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Revenue collection by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) improved in June but their six-month take was still lower year-on-year and below target due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial Department of Finance (DOF) data released on Thursday (July 2) showed that the BIR collected P228.2 billion last month, up 42.5 percent from P160.2 billion in 2019 but 19.9-percent below its goal of P284.8 billion. The BIR's June collection rose year-on-year as it had moved to June 15 the last day to file and pay 2019 income tax returns (ITRs) in response to pandemic lockdowns that kept most people indoors and unable to meet the original April 15 deadline. The B...

Keep on reading: BIR, BOC collection up in June, but below targets

MANILA, Philippines --- Cavite 7th District Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla has accused Amcara Broadcasting Network, which owns Channel 43, of being a "dummy" of ABS-CBN. During the House joint panel hearing on the ABS-CBN's franchise on Thursday, Remulla quizzed Amcara chairman Rodrigo Carandang on the network's arrangement with embattled ABS-CBN. It was learned that while ABS-CBN only has a block-time agreement with Channel 43, it was ABS-CBN that provided equipment, such as transmitters, to Amcara. Amcara likewise uses the signal of ABS-CBN in its broadcasting, Carandang admitted. "We have already elicited facts to show na itong (that) Amcara is a moro-moro po, sa nakikita ko (...

Keep on reading: Remulla: Amcara of Channel 43 is ABS-CBN’s ‘dummy’

BOCAUE, Bulacan ---- The North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) Tambobong Interchange was opened to motorists on Thursday to ease traffic congestion between this town and the eastern part of the province. Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, who led the opening of the interchange with strict health protocols, said the new route would support the government's target of improving roads leading to "growth corridors." The new interchange features a 290-meter two-lane southbound entry, a 180-m two-lane northbound entry, and a 240-m three-lane northbound exit. It also has three exclusive radio frequency identification (RFID) lanes for cashless transactions. In a statement, N...

Keep on reading: New NLEX Tambobong Interchange seen to ease traffic congestion in Bulacan

On a karting track in southeast England, an eight-year-old Lewis Hamilton has the measure of his rivals. He is flying around the course. He is quicker than the other boys and, though these are supposed to be carefree years, is racing with the intensity of someone who is eager to make an impression.

The ex-husband of a "Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast member hired a reputed mobster to carry out an assault of the woman's current husband in exchange for a lavish wedding reception, federal prosecutors in New Jersey said Tuesday. Thomas Manzo, 55, of Franklin Lakes, and John Perna, 43, of Cedar Grove, were each charged with conspiracy and committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity. Manzo is the ex-husband of Dina Manzo, while Perna was identified as a soldier in the Lucchese crime family, according to prosecutors. Perna was also charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud related to the submission of a false car insurance claim, while Thomas was c...

Keep on reading: Ex-husband of ‘Real Housewives’ star Dina Manzo is charged in assault

SEOUL, South Korea --- The ex-boyfriend of late K-pop star Goo Hara was jailed by an appeal court Thursday for blackmailing her over sex videos that played a part in her apparent suicide. In 2018, Goo -- a member of former girl group Kara -- told local media that her ex had threatened "to end her entertainment career" by leaking their sex videos. A CCTV clip of the couple showed the singer kneeling before him seemingly begging him not to. Goo was found dead at her home in November, and is widely believed to have taken her own life after being targeted by abusive online comments following the reports about the videos. The man, hairdresser Choi Jong-bum, was last year convi...

Keep on reading: Late K-pop star’s ex jailed for sex video blackmail

MANILA, Philippines---Undefeated Filipino featherweight Mark Magsayo arrived in the United States Thursday to continue his training with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach at Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles. In a report from RingTv.com, Magsayo and his wife Frances went through a tough process to just get out of the Philippines due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that a guarantee letter from MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons allowed them to board their plane. The couple flew to Los Angeles via Korean Air. Frances said that they would get tested for COVID-19 at the earliest opportunity as courtesy to Roach and the other training staff. "I am so very grateful that I am ...

Keep on reading: Magsayo arrives in US to continue training with Roach

More than 360 elephants have died in mysterious circumstances in Botswana in the past three months, according to local conservationists.

MANILA, Philippines --- Congress will surely take into consideration ABS-CBN's employees in deciding whether to grant the broadcast firm a franchise or not, Malacaang assured Thursday. While saying he is sad over the possible layoff of ABS-CBN workers, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque insisted the media network must secure a legislative franchise before returning back on the air. "Kagaya po ng buong Pilipinas, talagang malungkot po na baka dumating ang punto na marami pong mawawalan ng trabaho sa panahon ng pandemya," Roque said in an online briefing. (Just like the entire Philippines, it is really sad that it might come to a point where many will lose their jobs amid a pan...

Keep on reading: Palace: Congress to surely consider ABS-CBN workers on franchise decision

WASHINGTON --- About four in 10 black American and Asian American adults surveyed say people have acted uncomfortably around them because of their race or ethnicity since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Only 13 percent of white adults say this has happened to them. Asians have borne the brunt of racist reactions; about three in 10 Asian adults (31 percent) say they have been subject to slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity since the outbreak began, compared with 21 percent of black adults, 15 percent of Hispanic adults and 8 percent of white adults. The findings are not out of line with reports of incidents of di...

