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US teenager Lydia Jacoby eclipsed teammate and Olympic champion Lilly King to claim 100m breaststroke gold Tuesday in one of the biggest upsets yet in the Tokyo pool. The 17-year-old Games debutant shocked even herself when she stormed home from third to touch in 1min 04.95sec, staring open-mouthed at the scoreboard. Her manic dash over the final 15m put her ahead of South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker (1:05.22) and a fading King on 1:05.54 -- the veteran American's first defeat since 2015 in her pet event. King, 24, a two-time world champion and world record-holder over the distance, had been regarded as a near-certainty to defend the Olympic title she won comfortably in Rio...

Keep on reading: US teen dethrones King to claim ‘insane’ Olympic breaststroke gold

MANILA, Philippines --- The House of Representatives immediately adjourned its session on Tuesday to honor former President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino who passed away on June 24. Immediately after the singing of the national anthem at the start of Tuesday's House session, Deputy Majority Leader Juan Pablo Bondoc adjourned the session until Wednesday afternoon. "In deference to the passing of former President Benigno S Aquino III who is also a member of the House of Representatives in the 11th, 12th, and 13th Congress, the session is suspended until 3 o'clock in the afternoon, tomorrow, July 28," Bondoc said. Aquino, who served as the Philippines' 15th president from 2010 to 201...

Keep on reading: House honors former President Noynoy Aquino with ‘open-close’ session

MANILA, Philippines --- The new jail facility in Mandaluyong has reduced congestion levels in the city to zero, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said. According to BJMP, the inauguration of the New Mandaluyong City Jail located along Maysilo Circle in Mandaluyong's Barangay Plainview on Tuesday means that 758 male persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and the 101 female PDLs would have a new place to stay. The new jail, which will have 24 detention cells, is the result of cooperation between BJMP and Mandaluyong City's local government unit to address the jail congestion problems in the city. "The construction of this facility tremendously reduced the congestio...

Keep on reading: New Mandaluyong jail facility reduces congestion to zero, BJMP says

Images play a powerful role in shaping how we think, says South African portrait photographer Alice Mann. That's why representing her subjects in a positive way is central to her work.

South Korean actor Ji Chang-wook has tested positive for COVID-19 and is the only cast member in his upcoming drama to be confirmed positive for the virus. The actor's diagnosis was revealed by his agency, Glorious Entertainment, through a statement to SPO TV News via Soompi yesterday, July 26. "Ji Chang-wook has tested positive for COVID-19. In accordance with health authority guidelines, he is in quarantine and receiving treatment," the agency announced. This comes amid production for Ji Chang-wook's upcoming Netflix original series "The Sound of Magic," where he stars alongside fellow actors Hwang In-yeop and Choi Sung-eun. The show has stopped filming due to the actor's ...

Keep on reading: Ji Chang-wook tests positive for COVID-19, co-stars in drama series negative

      LONDON -- A 19-year-old is paving the way for girls in STEM by setting the record for the youngest woman to fly solo around the world next month. Belgian-British Zara Rutherford sets off on her 51,000 kilometer (32,000 miles) journey in her bespoke Shark ultralight plane, the world's fastest microlight, on August 11. Once complete, Rutherford will be the youngest person to fly a microlight around the world and the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. The current world record for the latter is held by Shaesta Waiz who completed the journey aged 30. Rutherford hopes she will pave the way for girls and women in STEM (Science, Technology, En...

Keep on reading: Flying solo, 19-year-old woman aims to set aviation record

MANILA, Philippines --- Inspired by Hidilyn Diaz's golden performance, Tokyo Olympian Kurt Barbosa believes his time will also come. Diaz is also keeping faith. "Balang araw ako din," Barbosa wrote on Twitter shortly after Diaz, the weightlifting queen, claimed the Philippines' first ever Olympic gold medal Monday night. (I will also win someday.) https://twitter.com/kurtesyyyyyy/status/1419644652911697924?s=20 The 30-year-old Diaz gave Barbosa, the country's lone taekwondo bet in Tokyo, a simple "Yes" as a seal of approval. Barbosa, 22, responded with a congratulatory post and described Diaz as his "inspiration" and "idol." https://twitter.com/kurtesyyyyyy/statu...

