George Clooney calls for boycott of Brunei-owned hotels

WASHINGTON, United States — American actor George Clooney has called for a boycott of nine Brunei-owned hotels over the sultanate's imposition of the death penalty for gay sex and adultery.

"Every single time we stay at or take meetings at or dine at any of these nine hotels we are putting money directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery," Clooney wrote on website Deadline Hollywood.

"I've learned over years of dealing with murderous regimes that you can't shame them. But you can shame the banks, the financiers and the institutions that do business with them and choose to look the other way," he added.


The nine hotels are located in the US, Britain, France and Italy.

Brunei will implement the harsh new penal code -- which also mandates amputation of a hand and foot for theft -- starting next Wednesday.

Homosexuality is already illegal in the tiny sultanate, but it will now become a capital offence. The law only applies to Muslims.

Brunei first announced the measures in 2013, but implementation has been delayed as officials worked out the practical details and in the teeth of opposition by rights groups.

In addition to film-making chops that have netted him two Oscars, Clooney is known for his globe-trotting political activism, especially his tireless campaigning to draw attention to the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.

source: philstar.com

Rockets romp past Nuggets; Pistons thwart Magic

LOS ANGELES – James Harden scored 38 points to led the Houston Rockets to a 112-85 victory over the Denver Nuggets in a battle of NBA Western Conference contenders on Thursday (Friday Manila time).

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Harden added six rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes on the floor as the Rockets blew past a Nuggets team boasting the second-best record in the West behind the reigning champion Golden State Warriors.

"I think it's important for our confidence, our rhythm, our chemistry," said Rockets center Clint Capela, who added 17 points with 15 rebounds. "We did a good job tonight to keep them under 25 points a quarter.


Eric Gordon added 18 points and Austin Rivers chipped in 15 for the Rockets, who out-scored the Nuggets 40-19 in the second quarter to seize control of the contest.

Elsewhere, the Utah Jazz's playoff berth was confirmed thanks to the Sacrament Kings' 121-118 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

The playoff bound Toronto Raptors encountered little resistance from the Knicks in a 117-92 victory in New York.

Forward Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 31 points as Toronto improved to 53-23 -- second in the East behind the Milwaukee Bucks who improved to 57-19 with a 128-118 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Philadelphia 76ers strengthened their hold on the third seed in the East with a 123-110 victory over Brooklyn that saw the Nets slip a notch to seventh -- the penultimate playoff spot.

Joel Embiid scored 39 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and handed out six assists, making three of his four attempts from 3-point range.

The Detroit Pistons found themselves in sixth in the East after a valuable 115-98 victory over the Orlando Magic — who dropped out of a playoff spot into eighth place with the defeat coupled with the Miami Heat's 105-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Andre Drummond scored 18 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, out-playing Magic All-Star center Nikola Vucevic.

The Pistons, who had lost six of nine games, snapped a three-game losing streak and they also take the season series against the Magic three games to one -- a playoff tiebreaker advantage.

Inspirational performances

The Heat, coming off a loss to Orlando on Tuesday, got themselves back in playoff position at No. 8 with a 105-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Goran Dragic marked his return to Miami's starting lineup with a triple-double of 23 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds.

It was the Slovenian guard's first triple-double with the Heat and his first since he was with the Houston Rockets in 2010-11.

"I would never bet against him as a competitor," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We needed some inspirational performances tonight."

The triple-double also gave him bragging rights over the Mavericks' Slovenian rookie sensation Luka Doncic, who finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

It was a first NBA clash between the two players who teamed up to lead Slovenia to the 2017 Euro Basket title.

Although the Mavs have struggled on the road, they led 29-26 after one quarter and 59-49 at halftime.

The Heat knotted the score at 62-62 early in the third, but Dallas had edged ahead 82-75 going into the final frame before Miami managed to seal the win. Veteran Dwyane Wade scored six of his 11 points in the fourth quarter.

"This group has some character and we had to really reveal a lot of that in the second half," Spoelstra said.

source: philstar.com

FB moves vs indiscriminate sharing of intimate content

MANILA, Philippines — Facebook users sharing intimate images without the consent of owners may find their accounts disabled, the social media company said.

Antigone Davis, Facebook’s global head of safety, said they recently launched a new detection technology to strengthen efforts to remove non-consensual intimate images on their platforms, including on Messenger and Instagram.

“Finding these images goes beyond detecting nudity on our platforms. By using machine learning and artificial intelligence, we can now proactively detect near nude images or videos that are shared without permission on Facebook and Instagram,” she said.


“This means we can find this content before anyone reports it, which is important for two reasons: often victims are afraid of retribution so they are reluctant to report the content themselves or are unaware the content has been shared,” she added.

Davis said a specially-trained member of the community operations team will review the content found by their technology, resulting in its removal and disabling of the account of those who shared it if found to be in violation of community standards.


The Facebook official said the new detection technology is in addition to an existing program that allows people to securely submit a photo to Facebook that they do not want to be shared on the platform.

“We then create a digital fingerprint of that image and stop it from ever being shared on our platform in the first place. After receiving positive feedback from victims and support organizations, we will expand this pilot over the coming months so more people can benefit from this option in an emergency,” Davis said.

