Philippine News

LOS ANGELES, June 15 ------ The New York Knicks, fueled by a sensational 45 points from Jalen Brunson, rallied again to beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 and win their first NBA title in 53 years. The Knicks won the best-of-seven championship series 4-1, denying Victor Wembanyama and his young Spurs teammates on their home floor to lift the trophy for the first time since 1973. The Knicks, who recovered from 29 points down in game four in the biggest comeback win in Finals his

MANILA, June 15 ------ It was Chris McCullough's turn to deliver a monster performance, keeping TNT Tropang 5G alive in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup Finals while also spoiling yet another masterpiece from Justin Brownlee. McCullough erupted for a career-high 53 points as TNT defeated Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 98-90, in Game 6 before 22,731 fans at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao. "I just wanted to come out and be aggressive," said McCullough, who also tied his caree

MANILA, Philippines, June 15 ------ Gilas Pilipinas Youth men’s team completed a sweep of the Seaba qualifiers and officially qualified for the Fiba U18 Asia Cup in August. Gilas defeated home team Thailand, 85-70, in the gold medal game at Chan Ka Pho Gymnasium in Thailand. Virtually, the Philippines had already secured its ticket to the continental competition when it defeated Malaysia in the semifinals. The top two teams in the Seaba qualifiers have an outright berth to th

CANDON, Ilocos Sur, June 15 ------ Alas Pilipinas bowed down to Iran in straight sets, 21-25, 12-25, 21-25, to conclude its 2026 AVC Cup campaign at eighth place at the Candon City Arena here. This marks the Philippines’ lowest finish in all editions of the tournament. The country’s worst result before this was in the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup, settling for seventh place in another Philippine-hosted tourney. Alyssa Solomon topped all Filipino scorers with 12 points on 11 attacks

June 15 ------ For the ninth edition of the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors’ (SPEEd) The Eddys, veteran actors John Arcilla, Edgar Mortiz, Rio Locsin and Janice de Belen will receive the 2026 Movie Icon Award for their “enduring commitment to their craft and their contributions to raising the standard of Filipino films.” The awards ceremony will be held on July 5 at the Ceremonial Hall of Newport World Resorts in Pasay City. On the other hand, the recipients of th

June 15 ------ As part of its international activities, SB19 is set to hold a Thanksgiving fan meet titled “I WaS There” in the United States and Japan. The five-member group—Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin—announced the special fan event through a Facebook post. The first stop of the “I WaS There Thanksgiving Fanmeet” will be held in Sacramento, USA on August 8, followed by another gathering in Yokohama, Japan on August 18. Ahead of the fan meet, the group is set to make

MANILA, Philippines, June 15 ------ Nothing is never late in life as long as you pursue it. Having a concert at 71 happened for actor-turned-TV director Edgar “Bobot” Mortiz last June 13 at the full-house Proscenium Theater. Edgar made it happen, no matter how belatedly. Two years ago, he launched his eight-track debut album, “Goin’ Standard,” when he turned 70. This time, he took the stage for the first time and did a solo concert. The Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) bac

June 15 ------ Jinkee Pacquiao took to social media to share a glimpse of the wedding of her son, Jimuel Pacquiao, to his partner Carolina Pimentel in Los Angeles, California. On her Instagram page, the socialite wrote: "My son today, a groom forever. Wishing you a lifetime of joy in the Lord and endless love!" As seen in the photos, Jimuel and Carolina tied the knot in a garden wedding in L.A. on June 12, which was attended by the couple's family and friends. The wedding fea

MANILA, Philippines, June 15 ------ The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Southern and Central Mindanao on June 8 has risen to 61, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The NDRRMC said 54 deaths were reported in Region 12 and seven in Region 11 as of 6 a.m. yesterday. At least 40 people remain missing while 1,403 have been injured. The quake affected 724,000 people, with around 10,000 staying in evacuation centers. In

