Rockets' Harden, Westbrook conspire to stop Nuggets

LOS ANGELES – James Harden scored 35 points and Russell Westbrook finished with 28 as the Houston Rockets cooled off the Denver Nuggets with a 130-104 win on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time).

Harden also had six assists while Westbrook contributed seven helpers, avenging an earlier loss to the Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic scored 21 points to lead Denver, who had won nine of their last 10 games.

Denver defeated the Rockets 105-95 on November 20 by double-teaming Harden which put more pressure on his teammates to try and pick up the slack.

The Rockets moved the ball quickly on Tuesday, seizing control of the contest with a 19-3 burst to open the fourth quarter.

Clint Capela had a double-double for Houston (16 points, 10 rebounds) while Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 16 points and 12 boards off the bench.

Monte Morris came off the bench to score 18 points for Denver. Paul Millsap had 13 points and nine boards for Denver while Jamal Murray and Will Barton totaled 22 points on 10-of-30 shooting.

Elsewhere, Domantas Sabonis tallied 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers beat the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers 115-97 in Indianapolis.

TJ Warren scored 21 points, Myles Turner tallied 14 and Jeremy Lamb had 13 for the Pacers, who improved to 15-3 at home.

'Disappointing'

Doug McDermott also had 12 points for Indiana, while former 76er TJ McConnell added 11 points and 10 assists, ending a modest two-game losing skid for the Pacers.

"We played great basketball," Pacers' coach Nate McMillan said. "We established our defense, got stops and were able to get into transition.

"With 35 assists we were making their defense move and work. I just loved the tempo we established at the defensive end of the floor as well as the offensive end."

Philadelphia looked disorganized without all-star center Embiid, who has an injured left knee. They have won just three of seven games this season when Embiid sat out.

Ben Simmons had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Josh Richardson scored 20 points for the Sixers.

Since beating the Milwaukee Bucks 121-109 on Christmas Day, the Sixers have dropped three consecutive road games in Orlando, Miami and Indianapolis.

"After coming out of Miami (a 117-116 loss in overtime) and losing two games prior to being here, that's a disappointing performance," 76ers coach Brett Brown said.

"I do give Indiana credit as it relates to us missing shots. We certainly had people down. They were some of our better players. Just didn't have the performances that they're used to having."

Also, Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Sacramento Kings for the 10th straight time, 105-87.

Leonard finished eight of 21 from the floor with seven assists.

Paul George delivered 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Clippers, who have won 14 straight in Sacramento.

source: philstar.com

Lakers outmuscle Mavericks as LeBron hits assist milestone

LOS ANGELES – Anthony Davis had 23 points and nine rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 108-95, on Sunday at Staples Center (Monday, Manila time).

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope came off the bench to score 19 points while LeBron James, who turns 35 on Monday, finished with a double-double, 13 points and 13 assists.

James became the ninth player in league history to reach 9,000 career assists.

Luka Doncic, who entered the contest as the NBA's third-leading scorer at 29.1 points per game, had 19 points on five-of-14 shooting and seven assists.

The Mavericks got a scare in the second quarter when Doncic was slammed to the ground by Lakers Dwight Howard, who was hit with a foul on the play.


Doncic was driving to the basket and in the air when Howard reach in with his left arm sending Doncic crashing to the floor.

This is the second vicious hit by Howard on Doncic this season. In November, Howard bloodied the 20-year-old Slovenian with an elbow to the head.

Delon Wright added 14 points off the bench, while Kristaps Porzingis managed 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

The Lakers outshot the Mavericks 48.7 percent to 36 percent.

The Mavericks also played most of the game without Tim Hardaway who left the contest with 5:26 remaining in the first quarter after suffering a hamstring injury.

Hardaway, who had 25 points in the Mavericks' win at Golden State on Saturday, seemed to hurt himself after a dunk.

In New Orleans, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball scored 27 points each as the host New Orleans Pelicans defeated the injury-hit Houston Rockets 127-112.