The social media company also launched a support hub where victims can find organizations and resources to support them, including steps they can take to remove the content from the platform and prevent it from being shared further.

“We’re also going to make it easier and more intuitive for victims to report when their intimate images were shared on Facebook. And over the coming months, we’ll build a victim support toolkit to give people around the world more information with locally and culturally relevant support,” Davis added.

Impact on victims

A research conducted by Facebook highlighted the serious emotional and physical consequences of sharing intimate images without consent to victims.

“Sometimes called ‘revenge porn,’ it’s really a form of sexual violence that can be motivated by an intent to control, shame, humiliate, extort and terrorize victims,” said Radha Iyengar and Karuna Nain, Facebook’s head of product policy research and manager for global safety policy programs, respectively.

They said the consequences that victims face vary, depending on the cultural context, although all felt violated, angry and embarrassed.

“Victims in more traditional communities may be shunned and exiled from their communities. Organizations we’ve worked with reported cases in which victims were forced to run away from home to avoid persecution and even physical harm,” they said.

“And many countries lack established support organizations, or viable law enforcement solutions,” they added.

Iyengar and Nain underscored the need to build clear and accessible tools to support victims in reporting a violation.

They also recommended the development of prevention methods such as tools to report and proactively block someone from sharing non-consensual images.

“They are scared and worried that their family, friends and co-workers will see the images. In fact, harm for the victims continues long after the images are removed,” noted the company executives.

“The mental health consequences include anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and sometimes post-traumatic stress disorders. There can be economic and professional consequences for victims, including lost jobs, fewer professional connections and colleagues who tease or avoid them. It can also be difficult finding new employment,” they added.

source: philstar.com

Colombia holds gay Miss Universe beauty pageant

MEDELLÍN, Colombia — The Colombian city of Medellin holds its Gay Miss Universe Beauty pageant where transsexuals and drag queens take to the stage and represent a country of their choice after weeks of practicing choreographies and catwalks.

Nine candidates in total, 8 Colombians and 1 Venezuelan, participated in this year’s Miss Universe Gay in Colombia.

Each participant chooses which country he or she wishes to represent .

2019 was the second version of this specific competition, even if according to the organizer there are between 4-8 competitions like this in Colombia per year.

The competition isn’t officially part of Miss Universe The objective is more the creation of a space for the LGBTI community to have fun in and put on a show.

The winner receives certain prizes, of which there is wigs, a million pesos (330 $US) and a ticket to take part in Miss Gay International which takes place in Bogota.

The bar becomes packed for the competition. On March 16th, around 300 people arrived to watch the show which takes places between 11pm and 4am.

source: philstar.com

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang blasts off

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino mobile gamers get a chance to showcase their skills in gunning for victory on the battle arena in the new national competition called “Momentum eSports TV Battle League” set to blast off April 21-May 19.

The league will feature 64 teams of six amateur and professional players each who will slay for honors in the hugely popular game “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.”

MLBB is among the games to be contested in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, giving non-pros more reason and motivation to strive for excellence and aspire for future stints in big-time international competitions.

“Our main goal is to provide an avenue to all local players, especially those from small communities who are denied of this opportunity and have limited means to hone and showcase their skills,” Joanna Paola DV Ang, executive producer of Momentum, said during Thursday’s presscon.

Momentum eSports TV Battle League, which will see players with rankings of 100 to 300 stars competing for a total pot of P60,000 and 12,000 diamonds from MLBB’s developer, Moonton, will be aired live daily from 4-8 p.m. by the Manila Times Digital TV on www.manilatimestv.com, Facebook and other social media platforms.

Ang was joined in the presscon for the new league by Jennifer Jones, assistant station manager, Marc Christian Jarlego, operations manager for Momentum eSports, and Thea Rosalyn Faustino, executive administrative assistant for Momentum.

They said Filipinos had already shown their world-class form in eSports, with TNC Predator winning the DOTA2 tournament at the World Electronic Sports Games last year in Chongqing, China.

source: philstar.com

Finland tops world happiness rankings, South Sudan bottom — UN

HELSINKI, Finland — Finland ranked as the world's happiest country for the second year running while war-torn South Sudan sank to the least contented in a United Nations report released on Wednesday.

The Nordic nation of 5.5 million people, known for their love of forests, lakes and saunas, topped the study which used survey data asking citizens in 156 countries how happy they perceive themselves to be, as well as measures such as life expectancy, income and social support.

The other Nordic countries, as well as the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand and Austria also made the top ten.


As well as performing well on all the indicators, the most content countries all tended to have very stable societies, with happiness levels changing comparatively little since 2005.

Despite the political turmoil brought by Brexit, Britain rose four places in the rankings to 15th.

The United States, meanwhile, continued its slide of recent years, dropping one spot to 19th place.

"This year's report provides sobering evidence of how addictions are causing considerable unhappiness and depression in the US," said professor Jeffrey Sachs, one of the report's authors.

The unhappiest nation was South Sudan, where the UN recently said 60 percent of people face food insecurity following a bloody civil war which has claimed the lives of an estimated 400,000 people.

