Jollibee opens its first store in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Handout photo

Jollibee:  Asian fastfood giant lands in Wales

By Edward Era Barbacena

Today, Jollibee opens its doors to the people of Cardiff, with the global restaurant chain’s first store launch in Wales. A queue of approximately 125 people started forming at 6am this morning, wrapping around the store on Queen Street, stretching down Charles Street, as Jollibee fans eagerly awaited a taste of Jollibee’s world famous fried chicken.

Jollibee is a much-loved restaurant chain, founded in 1978 by Tony Tan Caktiong in the Philippines. Tony, the son of Chinese immigrants, built up his business from humble ice cream store beginnings, then later on expanded his offering to a selection of hot food. The brand continues to be owned by Jollibee Group and is now the market leader in the country’s restaurant industry, with over 1,478 locations around the world as of December 31, 2020.

Wales is one of the four countries comprising the United Kingdom which has a $1.4-billion fried chicken market.  The opening is in line with the company’s thrust to expand across the UK and Europe and open 50 stores within five years.

Adam Parkinson, Business Head of Jollibee Europe, officially cut the ribbon in the opening ceremony alongside the Cardiff team and Jollibee’s iconic bee mascot.

Adam Parkinson, Business Head of Jollibee Europe, said: “The turnout has been incredible and it’s encouraging to see the people of Wales really get behind Jollibee. This opening is very pivotal for us as Wales is an important country to expand into and key to our success as we continue our growth across Europe. We are excited to embark on this new and exciting journey in Wales!” 

“Opening our first Jollibee in Wales is part of our continued commitment to expand across Europe and bring our delicious Chickenjoy to more people around the world,” Ernesto Tanmantiong, the company’s CEO, said.

Known for its scenery and friendly people, Wales will be home to Jollibee’s sixth store in the United Kingdom.  The new restaurant is on the corner of Queen Street and Charles Street, in the heart of Cardiff’s prime pedestrianized area. The restaurant is housed in a two-story corner building painted deep purple, with one side of the building showing a wall mural in line with the brand’s colorful new store design.

Jollibee’s launch queues are renowned around the world due its cult following. The restaurant is famous in the Philippines and draws hundreds of fans. The brand is excited to welcome Welsh customers through the door and serve up the crispiest and juiciest fried chicken around. From Manila to London, Liverpool to Leeds and now Cardiff, the brand has big ambitions to rival the major fast-food names in the UK and Europe.

 

Cops released images of the woman sought in an anti-Asian harassment in Manhattan on July 25, 2021. (NYPD)

Asian Woman Harassed And Spit On While Walking On The Upper West Side

A 26-year-old woman was walking near 60th Street and Broadway when she was approached by a person making anti-Asian statements, police said.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A woman was spit on and harassed during an apparent anti-Asian attack in Manhattan Sunday night, police said.  an unidentified woman approached and  told an Asian-American woman to “speak English” before pulling her hair and spitting at her in a vile Upper West Side attack over the weekend, cops and the victim said Monday.

Bokyung Kim, 26, who just moved from Los Angeles to New York three weeks ago, was speaking to her friend in Mandarin at West 60th Street and Broadway around 8:45 p.m. Sunday when the female suspect confronted her, authorities said.

“[The suspect] was walking down the street behind us. She was eating dinner in takeout boxes, and I remember her saying ‘bit–, you should speak English. Speak English,’” Kim recalled to The Post in a Monday night phone interview.

Kim said she and her friend started running when the suspect gained ground on them, but the woman caught up to her as they were about to cross the street.

“I think she was just so angry, all of a sudden and she pulled my hair [and] all of a sudden she just spit on my face,” Kim said.

Kim said the woman then chucked the remaining food at her and threatened to “beat the shit out of me” before a good Samaritan stepped in to intervene and guided the attacker to the subway.

“I was just so shocked and I tried to say sorry to her because I didn’t do anything wrong,” the shaken victim said.

Kim added that she recorded part of the confrontation and is soon meeting with NYPD detectives.

The department’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating and no arrests were made as of Monday.

Moving forward, Kim said she will be more cautious during her time in the Big Apple. “I saw frightening videos on the internet but I never thought I would be a victim myself,” she said.

“I’m just going to look backward and see if anyone is approaching me. I’ll be like this for the whole time when I stay in New York.

