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    MANILA, Philippines --- The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is "not soft" on law enforcers as charges would be filed against policemen involved in the 52 drug war cases now being reviewed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said. During Thursday's Palace briefing, Roque was asked to respond to rights advocates' observations that the DOJ findings show that the administration has been soft on policemen. "On the contrary po 'no, 'yung decision ng DOJ proves na we are not soft kasi nga po kakasuhan 'yung 52. 'Yan po ang ibig sabihin nung sinabi ni Secretary Guevarra na ni-refer nila for NBI [National Bureau of In...

Keep on reading: Palace denies gov’t too soft on cops involved in drug deaths; raps will be filed

Bradley Beal scored 23 points and the visiting Washington Wizards defeated the Toronto Raptors 98-83 on Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams. Montrezl Harrell added 22 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Wizards, who led by as many as 29 points during the third quarter. Spencer Dinwiddie added 13 points for Washington and Kyle Kuzma had 11 points and 15 rebounds. Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes each had 12 points for the Raptors and OG Anunoby had 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Wizards led by 22 points after three quarters, but the Raptors scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter. Deni Avdija's tip-in after a Beal miss had the Wiza...

Keep on reading: Bradley Beal, Wizards spoil Raptors’ return to Canada

LaMelo Ball scored 31 points and P.J. Washington sank two free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining to lift the host Charlotte Hornets to a 123-122 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in the season opener for both teams. Torrey Craig drained a pair of free throws to give the Pacers a 122-121 lead with 12.4 seconds left. Craig's foul at the other end of the floor set the stage for Washington, who sank his two shots from the charity stripe. Washington then provided aggressive defense and forced Domantas Sabonis into taking an off-balance shot that caromed off the rim as time expired. Ball, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, scored 12 points as part of the Hornets' spir...

Keep on reading: LaMelo Ball, PJ Washington fuel Hornets over Pacers

Colombia wants to become a major player in the international market for medical marijuana as the industry is creating an economic opportunity some have never seen before. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon reports.

The Western Australian government has offered a 1 million Australian dollar ($750,000) reward for information that leads to the whereabouts of a 4-year-old girl missing for six days in a remote coastal area.

      NEW DELHI -- India celebrated the milestone of administering one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses on Thursday, with the government promoting the achievement in song and video even as a recent drop in inoculations worries healthcare providers. After a slow beginning in the middle of January, India's immunization campaign has covered three-quarters of its 944 million adults with at least one dose but only 31% with two. The government wants all adults to get vaccinated this year. "India scripts history," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter. "We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of (1.3 billion) India...

Keep on reading: India celebrates 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses with song and dance

  NEW DELHI -- More than 150 people have died in flooding across India and Nepal, officials said on Thursday, as unseasonably heavy rains across the region led to flash floods in several areas, stranding residents and destroying homes and infrastructure. The north Indian state of Uttarakhand has been especially badly-hit, with 48 confirmed deaths, SA Murugesan, secretary of the state's disaster management department told Reuters. In Nainital, a popular tourist destination in the Himalayan state, the town's main lake broke its banks, submerging the main thoroughfare and damaging bridges and rail tracks. And rescuers from India's paramilitary National Disaster Response Fo...

Keep on reading: Flood deaths in India and Nepal cross 150

With regional lockdowns, hybrid work setup, and commercial spaces evolving to meet the demands of the times, Globe underscored the need for digital service providers and property developers to work hand-in-hand to create digitally-enabled communities. At this time, it's very difficult to imagine buying a piece of property today with no mobile signal or internet connection. Speaking at Globe Business' Regional Insights and Strategies for Enterprises (R.I.S.E.) webinar on "Building a Digitally-Connected Future in Real Estate Today," Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu pointed out the importance of foresight and advanced planning to shape the future of Philippine communities. "What ...

Keep on reading: Telecom, real estate collaboration needed to shape future communities

MANILA, Philippines --- The Commission on Elections has advised voters seeking to verify the status of their registration and designated polling center to contact the local Comelec office in their municipalities, as the online precinct finder remains inaccessible. Voters can either call or email the local offices for record validation before casting their votes on the 2022 national elections. According to Comelec, the online service is currently being updated for improvement and is expected to be available on the Commission's website soon. It faced a data breach in 2016 and was relaunched in 2019. Overseas voters, meanwhile, can contact the Office for Overseas Voting for ...

