MONACO --- Fabio Fognini ended Rafael Nadal's winning streak at the Monte Carlo Masters, stunning the defending champion 6-4, 6-2 Saturday to reach the final for the first time and hand Nadal his first defeat here since a loss to Novak Djokovic in the 2015 semifinals. Fognini had beaten Nadal twice before on clay, and also once at the U.S. Open in five sets, but this was arguably the most impressive. "I have the game to play against him," the 13th-seeded Fognini said. "I had nothing to lose." He wasn't concerned if Nadal was out of form. "That's not the question that I have to answer," Fognini said. "I just say that I played an incredible match." Still, the second-...

Keep on reading: Fognini stuns Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-2 to reach Monte Carlo final

LEGAZPI CITY --- Some P18 million worth of "shabu" (crystal meth) were confiscated from two Nigerians and a native of Camarines Sur province in separate buy-bust operations in Naga City. Police Major Maria Luisa Calubaquib, information officer of Bicol police, said at 12:15 a.m. on Sunday, Azubuike Onwigbolu, 32, a Nigerian businessman residing at Angeles City, Pampanga, was arrested in a buy-bust in Barangay (village) Triangulo. The authorities seized suspected shabu worth about P17 milion from Onwigbolu who entered Naga three days before he was arrested. In a separate operation on Saturday, Judith Camacho, 46, a resident of San Jose village in Bombon town in Camarines Sur, and...

Keep on reading: ‘Shabu’ worth P18M seized in Naga City buy-busts

NEW YORK --- Terence Crawford knocked Amir Khan down just a few punches into their fight. The punch that finally ended it was below the belt. Crawford retained his welterweight title by technical knockout Saturday night when Khan wasn't able to continue after being hit with a low blow in the sixth round. Crawford threw a left hand that hit Khan on his right hip and Khan retreated toward his corner in pain. After taking a couple minutes trying to shake off the pain, his corner told the referee that Khan couldn't continue. "I could tell I was breaking him down. It was just a matter of time," Crawford said. It was a strange, unsatisfying ending to Top Rank's first ESPN pa...

Keep on reading: Terence Crawford wins by TKO when Amir Khan doesn’t go on after low blow

MANILA, Philippines -- The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) recorded a zero rate of untoward incidents during the observance of Holy Week, its director announced on Sunday.   Jail Chief Superintendent Allan Iral made the announcement as he sent his Easter greetings to personnel.   "Nagpapasalamat ako sa inyong lahat sa inyong kooperasyon at pakikiisa upang siguruhing walang anumang insidente ngayong Mahal na Araw. Maraming salamat sa inyong sakripisyo at sa ipinakita niyong dedikasyon sa trabaho," Iral said in a statement.   "Kahit sinong lider, talaga namang magiging proud sa mga kasamahan niya lalo at nakita ko din kung paano kayo nagsakrip...

Keep on reading: BJMP records zero untoward incidents in jails during Holy Week break

SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES --- A 35-year-old factory worker died after drowning in a popular tourist spot here on Black Saturday, police said. Pjay Chavarria, a resident of Barangay Manggahan in Subic town, was on a beach outing with his family at Nagsasa Cove in Barangay Pundakit here when he drowned while swimming before noon. Police said two other tourists in the area tried but failed to rescue the victim. Nagsasa is among the secluded coves of this town and has been drawing tourists during summer....

Keep on reading: Factory worker drowns in Zambales on Black Saturday

SALT LAKE CITY --- James Harden overcome a horrible shooting performance and scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Houston Rockets to a 104-101 win over the Utah Jazz for a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Harden made a 3-pointer and added two free throws with 42.4 seconds left to give the Rockets a 101-97 lead. After Donovan Mitchell made two free throws, Harden missed another 3-point attempt, but P.J. Tucker, who finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made one of two free throws. Mitchell had a wide-open look at a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, but like so many of his shots in the hard...

Keep on reading: James Harden misfires, Rockets still beat Jazz for 3-0 series lead

TACLOBAN CITY --- The military in Eastern Visayas is in favor of localized peace talks with members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front-New People's Army (CPP-NDF-NPA). Captain Reynaldo Aragones, spokesperson of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City, Samar, said it would be better to meet and talk with local armed rebels than with their national leaders since the former were more familiar with local issues and concerns. "It's because they will be the ones who will directly benefit (from the peace talks) and not those from above who are just enjoying their lives compared to the locals who eat nothing but copra," Aragones said, referring t...