Jrue Holiday and E'Twaun Moore added 25 each and Derrick Favors had 12 points and 16 rebounds as the Pelicans won for the fifth time in six games.

The Rockets played without Russell Westbrook and James Harden, who sat out with a sore toe. Harden is averaging a league best 38.3 points per game.

Westbrook sat out because the Rockets were playing two games in as many days after beating New Jersey 108-98 on Saturday.

Danuel House scored 22 points, Eric Gordon added 20 to lead the Rockets.

source: philstar.com

Doncic scores 24 in NBA return as Mavericks down Spurs

LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic made a winning return from a four-game injury absence on Thursday (Friday, Manila time), scoring 24 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 102-98 NBA victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Doncic, whose eight triple-doubles are the most in the NBA this season, added 10 rebounds and eight assists in his first game since he sprained his right ankle in a December 14 game against Miami.

"Felt good," a smiling Doncic said, although he added: "It was like I was running a marathon, I was so tired.


"When you miss four or five games, it's different, but it was great being back and we won," added Doncic, who played without any minutes restriction.

The Mavericks led by 17 points with 4:07 left to play.

San Antonio scored the last 13 points of the game but couldn't completely close the gap.

Rudy Gay's 3-pointer with 38.6 seconds left pulled San Antonio within four points.

But the Spurs' Derrick White missed a 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds remaining, and Doncic corralled the rebound to close it out.


Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points, and Kristaps Porzingis and Dorian Finney-Smith added 13 apiece for the Mavs.

DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio, scoring 16 of his 21 points in the second half.

In Detroit, the Pistons snapped a five-game skid with a 132-102 rout of the Washington Wizards.

Detroit matched their season high for points as they turned the tables on a team that had beaten them twice already this season.

Christian Wood led the Pistons with 22 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Tim Frazier added 17 points and six assists, Blake Griffin scored 14 points with 11 rebounds and Andre Drummond added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Detroit, up 68-48 at halftime, out-scored the Wizards 38-28 in the third to put the game away, giving coach Dwane Casey a chance to rest players — including the banged-up Griffin — in the fourth quarter.

To make matters worse for Washington, All-Star Bradley Beal left the court in the fourth quarter with soreness in his right lower leg.

He said he'd felt discomfort in the first half.

"We'll see how he feels tomorrow and evaluate it," coach Scott Brooks said.

In New York, Julius Randle drained a career-high five 3-pointers on the way to 33 points to lead the Knicks to a 94-82 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in a cross-town clash at the Barclays Center.

Marcus Morris scored 22 points for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game skid with their first win over the Nets in three meetings this season.

Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 25 points on 5 of 15 shooting.

Randle connected on 14 of 26 from the field for his second straight 30-point game.

The injury-depleted Nets connected on just 21 of 78 shots from the field.

Their 26.9 percent shooting was the worst in the league this year — worse than the 29.9 percent shooting performance of the Chicago Bulls against Toronto in November.

Irving absent

“We were just sharp," Randle said. "To hold that team to 82 points, 14 points in the paint, is just really, really sharp.

"We grinded the whole way, played a complete basketball game and we got the win."

Brooklyn star Kyrie Irving missed his 19th straight game as he continues to recover from a right shoulder injury, with Nets coach Kenny Atkinson offering little information on when he might return.

"I think we're still in the rehab process," Atkinson said, adding that he didn't think Irving and the Nets had reached the point of contemplating surgery.

"We're (in) on-court workout situation but the contact just hasn't been cleared yet," he said of Irving's progress. "I think that's the next hurdle. I wish I could tell you when that is.

"Hopefully sooner rather than later."

source: philstar.com

Year of trials and tribulations for Britain's royals

LONDON, United Kingdom — It was a year of trials and tribulations for Britain's royals that Queen Elizabeth II called "quite bumpy" in her Christmas Day message.

Here are some of the scandals and misfortunes to have troubled Britain's 93-year-old monarch.

The ailing prince

The year began with the queen's husband Prince Philip overturning his Land Rover after crashing it into an oncoming car.


