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Lawyers representing alleged victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have threatened to subpoena Prince Andrew after the royal was accused of "zero co-operation" with US prosecutors.

A man accused of riding a mower on someone else's land turned out to be a fugitive from Utah who had lived in Louisiana for more than a decade, living without an ID and working only for cash. Lafourche Parish deputies stopped 49-year-old Richard Schleininger in Bayou Blue --- where residents had recently complained about trespassers --- after seeing him ride his mower past several "no trespassing" signs, Sheriff Craig Webre said in a news release Tuesday. He said Schleininger had lived in Bayou Blue for about 11 years. "This man was hiding in plain sight," the sheriff said. "Other than an animal complaint he made in 2014, we had no other interaction with him until his arrest. H...

Keep on reading: Man arrested for riding lawn mower turns out to be fugitive

The rapper Afroman famously sang about how getting high on marijuana prevented him from going to court. A Tennessee man decided to combine the two when he lit a marijuana cigarette in the courtroom, authorities said. Spencer Alan Boston, 20, was arrested Monday and charged with disorderly conduct and simple possession after sparking up in the courtroom, news outlets reported. Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan said Boston was in court Monday on a simple drug possession charge. Boston approached the bench to discuss his sentence but instead expressed his views on legalizing marijuana. Boston reached in his pocket, pulled out a marijuana cigarette, lit it, smoked it and was im...

Keep on reading: Man stirs the pot by smoking marijuana in court

MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday said the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman dismissing officials of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) should "serve as a stern warning to all personnel of the BuCor who are minded to undermine the integrity of their own agency." Ordered dismissed for committing grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service were SPO2 Ramoncito Roque, who was in charge of the Inmate Documents and Processing Service; Belinda Tudor Bansil, and Veronica Bustamante Buo for their involvement in the controversial good conduct time allowance (GCTA)-for-sale scheme. Guevarra said he already ordered t...

Keep on reading: Dismissal of BuCor officials over GCTA mess should serve as warning – Guevarra

      MANILA, Philippines --- A meat processing facility was ordered closed by the Manila City government on Wednesday as local officials intercepted a container-load of meat from China reportedly contaminated by the African swine fever (ASF).   A closure order from the office of Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso read that Dr. Nicanor Santos, officer-in-charge of the Special Enforcement Squad of the Veterinary Inspection Board, conducted a routine inspection at the Ecosafe Agro-Products Manufacturing located at Manila Harbor Center at Road 10 in Vitas, Tondo which led to the discovery of the smuggled meat weighing around 25 tons. &nbs...

Keep on reading: Manila orders closure of meat processing plant infected by ASF from China

  MANILA Philippines---President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday barred members of the Cabinet from traveling to the United States, days after he ordered the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and its longtime military ally. "I will not allow any Cabinet member to go there at this time. No Cabinet member should be allowed to go to the United States," Duterte told reporters in an interview. The President also stressed that he is now slowly "toning down" the relations between the Philippines and the US. Duterte ordered the termination of the military pact after the US canceled the visa of his longtime confidant Senator Ronald "Bato"...

Keep on reading: Duterte bars Cabinet members from traveling to US

MANILA Philippines---President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday barred members of the Cabinet from traveling to the United States, days after he ordered the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and its longtime military ally. "I will not allow any Cabinet member to go there at this time. No Cabinet member should be allowed to go to the United States," Duterte told reporters in an interview. The President also stressed that he is now slowly "toning down" the relations between the Philippines and the US. Duterte ordered the termination of the military pact after the US canceled the visa of his longtime confidant Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa...

Keep on reading: Duterte bars Cabinet members from going to US

MANILA, Philippines --- At least four government officials on Wednesday pointed out that the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) should just be "elevated" instead of "cannibalizing" several agencies involved in disaster management by lodging them into one department. "Maybe not necessarily making it one full department, but elevating the NDRRMC," Interior Secretary Eduardo Ao told the Senate committee on national defense, which conducted a hearing on bills proposing the creation of a Department of Disaster Resilience. He said the NDRRMC should be strengthened and that the law that created it should just be amended to improve coordination among local governm...

Keep on reading: ‘Elevate’ NDRRMC instead of ‘cannibalizing’ several agencies into one dep’t

China's massive box office would normally be booming right about now. Not this year.

MANILA, Philippines -- Broadcast giant GMA Network has asked the Supreme Court to reverse a Court of Appeals decision declaring about 100 of its "talents" as regular employees. In a petition for review on certiorari dated January 20, GMA Network through its CEO Felipe Gozon said the appellate court "gravely erred" when it affirmed the findings of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) even when the facts and evidence of the case show the contrary. "The Honorable Court of Appeals mis-appreciated the ultimate facts of the herein case as supported by substantial evidence and, accordingly, misapplied existing laws and jurisprudence in coming up with the assailed decision and re...

Keep on reading: GMA 7 takes labor case to SC

      MANILA, Philippines --- Saying it was for the good of the people and the environment, an environmental group has expressed its support for ABS-CBN and called on Congress to renew its broadcasting franchise.   "ABS-CBN provides wide and strong platforms to communicate the importance of the environment, including the realities that have caused environmental destruction," the Green Thumb Coalition (GTC) said in a statement last Jan. 24.   "It is a vital part of environmental advocacy that resulted in increased awareness to address issues and mobilize the citizenry towards critical engagement and environmental governance," the coalition...