 

Now that Simon Biles withdraws, who will be the all around champion in women's gymnastics

By Edward Era Barbacena

One day after pulling out of the Women’s Team Gymnastics Final, Simone Biles says she won’t compete in the Individual All-Around Final either. USA Gymnastics announced Wednesday that Biles has withdrawn from Thursday’s competition “in order to focus on her mental health”. They added 

“We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being.  Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”

Biles still has a chance to compete in next week’s individual events. USA Gymnastics says she’ll be evaluated before making her decision.

The Morning Show with Nikki Medoro asks if we ask too much of our competitive athletes and do we treat male and female athletes differently? Are we putting them under too much pressure?

It was anticipated to be a coronation. A triumphant run to the gold medal for the highest-profile athlete at the Games.

But instantly the girls’s all-around occasion on Thursday is totally totally different. With the withdrawal of Simone Biles due to a psychological well being challenge, it’s now an precise competitors.

So, who’s going to win?

There is a robust discipline of contenders, and their scores and talents are shut. Here are our greatest guesses for the podium:

Asian-American Sunisa Lee

Sunisa Lee, United States

Lee positioned third in the qualifiers, however she has an ace up her sleeve: Based on the preliminaries, her diploma of problem shall be larger than anybody’s, aside from Biles. That offers her an enormous upside. If she nails her routines, the different gymnasts could not have the ability to match her regardless of how properly they do. Lee’s bars routine specifically is a marvel, tougher even than the one Biles deliberate.

Rebeca Andrade

Rebeca Andrade, Brazil

As the second-placed qualifier behind Biles, Andrade robotically slips into a favourite’s function, too. Few predicted she would do this properly; she has struggled with accidents in her career, and Brazil has by no means gained a girls’s Olympics gymnastics medal. But her routines are corresponding to the remainder of the discipline’s, and she or he could possibly be underestimated.

Vladislava Urazova and Angelina Melnikova

Angelina Melnikova and Vladislava Urazova, Russia

Melnikova was the bronze medal winner at the most up-to-date world championships, in 2019. Both she and Urazova had been a part of the Russian crew that knocked off the United States in the crew competitors after Biles pulled out. The two have related strengths and weaknesses — Melnikova is a bit stronger on the ground and Urazova on the beam — and both might medal with a superb efficiency.

Tang Xijing

Tang Xijing, China

Only eighth in qualifying, she is one other competitor who may benefit from her diploma of problem. Her beam routine could possibly be the finest (not counting Biles). She additionally has the highest honor in the discipline, a silver medal behind Biles at the world championships.

Jade Carey

Jade Carey, United States

Carey would appear like an extended shot, on condition that she certified ninth, acquired a spot in the all-around solely with Biles’s withdrawal, and didn’t even take part in the crew occasion for the United States. Her beam routine is weak, however she has a particular ground routine and might rating properly on the vault as properly. She could possibly be a shock medalist. competitor who may benefit from her diploma of problem. Her beam routine could possibly be the finest (not counting Biles). She additionally has the highest honor in the discipline, a silver medal behind Biles at the world championships.

 

Daiki Hashimoto is branded as 'fake champion' and judges are accused of unfair scoring

By Edward Barbacena

Daiki Hashimoto has done it! The 19-year-old Japanese extended his country's winning ways Wednesday at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre, capturing Japan's third straight men's gymnastics all-around title as he bags the gold and became the all around champion.

Daiki Hashimoto of Japan performed the top horizontal bar score of the night in the last rotation of the men’s all-around final, allowing him to edge out China’s Xiao Ruoteng and win the gold medal Wednesday night at Ariake Gymnastics Centre.

Hashimoto finished with 88.465 points, to 88.065 for Xiao. Nikita Nagornyy of the Russian Olympic Committee won the bronze with 88.031 points.

The young promising athlete from Japan had surely dominated all events in men's gymnastic and out casting his toughest rival from China - Xiao Ruoteng.

The the victory of Hashimoto is now  being questioned after his performance on the vault with an obvious error on the landing.  Did he really win by the fairness and true spirit of the game?  Photos of  Daiki Hashimoto being out of track is now spreading on line after landing from the vault in which his right foot was completely out of bounds.  Many to their disbeliefs went dismayed after Hashimoto was declared as the all around champion in men's gymnastics.