Other conflict-ridden countries, such as Yemen, Afghanistan and the Central African Republic, also featured at the bottom of the table.

Released on the International Day of Happiness on March 20, the report warned that world happiness has declined in recent years, driven by a sustained fall in India, which this year ranked in 140th place.

This has coincided with a rise in negative feelings, "comprising worry, sadness and anger, especially marked in Asia and Africa, and more recently elsewhere," it said.

This year's publication also looked at how countries have performed in the happiness rankings since 2005.

Of the 20 largest gainers, half are in Central and Eastern Europe, five are in sub-Saharan Africa, and three in Latin America.

The five largest declines since 2005 were in Yemen, India, Syria, Botswana and Venezuela.

source: philstar.com

Behind the bribery: US university admissions favor the rich

NEW YORK, United States — The scandal of parents paying to cheat their children's way into elite US universities has put a harsh spotlight on the ultra-competitive college admissions process, in which the haves hold a massive advantage over the have-nots.

Thirty-three wealthy parents -- financiers, lawyers, and two famous actresses among them -- were arrested Tuesday as part of an operation that charged from $15,000 to millions of dollars to help them get their children into renowned schools like Yale, Georgetown, Stanford and the University of Southern California.

But as outraged as many Americans were at the illegality, even within the law, the rich have a huge, unfair advantage when it comes to gaming the intensely stressful annual college admissions battle.


The competition is clear in the numbers. Just 4.6 percent of over 40,000 students applying to Harvard University get in.

The figure is 4.3 percent at Stanford and 5.5 percent and Columbia, two other top universities.


Many who are qualified grade-wise are rejected, intensifying the competition to stand out.

The process favors the wealthy. They can apply to more schools and invest heavily in preparing for tests and essays.

The richest, too, can beat the competition by donating to universities. ProPublica editor Daniel Golden documented how President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner gained admission to Harvard University in 1998 after his father made a legal $2.5 million donation to the school.

"There's a limited number of spots for those with enormous means," said Hafeez Lakhani, whose Lakhani Coaching company helps prepare students.

"I understand that there is a disparity out there and that not everyone is able to afford the best help or any help at all."

Planning and spending 

Many parents spend their kids' lives planning their university career.

"In the United States, families are obsessed with the entrance into university," said Sylvie Bigar, a New Yorker whose daughter just entered the respected Smith College in Massachusetts.

"It seems like these things are decided almost in kindergarten, that admission to a prestigious university leads to a prestigious career and happiness."

"It's an extremely stressful process, especially for kids whose parents aren't the most affluent," said Angela Perez, a student at the highly competitive Georgetown University in Washington.

"While I considered myself academically strong, getting in was one thing, and paying for it was another."

Perez, from a working class, immigrant Filipino family, said that to maximize her chances at both acceptance and financial aid, she applied to 18 different universities.

Adding together the application fees, test fees, training for the tests, and other, she said, "it was honestly quite costly." 

$40,000 to prepare 

The process begins in earnest in tenth grade, three years before graduating from high school. Students prepare for and take multiple times the ACT and SAT entrance examinations -- the ones the parents arrested Tuesday paid to have fixed for their children.

There are essays to write, interviews, tutorials, preparation tests, and for the families with access and connections, direct lobbying.

And, notes Bigar, "at every stage of this process, there are firms that help families who can afford it."

According to the Independent Educational Consultants Association, parents pay on average $200 an hour to consult experts on the applications process. But that price, in some situations, can run into the thousands of dollars per hour.

The parents of children who are shepherded by Lakhani pay on average $40,000.

"The reason families are interested in working with my firm is that they see an opportunity to climb higher than they would have climbed potentially on their own," he said.

To critics of the system, the issue illustrates the deep economic and social inequality in the country.

"It's obviously a scandal when rich people are accused of breaking the law to get their kids into top schools," wrote journalist Rainesford Stauffer in an op-ed in the New York Times.

"But the bigger outrage should be that a legal version of purchasing an advantage happens every college application season and that there's an entire industry supporting it."

source: philstar.com

Hero refugee chased gunman away from New Zealand mosque

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — When Afghan refugee Abdul Aziz saw a man brandishing a gun outside his mosque in Christchurch, he ran towards the attacker armed with the only weapon he could find -- a hand-held credit card machine.

Seven people were killed when a white supremacist stormed Linwood Masjid -- the second mosque he attacked on Friday -- as worshippers knelt to pray.

But the death toll could have been much higher if not for the heroic actions of Aziz, whose efforts to distract and chase the gunman away have attracted widespread praise.

"You don't have much time to think, whatever you think of, you just do it, you know," Aziz told AFP, brushing off the "hero" tag as local Muslims gathered to thank him for saving relatives and friends.

Aziz and his four sons were worshipping at the mosque when they heard the loud cracks of a gun being fired outside the building.

Initially thinking someone was setting off firecrackers, Aziz became suspicious and ran out of the mosque, grabbing a small credit card processing device.

Outside, he was stunned to find an armed man wearing military-style fatigues.

"At first, I didn't know if he was the good guy or the bad guy. But when he started swearing, I knew he was not the good guy," he said.

