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SAN FRANCISCO---ChatGPT spewed nonsensical answers to user's queries for hours Tuesday into Wednesday before eventually returning to its apparent senses. OpenAI did not explain what went awry with its generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool, considered the one to beat in the technology sector. "We are investigating reports of unexpected responses from ChatGPT," OpenAI said on its status website when the software seemed to go wacky on Tuesday afternoon. ChatGPT was giving "peculiar" responses, generating nonexistent words, incomplete sentences and general gobbledygook, developers using the tool said in a discussion forum on the OpenAI website. "It gives me meaningles...

Keep on reading: ChatGPT cranks out gibberish for hours

MANILA---The Philippines is closely watching the US presidential race but would view any change in leadership as an opportunity to renew the strengthening alliance between the two countries, Manila's longtime envoy to Washington said on Thursday. Security engagements between the defense treaty allies have stepped up considerably under US President Joe Biden and Philippine counterpart, President Marcos, with both leaders keen to counter what they see as China's aggressive actions in the South China Sea and near Taiwan. The Philippines, a former US colony, is Washington's closest ally in Southeast Asia and its proximity to Taiwan makes it crucial to US efforts to counter a potent...

Keep on reading: PH watching US presidential race closely, envoy says

There was one line that national coach Tim Cone reached for over and over throughout Gilas Pilipinas' short visit here in Hong Kong for the curtain-raiser of the Fiba (International Basketball Federation) Asia Cup Qualifiers, a mantra that will guide the program through a long and arduous journey for the next four years. Keep that big picture in mind. "[If] we don't keep that big picture in mind, the [Fiba] window right here won't seem that important---the days, the things we do---when [the reality] is our goal is four years away," Cone told the Inquirer in one of the practices held at Tsuen Wan Sports Centre. "[The players] have to keep that big picture in mind so that they...

Keep on reading: Tim Cone reminds Gilas to stay focused for long haul

    RAFAH, Gaza Strip/CAIRO/JERUSALEM - Israel will send negotiators on Friday to truce talks in Paris, Israeli media said, as Gazans hoped for a ceasefire that could hold off a full-blown Israeli assault on Rafah, after it endured one of its worst bombardments of the conflict. Israel's Channel 12 television reported on Thursday that the war cabinet approved sending negotiators, led by the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, to Paris for talks on a potential deal to free more than 100 hostages whom Palestinian militant group Hamas is believed to be holding. The head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has been in Egypt this week in the strongest sign in weeks th...

Keep on reading: Israel to join truce talks in Paris amid heavy Gaza bombardment

  Kim Fajardo was unsure of how she would orchestrate a brand new system after taking her act to PLDT for this Premier Volleyball League (PVL) season. "I was really nervous at first because it's my first time going out of my comfort zone," Fajardo said on Thursday. She turned out just fine. Fajardo lobbed a team-best 11 excellent sets to lead the High Speed Hitters to a dominant 25-22, 25-6, 25-9 victory against Galeries at Filoil EcoOil Arena. And she has her teammates---especially a noted veteran who plays her position---to thank."[I]t all became easier for me because coach Rald [Ricafort] is always guiding me as well as ate Rhea [Dimaculangan]," she added, refe...

Keep on reading: Kim’s convenience: Playmaking wizard sets clear path for PLDT’s Final 4 bid

    WASHINGTON - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday met the wife and daughter of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died last week, "to express his heartfelt condolences", the White House said. During the meeting in California, Biden expressed his admiration for Navalny's "extraordinary courage and his legacy of fighting against corruption and for a free and democratic Russia in which the rule of law applies equally to everyone", the White House said in a statement. Biden also affirmed that the United States will announce major new sanctions against Russia on Friday in response to Navalny's death, Russia's repression and aggression and its war i...

Keep on reading: Biden met with Navalny’s wife, daughter on Thursday – White House

      A spacecraft built and flown by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines sailed around the moon on Thursday headed for an attempt at the first U.S. touchdown on the lunar surface in more than half a century and the first ever entirely by the private sector. The six-legged robot lander, dubbed Odysseus, was due to begin the final descent from lunar orbit with a blast of its main engine about an hour before landing, with touchdown planned for 4:24 p.m. EST (2124 GMT) on Thursday, according to the company's latest flight plan. The vehicle, targeting a crater named Malapert A near the moon's south pole, is carrying a suite of scientific instruments and...