It ended with the 98-year-old undergoing hospital treatment for what Buckingham Palace described as a "pre-existing condition".

The January accident left a woman with a broken wrist and the prince "shocked and shaken", according to a witness.

The prince was forced to undergo a routine breath test — which he passed.

He blamed the accident on glare from the winter sun and was soon seen driving around the private grounds of one of the royal mansions, but later voluntarily surrendered his driving licence.

Yet time has taken its toll on the queen's companion of 72 years.

He retired from public life in 2017 and had a hip replacement operation the following year.

"Once you get to that age things don't work as well," his son Charles told a reporter on Monday.

The 'favourite son'

The queen's children and grandchildren have frequently been caught up in mischief, but few of their problems have approached the one now facing Prince Andrew — the man often referred to as the queen's "favourite son".

Andrew was dogged throughout the year by allegations that he had sex with one of the victims of US paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when she was a teenager.

Andrew's attempts to clear his name in a BBC interview in November could have hardly gone worse.

The prince looked stiff and unapologetic — a performance akin to "watching a man in quicksand", according to PR consultant Mark Borkowski.

Andrew's lines of defence included a bizarre claim that he never sweated — his accuser said he perspired profusely - and that he only stayed at Epstein's home because it was the "honourable" thing to do.

"There is concern in Buckingham Palace," a royal source told The Sunday Times after the interview was aired.

The prince promised to "step back from public duties" a few days later.

The bickering grandchildren

Princess Diana's sons William and Harry found comfort in each other following their mother's death in a 1997 Paris car crash.

But the two princes found themselves dragged into a tabloid scandal involving rumours of a growing rift.

Prince Harry admitted in October that the two were "certainly on different paths".

"Inevitably stuff happens," he said in an ITV interview that was treated as a sensational revelation by some of the newspapers.

Both Harry and his American actress wife Meghan Markle spoke about their struggles living in the public eye.

Harry took legal action against two newspapers over the alleged illegal interception of voicemail messages around the same time.

Meghan filed a separate lawsuit against a paper that published excerpts of letters her estranged father had sent to her.

The Brexit mess

The bitter divisions over Britain's future that have accompanied its exit from the European Union have also given the queen some grief.

She became embroiled in the saga after she approved the suspension of parliament requested by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in August, amid accusations he was trying to stop lawmakers discussing Brexit.

The Supreme Court subsequently ruled that Johnson's request was unlawful as it stopped parliament from carrying out its duties.

The queen herself holds only symbolic power — in practice she has to follow the advice of her ministers.

But the BBC's royal correspondent Jonny Dymond called it "a hideous moment for the palace".

source: philstar.com

Cuba gets first prime minister in over 40 years

HAVANA, Cuba — Cuba's first prime minister in more than four decades — long-serving tourism minister Manuel Marrero — took office Saturday as the country resurrected a post last held by Fidel Castro.

The appointment of Marrero, 56, as head of government is part of a process of decentralization and generational change from the revolutionary old guard that is aimed at extending and protecting Communist Party rule.

"This proposal was duly approved by the political bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba," President Miguel Diaz-Canel said, presenting it to the country's National Assembly, which unanimously signed off.

Immediately after his presentation, Marrero received a handshake from former president Raul Castro, the leader of the Communist Party.

Marrero "is not coming to the job to transform, but rather to implement and manage. The president is the one who leads," said Cuba specialist Arturo Lopez-Levy of Holy Names University in California.


Marrero served as tourism minister from 2004, late in revolutionary hero Fidel Castro's administration, continuing in the post under Fidel's brother Raul and the current president, Diaz-Canel.

He began his career in government in 1999 as vice president of the powerful Gaviota Hotel Group belonging to the armed forces, becoming its president a year later — a post he held until 2004.

"Throughout his career... (Marrero) has been characterized by his modesty, honesty, work capacity, political sensitivity and loyalty to the party and the revolution," Diaz-Canel said.

The new premier "has led the tourism industry in a commendable fashion, which constitutes one of the main lines of development of the national economy," he added.