Keep on reading: Taekwondo jin Barbosa draws inspiration from Hidilyn’s Tokyo gold medal feat

        BOGOTA -- More than 1,900 turtles, reptiles and amphibians were released into lagoons and forests in Colombia's Meta province over the weekend after being seized and rehabilitated by authorities fighting wildlife trafficking, officials said. Most of the animals - 1,917 - are matamata turtles, known for their impressive ridged shells. The turtles were seized in an April operation by Bogota's city environment office and the environmental police at the cargo terminal of El Dorado airport, the environment office said in a statement.     Also released were 27 turtles from two other species, 15 iguanas, a zopilote snake and ...

Keep on reading: Back to Nature: Colombian officials free nearly 2,000 rescued animals

MANILA, Philippines --- Congratulatory messages from members of the House of Representatives poured in for weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz on Tuesday following her historic gold medal win in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with some lawmakers even pushing for her promotion in the Philippine Air Force (PAF). BHW Partylist Rep. Angelica Natasha Co, who is a member of the House committee on national defense and security, floated the idea of Diaz's promotion and said that she will recommend it to the PAF. Aside from being a weightlifter, Diaz is also an active sergeant in the PAF. "I believe PAF Sgt. Hidilyn F. Diaz deserves a spot promotion for her historic Olympic Gold Medal triumph and ne...

Keep on reading: AFP promotion for ‘Captain Barbell’ Hidilyn Diaz pushed in House

With their eyes glued to a television in the southern Philippines, the family of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz yelled "push, push, push!" as she hoisted the bar to win the country's first Olympic gold medal. "Then we erupted in joy -- we were shouting, some shed tears of joy," Emelita Diaz told AFP Tuesday, a day after watching her daughter's historic performance in Tokyo -- far from her hometown of Zamboanga. "We didn't know what to feel because we were extremely happy." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1vzvqT2dYU After nearly 18 months training in exile in Malaysia because of COVID-19 restrictions, Diaz smashed her personal best and won gold with a final clean and jerk of 1...

Keep on reading: Hidilyn’s mom overjoyed as daughter brings honor to family, country

MANILA, Philippines --- President Rodrigo Duterte's promise of ending "endo" or contractualization "continues to be a promise" despite not mentioning it in the State of the Nation Address (Sona), Malacaang said Tuesday. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Duterte administration would continue to work with Congress on an anti-endo bill or security of tenure bill that would be "acceptable" to all stakeholders. Roque acknowledged that the tenure bill had previously stalled, with President Duterte even vetoing it, due to "objectionable portions." "Hindi na-mention 'yan [anti-endo sa Sona] dahil it continues to be a promise. I think the administration will continue to ...

Keep on reading: Duterte not closing doors on anti-endo bill despite no mention in Sona

  SANTIAGO -- Former Chilean priest Fernando Karadima, a key figure in a sexual abuse case that sent shockwaves through the Roman Catholic Church in the Andean nation, died on Monday at the age of 90, local media reported. Pope Francis defrocked Karadima in 2018, years after a 2011 Vatican investigation found the priest guilty of sexually abusing teenage boys and ordered him to live a life of "prayer and penitence." Local radio BioBio said the cause of Karadima's death was unknown, though the priest weeks earlier had been treated for heart problems. CNN Chile showed Karadima's death certificate, which stated he had died on Sunday night. Karadima, who lived in a nursi...

Keep on reading: Former Chilean priest at center of abuse scandal dies at 90

      The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.   Most with allergy to first mRNA shot can get second dose   Most people with allergic reactions to the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine from either Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna can safely receive the second dose, a new study shows. The rates of allergic reactions to these vaccines have been reported to be as high as 2%, with anaphylaxis, the most serious kind, occurring in up to 2.5 of every 10,000 vaccine recipients, the researchers said. They reviewed data on 189 adults with first-...

