MANILA, Philippines — The Negros Kingsmen are close to the throne.After two years and six conferences, the Negros Kingsmen have finally gotten the monkey — the Iloilo Kisela Knights — off their backs in semifinals chess of PCAP’s Open Conference Saturday.Negros shocked Iloilo by taking blitz play of the first set, 5.5-1.5. In rapid chess, GM Joey Antonio, WFM Cherry Ann Meija, and NM Cesar Mariano scored huge points, but that was it. Their homegrown boards, long a source of strength for them, were shut down by the Kingsmen’s NM Joel Pimentel, NM Edsel Montoya, and Ellan Asuela for the crucial six points and an 8-6 win for a 13.5-7.5 win in the first set.During the second set and with a sense of urgency, if not desperation, Iloilo notched blitz play at 3.5-all. Come rapid chess, FM David Elorta, the huge difference in Negros’ ascent these last two conferences, took the two points from Antonio. Meija and Mariano still got their points but the homegrown boards were once more the difference. Only the Kisela Knights’ FM Fritz Bryan Porras scored some points as Negros took rapid chess 9-5 for an overall 12.5-8.5 win in the second set. And that sent Iloilo tumbling out of the southern division finals for the first time in their history as they made the division finals five consecutive times and the grand finals three straight. Negros will now take on the Davao Chess Eagles who beat back a spirited challenge from the Toledo Trojans — 11.5-9.5 and 2-1 in Armageddon in the second set. WNM Rowelyn Joy Acedo, NM Alex Lupian, and NM Jonathan Tan carried the Chess Eagles in the first set. In the second set, Acedo, Lupian, and FM Sander Severino provided big points in both blitz and rapid chess for the win.Like Negros, Toledo has been knocking on the door of chess greatness — perhaps, one player away from taking on Davao or Iloilo.But now, it will be Davao versus Negros for the southern division title and the right to go to the grand finals of the Open Conference. The division finals is slated for Wednesday, December 7.

MANILA, Philippines — Former ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon Vera will be trading the ring for movie sets as he announced his retirement after two decades in the sport at ONE 164 at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday night.Vera, 45, suffered a loss against Iran's Amir Aliakbari via TKO in the opening round of their contest in the main card of ONE Championship's return to Manila.Having been in the MMA industry since 2002, Vera said it is time to change careers."Pasensya ha. Kababayan, dito at sa buong mundo, ang tagal ko nang ginagawa ito, mga 20 plus years na. Eto ngayon, you just witnessed 'The Truth''s very last fight in MMA." an emotional Vera said after the fight."I wish I could've went out with the win, I broke my damn hand again, p********. Mahal ko kayong lahat. Salamat sa inyong pagmamahal sa akin. I love you all, thank you for everything that you've given me MMA, ONE Championship." he added.A standing ovation greeted Vera in his last exit from the ONE Circle, as he left his gloves inside — a gesture signaling the end of his MMA journey.The Fil-Am MMA icon was the Singapore promotion's first-ever heavyweight champion and reigned supreme until 2021 when he was dethroned by India's Arjan Bhullar.Vera was among the five Filipino world champions who simultaneously held their belts at the end of 2018, which marked a golden age for the country in ONE Championship.Though he won't be seeing action in the ONE Circle anymore, Vera promised his fans they would see him again — this time on a movie screen."To all my fans around the world, even though I'm not in here, you'll see me on the big screen. We just signed a 10-movie deal here in the Philippines." said Vera."Panoorin niyo yung pelikula ko." he quipped.Vera finished his MMA career with a 16-10, 1 NC record.

Maxene Magalona spoke up about her separation from ex-husband Rob Mananquil, admitting she considers it as a "blessing in disguise" as it enabled them to "work on themselves" and process unresolved personal issues.Magalona looked back on her marriage with Mananquil after she was asked by actress-TV host Toni Gonzaga what she learned from the breakup in an interview for Gonzaga's vlog on Friday, Dec. 2."Coming into my marriage, I will admit that I was still very unconscious and unaware," Magalona said. "I was still very much controlled by my ego, which means that sometimes we get into marriages and relationships based on pressure — because of our age, because society says.