Keep on reading: US nears first moon landing since last Apollo lunar mission

MANILA ---The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) closed just above the 6,900 level on Thursday, bolstered by the strong performance of companies led by the billionaire Ty family. The PSEi gained 0.08 percent, or 5.79 points, to 6,903.15 while the broader All Shares index added 0.05 percent, or 1.73 points, to 3,601.83. The market was buoyed by gains of Ty-led Metropolitan Bank & Trust (Metrobank), which announced the declaration of record-high cash dividends after net income in 2023 jumped nearly 29 percent to P42.2 billion. The family holding firm GT Capital Holding also rallied. READ: Metrobank to pay record dividends as 2023 earnings post 29% growth Data from the s...

Keep on reading: With strong push from Ty-led firms, PSEi reclaims 6,900

  MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Joe Biden's "crazy SOB" remark showed why the Kremlin felt that for Russia, Biden would be a preferable future U.S. president to Donald Trump. "We are ready to work with any president. But I believe that for us, Biden is a more preferable president for Russia, and judging by what he has just said, I am absolutely right," Putin told state television, with a slight smile. "It's not like he can say to me, 'Volodya, thank you, well done, you've helped me a lot,'" Putin said. "You asked me which is better for us. I said it then that, and I still think I can repeat it: Biden." The Kremlin earlier said that B...

Keep on reading: Putin on Biden’s ‘crazy SOB’ remark: Shows why he is preferred US president

Comedy is a tricky thing. But the HBO Asia Originals series "The Accidental Influencer" puts the genre's angst-leavening ability to good use by mining the hard lessons learned from a person's direst and most challenging situation---like heartbreak---without a heavy hand. In the 13-part comedy, which began streaming with a three-episode rollout on HBO Go last Feb. 10, HBO Asia, Each Other Films and director Pei-Ju Hsieh cleverly utilize the acting chops of its enthusiastic Golden Horse Award- and Golden Bell-winning cast to examine protagonist Red Ho's (Golden Horse Award winner Shu-Yao Kuo of "Step Back to Glory" and "Teenage Psychic") romantic sorrows. Red, an accountant-turne...

Keep on reading: Heartbreak with tongue firmly in cheek in ‘The Accidental Influencer’

"We're not the clingy type," said actress Glaiza de Castro of her long-distance relationship with Irish husband David Rainey. "We need time away from each other to make our personalities more complete, I guess. We make sure we have time for ourselves and for each other. It's like we constantly need to reset---every three months or so---so that when we eventually see each other, the kilig is renewed. We really miss each other, and, as in a flashback, we're reminded of the time we first fell in love," Glaiza told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent virtual chat. "Of course, we communicate regularly, even though it can get crazy in terms of time zones---like right now, when he's in Ir...

Keep on reading: Glaiza de Castro on LDR with husband David Rainey, Angelica Panganiban

MANILA, Philippines --- The tension in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) is likely one of the issues in the 2025 midterm elections, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said. "The West Philippine Sea issue is likely to become a political slogan leading up to the 2025 midterm elections," Tarriela said in a Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines forum in Manila. "Given the heightened awareness among Filipinos regarding Chinese aggression in the region, politicians may exploit patriotic sentiments for their own gain," he added. Tarriela also warned that inflammatory remarks from politicians could esc...

Keep on reading: West PH Sea dispute expected to be issue in 2025 midterm polls

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur---All 216 food poisoning victims from Esperanza, Agusan del Sur have been discharged from Esperanza Medicare Community Hospital (EMCH) and neighboring public hospitals on Wednesday. The patients, who are also flood victims from the isolated village of Tandang Sora in Esperanza town, were transported home via a large pump boat operated by the Search and Rescue Agusan del Sur (SARAS) team. They were rushed to hospitals on Monday when they felt ill after consuming the food packs distributed by Philippine Red Cross (PRC) staff. Mayor Deo Manpatilan, Jr. emphasized the need to refrain from assigning blame amidst an ongoing investigations. "This is...

Keep on reading: All Agusan del Sur food poosoning victims discharged from hospital

MANILA, Philippines --- Choco Mucho is holding its breath after Aduke Ogunsanya hurt her left knee late in the third set of its campaign-opening win over Nxled in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. Ogunsanya fell awkwardly off a block attempt when they were leading the third set, 21-17. The middle blocker cried in pain but after a few minutes, she was able to stand up and and was able to walk to the locker room. "We still don't know what happened to Aduke, so we're a bit down," said coach Dante Alinsunurin after their 25-12, 25-22, 25-18 victory over Nxled. "Now, it's important for us to fix our game." SCHEDULE: PVL All-F...

