Breaking News

A unique Hall of Fame class will be announced Saturday in a unique way. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett are all expected to be officially announced as part of the 2020 class of enshrinees by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which typically reveals its annual selections at college basketball's Final Four. This year, with sports shut down because of the global coronavirus pandemic, the announcement will be televised from ESPN's studios in Bristol, Connecticut with some elements of the show taped ahead of time. Bryant, Duncan and Garnett, with a combined 11 championships and 48 All-Star seasons between them, are all first-time finalists and locks to be in t...

Keep on reading: Basketball Hall of Fame set to announce 2020 class

    MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Saturday directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to monitor health centers and hospitals to secure medical frontliners during the COVID-19 crisis.   "The PNP should constantly monitor our hospitals and clinics and increase police visibility in all communities to guarantee the safety and well-being of our frontliners," Interior Secretary Eduardo Ao said in a statement.   Ao issued the statement as he condemned the incident involving Sofronio Ramilo, ambulance driver of the Peter Paul Medical Center of Candelaria Inc., who was shot in Candelaria, Que...

Keep on reading: DILG to PNP: Increase police visibility to protect frontliners

[caption id="attachment_1253793" align="aligncenter" width="660"]...

Keep on reading: INC offers entire Ciudad de Victoria estate as COVID-19 quarantine complex

LOS ANGELES, USA---The singer Pink had tested positive for COVID-19, she said Friday, also announcing that she is donating $500,000 (over P25.37 million) each to two emergency funds. In a pair of tweets, she said she and her 3-year-old son were displaying symptoms two weeks ago, and she tested positive after accessing tests through a primary-care physician. Her family had already been sheltering at home and continued to do so, she said. They were tested again "just a few days ago," and were negative. The Grammy Award-winning artist behind eight studio albums and hits like "Get the Party Started," "What about Us," "Raise Your Glass" and "Just Give Me a Reason" called for free an...

Keep on reading: Singer Pink says she had COVID-19, gives $1 million to relief funds

All international football matches scheduled for June were postponed on Friday following the first meeting of FIFA's coronavirus working group. It was also decided to hold discussions with confederations to draw up a revised schedule for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers which have been shelved. "The FIFA-Confederations working group... has unanimously approved a series of recommendations following its first meeting, which was organised via conference call today," said a FIFA statement. It was also decided by the group to postpone all planned women's internationals in June. In the aftermath of the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics by a year, the FIFA group proposed keep...

Keep on reading: FIFA cancels all June internationals over virus

Following the creative announcement that she is having a child with actor Orlando Bloom, pop star Katy Perry subtly revealed that they will be having a baby girl. Perry showed Bloom smiling while covered in pink frosting via her Instagram post today, April 4. "[It's] a girl," the singer said. Last March, the "Never Really Over" singer confirmed that she was pregnant and showed off her baby bump through the music video of her newest love song, "Never Worn White." https://www.instagram.com/p/B-i0HZ7HaFw/ After Perry released her video, Bloom also displayed his fiance with her visible baby bump on his Instagram post on March 8. "My babies blooming," the actor said. ...

Keep on reading: Katy Perry reveals baby’s gender with Orlando Bloom: ‘It’s a girl’

Serie A bosses said Friday that doubts remain over when football can return to Italy as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic. All sport in Italy is suspended until at least April 13 as a result of COVID-19, which has killed nearly 15,000 people in the country. A meeting between top-flight Serie A and representatives of the Italian players' union (AIC) took place by video conference on Friday to discuss a possible date for a return to action and potential player salary cuts. No decision was reached on salary cuts while the league said competition would return when the country was ready. "Serie A will consider the resumption of sporting activity when health conditio...

Keep on reading: Serie A says no date for return to action

Neymar has donated $1 million to fight the impact of the new coronavirus in his native Brazil, according to TV network SBT. The Paris Saint-Germain star, the world's third-highest-paid footballer, donated part of the money to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the rest to a charitable fund launched by his friend Luciano Huck, a Brazilian TV presenter, the report said. The striker's press office declined to comment, saying: "We never talk about donations or amounts." Neymar, 28, followed the example of PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, who last month made what was described as a major donation -- amount undisclosed -- to a French charity helping fight the impact of CO...

Keep on reading: Neymar donates $1M to fight coronavirus

Anthony Joshua's world heavyweight title defence against mandatory challengerKubrat Pulevhas been officially postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, promoters Matchroom Sport announced Friday. The British champion was due to put his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts up for grabs against Bulgarian challenger Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on June 20. But the global spread of COVID-19 has put paid to a bout on that date. "Anthony Joshua's defence of his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO heavyweight world titles against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev scheduled to take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday June 20 has been postponed," said a Matchroom statemen...

Keep on reading: Joshua’s heavyweight title defence postponed by coronavirus

MANILA, Philippines --- The spokesman of Vice President Leni Robredo on Saturday thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for defending her and her office's efforts in fighting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This came after the Chief Executive fired Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Commissioner Manuelito Luna after he urged the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe Robredo for allegedly competing with the government's efforts to combat the viral disease. The Office of the Vice President (OVP) has provided free shuttle services, distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers, and opened free dormitories to the frontliners in the...