Aziz hurled the machine at Tarrant and then ducked between several cars as the self-confessed fascist unleashed a barrage of shots at him.

Aziz then heard one of his sons call out, "Daddy, please come back inside!"

Unhurt, Aziz picked up an empty shotgun that the gunman had discarded and shouted "come on here" repeatedly in an effort to draw him away from his sons and the other worshippers.

"When he see the gun in my hands, I don't know what happened, he dropped the gun and I chased him with my own gun... I managed to throw the gun on his car and smash the car window, and I could see he was a bit frightened."

Aziz kept chasing the attacker as he sped off in his car.

The 48-year-old then returned to the mosque where he was greeted by scenes of carnage.

Aziz, an Australian, moved Down Under as a child refugee. He lived in Sydney for almost three decades before moving to Christchurch a few years later.

He says he has nothing but contempt for the attacker.

"A lot of people tell him he is a gunman. But... a man never hurts anybody. He is not a man; he is a coward," Aziz said.

source: philstar.com

It's not me: South Korean female stars rush to deny K-pop sex videos

SEOUL, South Korea — Female K-pop stars and actors have rushed to issue denials that they appear in sex videos secretly shot by male singers, illustrating women's fears about victim-blaming and stigma in the face of South Korea's enduring conservative social values.

In three days no fewer than five male K-pop singers, including mega star Seungri, have been identified as recipients of illicit videos made by singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young of sexual acts with women, taken without their consent.


Three are being investigated by police, while four have announced their retirements or quit their bands.


There has been widespread online speculation on the victims' identities.

At least four women have issued separate statements denying they appear in the videos, with actor Oh Cho-hee saying on her Instagram account that the rumors were "really not true".

"I can't tell you how many calls I've received since this morning," she added.

Most of their agents—including two of the biggest managers in K-pop, SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment—said they would take legal action against further online rumors that "significantly ruin their reputation and image".

Scholars and activists say the fact that being identified as a victim of sex-related offenses is seen as a threat to a woman's status shows the enduring presence of traditional values and the tendency to blame victims in the South.

"In an ideal world, women wouldn't worry about getting their reputation ruined for matters like these," said women's rights activist Kang Min-jin.

"And for the K-pop agencies, they are worried about getting their reputation ruined because they think about female singers as their products. They are worried that their products will no longer be marketable."

Scarlet letter 

South Korea's entertainment industry has a history of targeting female stars caught up in "revenge porn" sex video scandals.

In 2000, a singer who was filmed without her knowledge and consent and the footage shared with others by her former manager—was heavily criticized by the public.

Instead of being acknowledged as a victim, she had to tearfully apologize in a televised press conference for "causing trouble".

She was unable to make television appearances for around five years afterwards.

An actor whose video was leaked by her ex in 1998 and shared by countless men left the country for three years, and could not return to acting for another seven years.

"The women were criticized partly because they were unmarried," said Lee Soo-yeon, a researcher at the Korean Women's Development Institute.

"They were seen as 'irresponsible' and even 'promiscuous' public figures because they had sex with non-husband figures. So the logic was it was partly their fault that the leak happened," she told AFP.

While producing and sharing such content have since been criminalized in SouthKorea, Lee said conservative views on women's chastity still prevail, as reflected in the current K-pop scandal.

"A lot of people think it's inappropriate for unwed women to have sex, regardless of the view being right or wrong", she said.

"And the stigma can be especially severe for women who are well-known figures."

Sex, competition and videotape 

Beneath its glitz and glamour, the $5 billion K-pop industry is known for cutthroat competition, gruelling singing and dancing training and the hyper-sexualization of its female artists, some of whom are minors.

Many stars are picked up by agencies at a young age, usually in their early to mid teens, and their lives taken over by punishingly long hours of training—with the ever-present risk of falling foul of a cut-throat screening process.

They are also closely monitored by their agents, who dictate everything from diet regimen to mobile phone use and normally impose dating bans.

"This is a very unhealthy environment for anyone to grow up in," said researcher Lee, adding that many K-pop stars miss out on crucial elements of their teenage years, especially those who start their training early.

Activist Kang said that young female K-pop stars are often deemed more "marketable" when they look childlike and "sexually innocent"—but at the same time, are expected to perform sexualized dance moves in provocative outfits onstage.

"Many would think it's 2019 and it's ridiculous to talk about women's virginity," she said.

"But the reality is that losing that image—of looking innocent—will affect a woman singer's career in this industry."

source: philstar.com

Nadal races into third round at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS – World number two Rafael Nadal steamed into the third round of the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Sunday (Monday Manila time) with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over American Jared Donaldson.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who owns three Indian Wells titles, needed just 72 minutes to get past world number 192 Donaldson, who returned to the tour in February after six months sidelined by a knee injury.

The Spanish star is playing his third tournament of a year that opened with a runner-up finish to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.


He next faces Argentina's Diego Schwartzman, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Spain's Roberto Carbralles.

source: philstar.com

Samsung finally brings Galaxy M20 to the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Whenever there’s an announcement of a new smartphone, some of us tend to hold off and wait for a year or so just for the price of that precious piece of tech to drop significantly. There’s really nothing wrong if you’re the type of person who is always on the look out for a gadget that can give you more bang for your buck, right?

