QC cops nab robbery gang leader, cohort The Rockets scored 28 fast-break points, almost doubling their previous high of 15.“We don’t want to hold the ball,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said. “And we want to make quick decisions. … I just think we did a lot of good things.”FEATURED STORIESSPORTSWATCH: Drones light up sky in final leg of SEA Games torch runSPORTSSEA Games: Philippines picks up 1st win in men’s water poloSPORTSMalditas save PH from shutoutHouston led 69-51 at halftime with its highest-scoring half of the season. The Rockets went 11 for 22 from 3-point range in the first half and 16 for 47 from beyond the arc for the game.“We haven’t been shooting the 3-ball all that great this year,” said Eric Gordon, who made three 3s and had 20 points. “… Once we start shooting 3s we’ll be hard to stop.” Kammuri turning to super typhoon less likely but possible — Pagasa Brace for potentially devastating typhoon approaching PH – NDRRMC John Lloyd Cruz a dashing guest at Vhong Navarro’s wedding UP NEXTRockets: Host Utah on Sunday in the first of three straight home games.Hawks: Visit Cleveland on Sunday. Dennis Schroder and Taurean Prince each had 16 points for Atlanta. Luke Babbitt scored 12 points on four 3-pointers, and rookie John Collins had eight points and 12 rebounds.TIP-INSRockets: It was Houston’s first win over Atlanta since Nov. 27, 2013, snapping a streak of seven straight losses in the series. … Harden had 11 assists for his fourth double-double of the season. … Clint Capela, who had 12 points, answered a 10-0 run by Atlanta in the second period with three straight jams. The center’s third dunk, a two-hander, led to an Atlanta timeout.Hawks: In a halftime ceremony, the Hawks retired a ceremonial jersey to honor Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, who helped keep the team in its downtown location. The city is providing $142.5 million of the $192.5 million in the two-year renovation of Philips Arena. The Hawks agreed to an 18-year lease extension to remain at the city-owned arena through 2046. … G Malcolm Delaney (ankle) did not play. … Coach Mike Budenholzer was called for a technical foul in the second period.CHRIS PAUL UPDATEAsked when All-Star point guard Chris Paul will return from a left knee injury, D’Antoni said: “I hope tomorrow, but it’s not gonna be.” After that tease, D’Antoni said he expects Paul to miss another two weeks. “But we’re going to be cautious with it so it could stretch a few more days,” he said.Paul was with the team in Atlanta while missing his ninth straight game.PT FOR TAYLORPoint guard Isaiah Taylor, who played four games with Houston last season, continues to earn substantial playing time after signing with the Hawks on Oct. 17. He had 12 points and a team-high five assists in about 25 minutes against his former team.“His speed is what makes him special,” Budenholzer said. “Everybody sees how he can get to the paint, get to the rim. He makes people play fast with him. … He’s made a good first impression.” MOST READ Luc Mbah a Moute also scored 20 points to help Houston improve to 6-1 on the road. The Southwest Division-leading Rockets (7-3) closed a stretch where they played five of six games away from Houston, including back-to-back road wins against the Knicks and Hawks.“A good two games for us, but it’s got to be not just two games or 10 games, it’s got to be an entire season to get where we want to go,” Harden said.Kent Bazemore scored 18 points for the Hawks (1-8), who have not won since their season-opening victory at Dallas.Bazemore had the difficult task of defending Harden.“They just shoot the crap out of the ball,” Bazemore said. “You can be six inches from it and they let it go. … When a team like that comes in, it’s going to be a tough challenge. You have to play about flawless.”ADVERTISEMENT Stronger peso trims PH debt value to P7.9 trillion Japan ex-PM Nakasone who boosted ties with US dies at 101 Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Read Next LATEST STORIES Typhoon Kammuri accelerates, gains strength en route to PH James pours in 57 as Cavs topple Wizards Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) has the ball knocked away by Atlanta Hawks center Dewayne Dedmon, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)ATLANTA — The Houston Rockets overwhelmed the woeful Atlanta Hawks with fast-break baskets and 3-point shooting.James Harden scored 21 of his 29 points in Houston’s high-scoring first half, and the Rockets handed the Hawks their eighth straight loss with a 119-104 victory Friday night.ADVERTISEMENT CPP denies ‘Ka Diego’ arrest caused ‘mass panic’ among S. Tagalog NPA Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles00:50Trending Articles00:59Sports venues to be ready in time for SEA Games01:37Protesters burn down Iran consulate in Najaf01:47Panelo casts doubts on Robredo’s drug war ‘discoveries’01:29Police teams find crossbows, bows in HK university01:35Panelo suggests discounted SEA Games tickets for students02:49Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games View comments read more

