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Jon "Bones" Jones tweeted Sunday that he's giving up his UFC title in a pay dispute. "To the light-heavyweight title -- veni, vidi, vici," tweeted Jones, using the Latin phrase of "I came, I saw, I conquered," attributed to Julius Caesar. Asked if was giving up his title, he tweeted "Yes." When one of Jones' 2.3 million Twitter followers suggested he was hurting himself more than the UFC, Jones replied: "I hurt myself every time I walk out there and take a punch to the head and not feel my pay is worth it anymore." The 32-year-old Jones had been eyeing a fight with heavyweight Francis Ngannou, but said the UFC did not want to pay him enough. UFC President Dana White said the...

Keep on reading: Jon Jones tweets he’s giving up UFC title in pay dispute

Google employees will receive an allowance to set up their office at home as remote work arrangements continue in companies around the world. "Because we still expect that most Googlers will be largely working from home for the rest of this year, we'll be giving each Googler an allowance of $1,000 (about P50,300), or the equivalent value in your country, to expense necessary equipment and office furniture," Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to employees on May 26. The email was shared on the company's blog. Pichai stated that a "limited number of Googlers" had to be in the office, but everyone else is encouraged to work from home. He announced that Googl...

Keep on reading: Google to give $1,000 to employees for work-from-home office needs

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY---Local airport authorities reiterated on Monday (June 1) that no commercial flights are scheduled in this city until June 10. Madel Espartero, spokesperson of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) in Puerto Princesa City, said that the CAAP was still awaiting approval from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for the reopening of the Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPIA) to commercial flights. The clarification was issued after airlines---Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia---announced resumption of flights in selected domestic destinations, allowing passengers to purchase tickets. Espartero said the initial schedules published by...

Keep on reading: CAAP: No flights in Puerto Princesa until June 10

More than half of German companies are holding back their investments in the Philippines because they find the economy too restrictive, data showed. This is according to a survey done by member companies of German business chambers both here in the Philippines and in Singapore. It covered 210 firms. The survey, which was conducted in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic from May 11 to May 24, showed that 32 percent of the German companies are holding back expansions, while 19 percent are holding back first-time investments. The German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) shared an evaluation of these survey results on Monday (June 1). While the survey was conduc...

Keep on reading: 51 percent of German firms holding back investments in PH, but not because of COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines --- The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has received from Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles a donation of 40 computer units which will be used in electronic visitations in remote and highly-congested jails in the country. According to BJMP Chief Jail Director Allan Iral, the computers will be used to facilitate the Electronic Dalaw or "e-Dalaw" program of the bureau, where persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) can communicate with their relatives and lawyers online amid the quarantine measures in the country. "We wish to thank Rep. Nograles for his donation. This will go a long way in ensuring that our inmates can still avail of their rights desp...

Keep on reading: BJMP gets 40 computer units for ‘e-Dalaw’ to inmates

MANILA, Philippines --- President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Vice-Admiral George Ursabia as the new Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant, taking the place of retiring Admiral Joel Garcia. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed the appointment of Ursabia in a statement. Duterte signed Ursabia's appointment paper on Monday, the day Garcia official retires. "We are confident that the appointment of Mr. Ursabia will bring the PCG closer to its vision of being a world-class guardian of the sea," Roque said. "We wish the new Commandant good luck as he begins to lead the PCG in this challenging time," he added. Ursabia bested two other contenders to be the PCG's 29th c...

Keep on reading: Duterte names George Ursabia as Philippine Coast Guard commandant

MANILA, Philippines --- Manila City Hall employees went through rapid antibody testing for the new coronavirus on Monday, the first day of the general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila. The testing was conducted at the city government employees' clinic, according to the Manila Public Information Office. More employees in Metro Manila were allowed to physically go to work following the easing of the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to GCQ in the region. Earlier in May, the Manila City government had started building its own testing facility for the coronavirus disease, in addition to other cities in the capital region that has been setting up its own...

Keep on reading: LOOK: Manila City Hall employees undergo rapid testing on first day of GCQ

MANILA, Philippines --- Malacaang on Monday said it has yet to receive an official request to proceed with the filing of administrative charges against Metro Manila police chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas over his alleged violation of quarantine rules meant to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque bared this as he assured business groups that the investigation into Sinas' maanita last month is ongoing. Earlier, eight business groups criticized the government for its double standard in implementing the law wherein thousands of people were arrested but public officials were left unpunished for violation of the same COVID-19 protocols. In a ...

Keep on reading: Palace: No request yet to file administrative charges vs Sinas

MANILA, Philippines --- Chief implementer of the government's efforts against COVID-19 Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. dispelled the "survival of the fittest" notion of some as quarantine measures in Metro Manila were eased. During an online Palace briefing, Galvez said Filipinos have been following protocols of the national government based on his observation. "Hindi naman siguro tama yung matira-matibay kasi talagang tinitignan namin, pati nga kami nila DTI [Department of Trade and Industry], kami umiikot kami ng mga NCRPO [National Capital Region Police Office], nakikita namin talaga yung mga tao naman talaga medyo sumusunod din sa atin," Galvez said. (Maybe it's not right to sa...