'Wide-ranging experience'

That is precisely why Marrero "who has all this wide-ranging experience in tourism and working with investors," is the pick, according to Lopez-Levy.

"It underscores the priority that this area holds in the country's development strategy," he said.

The position of prime minister was last held by Fidel Castro in 1976.

But the post was abolished when Castro transitioned to the presidency, taking over from Osvaldo Dorticos after the country's constitution was restructured.

Castro was a unique prime minister "given the weight of his persona," Lopez-Levy said.

"Ultimate power in the country was in Fidel's" hands during his time as prime minister from 1959-76, even though Dorticos was president and head of state, he said.

The appointment of a prime minister may signify a separation of powers but Lopez-Levy insisted that in Cuba it represents more of a "separation of functions" given the communist concept of political unity and the fact that the country is a one-party state.

Cuba's constitution required that the candidate come from the 605-member National Assembly, be at least 35, "be a Cuban citizen by birth and hold no other nationality."

The premier has the power to hire and fire state employees as well as overall control of provincial governors, another position restored under the new constitution.

Diaz-Canel also took aim at the United States on Saturday, at a time of high tensions between the superpower and the island nation.

He said that 2019 was "a year full of challenges, tension and aggression" by Washington.

The United States carried out a "brutal, insane" tightening of its long-running embargo, but "we are alive," Diaz-Canel said.

Agence France-Presse

Trump impeached for abuse of power

WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump was impeached for abuse of power in a historic vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, setting up a Senate trial on removing him from office after three turbulent years.

By a 230 to 197 vote in the Democratic-majority House, the 45th US president becomes just the third occupant of the White House in American history to be impeached.

Democrats said they had "no choice" but to formally charge the Republican president, whose impeachment along stark party lines places an indelible stain on his record while driving a spike ever deeper into the US political divide.

"What is at risk here is the very idea of America," said Adam Schiff, the lawmaker who headed the impeachment inquiry, ahead of the vote.

Trump will now stand trial in the Senate, where his Republicans hold a solid majority and are expected to exonerate him.


The House vote came four months after a whistleblower blew open the scandal of Trump pressuring Ukraine's president to investigate his potential White House challenger in 2020, the veteran Democrat Joe Biden.

After a marathon of 10 hours of debate, lawmakers were to vote quickly on the second article of impeachment facing Trump -- for obstructing the congressional probe into his Ukraine dealings by blocking the testimony of subpoenaed White House aides.

Despite testimony from 17 officials that Trump leveraged his office for domestic politic gain, the president maintained his innocence throughout the impeachment inquiry -- furiously denouncing it as a "witch hunt," an "attempted coup" and on Wednesday as an "assault on America."

Trump spent the first part of the day holed up at the White House, sending out tweets reflecting his frustration, anger and predictions of revenge in the 2020 election.

But as the vote took place, the 73-year-old was on friendlier territory.

In an extraordinary split screen moment, while the House was casting votes to impeach him, thousands of Trump's most fervent supporters were cheering him at a rally in Michigan where he railed against a "radical left" he said was "consumed with hatred."

Democrats are "trying to nullify the ballots of tens of millions of patriotic Americans," he charged.

"Four more years, four more years," the crowd chanted back.

'Threat to national security'

Neither of the two previous presidents impeached since 1789, Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998, was convicted in the Senate, and both held onto their jobs.

But despite the high likelihood of Trump being cleared by Senate Republicans, Democrats said the evidence against him was overwhelming and forced them to act.

"It is tragic that the president's reckless actions make impeachment necessary. He gave us no choice," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"It is a matter of fact that the president is an ongoing threat to our national security and the integrity of our elections."

Both camps approached the vote with solemnity.

"It's a big responsibility, it's sobering, and I think the members feel that way too," House Democrat Diana DeGette told AFP.

"I come to this floor not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as an American," said independent legislator Justin Amash.

"Impeachment is about maintaining the integrity of the office of the presidency."

