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Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine Dr. Peter Hotez speaks with CNN's John Berman and Alisyn Camerota about the current state of the coronavirus in our nation, and what he perceives as a misinformation campaign by the Whtte House.

CEBU CITY---All three Cebuano members of the House committee on legislative franchises voted to reject bills seeking to grant broadcast giant ABS-CBN a new franchise.   They are Pablo John Garcia, Eduardo Gullas and Democrito Mendoza.   Garcia is from Cebu's third district and was member of the technical working group (TWG) that consolidated proceedings in a series of hearings on the ABS-CBN franchise.   Garcia recommended rejection of a new franchise allegedly because of the network's foreign ownership and tax violations.   Gullas is from Cebu's first district.   Mendoza won a seat in the House through the party-list elections as no...

Keep on reading: Garcia, Gullas, Mendoza: All 3 Cebuano House members vote against ABS-CBN franchise

In the 17 years since it was founded, Palantir Technologies has received financial backing from the CIA, become one of the most valuable private companies in the US, and earned a seat at the table alongside the biggest tech companies in meeting with President Donald Trump.

MANILA, Philippines---The House of Representatives' lopsided and controversial decision to deny the ABS-CBN of a franchise not only put the network's news and entertainment shows in limbo but also the airing of several sports leagues in the Philippines. After weeks of deliberations, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises voted 70-11 that junked the consolidated bill that would've given ABS-CBN a 25-year franchise to resume broadcast operations. This congressional move, which was a controversial one, had damaging effects on Philippine sports as the UAAP and NCAA have broadcast partnerships with the network with their games getting aired at ABS-CBN Sports and Action. Manny Pacqui...

Keep on reading: Sports personalities in disbelief with Congress’ denial of ABS-CBN franchise

MANILA, Philippines --- After the House panel's denial of ABS-CBN's franchise bid, what is now the government's plan for the network's 11,000 workers who are now? Senator Nancy Binay foisted this question Friday following the denial of the franchise application of ABS-CBN by a panel of the House of Representatives. "I share the hurt and heartbreaks in every Filipino home, and the tears of more than 11,000 workers who were denied of hope," Binay said in a statement. "I can only ask our leaders what their plans are for the thousands of workers who have lost their jobs. Sa panahon ngayon, lalong kailangan maramdaman ng mamamayan ang malasakit mula sa pamahalaan," she said. ...

Keep on reading: What’s your plan now for ABS-CBN workers, Binay asks gov’t

MANILA, Philippines --- Mindanao will still experience occasional rains through the weekend due to the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said. Pagasa's Friday afternoon forecast showed that cloud bands bringing rains and thunderstorms are still moving along Mindanao, especially its southern parts, including Caraga, Davao Region, Soccskargen, and the Zamboanga Peninsula. Despite the rains, no weather disturbances like low-pressure area or storms have been monitored near the Philippine area of responsibility. For the rest of the country, generally fair weather can be expected Pagasa remi...

Keep on reading: ITCZ still expected to bring rains in Mindanao — Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines --- Ogie Alcasid revealed on Friday that he initially tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after taking a rapid test. https://www.facebook.com/OgieAlcasidOfficial/posts/3127729487262798?__xts__[0]=68.ARChKHybymk3_OB79O8MCDpHH5WsA6VasCpvwtgRHr8nW0-dFZ6wvkXB7CggJ6XUO3QMrtZVtraxlvLDf8ABeXToOxgmJuimSov_yC_UTCbhs1nsC_Mo7jbU9CkrugW0-0fBTv7Gq8feGD4cSSHGbS4SpGIUzvLgaRfmJVB-zJhlgXr6h54OfP4Z_02RUBCyTMyO9HQORkBof7xUPnhgKSIH3Ws5qb2CTj1MZjUpIT88glTBVuvbT143QzLn4-4NWchGGAx36KDKN4KyBIMGcSzZNEevNx6oD7MampWvQsrft0JS-0rI5fC3IQnaPSB6v1G43ZguNPjm0K79ir95cQ&__tn__=-R But Alcasid, in a Facebook post on Friday, added that later swab tests showed that the results were...

Keep on reading: Ogie Alcasid bares testing positive in COVID-19 rapid test but later results show he’s negative

  ANGELES CITY---Merlina Cosme has become a familiar figure at the library of the Angeles City Regional Trial Court (RTC) here since June 19.   According to her, lawyers who find time to read newspapers or look for law books do not show surprise when this small, curly and smiling Aeta lend them a hand.   Cosme, 49, is the first Aeta who was approved by the Supreme Court for a permanent job at the Angeles City RTC, according to the court's executive judge, Omar Viola, in an interview on Friday (July 10).   In the plantilla, her position is Utility Worker 1 in the judicial library. In real life, she cleans the place, covers and marks books, arra...