Keep on reading: Robredo spox thanks Duterte for defending VP’s efforts vs COVID-19

Premier League clubs will ask players to take a combination of pay cuts and deferrals amounting to 30 percent of their annual salary due to the financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the league said in a statement on Friday. The English top flight's highly-paid stars have come under increasing pressure to take pay cuts from government officials in recent days after four clubs said they would use public money to subsidise pay for non-playing staff. Health secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday footballers should "take a pay cut and play their part." Tottenham, Newcastle, Norwich and Bournemouth planned to use the UK government's furlough scheme to pay 80 percen...

Keep on reading: Premier League clubs lobby players to take 30 percent pay hit

The start of the 2020 WNBA season has been postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, league officials said Friday. The league had been due to tip off on May 15 but has now been put on hold, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. "As developments continue to emerge around the COVID-19 pandemic, including the extension of the social distancing guidelines in the United States through April 30, the WNBA will postpone the start of its training camps and tip of the regular season originally scheduled for May 15," Engelbert said. "While the league continues to use this time to conduct scenario-planning regarding new start dates and innovative forma...

Keep on reading: WNBA season postponed due to coronavirus

  MANILA, Philippines--- The Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is urging local government units (LGUs) to issue executive orders or ordinances prohibiting and penalizing acts of discrimination and attacks against health workers, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and COVID-19 patients amid the ongoing coronavirus disease crisis.   "[The IATF-EID] denounces in the strongest of terms acts of discrimination inflicted upon healthcare workers, OFWs, COVID-19 cases -- whether confirmed or suspected, recovered or undergoing treatment, as well as patients under investigation (PUIs) and persons under monitoring (PUMs)," Cabinet Secretary Karlo N...

Keep on reading: IATF to LGUs: Issue ordinances vs attacks on frontliners, COVID-19 patients

WASHINGTON --- President Donald Trump announced new federal guidelines Friday recommending that Americans wear face coverings when in public to help fight the spread of the new coronavirus. The president immediately said he had no intention of following that advice himself, saying, "I'm choosing not to do it." The new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages people, especially in areas hit hard by the spread of the coronavirus, to use rudimentary coverings like T-shirts, bandannas and non-medical masks to cover their faces while outdoors. The president exempted himself from his administration's own guidelines, saying he could not envision himself ...

Keep on reading: Face coverings recommended, but Trump says he won’t wear one

MANILA, Philippines --- Ten Filipinos in the United Kingdom and seven living in Ireland have tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Philippine ambassador to both countries said Saturday. "Sa pinakahuling datos na nakuha natin, sampung Pilipino at former Pilipino [citizens] sa UK na nagpositibo sa COVID-19, at pito po naman sa Ireland," the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland Antonio Lagdameo reported in the Laging Handa press briefing. (From the latest data that we have, 10 Filipinos and former Filipino citizens have tested positive for COVID-19, while seven come from Ireland.) Four patients from the UK, Lagdameo said, have succumbed to t...

Keep on reading: 10 Filipinos positive for COVID-19 in UK, 7 in Ireland — envoy

What happens when a once-rejected dystopian novel turns into reality? Ask Scottish author Peter May.

  WASHINGTON --- President Donald Trump on Friday abruptly fired the inspector general of the intelligence community, sidelining an independent watchdog who played a pivotal role in his impeachment even as his White House struggled with the deepening coronavirus pandemic.   Trump informed the Senate intelligence committee late Friday of his decision to fire Michael Atkinson, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. Atkinson handled the whistleblower complaint that triggered Trump's impeachment last year.   Atkinson's firing, which is part of a shakeup of the intelligence community under Trump, thrusts the president's impeachment back into ...

Keep on reading: Trump fires watchdog who handled Ukraine complaint

BACOLOD CITY ---- At least 79 foreigners who were stranded in Negros Occidental due to travel restrictions caused by COVID-19 were able to board a plane to Manila on Friday on their way home to their respective countries. Jennylind Cordero, acting provincial tourism officer, said the special flight, arranged by the Korean Embassy, was set to have 84 passengers but the Department of Foreign Affairs reported that only 79 boarded the plane. Of the 84 passengers, 55 were Koreans, eight Taiwanese, nine Singaporeans, and 12 Japanese. Five Singaporeans, however, did not board the plane. The Korean Embassy paid for the fare of the Koreans, while the other foreigners paid for their fa...

Keep on reading: 79 foreigners stranded due to COVID-19 leave Negros Occidental to go back home

Actor Dingdong Dantes is offering employees looking for alternative jobs amid the enhanced community quarantine brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dantes announced that online jobs are available for freelancers who are at least K-12 or high school graduates. There are also home-based types of work that require no working experience for workers seeking an alternative livelihood, as per his Instagram post yesterday, April 3. Dantes promoted the initiative through his YesPinoy Foundation, which is part of the campaign #SanaOL, which also includes the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the job portals Jobstreet and Workabroad PH. "Gusto mo ba ng trabaho habang n...

Keep on reading: Dingdong Dantes directs workers to online jobs, alternative work during quarantine

TACLOBAN CITY ---- A woman from Catbalogan City in Samar province was arrested on Friday for allegedly selling overpriced alcohol. Odette Martinez, 30, was caught in an entrapment operation by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) inside her store in Barangay Mercedes. Martinez reportedly sold a gallon of alcohol at P830, which is beyond the suggested price of P580. Seized from the suspect were six gallons of unlabeled alcohol. The suspect was brought to the CIDG office in Catbalogan and will face charges for violation of the Price Act and the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009. LZB...

Keep on reading: Catbalogan City woman nabbed for overpricing