'Triggered into impeaching'

The day of dramatic and often angry oratory saw both sides delving deep into Constitutional law, citing the intentions of the country's hallowed founders such as Benjamin Franklin or Alexander Hamilton.

Republicans repeatedly drove the line that the Democrats rushed the investigation; Trump was treated more unfairly than witches put on trial in the 17th century Americas -- or even than Jesus Christ, they claimed.

"Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to face his accusers. During that sham trial, Pontius Pilate afforded more rights to Jesus than the Democrats afforded this president and this process," said Georgia Republican Barry Loudermilk.

They accused Democrats of being driven by a party fringe of socialist extremists and "Trump-haters," and warned that impeaching Trump would backlash against the party in national elections next November.

"This is not about the Ukraine, it's about power," said Republican Matt Gaetz.

"Voters will never forget that Democrats have been triggered into impeaching the president, because they don't like him, and they don't like us."

Democrats countered that Republicans were not addressing the charges and evidence, instead issuing blanket denials and counter-accusations.

"We do not hear, because we cannot hear, because they cannot articulate, a real defense of the president's actions," said Jerry Nadler, whose Judiciary Committee drafted the charges against Trump.

source: philstar.com

'Couldn't wish for better year': Woods completes road to redemption

MELBOURNE – Two years ago the future for Tiger Woods looked bleak to the point of darkness.

Four back surgeries, countless knee operations, marital strife and run-ins with the law meant Woods had not won a major since 2008, had no tournament victories since 2013 and had seen his world ranking plummet to 656.

But on Sunday, US player-captain Tiger Woods capped a year that has seen one of the most memorable comebacks in sporting history by driving his team to a 16-14 victory over Ernie Els' Internationals in the 13th Presidents Cup in Melbourne.

The second coming of Tiger began with a drought-ending victory at the Tour Championship 15 months ago and accelerated with a 15th major and fifth green jacket at the US Masters in Augusta.

Having returned to the world's top 10, Woods needed yet more surgery to his troublesome left knee in August before writing another remarkable chapter of his storied career.

In his first tournament appearance after the arthroscopic operation, Woods equalled Sam Snead's record of 82 US PGA Tour wins when he won the inaugural Zozo Championship in Japan.

"It's been an amazing year," a beaming Woods told Golf TV in Melbourne. "I'm speechless.

"To have won a major championship, a green jacket, to have tied Sam and to have won a cup with all these guys, I couldn't have asked for a better year."

The road to redemption began with his long-awaited win at the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup finale, at East Lake, Atlanta, in September 2018.

Woods had endured two years out of the game and  shuffled out of the February 2018 Dubai Desert Classic, his tournament return, with back spasms, causing observers to question whether he could compete again at the highest level.

'I don't think I'll play again'

The thought had also crossed the mind of Woods.

Less than a year earlier he had hobbled into the Champions Dinner on the eve of the 2017 US Masters nursing yet another back injury, telling those assembled: "I'm done, I don't think I'll ever play golf again."

But two-and-a-half years later, Woods was unsurpassed at Royal Melbourne as he won all three of his matches and overtook Phil Mickelson for the most wins in Presidents Cup history.

"How about that? I like that stat," smiled Woods, after being told his win-loss-tie Cup record was now 27-15-1 against his great rival Mickelson's 26-16-13.

It left Els, not for the first time in his career, having to pick up the pieces after a defeat to Woods.

The big South African, widely praised for his captaincy which saw the Internationals lead after every session until Sunday when it mattered, might also regret his words on the eve of the tournament.

"I don't think today (Woods) has the same kind of aura he had in the past," Els had said.

Young Mexican Abraham Ancer is another player who might want to be careful about what he says in future.

"I would like to play against Tiger," Ancer said before the Presidents Cup began. "Winning a match in the singles would be very special."

He came up against a ruthless Woods who won 3 and 2.

"Abe wanted it," chided Woods. "And he got it."

Woods will fly home today to celebrate Christmas and then his 44th birthday on December 30.