But the good news is, the waiting game is finally over. So if you got yourself a five-year-old relic smartphone then you should definitely go and get the latest offer of Samsung in the midrange category – the Galaxy M20.

The first thing that you have to know about the Galaxy M20 is its noticeable teardrop notch façade that’s been on numerous smartphone designs since Apple introduced it with the iPhone X. Yes, years after the famous notch design, Samsung kind of finally joined the club.


The Samsung Galaxy M20 comes with a spacious 6.3-inch Infinity V Display that features a bezel-less edge to edge 2340 x 1080 FHD+ crystal clear resolution that provides a whole new level of viewing experience.

As battery usage remains one of the issues that smartphones face today, Samsung compliments the Galaxy M20’s feats with a massive 5000mAh battery.

You may be wondering, how that translates to every day use, right? Well, with a fully charged Galaxy M20, you can have up to 17 hours of video playback. So, if you like binge-watching your favorite Netflix series, then this smartphone is definitely for you. But if the Galaxy M20 happen to run out of juice, fret no more – because it has a Type-C fast charger that gives you three times faster charging capability.

Playing games, watching videos or even using your favorite social media apps simultaneously are ridiculously easy with the Galaxy M20, because it runs with an Exynos 7904 1.8GHz octa-core processor paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage that can also be expanded with up to 512GB via microSD.

What’s really nice about the new Galaxy M20 is its ultra-wide dual rear cameras composed of a 13-megapixel F1.9 that is suitable for low light photography and a five-megapixel F2.2 lens.

While on the front, the Galaxy M20 sports an 8-megapixel F2.0 selfie camera. It has an AI-solution that can optimize scenes in real-time. Apart from that, it also automatically adjusts the saturation, white balance and brightness.

Of course, the Galaxy M20 also has a biometric authentication that easily lets users unlock the device using either their fingerprint or face recognition. Aside from that, it comes with two stylish color variants: Charcoal Black or Ocean Blue.

The Samsung Galaxy M20 is priced at P10,990 that can be purchased exclusively via Lazada, Shopee, Argomall, Abenson, and MemoXpress.

Users may visit the online merchants’ websites to know more about their promos with the Galaxy M20. Each purchase of the smartphone also comes with access to the Samsung Members app, an online community that offers news, tips, diagnostic checks, and exclusive benefits like event invitations, special offers, and discounts on Samsung services.

For information, visit samsung.com/ph.

source: philstar.com

Simpsons' creators drop classic episode featuring Michael Jackson

NEW YORK, United States — The creators of "The Simpsons" have shelved one of the animated series' classic episodes because it features Michael Jackson's voice, the show's executive producer told The Wall Street Journal Friday.

Simpsons producers made the unanimous decision after viewing the bombshell documentary "Leaving Neverland," which revives pedophilia accusations against the late megastar in excruciating detail.

"It feels clearly the only choice to make," Simpsons executive producer James L. Brooks told the WSJ.


The move appears to be the first such artistic ban in the United States since the documentary aired on US network HBO earlier this week. Several radio stations in Canada, New Zealand and Australia have stripped Jackson songs from their playlists in light of the film.

The 1991 episode in question sees Homer Simpson meet a mental hospital patient who believes he is the popstar Michael Jackson, and speaks in the star's signature high pitch.


Entitled "Stark Raving Dad," the segment that aired on Fox in the show's third season triggered intense fan speculation because Jackson's name was not in the credits.

But just last year, Simpsons creator Matt Groening confirmed Jackson had indeed done the voice work -- but not the song bit.

"When it came time to sing the songs, he had a soundalike singer," Groening told Australian television.

"And he stood there and watched the guy who was so nervous, who had to sound like Michael Jackson."

Brooks told the paper the episode had been one of his favorites -- but that pulling it was necessary in light of the documentary.

"This was a treasured episode. There are a lot of great memories we have wrapped up in that one, and this certainly doesn't allow them to remain," Brooks said, citing "evidence of monstrous behavior."

Prior to his 2009 death, Jackson emphatically denied molesting children, and was acquitted of child abuse charges in 2005 after a dramatic trial.

The late superstar's estate has smeared the documentary as a "posthumous character assassination," and is suing HBO for $100 million.

Brooks told the paper the Simpsons episode would be removed from streaming services, TV stations and box sets, a process that "has started."

"I'm against book burning of any kind. But this is our book, and we're allowed to take out a chapter," Brooks said.

source: philstar.com

Radio stations drop Michael Jackson's music over abuse claims

SYDNEY, Australia — Radio stations in Australia, Canada and New Zealand are refusing to play Michael Jackson's music in the wake of fresh allegations against him of child sex abuse.

Sydney's Nova Entertainment on Thursday became the latest radio group to announce they are taking the late "King of Pop" off the air in response to public opinion.

The move comes after the broadcast of a US documentary "Leaving Neverland" that featured two men who claimed Jackson sexually abused them for years.


"In light of what is happening at the moment, SmoothFM is not currently playing any Michael Jackson songs," local media quoted Nova's programme director Paul Jackson as saying.