Keep on reading: People with allergic reaction to mRNA vaccines can get 2nd dose; Delta viral load over 1,000 times higher

    QUETTA/ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan on Monday reopened a major southwestern border crossing with Afghanistan that is currently under Taliban control on the Afghan side, Pakistani customs officials said, allowing over 100 trucks carrying goods to cross into Afghanistan. The Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, a key port for landlocked Afghanistan, had been closed by Pakistan for commercial traffic since fierce fighting for control of the crossing erupted between Taliban insurgents and Afghan security forces earlier this month. "Pakistan has opened its border with Afghanistan at Chaman today and resumed Afghan Transit Trade which was suspended since the last one m...

Keep on reading: Pakistan reopens Afghanistan border crossing held by Taliban

Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation, Inc. is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the private sector to help the country in its quest to win the first Olympic gold. It was launched on March 3, 2018, with the sole goal of supporting athletes who have the best chance to win in the world's most prestigious sporting event. "Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation will fuel the Philippine's best athletes to make the country's dream of bagging an Olympic gold a reality," said Siklab Atleta head Dennis Uy, who is also Phoenix Petroleum's Chairman and Presidential Adviser for Sports. "We need to provide our athletes the support befitting their stature as our country's representative ...

Keep on reading: Siklab Atleta Foundation joins nation in celebrating Hidilyn Diaz’s Olympic Gold

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine government will look into plans to increase the allowances of national team athletes to further help and support them in their bid for gold medals, Malacaang said Tuesday. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz bagged the Philippines' first Olympic gold medal after winning the women's 55-kilo weightlifting competition at the Tokyo Olympics. It can be recalled that Diaz having to ask for financial support for her to be able to participate in the Tokyo Olympics, even mulling to ask for aid from private companies. Roque said he recognizes the plight of the country's athletes, who count on "...

Keep on reading: Palace to look for ways to hike allowances of Filipino athletes

Oh, the new normal. While this buzzword is often connected to the challenges that we've facedover the past few months, we do have to admit that it also brought with it changes that have more good to them than bad. As we left old habits to adjust to our new way of living, we also adopted new traditions---ones that we can most definitely bring with us even as things go back to how they used to be. Case in point; our relationship with food. The pandemic has reminded us again how health is the true form of wealth, which, in turn, ultimately changed the way we interact with our kitchens and the way we enjoy our diets. Fast food orders turned into stove sessions and dine out schedules evolv...

Keep on reading: Breville Philippines’ fresh and furious blender makes kitchen moments exciting again

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) has yet to secure the P7 million budget it needs to test the efficacy of available COVID-19 vaccines against different coronavirus variants of concern. PGC Executive Director Dr. Cynthia Saloma revealed this Tuesday, during an online briefing of the Department of Health (DOH) where she was sought for an update on the matter. "Wala pa. You know, 'yung funding ng agencies na sinasabi ay from 2022, 2023 funding. Eh luma na ang balita sa 2022 and 2023. Gusto natin ngayon taon. Bakit? Because our vaccine team, they actually need advice," she said. (Not yet. You know, the funding for agencies are for 2022 and 2023. But the...

Keep on reading: PH Genome Center: No fund yet to test efficacy of vaccines vs COVID-19 variants

MANILA, Philippines---Despite a budget deficit that widened to P716.1 billion, or by at least one-fourth, the national government failed to spend nearly one-tenth of programmed six-month expenditures because of delays in implementing several stimulus measures designed to protect the economy and people from the impact of the pandemic.   The Bureau of the Treasury's cash operations report (COR) released on Tuesday (July 27) showed the end-June fiscal deficit---which meant bigger expenditures than revenue collections--- was 27.8-percent higher than P560.4 billion in 2020.   However, the actual cumulative budget deficit as of June was 29.7-percent smaller than the P1.02...

Keep on reading: Gov’t underspent in first half of 2021

Tong Ying-kit, 24, was found guilty of terrorism and inciting secession on Tuesday, becoming the first person convicted under Hong Kong's sweeping national security law.