Though  Hashimoto's right foot went out of bounds on the vault  and had his right foot displaced out of track after landing and Routeng on the other hand made a perfect landing  on the vault, still the two managed to have the same scores of 14.700.  Many were not so happy of the results and accused the Jury of bias judging favoring Hashimoto because he is from the host country.  Hashimoto is now being dubbed and branded as a 'fake champion.'

Chinese state media released a video comparing Hashimoto and Ruoteng"s performances on the vault emphasizing on both landings, apparently there were some big differences, Hashimoto went out of the track and Ruoteng was a perfect one, still they tied up earning 14.700. Hashimoto knew what he did was a big and costly error,   He can be seen  holding his head reacting to it. But after the jury  gave him a 14.700, he smile in disbelief.

For many,  Daiki Hashimoto won as the all around champion with unfair scores from the judges, he will be remembered for this and he will carry the stain for the rest of his career. What a shame for such young and promising athlete. 

The newly constructed Pantaleon Estrella bridge

 

The Pantaleon Estrella Bridge, connecting Makati and Mandaluyong, is set to open tomorrow — July 29, 8 PM. 

By Edward Era Barbacena

MANILA – Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar on Thursday announced that the Estrella-Pantaleon bridge which will connect the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong will be opened in July.

“The Estrella-Pantaleon bridge is now 92 percent complete, the public should wait for its opening in July,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.

He reported that the 506-meter bridge has a sidewalk that is now three meters wide, from only one meter.

“The sidewalk, the pedestrian component is three meters, bikers can be accommodated. It has four lanes compared to the old bridge which only has one lane and the pedestrian component is only one meter. The new bridge has two lanes on each side. Compared to the old bridge, this new bridge has a good aesthetic value, and our target is by July,” he added.

Designed to decongest the Guadalupe Bridge along the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa), the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge is a 146-meter prestressed concrete girder bridge with V-shaped piers, while the approach bridge/viaduct is a 66-meter prestressed continuous girder bridge.

The approach roads at both sides have a length of 294.46 meters.

The Estrella-Pantaleon bridge is part of the PHP3.39-billion infrastructure projects in the country which are funded by China. 

Once opened to traffic, it will be able to accommodate about 50,000 vehicles a day and provide a major link between the central business district of Makati and Mandaluyong, with just a five-minute travel separating the two cities.

It is also expected to ease traffic on the overly-congested Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA).

The four-lane bridge project includes the construction of a 50.5-meter approach road on Estrella Street, a 66-meter Makati approach bridge, a 146-meter main bridge, and a 243.96-meter approach road on Barangka Drive connected to Pantaleon Street in Mandaluyong City. The total length of 506.46 meters.

 

A single dose of Sputnik V triggers strong antibody responses – Argentinian study.

Within 3 weeks of receiving the 1st dose, 94% of study participants developed IgG antibodies, and 90% showed evidence of neutralizing antibodies.

By Edward Era Barbacena

“Due to limited vaccine supply and uneven vaccine distribution in many regions of the world, health authorities urgently need data on the immune response to vaccines to optimize vaccination strategies,” says senior author Andrea Gamarnik (@GamarnikLab) of the Fundación Instituto Leloir-CONICET in Buenos Aires, Argentina. “The peer-reviewed data we present provide information for guiding public health decisions in light of the current global health emergency.”

Past research has shown that two doses of Sputnik V results in 92% efficacy against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by SARS-CoV-2. An important question is whether a single dose would achieve greater public health benefit than two doses by allowing protection of a larger population more quickly.

Evidence from other vaccines offers support for the one-shot approach. The AstraZeneca vaccine shows 76% efficacy after a single dose, and the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines may induce sufficient immunity in previously infected individuals after one dose, with no apparent benefit of an additional dose.

This graphical abstract shows antibody responses to Sputnik V vaccine in Argentina. On the top, schematic representation of the two-component adenovirus based vaccine (rAD26 and rAD5) Sputnik V. Bottom, IgG antibody levels measured by International Units and SARS CoV-2 Neutralizing Titers in vaccinated naive (seronegative, blue) and previously infected (seropositive, red) volunteers. There is a high seroconversion rate following the first dose in naive individuals. In previously infected participants, a single dose of Sputnik V elicits a fast and robust antibody response without apparent benefit from a second dose. Credit: Rossi and Ojeda et al./Cell Reports Medicine

In the Cell Reports Medicine study, Gamarnik and her colleagues compared the effects of one and two shots of Sputnik V on SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses in 289 healthcare workers in Argentina. Three weeks after the second dose, all volunteers with no prior infection generated virus-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies — the most common type of antibody found in blood.