Naseem Shah was answering a question about the pitch on offer at Rawalpindi, which has come under scrutiny due to the number of runs being scored by England and Pakistan batters.

Sharon Stone opened up about giving that starstruck reaction to seeing Shah Rukh Khan next to her at the Red Sea Film Festival on Thursday.

(Reuters) - The West should consider how to address Russia's need for security guarantees if President Vladimir Putin agrees to

Iran’s mandatory hijab law is being reviewed by the parliament and judiciary, the attorney general indicated.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points in his return to action and the Oklahoma City Thunder took advantage of Rudy Gobert’s early ejection to post a chippy 135-128 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves

MANILA, Philippines — A four-story residential building in the city of Malabon collapsed on Sunday, injuring at least two and trapping one more.According to the Bureau of Fire Protection in an advisory, the building was located on Orchid St, Barangay Longos, Malabon.The BFP said the collapse was reported around 7:00 a.m., and its authorities were dispatched immediately, with rescue operations still ongoing as of 10:53 a.m.Meanwhile, the Malabon City Government said that two people have so far been counted as injured, while one was trapped in the said collapse.“Inaalam pa ng mga kinauukulan kung ano ang sanhi ng pagbagsak nito (authorities are still investigating w

Here are today’s top news, analysis, and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

Andrew Wiggins scored a season-best 36 points and matched his career high with eight 3-pointers, leading the Golden State Warriors past the Houston Rockets 120-101 in the second game of back-to-backs for both teams

With all sorts of turmoil behind them, No. 1 Georgia left no doubt about the top team heading into the College Football Playoff

LEGAZPI CITY — Authorities arrested two suspected drug personalities and recovered P714,000 worth of shabu (crystal meth) in a buy-bust operation in Naga City in Camarines Sur province early Sunday, December 4.Police Senior Master Sergeant Tobias Bongon, Naga City police spokesperson, said in a report that Raynier Dayaday, 37, and Susan Alegre, 59, were arrested after selling 25 grams of shabu for P75,000 in Barangay (village) San Felipe at around 5:15 a.m.During the body search, they also recovered 80 grams of shabu from the possession of the suspects.The suspects were in the custody of the police and will be facing charges of violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous D

Keyontae Johnson scored 17 points, Marquis Nowell hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute and Kansas State had the last rally in a 55-50 victory over Wichita State

Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists and Max Domi scored twice as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the New York Rangers 5-2 to snap an eight-game losing streak

Brittany married Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II earlier this year and the pair are already parents to daughter Sterling Skye

Deion Sanders is taking over as head coach at Colorado, bringing his charisma and larger-than-life persona to a beleaguered Pac-12 program that’s plunged to the bottom of college football

Russian forces in Ukraine are burning through ammunition faster than the country's defense industry can replace it, U.S. National Intelligence Director Avril Haines said on Saturday.

Palestinians have pushed back against Israeli police claims that an Israeli border police officer who shot to death a 22-year-old Palestinian at close range acted in self-defense

Sunshine Dizon opened up about "feeling overwhelmed" recently, revealing she has been diagnosed with mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, panic attacks and abandonment issues.The actress shared some of her realizations as she showed herself confined at a hospital through her Instagram page on Saturday, Dec. 3. Dizon did not immediately disclose the reason for her hospitalization."Unfortunately this [is] me. Hoping it's not [COVID-19] again," she said. "Realizations, some people will love you enough to move mountains just to be with you, and some will have lame excuses because you are not and will never be their priority."I’

