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MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippines maintains a "persistent presence" in Scarborough Shoal even as China claims it managed to drive away a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel. BFAR's BRP Datu Sanday has remained in the waters of the sandbank --- also locally known as Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal ---since Wednesday, Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea, said on Friday. Tarriela repudiated the statement of China Coast Guard (CCG) spokesperson Gan Yu that Chinese ships drove away BRP Datu Sanday from the shoal on Friday after "repeated dissuasion and warnings." "The persistent presence of ...

Keep on reading: PH keeps ‘persistent’ presence off Scarborough despite China’s moves

SAKHIR, Bahrain --- A loose drain cover at the side of the track caused a long delay to Formula 1 preseason testing for the second day in a row Friday. The cover flew up when Red Bull's Sergio Perez drove over a curb, causing a red-flag stoppage to the morning session after just half an hour amid repairs and an inspection of the area. "Another day, another drain," Red Bull wrote on X, formerly Twitter, as the team checked Perez's car for possible damage to the floor. READ: Ferrari's Carlos Sainz speeds to top of F1 test charts It was in the same part of the track where another loose cover caused disruption the day before. Thursday's incident left debris scattered across the t...

Keep on reading: Loose drain cover stops F1 testing for the second day in a row

MANILA, Philippines---Gilas Pilipinas knows the magnitude of being able to play in front of Overseas Filipino Workers. So with Filipinos in full support of the national team against Hong Kong at Tsuen Wan Stadium, Gilas Pilipinas repaid them with a dominant 30-point victory against the home bets. "I super appreciate it that they go out here to support us, me and the whole team. [It's a] good thing we got to git the win for them, for OFWs that work here," said Quiambao after their 94-64 win on Thursday night. "[I'm] so glad to see them here, looking forward to more and I'm just glad we got the win." SCHEDULE: Gilas at Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers window 1 Despite just playing 1...

Keep on reading: Gilas repays OFW support in Hong Kong with Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers win

It's easy to assume that tech companies are better than regular individuals in distinguishing between content made by AI and manmade content. After all, they specialize in technology, so why wouldn't they be better? However, a recent experiment shows that these companies must also be more vigilant in preventing people from bypassing their rules with AI. Interviewing.io, a website helping people succeed in job interviews, tested job interviewers to see if they could detect candidates using ChatGPT in coding rounds. The website team discovered that the AI program can answer their questions so well that it can fool interviewers. As a result, many news outlets like Business Insider repor...

Keep on reading: Study shows pitfalls of using AI to cheat in job interview exams

MANILA, Philippines ---Tycoon Edgar "Injap" Sia II's Merry Mart Consumer Corp. raised its 2030 recurring revenue target to P150 billion, reflecting its strong confidence in the Philippine retail sector despite current inflationary pressures. MerryMart, which operates grocery stores and supermarkets, said the new figure was 25 percent higher than its original goal. "When we set our vision and goals, we give it a lot of serious and deep thought, and once set, myself and our team pour our heart and soul towards that," Sia, the chair and CEO of MerryMart, said in a stock exchange filing on Friday. To date, MerryMart has 127 branches. The growth was complemented by the expansion of i...

Keep on reading: MerryMart upgrades targets amid bullish outlook on retail

Free stock photo from Pexels The age of artificial intelligence is here, and tech firms are making sure it is. Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced last year that his company will improve its services with AI. That is why everyone should expect every gadget to run AI soon. It recently launched its Gemini AI assistant, but the search engine firm isn't done yet. A few days after Gemini's launch, Google announced a new AI feature for its Chrome web browser called "Help me write." Its official website says it "will help you start writing or refine something you've already written." At the time of writing, it is only available on Windows PCs and Macs in the United States. What can Goo...

Keep on reading: Google ‘Help me write’ AI launched in the US

HONG KONG --- Asian markets were mostly higher on Friday after Nvidia delivered stunning results, setting off a rally in other technology companies that carried Wall Street to another record high. Tokyo's markets were closed for a holiday, a day after they surged to an all-time high. U.S. futures rose while oil prices fell back. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped less than 0.1 percent to 16,728.00 and the Shanghai Composite index added 0.4 percent to 3,001.38. Government data on Wednesday showed few signs of recovery in China's real estate market, as prices of new homes in first-tier cities fell 0.4 percent in January from a month earlier, extending a downward trend. The pr...