Share on WhatsApp Share on Facebook Nelson was heavily involved again when England retook the lead. The 19-year-old breezed beyond Marijan Cabraja on the right before floating an inviting cross to the back post. Filip Uremovic should have cleared but, under no pressure, directed a tame header straight at Maddison’s feet. He had time to pick his spot and found the roof of the net from 12 yards out.Once again, however, England gifted their opponents a way back. Kelly seemed to have cleared the danger after Foden had been dispossessed in central midfield, showing good pace to beat Lovro Majer to the through ball that followed. But Bournemouth’s recent recruit undid his good work with a careless pass back to Majer. He found Sandro Kulenovic, the powerful striker laid the ball off to Nikola Vlasic and the former Everton midfielder curled a delightful finish into the bottom corner. Cska Moscow’s new £14m signing was caught by Ezri Konsa and had to be carried off on a stretcher.Kenny thought he had given England victory with a thunderous 25-yard drive when Maddison’s corner was headed into his path. But they blew it a third time when Henderson’s clearance was returned with interest by Croatia and, with the right-back caught upfield and Fikayo Tomori too deep, Luka Ivanusec released Brekalo to score his second of the game. A deflating end to a tournament to forget for England. Topics England Under-21s signed off the European Championships just as they started with careless mistakes and a chaotic finale allowing victory to fall from their grasp. Three times Aidy Boothroyd’s side led Croatia. Three times they squandered the initiative. They have been consistent in Italy and San Marino but being winless and error-ridden was not what England set out to achieve.Inexplicable lapses in concentration were features of defeats to both France and Romania. They resurfaced here as defending that left the head coach struggling for answers enabled Croatia to cancel out goals from Reiss Nelson, James Maddison and Jonjoe Kenny. This has been a steep learning curve for players with designs on full England honours in the near future. In 10 unbeaten qualifiers England conceded four goals. In the heat of three tournament group games they have conceded nine. Switching off has been a pattern of their play throughout.“It’s the story of the tournament for us really – wonderful attacking play but basic, fundamental defensive errors with poor passes and decisions,” said Boothroyd. “At least we are getting one part of the game right but, with this team, conceding goals has undone us.“There is obviously a concentration issue but it’s been different players who have been doing it, not just one guy over and over again. When we go through it all there will be plenty to learn. The main thing is that you stay in the game mentally, you score a goal and instead of relaxing you need to treble your efforts. That is all over the pitch. When you look at the calibre of players who are making the mistakes it doesn’t make sense. There will be reasons and we will get to the bottom of them with a new team next time around.”Nelson, Tammy Abraham and Lloyd Kelly were handed first starts and each impressed initially. The Arsenal forward Nelson posed a constant threat from the right and his quick feet won an early penalty when he was clipped inside the area by Branimir Kalaica following a slick passing move involving Kieran Dowell and the recalled Phil Foden. Abraham was England’s designated penalty taker but Nelson took it, and scored confidently, without consulting Boothroyd. “They’d not told me,” he said. “I haven’t got to the bottom of it yet.”Abraham struck a post with an impudent flick from Maddison’s pass but, just as England were in control, their defensive problems appeared. Josip Brekalo was afforded far too much space on the left and accepted the invitation to attack Kenny. The Wolfsburg midfielder feigned to go outside the new Schalke loan signing only to cut inside and drive a fine finish into the far, top corner of Dean Henderson’s goal. match reports Share via Email European Under-21 Championship Share on Messenger Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email. England Under-21s Reuse this content Croatia Share on Pinterest read more

Holiday tips are a way to thank the people who make your life easier. So why is it so hard to figure out whom to tip and how much?Guides published by etiquette experts don’t always agree on what’s appropriate. What people actually do is another matter altogether.Only about half of Americans give any holiday tips, according to a recent Consumer Reports survey, and those who do tip often give less than the amounts recommended by etiquette experts. For example, 56 per cent of those who had housekeepers gave them a tip, and the median amount was $50. The manners mavens at the Emily Post Institute suggests the tip equal the cost of one visit, which according to HomeAdvisor averages at $167.Plenty of people don’t even realize that holiday tipping is a thing. Others want to tip but struggle with budgets already strained by other holiday spending.