England take on Senegal in the round-of-16 on Sunday as they bid to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the second successive tournament. Gareth Southgate’s side finished top of Group B, but face a tough task against the reigning Africa Cup of Nations holders, who finished second in Group A behind the Netherlands. World champions France take on Poland in Sunday’s other knockout match, while Argentina and the Netherlands booked their places in the last eight with wins against Australia and the USA respectively on Saturday. Here, the PA news agency looks at what lies ahead on the second day of last-16 matches and how Saturday’s action unfolded. Southgate embraces expectation England head coach Gareth Southgate is embracing the increased expectation as England begin the World Cup knockout phase on Sunday with a tough clash against Senegal. All eyes will be on cavernous Al Bayt Stadium as the Group B winners play their first knockout match on the world stage since their agonising extra-time defeat to Croatia in the 2018 semi-finals. “I guess the biggest thing is the expectation levels and the satisfaction levels,” Southgate said. “We have to take a step at a time, the same thing. We talked about that from the beginning of the tournament. “Our first objective was to qualify from the group. We knew we had three games to do that. There was an awful lot of noise after our second, but we stayed calm and on track, and we’ve qualified as well as anybody else has. “But we’re now on to the more important part of the competition and we’ve got to get this bit right as well.” Senegal boss in race to beat illness Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse could miss his side’s clash against England due to illness. The 46-year-old former Birmingham and Portsmouth midfielder was missing from his media duties on Saturday, the day before the fixture against England in Al Khor, having also been unable to take training on Friday. “He has been sick for a couple of days now,” said assistant coach Regis Bogaert, who replaced Cisse at the press conference. “He let us take charge of training yesterday, obviously with his instructions to the players. “Hopefully tomorrow he will be able to come and be on the bench with the players but we are sure at 10pm he will be there with the team. “I can confirm he is sick and has a bit of a temperature, that is why we have to be careful with his situation.” Deschamps wary of another upset France boss Didier Deschamps warned the defending champions they cannot afford to become another World Cup casualty. The 2018 winners face Poland on Sunday in their last 16 clash having already lost 1-0 to Tunisia in the group stage. Germany and Belgium suffered surprise early exits while Spain lost to Japan and Argentina were stunned by Saudi Arabia. Deschamps said: “Will there be other surprises? I only believe what I see. Today, even a great nation, if she is not ready, can have unpleasant situations. “All the games are difficult, last night too. All the teams are good and prepared. The players all play in good leagues. “This team (Poland) has had to defend in the first three games, defend a lot, and they defend very well. They love it.” More Messi magic Messi provided the first moment of quality to fashion Argentina’s breakthrough against a well-drilled Australia late in the first half, playing a one-two with Nicolas Otamendi on the edge of the penalty area before side-footing into the bottom corner. It was Messi’s 789th career goal, his 94th in 169 senior appearances for his country and his first in the World Cup knockout stages. Julian Alvarez pounced on an error by Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan to put two-time world champions in full control early in the second half, but out of nowhere, Craig Goodwin’s deflected shot threw Australia a lifeline. Argentina threatened to regain their two-goal lead, but it needed Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez’s brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny Aziz Behich and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’s crucial save in the dying moments to keep out Australia’s teenage substitute Garang Kuol’s effort. Netherlands serve warning Netherlands became the first team through to the World Cup quarter-finals with an entertaining 3-1 victory over the USA. Memphis Depay finished off a superb move to open the scoring in the 10th minute and Daley Blind made it two at Khalifa International Stadium just before half-time. The US threatened a comeback when Haji Wright pulled one back in the 76th minute but Denzel Dumfries ensured it was the Dutch that progressed to the last eight with their third five minutes later. Van Gaal’s side have been heavily criticised in the Dutch media for being boring but they provided one of the best moves of the tournament for their first goal, passing their way through their opponents before Dumfries cut the ball back for the onrushing Depay to sweep the ball into the bottom corner. Picture of the day Tweet of the day Who’s up next Last 16 France v Poland (3pm, BBC One)England v Senegal (7pm, ITV1) Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live World Cup: England prepare to face Senegal on eve of last-16 tie Gareth Southgate embracing expectations as England ready for Senegal clash Tyson Fury calls out Oleksandr Usyk for blockbuster world heavyweight fight