Keep on reading: Asian stocks advance after Nvidia sets off a rally on Wall Street

MANILA, Philippines --- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said that the government will elevate the Philippines as a diving and biodiversity hotspot. Marcos was supposed to deliver a speech at the Philippine International Dive Expo but canceled his appearance last minute. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco delivered Marcos' speech for him. READ: Scientists warned of global warming, but 'we didn't listen,' says Marcos "Through strategic investments in infrastructure and sustainable tourism initiatives, the government will continue to elevate our country's standingas a hotspot of biodiversity and underwater adventure," Marcos said. "Each dive taken, each coral reef explo...

Keep on reading: Marcos: PH to elevate standing as diving, biodiversity hotspot

Jonas Brothers, composed of Joe, Kevin and Nick Jonas, enjoyed a short jeepney ride in Pasay City, where they staged their "The Tour" concert in the Philippines. The trio was aboard the jeepney along with few other companions while a police officer escorted them to the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Feb. 22, hours before their show. Joe documented their experience through a now-expired live video, which has been re-uploaded by user @faithh.mariaa on TikTok. "It's a beautiful day... It's very comfortable," Joe said, quipping how they should bring the vehicle on the concert stage. After arriving at the venue, Joe even showed Kevin and Nick leaning on the rear part of the j...

Keep on reading: WATCH: Jonas Brothers enjoy jeepney ride in PH

MANILA, Philippines---The PBA has revealed the cast for next month's All-Star festivities in Bacolod City. It will be Team Mark Barroca against Team Japeth Aguilar in Bacolod for the All-Star Game with Barroca being the top vote-getter and Aguilar coming in second. They will be choosing their cohorts from 27 other names for the exhibition game. READ: PBA Finals: Barroca delivers on both ends for Magnolia in crucial win The Top 10 players all came from the San Miguel Corporation group teams with Aguilar's teammate Scottie Thompson, league-leading MVP candidate June Mar Fajardo and Calvin Abueva rounding out the top five of vote getters. Christian Standhardinger, Jamie Malon...

Keep on reading: PBA: Mark Barroca, Japeth Aguilar spearhead All-Star game

MANILA, Philippines --- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said that beyond food sufficiency, Filipinos must also have nutrition in their meals. During a meeting with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Marcos lauded the agency for its low glycemic index and protein-rich rice variety. "It's no longer just food sufficiency. There should be nutritional value given to the people. There's very much that we could learn from [you]. IRRI has been actually continuing the research and development and when we went I could see some of their rice is made not for the Philippines alone, the varieties are going all over the world," Marcos told the IRRI. READ: Rice is life: ...

Keep on reading: Marcos: Filipinos also need nutritional value besides food sufficiency

SANTA FE, United States---Lawyers blamed Alec Baldwinfor the fatal shooting on the set of Western film "Rust" in opening statements Thursday, Feb. 22, as they defended the movie's armorer from prosecutors' allegations she was "unprofessional and sloppy." Cinematographer Halyna Hutchinsdied from her injuries after being hit by a live round fired from a gun Baldwin was holding during a rehearsal in New Mexico in 2021. Baldwin, the lead actor and a producer on "Rust,"is awaiting his own manslaughter trial at the same Santa Fe court. He has pleaded not guilty and insisted he did not pull the trigger, saying that as an actor, he should have been able to rely on the professionals around ...

Keep on reading: Lawyers pin blame on Alec Baldwin as ‘Rust’ armorer trial opens

Twice conveyed their beautiful memories as a K-pop group and the future they hope to make with fans on their new EP, "With YOU-th," released Friday, Feb. 23. The group's full-unit comeback with a new album release in Korea comes for the first time in a year. "We worked hard on this album as we know many Once (fans) have waited for our new release for a very long time. We hope to have a great time with them to leave no regrets," Chaeyoung said in a press release issued on the day of the group's 13th EP release. The new album carries six tracks, led by "One Spark." The group tried to share stories of their youth, love and friendship in this album. "We talk about our rela...