“From an etiquette standpoint, we try not to say, ‘You have to do it exactly like this otherwise it’s wrong,’” says etiquette expert Lizzie Post, co-president of the Emily Post Institute in Burlington, Vermont. “There are so many varied relationships that we have, or our budgets might not be able to accommodate it the way our hearts would like.”Ideally, your holiday tipping list would include everyone who makes your life easier by providing you with regular service throughout the year — but if you get a lot of help, that can get expensive. Here are some guidelines that may help you decide whom to tip, and how:1. CASH IS OFTEN BEST, BUT NOT ABSOLUTELY REQUIREDIf you can afford to give only a few dollars, a small gift or homemade item may be a better way of expressing appreciation. Post remembers her parents baking cookies and making candy for their mail carriers, garbage collectors and newspaper delivery folks. Of course, not everyone is good in the kitchen — or welcomes homemade goodies.2. MATCH THE TIP TO THE RELATIONSHIPThe amount you give can reflect the quality and frequency of your interactions. You might tip an occasional babysitter the equivalent of one evening’s pay, for example, while a live-in nanny could get a bonus equal to one week’s pay, or more. A small gift in addition to a tip is a nice touch when the relationship is more personal.A tip roughly equal to the cost of a single visit might be appropriate for:—Housekeepers—Babysitters—Dog walkers and groomers—Personal trainers—Pool cleaners—Snow shovelers—Hairstylists or barbers—Massage therapists, facialists and manicuristFor others, Post says, amounts can vary:—Yard and garden workers ($20 to $50 each)—Trash and recycling collectors ($10 to $30)—Handyman ($15 to $40)—Package deliverer ($20, if allowed; check with the company)—U.S. Postal Service mail carriers (small gift only; no cash, per USPS rules)—Day care workers ($25 to $75 each for those who work with your child; check with facility)—Newspaper deliverer ($10 to $30)—Building superintendents ($20 to $80)—Doormen ($15 to $80)—Parking attendants ($10 to $30)3. NOT EVERY HELPER SHOULD BE TIPPEDIf you tip someone regularly throughout the year, a holiday tip may not be necessary. Cash tips also aren’t appropriate for certain people, such as professionals (doctors, lawyers, accountants) and anyone who works for an entity that prohibits them. For government workers, for example, a tip can look like a bribe. Check with nursing homes, home health care providers, package delivery companies and day care centres, especially, before tipping individual workers. Post suggests that instead of tipping your children’s teachers, offer to buy classroom supplies or go in with other parents on a gift or gift card.4. MAKE IT PRETTYFresh, crisp bills tucked into a card with a handwritten note? Classy. Wadded bills thrust at the service provider on your way out the door? Not so much. Ditto leaving an extra-large tip on a credit card receipt. Something’s certainly better than nothing, but putting some care into your presentation can demonstrate that you really do appreciate what they do for you.5. TIP EARLYIn the past, I’ve scrambled to deal with holiday tips. This year, I started writing thank-you notes before Thanksgiving and plan to deliver the tips by early December. Tipping as early as possible in the holiday season means the people you’re trying to reward have extra cash for their holiday spending — which may include giving out their own holiday tips.______This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet .Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet , a certified financial planner and author of “Your Credit Score.” Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com . Twitter: @lizweston.RELATED LINK:NerdWallet: How to Create a Budget https://nerd.me/how-to-build-budgetLiz Weston, The Associated Press read more

FREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s new premier is trying to revive the Energy East pipeline — even though the original proponent says the project is dead.TransCanada Corporation abandoned the $15.7-billion project more than a year ago, after the National Energy Board modified the environmental assessment process.But Premier Blaine Higgs, along with some other premiers and federal politicians, are again pushing the proposed pipeline as a way to get more western crude to refineries in Eastern Canada and for export to foreign markets.Ontario and Quebec have also new elected new premiers this year, and Higgs said he thinks Energy East could be viable.“The fact that Ontario has said they’re not opposed to oil coming through the province, there’s a hurdle that’s now gone. We know that Manitoba and Saskatchewan are fine and we know Alberta is looking for a way out,” said Higgs.“We see Alberta now taking a strong position with buying rail cars and saying we’ve got to get our oil to market because they’re losing $80 million a day.”Higgs said he recognizes Quebec could still be a hurdle and he plans to discuss the project with Premier Francois Legault this week at a first ministers meeting in Montreal.“We’re talking about interprovincial trade. There are some key issues, and that’s one for us. It’s one that’s important for our province. We need some wins,” Higgs said.Higgs said he discussed Energy East two weeks ago with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He said Trudeau said he’d be willing to discuss the issue again if Higgs was able to get Quebec onside.But the biggest hurdle may be getting TransCanada interested again. The company cited the regulatory changes and “changed circumstances” as the reason for its pullout last year.In a statement, Terry Cunha, manager of communications for TransCanada, said their position had not changed.