Keep on reading: PVL: Aduke Ogunsanya hurts knee in Choco Mucho win

HONG KONG --- Promise delivered. Save for a forgettable first half, the new-look Gilas Pilipinas played splendidly on both ends on Thursday night to whip Hong Kong, 94-64, and take a victory many thought they would easily take. The Nationals found the gaps in their game just in time to pocket a resounding victory at Tsuen Wan Sports Centre here. SCHEDULE: Gilas at Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers window 1 Naturalized ace Justin Brownlee starred with 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in his first game back from a three-month voluntary suspension helping the Nationals, ranked 38 in the world, to a key first victory in their four-year cycle geared towards returning to the Bask...

Keep on reading: Gilas pulls away to beat Hong Kong in Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers

COTABATO CITY -- Anti-narcotics agents, backed by police and military troops, seized on Thursday some P6.8 million worth of suspected meth and arrested two alleged drug dealers during an entrapment operation in Bubong town, Lanao del Sur. Director Gil Cesario Castro of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM) identified the arrested suspects as Jamel Dimaporo, 29, and Jalil Macaayong, 19, both of Barangay Pindolonan in the town of Bubong. Dimaporo and Macaayong were immediately arrested after handing over a kilo of meth to an undercover agent during the operation at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Soldiers from the 103rd Infant...

Keep on reading: P6.8-M shabu seized, 2 suspects arrested in Lanao del Sur drug sting

  ILIGAN CITY --- Vice President Sara Duterte visited two wounded soldiers confined at Adventist Medical Center here following Sunday's clash with Islamic State-linked terrorists in Munai, Lanao del Norte. Duterte was accompanied by Major General Gabriel Viray III, commander of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, and Brigadier General Anthon Abrina, commander of the Army's 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade. She was also met by Iligan City Mayor Fredrick Siao in the hospital lobby. The Vice President said she was to hand some assistance to the wounded soldiers. READ: 6 soldiers killed in clash with terrorists in Lanao After the visit of Duterte, Viray pinned a "Medal fo...

Keep on reading: VP Duterte visits soldiers wounded in Lanao del Norte clash

P-pop girl group BINI disclosed that the release date --- which falls on International Women's Day --- of their upcoming EP "Talaarawan" is meant to be a celebration of their advocacy for women empowerment. On Valentine's Day, BINI announced that their first EP will be released on March 8 during a Valentine's Day event. When asked by ABS-CBN News in an interview if the release date was an intentional move on their part, the leader Jhoanna said it was a conscious decision as it's meant to be a "gift" for their fans. "Napili namin [ang date na 'to] kasi feeling namin, ang March 8 is a celebration at regalo para sa mga Blooms namin (We chose this date because we feel that March 8 ...

Keep on reading: BINI explains why EP ‘Talaarawan’ will drop on International Women’s Day

MANILA, Philippines--Despite still feeling each other out after adding a few pieces to its roster, Choco Mucho remained a force to be reckoned with to start the new Premier Volleyball League (PVL) conference. Behind the powerful Sisi Rondina and Mars Alba, the Flying Titans blasted Nxled, 25-12, 25-22, 25-18 to open their PVL campaign strong on Thursday at FilOil EcoOil Arena. Rondina and Alba, Choco Mucho's newest setter, found their connection just in time. SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024 "Mars and I rarely connect during training so I said 'maybe when game time comes, in transition, we will eventually get it," Rondina told the Inquirer after leading her ...

Keep on reading: PVL: Choco Mucho kicks off new season with sweep of Nxled

BARCELONA, Spain --- Football star Dani Alves was found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub and sentenced to four years and six months in prison on Thursday. A three-judge panel at the Barcelona Provincial Court convicted the 40-year-old former Brazil and Barcelona defender of sexual assault for the incident on Dec. 31, 2022. The court also ordered Alves to pay 150,000 euros ($162,000) in compensation to the victim, banned him from approaching the victim's home or place of work, and from communicating with her by any means for nine years. READ: Brazilian player Dani Alves to face trial on sexual assault in Spain Alves was in the courthouse to hear the verdict an...

Keep on reading: Dani Alves found guilty of rape, sentenced to four and a half years in prison