Keep on reading: ‘Youth,’ ‘love’ and ‘friendship’ are keywords of Twice’s new EP

KMC Savills, the country's leading real estate brokerage and consultancy firm, takes a panoramic look at the state of Philippine real estate as they presented the latest data and outlook on the country's property market for 2024. The presentation was led by KMC Savills' Research and Consultancy together with their newly-appointed CEO Joe Curran and COO Cha Carbonell.   Starting the event, KMC Savills CEO Joe Curran looked back on the year that was before discussing the current situation of the Metro Manila Office market sector. "Upcoming office completions are set to invigorate leasing activities", shared Curran as demand is seen to sustain for 2024 while an increase i...

Keep on reading: KMC Savills presents the panoramic view of the Philippine real estate

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will comply if the government passes legislation postponing premium contributions for minimum wage earners, its president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said on Friday. This was his response when asked for a comment on House Resolution 1595, filed by House Appropriations Committee Senior Vice Chairperson and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo on Monday. READ: Quimbo: House backs wage hike, but will study proposals intently The resolution urges PhilHealth to temporarily suspend premium contributions for minimum wage earners while the review of benefits expansion and contribution reduction ...

Keep on reading: PhilHealth welcomes moves to halt premiums for minimum wage earners

MANILA, Philippines --- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday became nostalgic upon visiting the National Museum, which used to be the session hall for the country's legislators. His father, late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was a senator and the eventual Senate president before his assumption into the Presidency and consequent declaration of Martial Law. "I spent many hours in this place waiting for my father to finish his work while he was senator and then Senate president. I sat there and watched all of these that are happening. And it's so nice to be back here," said Marcos Jr. in his speech at the 50th Anniversary of the Center of the Philippines. "It holds so many...

Keep on reading: Marcos nostalgic at National Museum: ‘Best times I spent with my father’

LONDON---Pop superstar Taylor Swift added another honor to her long list of accolades on Wednesday, Feb. 21, winning the global recording artist of the year award for the fourth time from the IFPI, the organization that represents the recorded music industry. The "Anti-Hero" singer scooped the award for the second year running, and has previously won it 2014 and 2019. The latest is for 2023. The prize is calculated by looking at an artist's or group's worldwide sales for streaming, download and physical music formats during the calendar year and covers their whole body of work, according to the IFPI. It is presented to the artist who tops the IFPI Global Artist Chart, which ...

Keep on reading: Taylor Swift named IFPI 2023 global recording artist of the year

MANILA, Philippines --- A woman who was alleged to be an illegal recruiter was arrested in a joint operation of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Mandaluyong City Police. According to DMW on Friday, Quezon City resident Marjorie Almarez, 33, was involved in scamming people who wanted to get jobs overseas. READ: DMW: 1,100 displaced OFWs get indemnity from Saudi Arabia During the entrapment operation, Almarez accepted the money from a complainant to whom she promised a job as a fruit picker in Japan with a P77,000 monthly salary. The DMW added that when the victim saw Almarez's transaction, they notified the DMW, which confirmed that she was not licensed by the a...

Keep on reading: DMW: Illegal recruiter promising jobs abroad arrested

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines --- Two still unidentified men were confirmed dead at past midnight on Friday after a tanker carrying caustic soda (or sodium hydroxide) crashed on a hillside along the national highway in Tigbao town, Zamboanga del Sur. Major Herminigildo Bajao Jr., spokesperson of the Zamboanga del Sur Police Provincial Office, said they were still trying to establish the identity of the fatalities although some ID cards and documents found inside the ill-fated truck provide leads on who to contact for confirmation. Police reported that rural health personnel of Tigbao found one fatality outside the truck, bearing severe wounds and his face barely...

Keep on reading: 2 dead as tanker crashes on hillside in Zamboanga del Sur

MANILA, Philippines --- The International Bargaining Forum's (IBF) inclusion of the Gulf of Aden in the list of "high-risk areas" (HRAs) will provide additional security to Filipino seafarers in the area, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Tuesday. "The expansion of the scope of 'high-risk areas' to include the Gulf of Aden serves as a necessary step towards providing stronger protection and promoting stricter security measures to safeguard Filipino seafarers and all seafarers working onboard ships navigating in such HRAs," DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac said in a statement. READ: Houthi rebel attack sets cargo ship ablaze in Gulf of Aden On Feb. 16, the IBF ...

Keep on reading: DMW: IBF classifying Gulf of Aden as HRA to protect Filipino seafarers