Soon it will be 2020 and the continuation of the second coming of Tiger, with no one doubting more majors can follow to put him closer to Jack Nicklaus's all-time mark of 18.

There could also be a crack at Olympic gold in Tokyo.

But first he can be forgiven for putting his feet up. "I am now retired for the year," laughed Woods, before heading off to join the US team's celebrations.

source: philstar.com

Thousands of 'penis fish' exposed on California beach

LOS ANGELES, United States — Thousands of marine worms dubbed "penis fish" for their shape and color appeared this week on a California beach after a strong winter storm exposed them.

The creatures -- more commonly known as fat innkeeper worms -- covered Drakes Beach, 50 miles north of San Francisco.

Despite their eye-catching appearance, the pulsating worms which reach around 10 inches are adept at digging U-shaped burrows on beaches and marshes, using the tunnels to catch food.

Found almost exclusively in California, they are themselves considered a culinary delicacy in South Korea, with reputed aphrodisiac effects.

"Yes, the physical design of the fat innkeeper worm has some explaining to do," wrote biologist Ivan Parr. "But the fat innkeeper is perfectly shaped for a life spent underground."

Parr explained in a column on the Bay Nature website this week that fossil evidence of the animals dates back at least 300 million years.

"They are preyed on by otters, flounders, sharks, rays, gulls, and humans," the latter of whom eat them as sashimi, fried or grilled.

In this case the worms were caught out by heavy rain.

"We're seeing the risk of building your home out of sand," noted Parr.

"Strong storms... are perfectly capable of laying siege to the intertidal zone, breaking apart the sediments, and leaving their contents stranded on shore.

The beach is named after Francis Drake, who is believed to have landed here in 1579 during his circumnavigation of the globe.

source: philstar.com

Bono salutes journalists, activists, volunteers at 2019 Philippine concert

MANILA, Philippines — Irish rock band U2 has honored Red Cross volunteers, journalists and activists at the Philippine leg of their world tour, "The Joshua Tree Tour" promoted by MMI Live and held in Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

During the concert, frontman Bono asked concertgoers to include volunteers, journalists and activists in their prayers. In a Zipline press conference the other day, Bono shared that his concert was free for Red Cross volunteers and if not a singer, he would probably be a journalist.


“Red Cross is in the house tonight, volunteers. Let’s keep them in our prayers, the ones who keep us safe from physical harm,” Bono said.

“Also in our prayers, let’s keep the journalists, the truth-tellers, the activists who keep this country spiritually safe. We salute you. Truth-tellers, everyday heroes. Let’s see our lights, let’s see out stars in the middle of the sky,” he added.

Bono's statement comes on the same day it was reported that government officials and uniformed personnel were linked to at least 69 attacks and threats against journalists recorded since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office, according to a report of a network of media organizations.



U2, composed of Bono, guitarist David Evans, bass Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr, was in the country for the first time since the band started in 1976.

Bono thanked Filipinos for their patience as they played the band’s greatest hits in four decades, including, “With or Without You,” “Bullet the Blue Sky,” “Desire,” “Elevation,” “Where The Streets Have No Name,” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” to name a few.

“Thank you, Manila for your patience. I know it’s taken a while getting in the arena tonight. It took us four decades, but we feel very welcome. And this is for sure gonna be the best show we ever play in Manila,” Bono said.

source: philstar.com

NBA rejects Rockets protest after blown Harden dunk call

LOS ANGELES – The NBA has rejected the Houston Rockets' request for a replay following the blown call of a James Harden dunk in the team's 135-133 overtime defeat to the San Antonio Spurs last week.

The Rockets had lodged a protest after the officiating crew in the game mistakenly ruled out Harden's fourth quarter dunk.

Although officials later acknowledged the mistake, the error turned out to be pivotal, ultimately leading to double overtime where the Spurs would snatch victory.

The Rockets had requested the league allow them to replay the final seven minutes and 50 seconds of the fourth quarter, just before the officiating error.

In a ruling on the Rockets protest however, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the referees misapplied the rules by failing to grant a coach's challenge for the incident.