Keep on reading: Gov’t army in Eastern Visayas OK with local peace talks

MANILA, Philippines --- Police regional offices in Region 13, Region 11, and Region 1 have the highest crime solution efficiency (CSE) rate during the first quarter of 2019, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Sunday. Police Colonel James T Goforth, Chief of the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division (RIDMD), said Region 13, 11, and 1 had CSE rate of 89.39 percent, 85.41 percent, and 83.01 percent, respectively. Goforth said that this is the second consecutive period that Region 13 had the highest CSE rate among PNP's regional offices. For the last quarter of 2018, Region 13 had a CSE rate of 86.19 percent, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) at...

Keep on reading: Crime solution efficiency at 89% in Caraga, 85% in Region 11 in Q1 2019 — PNP

Kapuso star Marian Rivera revealed the first photo of her second baby Jose Sixto Dantes IV, as she give thanks for her blessings this Easter Sunday, April 21. "Noon, nangarap kaming magkaroon ng supling at binigyan Niya kami ng isa. Makalipas ang tatlong taon, humingi kami at ibinigay Niya," she said. (Before, we dreamt of having a child and He gave us one. After three years, we asked again and He gave us another.) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwgGU5XA0zf/ "Ang magkaroon ng isang lalaking anak ay sagot sa aming mga dasal, kaya't naguumapaw ang aking puso sa biyayang ito," the actress added. (To have a son is an answer to our prayers, that is why my heart is overflowing fro...

Keep on reading: LOOK: Marian Rivera reveals newborn son Sixto in close up

CEBU CITY --- Arturo Tecson Jr. brought with him something precious when he went back to work to Saudi Arabia on Saturday: His daughter's medal. He wanted to keep it to honor the memory of Allyza Marie, 18, who didn't make it to her senior high school graduation last April 4. She died of dengue last March 15, about three weeks before she was supposed to graduate in senior high with honors at the Asian College of Technology Bulacao campus in Talisay City, about 12 km south of here. Allyza was one of the 38 people who died of dengue in Central Visayas since the start of the year. The number of dengue cases had gone up to 6,521 from Jan. 1 to April 16, the highest number in ...

Keep on reading: Honor student one of 38 who died of dengue in 1st quarter in Central Visayas

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka --At least 42 people were killed and 160 were wounded Sunday in a string of blasts at hotels and churches in Sri Lanka as worshippers attended Easter services, a police official told AFP. The explosions hit three high-end hotels in the capital, where a church was also targeted. Two additional churches were hit, one near Colombo and the other in the east of the country, police said. At least one of the victims was killed in Colombo's Cinnamon Grand Hotel, near the prime minister's official residence, where the blast ripped through a restaurant, a hotel official told AFP. The first explosions were reported at St Anthony's Church in Colombo and St Sebastian's...

Keep on reading: Blasts hit Sri Lanka churches, 42 reported killed

MANILA, Philippines -- A taxi driver who was earlier arrested for overcharging a passenger was collared again by the police for allegedly robbing an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who just arrived in the country.   Police said cabbie Orestes Quizon, 48, of Las Pias City, was first arrested in 2017 when he allegedly threatened to hit a passenger with a tire wrench after the latter refused to pay the P1,250 fare which Quizon was charging him.   MIAA General Manager Ed Monreal said Sunday that the latest incident involving Quintos happened last April 17 coming from the Naia Terminal 2.   Monreal said that an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), Karen Mitschel...

Keep on reading: Taxi driver strikes again; accused of robbing OFW

SAN PEDRO CITY --- Police and anti-drugs agents seized suspected shabu worth P130,000 in an operation in Siniloan town in Laguna province, authorities said Sunday. They also arrested Rayanah Gamama Delna, 54, a vendor and resident of Barangay Mendiola in the town. Laguna police chief Col. Eleazar Matta, in a report, said Delna was accused of pushing illegal drugs in the towns ofSiniloan, Mabitac, Pakil, Famy, and Santa Maria in Laguna and in Tanauan City, Batangas. Police Major Jojo Sabeniano, spokesperson of the Laguna police, said Delna agreed to meet a government asset and sell P1,000 worth of alleged shabu (crystal meth) in front of a mosque in Mendiola around 2 p.m. Saturda...