The documentary has not yet been broadcast in Australia. A second major Australian radio network, ARN, said it was "closely monitoring audience sentiment in relation to individual artists".


In New Zealand, the star's songs are now almost totally absent from the airwaves, after being pulled by the country's two biggest radio networks, MediaWorks and NZME.

The two companies between them dominate commercial radio.

"We aren't deciding whether Michael Jackson is guilty of paedophilia, we're just making sure our radio stations are going to play the music people want to hear," MediaWorks director of content, Leon Wratt, told Magic FM.

He said the decision was "a reflection of our audiences and their preferences".

NZME group director of entertainment, Dean Buchanan, confirmed Jackson's material was off the air, though he shied away from talk of a ban.

Meanwhile, public broadcaster Radio NZ said Jackson's songs did not feature on its playlists anyway.

The HBO documentary, which aired in the United States on Sunday, has rekindled long-running questions about Jackson's relationship with children.

Two men, James Safechuck and Australian-born Wade Robson, say Jackson sexually abused them when they were aged 10 and seven.

There had been persistent rumours of throughout Jackson's life, but no allegations were ever substantiated.

The four-hour two-part documentary -- which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year -- has made sure those allegations continue a decade after he died of an overdose.

Jackson's estate has denied wrongdoing and filed a $100 million lawsuit against HBO.

The 53-page complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims HBO was violating a "non-disparagement" agreement by airing "Leaving Neverland".

"Ten years after his passing, there are still those out to profit from his enormous worldwide success and take advantage of his eccentricities," the suit claimed.

 

  Off air in Canada

The decisions not to play Jackson's music will no doubt further tarnish his brand and could result in a loss of radio royalties.

But it is far from clear that listeners on digital platforms are abandoning the singer in the same way, and "The Essential Michael Jackson" is still the 65th most downloaded album in Australia.

Earlier, a chain of dozens of Canadian radio stations said they would not play Jackson megahits such as "Billie Jean" and "Bad" for the time being.

"We are attentive to the comments of our listeners, and the documentary released on Sunday evening created reactions," Christine Dicaire of Cogeco -- which operates radio stations in Quebec and Ontario -- said in a statement to AFP.

"We prefer to observe the situation by removing the songs from our stations, for the time being."

In Britain, where "Leaving Neverland" was set for release Wednesday and Thursday, reports said the BBC had also shelved his music.

While a spokeswoman for the network told AFP it does not ban artists, the organisation said in a statement: "We consider each piece of music on its merits and decisions on what we play on different networks are always made with relevant audiences and context in mind."

Agence France-Presse

Jones sends Smith to his knees in UFC

LAS VEGAS – Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Smith at UFC 235 on Saturday night, overcoming a two-point deduction for an illegal knee to Smith’s head in the fourth round.

Kamaru Usman claimed the UFC welterweight title in the penultimate bout at T-Mobile Arena, dominating Tyron Woodley in a one-sided unanimous decision victory.

Ben Askren, Woodley’s close friend and training partner, survived an opening-minute beating and rallied to choke out Robbie Lawler midway through the first round of his own UFC debut.


Jones (24-1) had little trouble in an expert display of his all-around brilliance against the overmatched Smith (31-14), who had no answers for the likely pound-for-pound champion of mixed martial arts.

Jones dominated on his feet, against the cage and on the ground until he got in trouble in the fourth round when his knee struck Smith’s head while the challenger was in a downed position. Referee Herb Dean deducted two points from Jones, who apologized to Smith after the bell.


``This MMA thing is really hard,’’ Jones said. ``Some days you’re going to look amazing, and some days at work you’re not going to perform at the level you hold yourself to.’’

Jones finished uneventfully and remained unbeaten since 2009, winning a decision for the fifth time in his last seven fights.

Jones won 48-44 on all three scorecards.

source: philstar.com

Dope-free Jones sees new hope vs Smith

LAS VEGAS – Jon Jones used to cry for days when he heard about his positive doping tests.

Although his system still isn’t clean, Jones’ eyes are finally dry heading into UFC 235.

The UFC’s light heavyweight champion memorably wept in a news conference after getting pulled from UFC 200 in 2016, realizing his career was headed into a spiral. Jones cried again in a friend’s arms a few months ago when tests showed more traces of the steroid metabolite that could be in his system for years.


But when two more tests last month revealed tiny amounts of the metabolite, Jones finally didn’t cry. Although the results are casting a shadow over his every achievement, he has come to grips with his predicament – and more importantly to Jones, he is allowed to fight on.

Jones said he will take on Anthony Smith on Saturday night in the main event at T-Mobile Arena with clear eyes and a clean conscience.

“I’m at a place now where I’ve been hurt so many times,” Jones said. “So many things have happened – I’ve caused a lot of my own pain, and there’s been a lot of pain inflicted – that I just feel like I’m so comfortable with this scenario. I’m not going to allow anybody to hurt me anymore. ...I take responsibility for this whole thing, (but) I’m not going to let it bend me or break me.”

Jones has always denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing substances, and mixed martial arts’ various regulatory bodies believe his recent results are microscopic echoes of past violations, not a reason to ban arguably the most gifted fighter of his generation.