“We have no plans to revisit the project. We are focused on developing the more than $36 billion in commercially secured pipeline and power generation projects that we currently have underway across North America, including Keystone XL and the Coastal GasLink project in B.C.,” he wrote.Higgs said he’s not surprised by the Calgary-based company’s position.“If you spend $800 million and you get jerked around politically so that decisions aren’t made, instead it’s procrastinated on, and … then all of a sudden the rules change mid-stream and then you don’t have any path forward,” Higgs said.“I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t jump on the bandwagon yet either.”However, Higgs said he believes if a holding company was formed that applied to the National Energy Board and got the process well underway, then TransCanada might be willing to get back onboard.Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Sheer has also been a big Energy East supporter and has said that a federal Conservative government would seek to revive the project.Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said last week restarting the project makes a lot of sense.“Our government would be very interested of course in any effort that was geared towards another project to get our product to tidewater as well as to supply the Canadian market if we could find a way to do that more effectively,” she told reporters in Ottawa.“Quite frankly it is quite perverse that we are selling our oil in Alberta for $10 a barrel and then in eastern Canada we are importing from places like Saudi Arabia. This makes no sense.”Energy East would have seen much of the western crude going to the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John.Higgs said he has yet to discuss reviving Energy East with Irving, where he worked for more than three decades and retired as a senior executive before entering politics.“I know their interest would still be there because they would offset at least 100,000 barrels a day of foreign crude, maybe more. That commitment would still be there because they are still in operation and they are still buying foreign crude,” he said.But New Brunswick Green Leader David Coon said Higgs needs to switch 180 degrees — and instead look at reducing dependence on fossil fuels.“The World Meteorological Organization just announced a study that if we continue to follow the path we’re following now we are going to blast past the Paris agreement and get into three to five degrees of warming, which is catastrophic,” he said.But a study by the Canadian Energy Research Institute — released in January — concluded that refineries in central and Atlantic Canada would see lower supply costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions if they bought more Canadian crude oil.The study found that substituting Canadian oil wherever possible using space on existing pipelines, rail cars and ocean tankers would result in a 47-per-cent reduction in foreign oil imports into Eastern Canada, saving $210 million per year, and the equivalent of more than two million tonnes of carbon dioxide, or about 5.7 per cent.Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press read more

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court directed the Tihar jail authorities on Saturday to produce CCTV footage on allegations of torture levelled by Christian Michel, an alleged middleman arrested in the AgustaWestland choppers scam case. Special judge Arvind Kumar directed the jail authorities to bring the CCTV recording of February 13 to 17 of jail number 7, where Michel was kept last month.The court had earlier sought the CCTV footage of jail number 1 and after going through it, had noted that the premises were clean and that good facilities were provided to Michel. Also Read – Gurdwara Bangla Sahib bans single use plasticOn March 14, the jail authorities had denied the allegations of torture levelled by Michel. Special public prosecutors D P Singh and N K Matta, appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) respectively, had told the court that the accused was a foreigner and was brought to India through extradition. ED’s counsel Samvedna Verma had told the court that “there is a responsibility of the country to ensure his security as per the treaty”. Also Read – After eight years, businessman arrested for kidnap & murderOn March 12, Michel had told the court that former CBI special director Rakesh Asthana had met him in Dubai and had threatened to “make his life hell inside jail” here if he did not toe the line of the agency. “Sometime ago, Rakesh Asthana had met me in Dubai and had threatened that my life would be made hell in the jail and that is what is going on. My next door inmate is (gangster) Chhota Rajan…. I do not understand what crime I have committed to be put along with terrorists and those who have killed several people,” he had said. The jail authorities had said Michel was shifted to a high-risk prison considering threats to his life. The accused was arrested by the ED on December 22 last year after his extradition from Dubai. The court had previously lashed out at the jail authorities for failing to justify the shifting of Michel to a high-security cell in isolation, saying it would order an inquiry if it did not get a proper response. Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP choppers scam by the ED and the CBI. The other two are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. read more