However in a statement issued Monday, Silver said that the Rockets had "sufficient time to overcome the error during the remainder of the fourth quarter and two subsequent overtime periods."

"Thus the extraordinary remedy of granting a game protest was not warranted," the statement read.

The league added that the three referees from the game had been disciplined for misapplying the coach's challenge rules. Details of the sanctions against the referees were not immediately available.

source: philstar.com

Philippines' Kristina Knott breaks Lydia de Vega's long-standing SEA Games record

MANILA, Philippines — Kristina Knott has broken a 33-year-long record set by Lydia de Vega in the 200-meter run at the 30th Southeast Asian Games in New Clark City on Saturday.

Clocking in at 23.07, Knott topped De Vega's 23.35 record she set back in 1986.

She also beat the SEA Games record of 23.30 record set by Thai Supavadee Khawpeag back in 2001.


Knott will move on to the Finals to be held Saturday evening after besting Indonesia's Alvin Tehupeiory and Vietnam's Thi Thu Ha.

Knott will hope to add another gold medal finish to the country's haul.


She also has a chance to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if she clocks in 22.80 or faster in the Finals Saturday evening.

source: philstar.com

US urges countries to suspend digital taxes

Washington – US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is urging countries like France to suspend taxes on global computing giants such as Google and Amazon and wait for a negotiated agreement on international taxation, according to a letter released Wednesday.

As the United States is poised to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion in French products over that country’s digital services tax, Mnuchin said talks in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development are key to resolving the issue.

“We believe that it is very important that these talks reach agreement in order to prevent the proliferation of unilateral measures, like digital services taxes, which threaten the longstanding multilateral consensus on international taxation,” Mnuchin said in a letter to OECD chief Jose Angel Gurria.


“We urge all countries to suspend digital services tax initiatives in order to allow the OECD to successfully reach a multilateral agreement,” he said in the letter, which was dated Tuesday.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Monday released a report slamming France’s tax as discriminatory and designed to target American tech giants like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.


He said Washington would proceed quickly with plans to impose tariffs on French products, including champagne, cosmetics, yogurt and Roquefort cheese.

The decision “sends a clear signal that the United States will take action against digital tax regimes that discriminate or otherwise impose undue burdens on US companies,” Lighthizer said in a statement on Monday.

The French tax imposes a three percent levy on the revenues earned by technology firms in France, which often come from online advertising and other digital services.


It targets revenue instead of profits, which are often reported by tech giants in low-tax jurisdictions like Ireland or Luxembourg in a practice that has enraged governments.

Lighthizer’s office said it is considering widening the investigation to look into similar taxes in Austria, Italy and Turkey.

Mnuchin said there is “broad support” for providing greater certainty on taxation.

“We look forward to working with the OECD along these lines, building on the work already done.”

A top EU official expressed concern this week that President Donald Trump’s administration was planning to pull out of the multilateral talks, so Mnuchin’s support for the talks come as a relief.

Cedric O, France’s secretary of state for the digital economy, also told AFP in Washington on Tuesday that France believed there was still time to stave off the threatened of tariffs.

“The first and foremost objective that we have is to strike a deal at the OECD,” he said, insisting that the current row was “not the end of the story.”

source: philstar.com

NATO leaders caught on camera mocking Trump

WATFORD, United Kingdom — The leaders of Britain, Canada, France and the Netherlands have  been caught on camera at a Buckingham Palace reception mocking US President Donald Trump's lengthy media appearances ahead of Wedensday's NATO summit.

The footage, shot by the British host's camera pool on Tuesday evening and spotted and subtitled by Canada's CBC, set the tone for the allies' summit in Watford, just outside London.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson can be heard asking France's President Emmanuel Macron: "Is that why you were late?"


Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interjects: "He was late because he takes a 40 minute press conference off the top."

Earlier Tuesday, Macron's one-on-one pre-summit meeting with Trump had been proceeded by a lengthy question and answer session with the media, as the leaders publicly disagreed about NATO strategy and trade.