Keep on reading: Survey confirms discrimination against Asian Americans amid coronavirus pandemic

Partly inspired by Aboriginal art and culture, a new logo promoting Australia's interests overseas has proven divisive, with some likening the design to depictions of the coronavirus.

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday reported 108 new infections of coronavirus among Filipinos abroad, bringing the total number of cases to 8,614. According to the DFA, the increase in the number of infections among overseas Filipinos were "due to more accurate sourcing of data" and "late reports" received by the Philippines' foreign service posts. The DFA also recorded 17 new recoveries in Europe and the Middle East, bringing the total number of patients who recovered from the disease to 5,148. There are 561 fatalities reported, including seven new deaths in the Middle East. Meanwhile, 2,905 Filipinos remain under treatment abroad, ac...

Keep on reading: 108 new infections drive COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad to 8,614

Former actress and television host Giselle "G" Tngi looked back at her struggles from around a decade ago when she was still attending college as a mother of two. Now marking the ninth anniversary of her graduation from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), she recounts to fans her experience and assured fresh graduates that they will reach their dreams even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "There are those moments in your life that feel the most momentous for one reason or another... this was mine," Tngi said on Instagram earlier today, July 2, sharing snippets from her graduation in the United States nine years ago. "After becoming a mother at 27, I knew I wanted to...

Keep on reading: LOOK: G Töngi recounts struggles of being a mother in college

Charlize Theron says she's making choices as a producer and actor to ensure her "two small, beautiful African American daughters" will feel represented on-screen. The Oscar winner said it can be hard for Black children to "kind of imagine the possibilities" when so few films and television series are centered on characters that look like them. "I was raised during the Apartheid era in South Africa. So, I come with a lot of that baggage already," Theron said. "I was part of a system that I as a white person benefited from in South Africa. And that's a tremendous amount of guilt that I carried, and still carry my entire life. I'm in therapy over it," Theron said in an interview p...

Keep on reading: Charlize Theron hopes daughters are represented in Hollywood

SEOUL --- K-pop girl group BLACKPINK has set five new Guinness World Record titles with the music video for its latest song "How You Like That." The video won three titles from the Guinness World Records by racking up 86.3 million views within 24 hours of its release at 6 p.m. last Friday, according to the Guinness World Records website Thursday. It was certified as the most viewed video, music video and K-pop video on YouTube in 24 hours. A separate live premiere video for "How You Like That" achieved 1.66 million peak concurrent viewers on the global video sharing service, also setting two more Guinness titles -- the most viewers for the premiere of a video on YouTube and ...

Keep on reading: Blackpink wins 5 Guinness World Record titles with ‘How You Like That’

Chinese tech giant Tencent has been fooled by impostors posing as representatives of the country's most famous chilli sauce brand, police said, in a saga that nearly pitched the two famous brands against each other in court. The dispute between Tencent -- owner of the WeChat app -- and legendary Chinese sauce Lao Gan Ma heated up this week when a court in the southern city of Shenzhen announced it would freeze assets of the chilli maker worth 16.24 million yuan ($2.3 million). The court said the request came from Tencent, which had sued the manufacturer for not paying advertising fees under a 2019 contract. But as confusion reigned, Lao Gan Ma said in a statement that it had...

Keep on reading: China tech giant Tencent duped by saucy scammers

Jay-Z's annual festival in Philadelphia, Made in America, won't take place Labor Day weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement Wednesday, the rap mogul's Roc Nation company said it plans to produce the popular festival in 2021. "2020 is a year like no other. We are in a pivotal time in this nation's history. Collectively, we are fighting parallel pandemics, COVID-19, systematic racism and police brutality. Now is the time to protect the health of our artists, fans, partners and community as well as focus on our support for organizations and individuals fighting for social justice and equality in our country. Therefore, the Made In America festival will be reschedu...

Keep on reading: Jay-Z’s Made in America festival canceled due to pandemic

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO ---- Delayed by the coronavirus disease pandemic, the government's polio immunization program in Central Luzon will resume on July 20 for more than 1.3 million children. In the "Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio," kids would get two rounds of the vaccine, according to Dr. Cesar Cassion, regional director of the Department of Health. Polio, considered to be an infectious disease, spreads rapidly, and causes paralysis. The first phase of Round 1 will be done in Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Angeles City, and City of San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan from July 20 to Aug. 2. The second phase will take place in Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales from August 3 to 16....

Keep on reading: Polio drive delayed by COVID-19 to resume in Central Luzon

    GABORONE, Botswana -- Hundreds of elephants have died mysteriously in Botswana's famed Okavango Delta, the head of the wildlife department said Thursday, ruling out poaching as the tusks were found intact. The landlocked southern African country has the world's largest elephant population, estimated to be around 130,000. "We have had a report of 356 dead elephants in the area north of the Okavango Delta and we have confirmed 275 so far," Cyril Taolo, the acting director of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, told AFP in a text message. He said the cause of the deaths was yet to be established with anthrax having been ruled out. "We do not su...

Keep on reading: Botswana reports mysterious deaths of hundreds of elephants