MANILA, Philippines — ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong expressed his belief that the Philippines will bounce back in his promotion, after Joshua Pacio yielded the last remaining world championship held by the country to Jarred Brooks in ONE 164 at the Mall of Asia Arena Saturday night.Erstwhile the owners of five world championship belts, the Philippines now holds none with all former titlists having failed to keep their straps.Pacio ended a three-year reign as strawweight champion in a unanimous decision loss to Brooks, while former champions like Eduard Folayang, Brandon Vera, and Geje Eustaquio all absorbed losses in the card as well. Vera even announced his retirement from MMA.For Sityodtong, it's simply a sign that time has finally caught up with Philippine MMA's pioneers."You know, I'll tell you that's life for all of us. Time, nobody beats Father Time." said Sityodtong after the fights."And it does look like they're passing the torch." he added.Despite relinquishing the championship belt, the Philippines had a glimmer of hope in the stacked card as youngsters like Jhanlo Sangiao and Jeremy Pacatiw were able to eke out big wins that turned into US$50,000 bonuses as well from Sityodtong.Seeing a new breed of fighters, particularly from famed Baguio stable Team Lakay, Sityodtong believes that it will only be a short time that the Philippines will be without a world champion."When you look at Filipino MMA at the world's highest level, a guy like Jhanlo, a guy like Stephen Loman, you know, these are kids and that's the next generation. In the future, the Philippines are gonna produce world champions again." said Sityodtong.Sangiao, son of Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao, was one who stepped up to the challenge in particular. After going 5-0 in his professional MMA career, he expressed desire to bring back glory to the Philippines and Team Lakay."We don't have any belts anymore but that's not the end. We are here, we are rising. We'll do our best to get back, not only four, but more belts." said Sangiao.

Gareth Southgate is embracing the increased expectations, selection headaches and chance to put smiles on supporters’ faces at a challenging time as England face Senegal in the World Cup last-16. All eyes will be on cavernous Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday evening as the Group B winners play their first knockout match on the world stage since the agonising extra-time semi-final loss to Croatia in 2018. England built on that performance by winning bronze at the following year’s Nations League before going on a memorable run to last year’s European Championship final at Wembley. The heart-breaking penalty shootout defeat to Italy provides added motivation for Southgate’s players, who have the chance to lift the nation at what is a challenging time for so many. “Part of the reason for doing the job is to bring happiness to others, frankly,” the England boss said. “Of course, we’ve got our own pride and we want to achieve professionally. “But we have taken the country on two incredible journeys and you can feel that there’s the potential for another one and we want that to happen. “We recognise the situation at home for everybody and we want to bring smiles to people’s faces as they get towards the end of this weekend.” Southgate has some selection conundrums to consider ahead of the big match against Senegal. Marcus Rashford, who could win his 50th cap, scored a brilliant brace in Tuesday’s 3-0 win against Wales, when Phil Foden capped a fine performance with a goal. Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka dropped to the bench, while Kyle Walker and Jordan Henderson also played well having been brought into the England line-up. “It’s a good position to be in,” Southgate said. “You want your players in confident mood and our forward players are. “Of course you want to try to make the best possible decision, but in some respects I’m not sure there’s a right or a wrong. Whichever players we start with, we’re going to need the bench, we need the strength. “They all offer different attributes and it’s just trying to get the balance of the team right and make the best possible decisions. “But for us it’s great that we’ve got the whole squad fit and available, feeling good about themselves, but with that nice balance of knowing how difficult it was to get through this round in our last two tournaments. “We know the quality of the opposition, but we’ve got belief in ourselves as well.” That confidence is borne out of the success at last year’s Euros and the surprising run to the World Cup semi-finals four years ago. “I guess the biggest thing is the expectation levels and the satisfaction levels,” Southgate said of the difference to 2018. “In Russia, when we qualified from the group stage, we were probably more excited than we were this time. “Although we enjoyed the win against Wales. You’ve got to enjoy your wins because, if you don’t enjoy those, then there’s not a lot of point being in this, frankly. “And then, of course, everything was geared around first knockout win for 10 years, so that was almost our objective in Russia. “We have to take a step at a time, the same thing. We talked about that from the beginning of the tournament. “Our first objective was to qualify from the group. We knew we had three games to do that. “There was an awful lot of noise after our second, but we stayed calm and on track, and we’ve qualified as well as anybody else has. “But we’re now on to the more important part of the competition and we’ve got to get this bit right as well.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live World Cup: England prepare to face Senegal on eve of last-16 tie Today at the World Cup – all eyes on England’s quarter-final bid Tyson Fury calls out Oleksandr Usyk for blockbuster world heavyweight fight

'Gen V' is set concurrently with the third season of 'The Boys' which is expected to premiere on Amazon Prime Video in 2023

Coach Prime is officially heading to Boulder, Colorado.