But even within three weeks of receiving the first dose, 94% of these participants developed IgG antibodies against the virus, and 90% showed evidence of neutralizing antibodies, which interfere with the ability of viruses to infect cells.

Additional results showed that IgG and neutralizing antibody levels in previously infected participants were significantly higher after one dose than those in fully vaccinated volunteers with no history of infection. A second dose did not increase the production of neutralizing antibodies in previously infected volunteers.

“This highlights the robust response to vaccination of previously infected individuals, suggesting that naturally acquired immunity might be enhanced sufficiently by a single dose, in agreement with recent studies using mRNA vaccines,” Gamarnik says.

Further studies are needed to evaluate the duration of the immune response and to assess how antibody levels relate to vaccine protection against COVID-19. “Evidence based on quantitative information will guide vaccine deployment strategies in the face of worldwide vaccine supply restriction,” Gamarnik says.

 

Christine Fesus, 34, stands accused of murder in the first degree in the death of 36-year-old DeAndrea Citizen, 

Texas Woman Who Claimed Self-Defense and Allegedly Changed Her Story Charged with Murder in Shooting Death of Homeless Black Woman

Christine Alexandra Fesus charged with shooting murder of DeAndrea Citizen after falsely claiming homeless black woman attacking her. 

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Houston white woman has been charged with murder after shooting and killing a homeless woman and originally claiming self-defense.

DeAndrea Citizen

Christine Fesus, 34, stands accused of murder in the first degree in the death of 36-year-old DeAndrea Citizen, who was shot and killed outside of a Food Town grocery store in the unincorporated suburban areas of Harris County late Sunday evening.

One of the homeless men in the area attempted to perform CPR on Citizen but to no avail. The witness statements–later allegedly vindicated by video footage–are what led police to arrest Fesus.

According to court records, Fesus went home, changed clothes and put her gun away after shooting Citizen before phoning in the incident to local authorities. Police say the homeless woman sustained a gunshot wound to the back.

Official documents reviewed by the newspaper note that the defendant was out walking her dog roughly half an hour before midnight when the shooting occurred. When initially interviewed by law enforcement, Fesus allegedly said she shot Citizen in self-defense because the woman was reaching for a handgun. According to law enforcement, that story later changed.

Fesus allegedly amended her excuse by saying that Citizen “came at” her aggressively in a manner that she believed meant the homeless woman had and was reaching for a handgun.

A witness on the scene disputed both of those versions of events.

Also lacking permanent housing, a man told police that he was in a relationship with the deceased. He said they were both on the sidewalk when the shooting occurred and that he was lying down while Citizen was talking to herself–a common occurrence due to her mental health issues, according to the witness. That’s when Fesus allegedly showed up.

“Words were exchanged,” the man said, according to court records. Then came the fatal shot. The man asked his girlfriend if she had been shot. She then answered in the affirmative, fell down, and died.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted on Monday that Fesus was arrested after police obtained surveillance footage that undercut her stories of being threatened by the woman she admittedly killed.

Gonzalez tweeted Monday afternoon that Christine Fesus, 34, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the shooting. Gonzalez said Fesus "falsely" claimed Citizen threatened her and approached her aggressively.

“A woman, believed to be homeless, was pronounced deceased at the scene,” Gonzalez wrote via Twitter. “Fesus falsely claimed the woman had threatened her and approached her aggressively.”

In the video, the Chronicle reports, Fesus could allegedly be seen shooting the victim before turning away and running.

The element of race was also allegedly supplied to investigators by Fesus, who is white. She said that when she initially came up Citizen, who is Black, the homeless woman said: “There is one of those diseased white people.”

According to court records reviewed by Law&Crime, Fesus does not have a criminal history in Harris County. She is currently in custody and her bond has been set at $75,000. The defendant has been assigned a public defender.

“Decisions to acquire, carry, point or shoot a firearm come with enormous responsibility,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. “As evolving gun laws give more people access to guns more often, we are concerned that we may see more such shootings. Being a responsible gun owner is crucial, because you are carrying the power of life and death.”