Jones has grown increasingly defiant in recent months, standing up to condemnation for what he claims to be an honest mistake with a supplement – a stance that makes his opponents laugh.

Now 31, Jones (23-1) is moving on to chase big paydays and career-defining excellence.

source: philstar.com

Harden explodes for 58 points as Rockets rally to beat Heat

LOS ANGELES – James Harden delivered his seventh career 50-point, 10-assist performance Thursday (Friday Manila time) as the Houston Rockets edged the Miami Heat, 121-118.

With Harden in a 3-point shooting slump over the last few games, the Rockets have been depending on their reserves to help get the job done.

But Harden reasserted himself Thursday in front of a home crowd of 18,100 at the Toyota Center, finishing with 58 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on a night when the Rockets had to once again tinker with their roster because of injuries.


"I wanted to be aggressive and continue to attack the rim," Harden said. "I took my shots when I had the opportunities."

He got some help down the stretch from Austin Rivers (17 points) and Chris Paul, whose jumper with 46 seconds left followed a failed Harden 3-pointer and extended the lead to three. Coming into the game Harden was just three for 31 from beyond the arc in his previous three games.

Harden has three 50-point, 10-assist games this season. He had his streak of consecutive 30-point games snapped at 32 on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.

"We get the stat sheet at the end of the game, and I saw he had 58," teammate Rivers said. "All of us were like, 'He had that many points?' We had no idea he had that many points. That's a lot of points. He was incredible."

Last month Harden scored a career-high and franchise-record 61 points in a 114-110 win over the lowly New York Knicks.

Miami grabbed a 113-103 lead on a Goran Dragic 3-pointer with 6:18 remaining, but Houston answered with a 14-0 run to take the lead.

Miami had seven players scoring in double figures with Dragic and Kelly Olynyk scoring 21 points apiece.

The Heat shot 51.9 percent overall but went cold at the wrong time, posting only 20 points on six-for-17 shooting in the final period.

"We were lackadaisical on defence, especially in that second quarter," Harden said. "They gained confidence and knocked down shots. They were just too comfortable, so we had to pick the pressure up in the second half, create some turnovers and energy with our defence."

The Rockets were without regulars Eric Gordon (knee), Kenneth Faried (hip) and Iman Shumpert (calf).

Elsewhere, Aaron Gordon tallied 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Orlando Magic snapped an 11-game losing streak to beat the Golden State Warriors 103-96.

The two-time defending NBA champion Warriors blew an 11-point lead en route to losing their second game in as many nights, after they fell to the Miami Heat 126-125 when veteran Dwyane Wade nailed the game winner at the buzzer on Wednesday.

Terrence Ross scored 16 points, D.J. Augustin got 14, while Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 13 rebounds to help Orlando beat the Warriors for the first time since December 2012.

Stephen Curry scored 33 points, Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins each had 21 for the Warriors, who rested Kevin Durant and ended up paying for it.

Curry goes cold

Curry sank only one basket in the fourth quarter.

"Considering the way we finished the third quarter, we were pretty much in control of the game," Curry said. "But we missed a lot of shots and didn't get any stops so it's a frustrating way to end. This is a tough one."

The Magic shot just five-of-23 from the field in the third quarter and trailed 81-70 going into the fourth. They led by eight points at halftime.

Ross nailed a 3-pointer in the fourth to spark a 15-4 run. His final 3-pointer of the game, with 4:16 left, made it 89-89.

Also, Bojan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 35 points and the Indiana Pacers overcame Karl-Anthony Towns' dominating offensive performance for Minnesota to beat the Timberwolves 122-115.

Towns had 42 points and 17 rebounds, scoring 23 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the first quarter.

source: philstar.com

トップランクの大阪はチームに米国のコーチを加えます

LOS ANGELES - 来週のインディアンウェルズでのタイトルディフェンスに間に合うように、世界ナンバーワンの大阪ナオミ大阪は木曜日（マニラの金曜日の時間）に彼女のチームにジェルメインジェンキンス合衆国代表を歓迎しました。

「チームと素晴らしい夕食を共にした」と日本の全米および全豪オープンチャンピオンはTwitterの投稿で述べた。 「また、この瞬間を迎えて、Jermaineに参加してLOLに参加してくれたことに感謝します。」

WTAのウェブサイトの記事によると、ジェンキンスは、全豪オープンで2度目のグランドスラム優勝を果たしたわずか17日後に、コーチのSascha Bajinとの分割後のヘッドコーチの役割を果たすと述べた。


ジェンキンスさん（34歳）は、2015年から昨シーズンの終わりまで金星ウィリアムズの打撃パートナーを務めた元米国の大学生スターです。

彼の弟のJarmereはSerena Williamsの打撃パートナーです。

1月、ジェンキンスは米国テニス協会から全国女性コーチとして指名されました。

大阪は21日、メルボルンでのバジンとの分裂は「一種の醸造」であり、長い間コーチがいないとは思わないとドバイで語った。

「コーチなしでインディアンウェルズに行くのは本当に理想的ではない」と彼女は言った。

カリフォルニア砂漠で開催されたWTAとATPマスターズの組み合わせイベントでの女性のメインドロープレーは3月6日に始まります。 Osaka like all the 32 seeded women will enjoy a first-round bye.

source: philstar.com

Sutokil in Seattle

At our Seattle popup, we wanted to highlight the Visayan tradition of ‘SuToKil’ (sugba, tola or tinola, and kilawin) and take advantage of Seattle’s great seafood.
Aren’t you the guy, you know, who cooks on TV?” asked the manager of Filipino grocery Seafood City, as she processed the gift certificates we were using.