Keep on reading: Group to Congress: Renew ABS-CBN franchise for sake of people, environment 

Putting premium on everyone's safety amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, the Asean Basketball League on Wednesday announced that a pair of games will be played behind closed doors. Games featuring the Macau Black Bears and Kuala Lumpur Dragons in Macao scheduled Wednesday night and the Singapore Slingers against Hong Kong Eastern in Hong Kong on Friday will be played without fans. "In line with the upgraded emergency levels of the governments of Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR due to the Coronavirus, the games scheduled on 29 January 2020 between the Macau Black Bears and the Kuala Lumpur Dragons, and on 31 January 2020 between the Hong Kong Eastern and Singapore Slingers will be ...

Keep on reading: ABL to hold closed-door games amid virus outbreak

France is to ban the controversial practice of shredding live male chicks by the end of 2021, agriculture minister Didier Guillaume announced in Paris on Tuesday.

    MANILA, Philippines --- Officials of two cities in southern part of Metro Manila said they have prepared for the implementation of protocols in view of the threat posed by suspected cases of novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, as the Department of Health (DOH) investigates those who are suspected to be infected by the new virus.   In a report from DOH, two of the persons under investigation (PUIs) for suspected nCoV are confined in hospitals in Muntinlupa and Pasay City. One of the PUIs, who is a 78-year-old male, is confined at the Asian Hospital in Muntinlupa while the other PUI is hospitalized at Adventist Medical Center in Pasay City. &nb...

Keep on reading: Pasay, Muntinlupa LGUs ready for eventuality in view of nCoV threat

A petition to make LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash, the new NBA logo has become the first petition of 2020 on change.org to pass a million signatures. Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg and Usher have all backed the move, which had received 2.6 million signatures by Wednesday, well on the way to its target of 3 million. "When I started this petition I was just some 16 year old kid who had just lost his role model and hero," wrote Nick Moghtader from Vancouver in Canada, who registered the petition. "I was using it as a way to cope and mourn his passing. My initial goal was to get a mere 100 signatures. Never would I have thought for this petition to get s...

Keep on reading: Petition to make Kobe new NBA logo passes 2.5 million

MANILA, Philippines --- The hit movie "100 Tula Para Kay Stella" is getting a sequel. https://twitter.com/jplaxamana/status/1222129638182227968 The film's director, Jason Paul Laxamana, confirmed the news himself via a Twitter post on Tuesday. In his post, Laxamana shared a photo of himself standing beside a tarpaulin of the upcoming film, displaying its lead stars JC Santos and Bela Padilla. "And it's official," Laxamana's tweet read, along with the hashtag "#100tulaparakaystella2." No release date of the upcoming movie was mentioned in Laxamana's tweet. "100 Tula Para Kay Stella" premiered in 2017, as part of the first Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP). Santos and...

Keep on reading: ‘100 Tula Para Kay Stella’ to get a sequel

MANILA, Philippines---The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has discouraged Catholic faithful against hand-holding during the "Our Father" prayer in the Holy Mass amid the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV scare. The advice was included in the guidelines and"Oratio Imperata" or a special prayer the CBCP issuedfollowing the outbreak of the new coronavirus strain that has claimed the lives of over 100 people in China. The prayer will be recited in all weekdays and Sunday Masses beginning Sunday, Feb 2.   https://twitter.com/cbcpnews/status/1222457374151073792 "In praying we invite ourselves with all our brothers and sisters suffering with the disease b...

Keep on reading: CBCP discourages holding of hands during ‘Our Father’ prayer amid 2019-nCoV scare

MANILA, Philippines -- Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago has slammed Interior Secretary Eduardo Ao for using his position in urging town mayors to send people to a rally against activists and left-leaning groups. Elago on Wednesday shared in her Facebook account a copy of a memorandum signed by Ao where he "enjoined" mayors in the National Capital Region (NCR), and the Cavite towns of Imus, Bacoor, and Dasmarias to send participants to the rally. Ao said that joining the Rally for Peace and Prosperity, led by the League of Parents in the Philippines (LPP) and Hands Off Our Children (HOOC) on Wednesday, at the Mendiola Peace Arch --- is part of the "whole of nation" by the National Task...

Keep on reading: Elago calls out Año for urging LGUs to join anti-leftist rally; DILG sees nothing wrong

Ten years ago this month, Apple announced the very first iPad, a device that was met with confusion, apprehension and intrigue. The world did not know if the company was trying to replace computers with tablets or to enlarge smartphones when, in fact, we can now see that Apple was creating an entirely new genre of connected devices. Now, a decade and about 20 versions of the device later, Apple's impact on the tablet industry has been one of the most revolutionary to date. The first generation, announced by Steve Jobs in January of 2010, was officially released on April 3 of the same year. Two years later, after the second generation iteration was already on the marke...

Keep on reading: Apple’s iPad celebrates 10 years this week

INDIANAPOLIS --- Victor Oladipo spent 12 months working, wondering and watching. He strengthened his body, his mind, his injured right knee and promised to return a better player. Now, he's finally healthy enough to start proving it. The All-Star guard expects to make his long-anticipated season debut Wednesday when the Indiana Pacers host Chicago. "I don't expect to do anything out there miraculous, I just expect to play basketball to the best of my ability," he said Tuesday. "I know I'll get better as time goes on and I've got to be patient with my body and patient with the game. But I'm a competitor. I know it isn't going to be easy." Oladipo probably knew that much th...

Keep on reading: Pacers’ Oladipo set for 1st game after recovery from injury