With Capital1 racing against time to build a competitive team, Gorayeb opted to choose experienced players from a two-day tryout like Aiko U...

Keep on reading: Gorayeb eyes finish far from bottom

TAIPEI --- Swinging side-to-side to a Chinese ditty, Taiwanese teenagers and kids performed at a recent night market competition, showing off their loose-limbed moves while executing the viral "subject three" dance that has taken social media by storm. The competitors included young men in leather jackets and high-tops, siblings matching in denim jackets and sunglasses, and even dancers improvising with pop-and-lock hip-hop moves. But all stuck to the original spirit of the "kemusan" dance --- translated as "subject three" in Mandarin --- which calls for dancers to look like they are almost twisting their ankles, as they flick their wrists rapidly to traditional Chinese music m...

Keep on reading: Taiwan night market serves up viral dance

General Counsel Emeritus of the World Jewish Congress Menachem Rosensaft, right, signs a document representing a Muslim-Jewish peace initiative, with the Bosnian Grand Mufti Husein Kavazovic, at the Srebrenica Memorial Center, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, in Potocari, Bosnia, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. (Photo by ARMIN DURGUT / Associated Press) SREBRENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina --- Jews and Muslims from Bosnia and abroad gathered in Srebrenica on Saturday to jointly observeInternational Holocaust Remembrance Dayand to promote compassion and dialogue amidthe Israel-Hamas war. The gathering was organized by the center preserving the memory of Europe's only acknowledged gen...

Keep on reading: Bosnian Muslims, Jews call for peace on Holocaust Remembrance Day

Palestinians look at their neighbor's damaged house following an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. (Photo by FATIMA SHBAIR / Associated Press) RAFAH, Gaza Strip --- Witnesses said three Palestinians were killed Saturday in an airstrike that Israel's military said was targeting a Hamas commander in southernGaza, less than a day after the International Court of Justiceordered Israelto do all it could to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in the besieged territory. Israel's military will be under increasing scrutiny since the top United Nations court also asked Israelfor a compliance report in a month. The court stopped short of o...

Keep on reading: Airstrike kills 3 Palestinians in Gaza as Israel presses offensive

Actress Maricel Laxa said that it was while shooting the climatic ending of Prime Cruz's movie "GG" with son Donny Pangilinan that she realized her son is indeed "a gifted actor." The scene features an extremely emotional hug between the mother and son characters, Iya and Seth. "That was the scene where I forgot most of my lines, but I was amazed at Donny because he was very much in the moment. That's when I realized that he's really good. Nasabayan pala n'ya ako (He was able to match my performance). Mayroong pinagmanahan (He takes after me)!" Maricel told reporters during a short Q&A after the barkada esports-themed movie premiered at SM Megamall on Tuesday night. "I was ...

Keep on reading: Donny Pangilinan pays tribute to late grandmother in new movie

Holocaust survivors and relatives arrive at the Auschwitz Nazi death camp in Oswiecim, Poland, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. Survivors of Nazi death camps marked the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp during World War II in a modest ceremony in southern Poland.(Photo by CZAREK SOKOLOWSKI / Associated Press) OSWIECIM, Poland --- A group of survivors of Nazi death camps marked the 79th anniversary of the liberation of theAuschwitz-Birkenau campduring World War II in a modest ceremony Saturday in southern Poland. About 20 survivors from various camps set up byNazi Germanyaround Europe laid wreaths and flowers and lit candles at the Death Wall in Auschwitz. ...

Keep on reading: Nazi death camp survivors mark 79th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation

Singer-songwriter Vilmark's latest single, "INOWY" (I'm Not Okay Without You), is now out under GMA Music. The soul-stirring track is a powerful ballad about dealing with loss and finding the strength to move forward. Serving as a sequel to his previous song "Lisan," "INOWY" is a deeply personal song for Vilmark, who wrote it as a way to cope with the death of his father in 2022. "This song reminds people that it's OK not to be OK. Because it's a phase that you need to go through to move forward and start anew. Until you accept the reality that you're not OK, you'll keep masking your true feelings. I wrote this song from a place of pain, but I hope it can bring comfort and hope...

Keep on reading: Emotional new single from Vilmark

  Let Original Pinoy Music (OPM) legends Odette Quesada and Ogie Alcasid, who penned and sang some of the greatest Filipino love songs of all time, put feelings into words with one timeless hit after another. In a special Valentine celebration presented by Newport World Resorts, the seasoned songstress and "King of OPM" will team up in "Love, Q&A" on Feb. 14 and 15 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater (NPAT). Each time Quesada sings ballads, she bares her soul to listeners. No wonder her hits "Till I Met You," "Friend of Mine," "Farewell," "A Long, Long Time Ago" and "Don't Know What To Do, Don't Know What to Say," which helped define OPM in the '80s, still resonate ...

Keep on reading: Odette and Ogie’s Valentine collaboration

MANILA, Philippines ---Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan on Saturday reiterated his support for the proposed amendments particularly to the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution. Those changes, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) chief said in a statement, are crucial for the economic advancement and competitiveness of the Philippines. Balisacan issued the statement to clarify an earlier report on his views about the ongoing discussions related to Charter change which, he said, was "misinterpreted" as expression of concern about "discord" between the legislative chambers. "My stance has consistently been one of strong support for...

Keep on reading: More reforms needed to unlock full benefits of Cha-cha —Neda chief

DAVAO CITY -- The Provincial Board of Davao Oriental has placed the entire province under a state of calamity due to the destruction wrought by floods and landslides brought about by the continuous rain spawned by the shear line that prevailed over the Davao region last week. Davao Oriental recorded two deaths, four wounded, and a total of 64,330 families affected, Governor Nio Uy said as he recommended the calamity declaration on Tuesday. The resolution, passed by the Davao Oriental PB during the regular session on Wednesday, Jan. 24, will pave the way for the release of funds necessary for the immediate relief of those affected and the rehabilitation and repair of the damaged fac...

Keep on reading: Davao Oriental placed under state of calamity due to floods, landslides

MANILA, Philippines --- Francis Casey Alcantara and Indonesian partner Christopher Rungkat ruled the M25 Chennai in India as the Filipino netter earned his 20th International Tennis Federation (ITF) doubles title. Alcantara and Rungkat dominated Bogdan Bobrov and Adil Kalyanpur, 6-4, 6-2, in just 59 minutes to claim the $25,000 championship. The Filipino-Indonesian pair overcame a tight first-set duel before dominating the second set with a 5-2 start and never looked back to earn their third championship together. READ: Asian Games: Alex Eala, Francis Alcantara bag tennis mixed doubles bronze Alcantara and Rungkat won two titles together last year in Malaysia, ruling the M15 ...

Keep on reading: Francis Alcantara wins 20th ITF doubles title, rules M25 Chennai

MANILA, Philippines --- Alex Eala captured her first International Tennis Federation (ITF) doubles crown as a professional as she and her Latvian partner Darja Semenistaja ruled the W50 Pune on Saturday evening (Manila time) in India. Eala and Semenistaja stunned the top-seed duo of Naiktha Bains of the United Kingdom and Fanny Stollar of Hungary in the final with a hard-earned 7-6(8), 6-3 victory. The Filipino-Latvian pair needed to fight back from a 4-5 deficit before stealing the extended opening set from Bains and Stollar. Eala and Semenistaja utilized their momentum and unleashed a rousing 5-2 start in the second set but the pair from the United Kingdom and Hungary stop...

Keep on reading: Alex Eala cops W50 Pune doubles title with Latvian partner