MANILA, June 15 ------ The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said the floating structure detected inside Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea had shifted to the northern part of the shoal. "So for an update, ‘yong platform na ipinakita namin noong Wednesday na namataan natin sa may kalagitnaan ng loob ng Bajo de Masinloc Shoal ay umangat na sa ibabaw meaning they are on the northern most part of Bajo de Masinloc,” said PCG Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Wes

MANILA, Philippines, June 15 ------ The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)’s BRP Gabriela Silang joined a multinational group sail with a Philippine Navy (PN) vessel and ships from four other countries, as they traveled from Guam to Hawaii to participate in the world’s largest maritime warfare exercise Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2026 (RIMPAC 2026). BRP Gabriela Silang was joined by the PN’s BRP Miguel Malvar, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s JS Kongo, Italian Navy’s ITS Giovann

MANILA, Philippines, June 15 ------ Amid the leadership dispute in the Senate, Sen. Joel Villanueva yesterday vowed to attend a special session if called by President Marcos, to address issues such as disaster relief for Mindanao and the stalled promotion of military officers. Delivering a message during the healing service of the Jesus Is Lord (JIL) Church, Villanueva broke his silence on the political turmoil, saying that his mandate is above factional bickering. “In case t

June 15 ------ The U.S. and Iran have completed a long-awaited agreement to bring an end to the Strait of Hormuz standoff and restart traffic. The new 60-day ceasefire deal was delayed at the last minute after an Israeli strike on Beirut prompted Iran to suspend a much-anticipated signing on Sunday and prepare a counterstrike on Israeli territory instead; the White House offered additional concessions to Iran to ward off that strike, according to Iranian sources, and the deal

June 15 ------ A supply boat sank off Pasir Panjang Terminal in Singapore on the morning of 12 June 2026 following a collision with a landing craft, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Police Coast Guard (PCG), and the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) Marine Division were swiftly activated to the scene, launching coordinated search and rescue operations shortly after the incident was repo

June 15 ------ While bombs are falling in the Middle East, EU Member States continue to export live animals to the region, with the European Commission (EC) refusing to be held accountable, says the Eurogroup for Animals, the French animal welfare organization Welfarm and the German NGO Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF). The organizations have submitted a joint petition to the EC calling for an immediate halt to these transports. Almost 50,000 signatories are calling on the EU

June 15 ------ Royal Caribbean has celebrated the keel-laying of its seventh Oasis Class vessel at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. The soon-to-be-named ship will join the revolutionary Oasis Class lineup in 2028. The vessel follows Oasis of the Seas (2009), Allure of the Seas (2010), Harmony of the Seas (2016), Symphony of the Seas (2018), Wonder of the Seas (2022), and Utopia of the Seas (2024). Source: marinelink.com

June 15 ------ The United States and Iran agreed to a peace deal and an "immediate and permanent" end to military operations on all fronts including Lebanon, signaling the apparent end to more than three months of war in Middle East. The initial announcement from mediator Pakistan was quickly confirmed by Washington and Tehran, and an official signing ceremony was scheduled for June 19 in Switzerland. "The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete," US President

ISTANBUL, June 15 ------ Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire on paper after SpaceX priced its record initial public offering at $135 per share, according to calculations based on company and Tesla filings. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX, priced 555.6 million Class A shares at USD135 each, raising about USD75 billion in the largest IPO in history. The offering values the company at about USD1.77 trillion and is expected to make Spa

KYIV, Ukraine, June 15 ------ A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and injured three in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, local officials said as part of Kyiv's campaign of strikes on military and energy targets deep inside Russia. Drone debris sparked a fire at a sea terminal, local Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said. He did not give details, but Russian news outlets reported that a Black Sea export terminal transporting terminal crude oil, petroleum products and liquefie

KYIV, June 15 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken to US President Donald Trump and discussed efforts to achieve an end to the more than four-year war, ahead of a G7 meeting in France this week. Zelensky, writing on Telegram, said he had wished Trump a happy 80th birthday and thanked him for the assistance provided by Washington throughout the conflict. "I wished President Trump every success, first and foremost in his efforts to end Russia's war a