Keep on reading: Angeles City court’s 1st Aeta employee shows mettle in library work

CITY OF MALOLOS---The Bulacan government will spend P120 million on a new learning system called modular that involved the use of internet and radio broadcasts for at least 500,000 elementary and junior high students starting on Aug. 24, the first day of classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Gov. Daniel Fernando said the budget would come from the province's Special Education Fund (SEF) and will be used to purchase printed study materials.   Fernando said the provincial board would have to realign the use of the P200-million fund in the SEF originally intended for educational infrastructure.   The province has 230,060 students in public elementary schoo...

Keep on reading: Bulacan to spend P120M on new normal for learning: Lessons online, radio broadcasts

Autopsies on people who died of the coronavirus are helping doctors understand how the disease affects the body -- and one of the most remarkable findings concerned blood clotting, a pathologist says.

The Never Trump movement failed four years ago. But a small band of Republicans still bucking their party are back with a new game plan for their second act: turning President Donald Trump's words and record against him.

BEIJING ---Freed Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang has filed a rare complaint seeking charges against two officials, accusing them of torturing him during his secret detention, according to documents seen by AFP. Detained in 2015 as part of a sweeping crackdown on hundreds of lawyers and rights activists, Wang was released in April after four-and-a-half years behind bars in a case that drew international attention. This week is also the fifth anniversary of the mass arrest campaign, known as the "709 crackdown." In the years since, China's crackdown on activists and rights lawyers has not subsided. In the complaint filed to the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the...

Keep on reading: Rights lawyer files torture charges against Chinese officials

The Bureau of the Treasury will auction off an initial P30 billion in five-year retail treasury bonds (RTBs) on July 16 before making these available to small investors on a new app and more online channels.   On top of selling to new investors, the Treasury will also swap the new fixed-rate RTBs with two previously issued 10-year RTBs maturing on Aug. 19 and March 3 next year and two fixed-rate treasury notes (FXTN) maturing on Aug. 20 and March 20, 2021, according to a notice posted on the Treasury website on Friday (July 10).   Following the rate-setting auction set on Thursday next week, the RTBs maturing in 2025 will be offered until Aug. 7 or at an earlier dat...

Keep on reading: At P5,000 each, 5-yr retail treasury bonds for sale starting July 16 via app, online channels

China's stock markets have been on an absolute tear.

  SUBIC BAY---The Philippine Navy on Friday (July 10) commissioned its first brand new warship in recent years, a key shift in the long-time practice of acquiring hand-me-down vessels from allies.   President Rodrigo Duterte presided over the handover, christening and commissioning ceremony held at Alava Pier in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, but doing so online to heed health protocol that is in force because of the COVID-19 pandemic.   The BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) is the first of two multi-role frigates built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries for the Philippine Navy. The Philippine government had signed a deal in 2016 for two frigates for P...

Keep on reading: Philippine Navy’s brand new warship commissioned

Native Americans and Polynesians bridged vast expanses of open ocean around the year 1200 and mingled, leaving incontrovertible proof of their encounter in the DNA of present-day populations, scientists revealed Wednesday. Whether peoples from what is today Colombia or Ecuador drifted thousands of kilometers to tiny islands in the middle of the Pacific, or whether seafaring Polynesians sailed upwind to South America and then back again is still unknown. But what is certain, according to a study in Nature, is that the hook up took place hundreds of years before Europeans set foot in either region, and left individuals scattered across French Polynesia with signature traces of th...

Keep on reading: Native Americans, Polynesians shared DNA 800 years ago, scientists say

MANILA, Philippines --- Despite surviving the "grueling" scrutiny of lawmakers, ABS-CBN was still "slain at the end of the show," Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said after the network's new franchise bid was denied in the House of Representatives on Friday. "The protracted hearings conducted by the Committees on Legislative Franchises and Good Government followed a foregone conclusion, and despite ABS-CBN surviving the grueling legislative inquisition, it was slain at the end of the show with premeditation and abuse of superiority in numbers as aggravating circumstances," Lagman said in a statement. With 70 affirmative votes, the House legislative franchises committee adopted the panel's ...

Keep on reading: ABS-CBN was ‘slain’ despite surviving ‘grueling’ legislative scrutiny — solon

It has been four months since a ball was last kicked in the Champions League, but now finally all the fixtures are confirmed for the remainder of the competition.