Keep on reading: P130k worth of ‘shabu’ seized in Laguna

Kathryn Bernardo leaped onto boyfriend Daniel Padilla's arms during a surprise visit by him in Hong Kong yesterday while she was filming her upcoming movie with Alden Richards. The adorable KathNiel moment was captured on camera and shared to fans in a series of Instagram Stories of director Peewee Gonzales, reposted by an Instagram fan account @kathnielpeeps, yesterday, April 20. Bernardo can be seen jumping in Padilla's arms in excitement upon seeing her boyfriend. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwcdi7_nr6s/ In another video, Padilla can be heard asking Bernardo, "kumain ka na? (have you eaten?)" while the two were still enveloped in an embrace. "Let's give these two a mom...

Keep on reading: WATCH: Daniel Padilla surprises Kathryn Bernardo in Hong Kong

Volcanic ash hit parts of Bali, including Klungkung, Bangli, Denpasar, Badung and Tabanan on Sunday morning following the eruption of Mount Agung in Karangasem. The eruption, however, did not affect the operations of Bali's main airport, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. Mt. Agung's observatory post recorded the eruption at 3:21 a.m. local time, with the volcano spewing ash up to around 2,000 meters from the volcano's peak. The local disaster mitigation agency immediately took precautionary action. "Our team has begun distributing face masks [to affected people]," Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency head Made Rentin said on Sunday. The Center for Volcanology and Ge...

Keep on reading: Bali hit by volcanic ash after Mount Agung erupts

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukrainians vote in the second round of an extraordinary election on Sunday with a comedian who plays a president on TV expected to win in a stunning rebuketo the political establishment. Forty-one-year-old Volodymyr Zelensky's bid to lead the country was initially dismissed as a joke. But opinion polls suggest incumbent President Petro Poroshenko is heading for defeat amid widespread anger over poverty and corruption. Polls open at 0500 GMT, with exit poll results expected at 1700 GMT and the first preliminary results several hours later. Zelensky's victory would open a new chapter in the history of a country that has gone through two popular uprisings in tw...

Keep on reading: Comic poised to take over presidency in Ukraine vote

MANILA, Philippines -- Following the signing of the 2019 national budget, Senator Win Gatchalian called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to coordinate with the Department of Education regarding the honoraria of teachers who would serve in the May elections.   According to Gatchalian, the Comelec should ensure that teachers to be deployed on Election Day would receive their honoraria on time.   The honoraria are for teachers who would serve as Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) in the elections.   "Bawat eleksyon na lang ay naririnig natin ang hinaing ng mga guro dahil sa delay ng release ng kanilang honoraria at travel allowance bilang BEI," G...

Keep on reading: Ensure teachers’ honoraria, Garchalian tells Comelec

OAKLAND, Calif. --- When a fan ran on the field during the Blue Jays-Athletics game, he got tossed by umpire Jeff Nelson. Quite literally, actually. Nelson put a swift end to the fan's elusive romp at the Coliseum on Saturday, grabbing the man with both hands near second base and, aided by a security officer, flinging him to the ground. A couple of innings after a fan ran on the field and was apprehended trying to get back into the seats, a wiry man dashed onto the diamond in left field during the bottom of the ninth inning. The fan touched second base, ran to first base and headed to the mound, where he went through the motion of a windup. With Toronto fielders watch...

Keep on reading: Tossed! Umpire flings fan who runs on field in Jays-A’s game

ROME --- Cristiano Ronaldo played a key role in the winning goal and Juventus beat Fiorentina 2-1 Saturday to clinch a record-extending eighth straight Serie A title. It's the first time in Europe's five major leagues --- Italy, England, Spain, Germany and France --- that a club has won eight straight titles. And it was a big relief for Juventus following its elimination by Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday, after failing to clinch last weekend with a surprise loss at Spal. "It was upsetting and negative on Tuesday," Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci said. "Today we turned our anger toward the pitch and transformed it into positive energy to achieve this goal." Juv...

Keep on reading: Cristiano Ronaldo plays key role as Juventus wins 8th straight title

MANILA, Philippines --- Defend your freedom amid threats to democracy.   This was the call of Vice President Leni Robredo to the public as the country celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.   "Sa panahong ito kung saan tila maraming banta sa ating demokrasya at mga karapatan, gawin nating liwanang ang lakas at sakripisyo ni Kristo upang patuloy tayong tumindig at magkapit-bisig upang ipagtanggol ang ating kalayaan," Robredo said in a Facebook video message late Saturday night.   "Magsilbing paalala rin sana ang araw na ito sa ating lahat na sa huli, sa kabila ng kadiliman at kahirapan, ang kabutihan at pagmamahalan pa rin ang mananaig,...

Keep on reading: Robredo on Easter Sunday: Defend freedom, democracy