Keep on reading: Galvez dispels ‘matira-matibay’ notion as Metro Manila shifts to GCQ

MANILA, Philippines --- Malacaang on Monday turned down the allegations of a United Nations' special rapporteur that the Philippine government is acting beyond international law during the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing that the use of force, when "necessary" and "proportional," is permitted. In a webinar organized by EcuVoice Philippines, an alliance of human rights and peace organizations, UN special rapporteur for Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Agnes Callamard criticized what she described as "excessive use of force" by authorities at a time when most countries are under quarantine. She even noted the Philippines' history of law enforcement abuses and claimed that ...

Keep on reading: Palace insists: PH actions during lockdown lawful, use of force permitted

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez had three luxury watches worth more than 300,000 ($370,000) stolen when thieves raided his penthouse apartment, according to British media reports on Sunday. More than 50,000 in cash along with Cartier bracelets and rare football shirts worth up to 150,000 were also taken from the Algeria international. The watches were reported to be a 230,000 Richard Mille timepiece, a 40,000 Rolex Daytona and a 35,000 Rolex Day Date. Mahrez, 29, was said to not have been at home when the offenders used a key fob to access his apartment and three others in the Manchester city centre block on April 24. The Sun quoted a letter sent to residents which re...

Keep on reading: Man City’s Mahrez has watches worth $370,000 stolen—report

  MANILA, Philippines --- Some local government units (LGUs) are "refusing" the resumption of domestic flights out of worry that it may introduce new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in their jurisdictions, Malacaang said Monday. "I talked to CAB [Civil Aeronautics Board] and CAAP [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines] at apparently, ang nagiging problema are the local government units are refusing to admit passengers from the domestic flights," Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing. (I talked to CAB and CAAP and apparently, the problem is that some local government units are refusing to admit passengers from domestic flights.) Th...

Keep on reading: LGUs’ worry of new COVID-19 cases hampers resumption of domestic flights

In this series, we asked artists, photographers, fashion stylists, makeup artists, and other creatives to share photo diaries of life in quarantine. This conversation has been edited for clarity. "I'm currently quarantined in my home studio. It's always convenient to stay where you work. Before the quarantine, I could always take a break and work outside of my studio when I feel exhausted. The biggest downside now is logistics. I can't just see the people I work with when I need something to be produced and developed. I usually wake up at 7 am to brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack. (That's a Ke$ha reference for the kids.) I don't check my phone until I get to do my morning routin...

Keep on reading: Creativity in Lockdown: A quarantine diary by creative director Rik Rasos

Manufacturing shrank for a third straight month in May as an easing of COVID-19 lockdown slowed down a further decline in purchasing managers' index (PMI), a gauge of manufacturing trends. The latest manufacturing PMI, which is an indicator of economic activity, released by London-based global information provider IHS Markit Ltd on Monday showed an improvement to 40.1 in May from a record low of 31.6 in April, the first full month of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon and elsewhere. A PMI below the neutral 50-level meant manufacturing decline, which the Philippines recorded since March when the ECQ was first implemented. "The easing of measures in some regions helped t...

Keep on reading: PH manufacturing shrinks for 3rd straight month in May

La Liga resumes on June 11 after a three-month absence due to the coronavirus pandemic. Real Madrid and Barcelona have been unable to pull away from each other at the top of the table while Atletico Madrid are involved in what looks like a four-way fight for Champions League qualification. AFP Sport takes a look at some key issues ahead of the run-in. Turbulent title race When Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 1, it seemed they had halted a dip in form and seized control of the title race. But a week later, they handed the initiative back as Barca regained first place by beating Real Sociedad and Madrid lost away at Real Betis. A three-m...

Keep on reading: The return of La Liga: What’s at stake?

• COVID-19 UPDATES: India confirms more than 8,000 new cases

MANILA, Philippines --- The Lopezes' reclamation of ABS-CBN after the 1986 EDSA Revolution was in accordance with the law, the network's president and chief executive officer Carlo Katigbak told a House hearing Monday. Katigbak said that the return of ABS-CBN to the Lopez family had the "blessing" of three government agencies---the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), the Office of the President, and the Supreme Court. "Unang-una, ang PCGG mismo ang umaksyon na ibalik sa mga may-ari ang Channel 2 noong June 1986. Sa January 1987, nagkaroon ng agreement ang gobyerno at ABS-CBN na isaayos ang pagbalik ng iba pang facilities ng ABS-CBN na patuloy pang ginagamit ng gobyer...

Keep on reading: Katigbak: Lopez family rightfully reclaimed ABS-CBN after EDSA Revolution

MANILA, Philippines --- A lawmaker is urging the House of Representatives to admonish the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for failing to comply with its commitment to issue media giant ABS CBN a provisional authority to operate while Congress is tackling its franchise renewal. Samar 1st District Rep. Edgar Sarmiento on Monday said that NTC insulted the House of Representatives and the Senate when it issued a cease and desist order against the network despite its commitment under oath to Congress. The NTC also violated its own rules and did not give due process to ABS CBN, he added. "Kailangan po muna ang show cause order bago mag issue ng cease and desist order. Hin...

Keep on reading: Solon wants to admonish NTC for not issuing provisional authority to ABS-CBN

Protests have swept the United States the last six days in the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of police in Minnesota.