In the video, Macron appears to tell an anecdote about the encounter as Britain's Princess Anne and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte look on, but the French leader's back is to camera and he is inaudible amid the hubbub.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, he announced..." an amused Trudeau declares, adding: "You just watched his team's jaw drop to the floor."

As he did at last year's NATO meeting, Trump has thrown out normal summit protocol and used his appearances with allied leaders to field dozens of questions from the world's media.

He has condemned as "nasty" Macron's criticism of brain dead NATO, branded European countries that have failed to meet military spending targets "delinquent" and railed against moves in Washington to impeach him.

Trump is due to give another news conference, this time on his own, later Wednesday after the 29 NATO leaders hold a full three-hour closed-door summit session and issue a statement to celebrate their unity.

source: philstar.com

Bucks keep streak alive as Sixers win

LOS ANGELES – Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points as the Milwaukee Bucks stretched their winning streak to 12 games on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time) with a 132-88 demolition of the hapless New York Knicks.

The Eastern Conference leaders showed no mercy to the worst side in the division, outscoring the Knicks by 33-15 in the first quarter and showing no let-up through a one-sided encounter.

Antetokounmpo was on court for just 21 minutes, adding 15 rebounds and shooting 10-of-14 while leading the scoring.

The Greek star was backed by Khris Middleton with 16 points and D.J. Wilson, who added 19 off the bench.

No fewer than six Milwaukee players finished in double digits, including Antetokounmpo's elder brother Thanasis who chipped in with 10 points from his 12 minutes on the court.


The win saw the Bucks improve to 18-3 at the top of the Eastern Conference, while the Knicks remained rooted to the bottom of the standings with just four wins against 17 defeats.

The Bucks are two games clear of second-placed Toronto, who stand at 15-4, just ahead of the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics (14-5).

The Philadelphia 76ers meanwhile remained in the hunt on Monday, claiming a 103-94 win over the Utah Jazz.


Tobias Harris led the scoring for the Sixers with 26 points, while Joel Embiid added 16 points and 11 rebounds in what had threatened to become a rout at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers had surged into a 60-42 lead at half-time and looked to be in control until a sustained Utah fightback.

The Jazz had trailed by 19 points after three quarters and managed to claw back the deficit to seven points with one minute remaining before the Sixers steadied the ship for the win.

The victory means Philadelphia preserve their unbeaten home record with 10 wins and no defeats. The Sixers are fifth in the Eastern Conference, with 15 wins and six defeats.

In Atlanta, meanwhile, Golden State's miserable start to the season continued with a 104-79 thumping by the Hawks.

Trae Young led the Atlanta rout with 24 points, while De'Andre Hunter had 18 and Damian Jones 16.

The Warriors, who have been ravaged by injuries and departures from their previously dominant roster that had reached the last five NBA finals, remain bottom of the Western Conference with just four wins against 18 defeats.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted maintaining the morale of his inexperienced squad was a challenge.

"It's not easy for everybody to lose," Kerr said after the defeat.

"Especially given that our team has fought really hard throughout the first quarter of the season and had some really difficult losses. It wears on you.

"Because you want those efforts to be rewarded. But you have to keep the faith and keep fighting, and it's my job to keep their spirits up and try and turn it around."

source: philstar.com

Local favorite Carlos Yulo strikes gold in SEA Games artistic gymnastics

MANILA, Philippines — World champion Carlos Yulo clinched yet another gold medal for the Philippines after starring in the artistic gymnastics all-around event in the 30th Southeast Games on Sunday.

Off a tantalizing horizontal bar routine, the gymnast led with 14.650 points in the floor exercise and scored 13.600 total points in the pommel horse to clinch the gold at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.


Yulo previously took the global stage by storm after running away with the gold in the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. The win made him the first Filipino world gymnastics champion, earning him much fanfare from crowds at home.

The 19-year-old gymnast had been training with Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya for the past four years.

And today, his hard work again paid off.

source: philstar.com