Keep on reading: With precinct finder out of service, Comelec urges voters to verify status from local offices

    MANILA, Philippines --- Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday reminded her supporters to exercise restraint and be gentle in pushing her 2022 presidential bid. "Tayong lahat ang nagdadala nito. Kailangan nating isalamin ang tunay na ibig sabihin ng pink habang suot natin ito. Gumawa ng mabuti, magpaabot ng tulong sa kapwa, maging mahinahon sa pagbabahagi ng ating mensahe," she said in a video message on Thursday. (We all carry this cause. We need to show the true meaning of the color pink as we wear it. Do good things, extend assistance to fellow Filipinos, and be gentle in imparting our message.) "Tandaan: Madaling makipagtalo; mas radikal ang magm...

Keep on reading: Robredo to supporters: Be calm, gentle and do good deeds

MANILA, Philippines --- Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Thursday said employers have the right not to hire applicants unvaccinated against COVID-19. "Because before a person is employed, there is no employer-employee relationship. As to whether you can be employed, that's the privilege of the employer," Bello said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel. "Eh 'di ba kung minsan may nakalagay na 'Wanted: 25 years old, with pleasing personality'. Eh kung 'di ka pleasing personality 'di ba pwede kang i-deny?" (Sometimes employers specify something that they are looking for, like a 25 years old with a pleasing personality. If you don't have a pleasing personality, ...

Keep on reading: Employers have the right to reject unvaccinated applicants — Bello

MIDSAYAP, Cotabato----After two weeks of surveillance, agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the police, and military arrested on Thursday morning a mayoral aspirant for alleged possession of illegal drugs and a firearm. Lt. Colonel Rolly Oranza, Midsayap town police chief, identified the suspect as Tom Nandang, also known as Datukon Nandang, 52, temporarily residing in Barangay Upper Glad 1, in Midsayap town, Cotabato province. Nandang is a registered voter of and running for mayor of Northern Kabuntalan town in Maguindanao. Oranza said PDEA agents, backed by Midsayap police and soldiers of the Army's 34th Infantry Battalion, served around 4 a.m. Thursday...

Keep on reading: Maguindanao mayoral aspirant falls in anti-drug ops

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Thursday got an earful from Senator Cynthia Villar who questioned the low funding allocated for the development and management of protected areas in the country. "Ito yung kailangang i-protect... masyadong maliit [yung budget]. Samantalang yun yung dineclare natin by legislation at saka presidential proclamation na dapat i-protect talaga. 'Di ba dapat malaking budget ng DENR pumunta doon?" Villar said during the DENR's budget hearing in the Senate. (These are the areas we need to protect, the budget is too low. This is the case even though these areas were proclaimed as protected areas through...

Keep on reading: Villar scolds DENR over ‘scant’ funding proposal for protected areas

India has administered more than 1 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses, a remarkable feat just months after a second wave of infection killed thousands of people across the country.

MANILA, Philippines---Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands reported a net profit of P17.5 billion in the first nine months of 2021, up by 1.8 percent year-on-year, as provisioning for probable loan losses declined. This nine-month performance accounts for about 73 percent of earnings that market consensus expects BPI to deliver for the full year. Total revenues for the January to September period declined by 6 percent year-on-year to P71.6 billion. Net interest income fell by 5.6 percent year-on-year to P51.2 billion, as net interest margin contracted, while non-interest income also slipped by 7 percent to P20.5 billion on lower trading income. On the other hand, the bank...

Keep on reading: BPI reports net income of P17.5B in 9 months of 2021

MANILA, Philippines -- The mandatory inspection of motor vehicles at private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs) remain suspended, as earlier ordered by Department of Transportation Secretary Art Tugade, Land Transportation Office (LTO) Chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante has clarified. Galvante also clarified that PMVICs have not been ordered to stop their operations and that motor vehicle owners still have the option to have their vehicles tested for roadworthiness and compliance with the Clean Air Act either at a PMVIC or at a private emission testing center (PETC) with the required LTO visual inspection. "Hindi naman na-s...

Keep on reading: LTO clarifies: Mandatory vehicle inspection at PMVICs still suspended

MANILA, Philippines ---The number of new COVID-19 cases in the country is expected to decrease to the pre-Delta variant surge level by the end of October, OCTA Research said Thursday, citing the current seven-day average of new infections. According to OCTA fellow Guido David, the current seven-day average of new cases in the entire country is 6,416, with a reproduction number of 0.55. He said this is the lowest seven-day average since late July. Meanwhile, the seven-day average of new cases in Metro Manila is 1,156, with a reproduction number of 0.47. Reproduction number is the average number of secondary infection cases from one patient. https://twitter.com/iamguidodav...

Keep on reading: OCTA: PH’s COVID-19 cases may decrease to pre-Delta surge level by end-October

The UN Security Council called an emergency meeting after North Korea said it successfully test-fired a new ballistic missile from a submarine. However, experts say in order for this system to be a real operational threat, North Korea has to demonstrate the ability to keep those submarines safe. CNN's Will Ripley reports.

George Washington's nightmare is coming true.