Hottest News Last Week! (March 30 - April 5)

NBA ‘Angling’ To Cancel 2019-20 Season Amid ‘Significant Amount Of Pessimism’

The NBA suspended its season mid-March after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. A timetable to return isn’t clear as the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shared the latest school of thought from the league’s inner circle, noting there is increased pessimism the NBA can resume the 2019-20 campaign:

“The talks between the players union and the league this week, I’ve talked to both sides of this issue, and it is clear that the NBA is angling to set up a deal that enables them to shut the season down.

“Now they don’t have to do that yet, and the way they’re negotiating they’re leaving themselves an option either way, but they’re not having talks about how to restart the league, they’re having financial talks about what would happen if the season shuts down, and I think there is a significant amount of pessimism right now.”

Duterte blasts Diokno for allegedy encouraging people to defy lockdown

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday night lashed out at human rights lawyer Chel Diokno for allegedly criticizing the government’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and encouraging people to defy the lockdown.

In a public address, the President unleashed a torrent of insults against the former senatorial candidate.

Chinese experts arrive in PH to help in coronavirus response

A team of doctors and experts from China arrived in the Philippines on Sunday, April 5, to help in responding to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

In a tweet, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr said the experts bring with them “invaluable firsthand experiences to share on fighting and containing” COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Duterte fires PACC exec who sought probe on Robredo’s coronavirus relief efforts

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday night said he fired Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) commissioner Manuelito Luna for calling an investigation on Vice President Leni Robredo’s relief efforts for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Wala namang kasalanan ang Vice President. Bakit ipaimbestiga?” he said in a public address.

(The Vice President is not at fault. Why investigate her?)

“Ito naman, may tao ako na abugado sa PACC, commissioner Manuelito Luna. Gusto nya ipaimbestiga si Leni kung bakit magsolicit. Anak ng. Kaya nung narinig ko, sabi ko, ‘fire him.’ As of this moment, he is no longer connected with government,” Duterte said.

Tiger at NYC’s Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus

A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the new coronavirus, in what is believed to be the first known infection in an animal in the U.S. or a tiger anywhere, federal officials and the zoo said Sunday.

The 4-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia — and six other tigers and lions that have also fallen ill — are believed to have been infected by a zoo employee who wasn’t yet showing symptoms, the zoo said. The first animal started showing symptoms March 27, and all are doing well and expected to recover, said the zoo, which has been closed to the public since March 16 amid the surging coronavirus outbreak in New York.

Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1254439/tiger-at-nycs-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-coronavirus#ixzz6IpAjsvLO

Lawyer files complaint vs Sen. Pimentel over quarantine breach

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III is facing a complaint for violating COVID-19 quarantine protocols.

Former University of Makati law dean lawyer Rico Quicho filed the complaint before the Department of Justice on Monday.

Pimentel, who tested positive for the virus, drew outrage for visiting the Makati Medical Center on March 24 to accompany his wife Kathryna who was about to give birth. The lawmaker, who was exhibiting flu-like symptoms, was supposed to be under strict home quarantine after his exposure to positive cases. His test results later confirmed that he did contract the disease and potentially exposed a number of health workers at the hospital and staff at members-only supermarket S&R.