I’m in Seattle. After spending a couple of days with friends in the neighboring Poulsbo area, I’m now refreshed and recharged for my last popup in the US for 2018.

I’m shopping with chef Melissa Miranda, who generously agreed to collaborate with me and Filipino Kitchen’s Natallia Roxas. The manager’s friendliness was just a portent of the many acts of kindness that we would receive, which made this particular popup such a stress-free experience.


Just the night before, Natalia, Melissa and I were sitting around Melissa’s dinner table to discuss the menu. Melissa agreed to let us stay at her place during our entire visit to Seattle (because she’s awesome).

Coming from two major events in St. Louis and Chicago, my mind was still in a bit of a haze, and I was worried we didn’t have a menu yet. Just a few minutes into our meeting, though, my mind was at ease. Our conversation was open, collaborative and creative, and pretty soon, we decided on a theme. We wanted to highlight the Visayan tradition of “SuToKil” and take advantage of Seattle’s great seafood.


“SuToKil” means Sugba (grilled), Tola or Tinola (ginger soup), and Kilawin (seafood or meat marinated in vinegar), and so it was decided that Melissa and I would make two versions of each, one modern and one classic, while Natalia would make dessert and craft the menu cards.

We would start off with my modern take on a ginger soup, a roasted tomato, labuyo and salabat gazpacho, followed immediately by Melissa’s marinated smoked mussels and pig’s ears kinilaw (sisig Matua in Pampanga).

For the hot courses, I would serve lomi noodles with a fish head-and-ginger broth that my grandmother used to make to represent my Chinoy side, and a grilled rockfish with Piyanggang sauce to represent my Mindanao side. Melissa would then round out the hot courses with her barbecue trio. Natalia’s fresh carioca patties with homemade ice cream would provide the perfect ending.

Turns out, people had heard about our little collab popup, and the word was we needed to prepare for over 80 diners! With a lean crew, a proper prep day would be crucial. Once again, the kindness of the Filipino shone through. We got some much-appreciated help from chef Jonnah, who works in Portland, but made the three-hour drive to Seattle to help us prep and cook.

Meanwhile, Manong Lane Wilcken, a master batok (hand-tap tattoo) artist who was in town to do some work, took time off to help me chop vegetables. His knife skills are excellent! Despite working in a busy, rented commercial kitchen where other chefs and catering companies were also working, our prep session went smoothly and uneventfully, which is what chefs dream about all the time. In fact, the only thing noteworthy about the whole prep session was how I got more than a few stares and puzzled looks from other chefs when I was burning coconut to black for my pamapa. It was a cool experience to reassure the other chefs that I knew what I was doing and it was an even better experience for me to talk a little about Mindanaoan food to those that asked.

The day of the popup was just as fun and stress-free as our crew put our heads down and worked, while managing to have engaging talks on the rise of Filipino food, watching stupidly funny YouTube videos and of course, singing out loud to Regine Velasquez songs. We are all Filipino, after all.

Once the popup started, we were all business. At the very first table of guests, I picked up a bowl filled with noodles and trumpet mushrooms and ladled boiling-hot soup over them. As I was moving the bowl to the pass, I tilted it a bit too much and the soup burned my thumb. Not wanting to drop the bowl, I had to hold on to it while the soup was still burning my finger until I could lay it gently on the kitchen counter. I burned myself on the first table and had to shake my head in disbelief. I hoped it was not a sign of things to come.

Fortunately, after replacing that bowl with a new one, the rest of the night went smoothly. In fact, serving 85 diners went by really quickly and none of my other body parts were in danger!  Throughout the night, it was gratifying to hear the diners’ comments, all of who had constant cravings for Filipino food.

The highlight of the night for me was hearing comments about how much they liked my grandmother’s ginger-and-fish head broth. I was actually hesitant to put it on the menu since it was such a simple “lutong bahay” dish with very subtle flavors, but I’m glad Melissa convinced me to have the confidence to serve it just the way we would at home.

The following day, we said our goodbyes and, as I gave Melissa a hug, we both knew this wouldn’t be the last time we would work together. I mean, it was just too much fun! I’m definitely going to hear much more from her as her popup and catering company, Musang Seattle, is doing absolutely great work.

Meanwhile, Natalia went to take the train to Portland, because her work with the Filipino community in the US never ends. We said our goodbyes at the Amtrak station, content with the money we’d raised for my charity work this year, but determined to do more next year. If only every project we worked on was as stress-free as our Seattle project.

You can see Sharwin cook for and interview the country’s hottest celebrities every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on Let’s Do Lunch on GMA News TV. Follow Sharwin’s food adventures on Instagram @chefsharwin and for questions, reactions, recipe and column suggestions, you can contact him at www.sharwintee.com.

source: philstar.com