Government mulls environment case vs China over coralsSolicitor General Menardo Guevarra said yesterday that his office is in the “fact-finding and data gathering stage” in studying its legal options regarding issues on the West Philippine Sea. At a press conference, PFACI president Danilo Fausto said the country’s coral reefs are bigger compared to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. “We would like to strongly encourage the government to file a case, an environment case against those people who did this. The entire world should know what they are doing to our environment, to our coral reefs, to the future food of our people. “The South China Sea arbitration is legally binding international law, with its proceedings faithfully carried out in accordance with UNCLOS.

The sights, sounds and flavors of MoroccoMoroccan teapot and trays are featured at the “Morocco Kingdom of Light” festival ongoing until Dec. 31 at Rustan’s Makati and Rustan’s Shangri-La. This imagination is almost visceral, with the sights, sounds, and sensation of the country coursing through one’s system, compelling them to manifest that wish into reality. During this cultural gateway, one can discover the rich heritage and the cultural diversity of the Kingdom of Morocco. Rustan’s, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Moroccan National Tourism Office feature highlights including musical entertainment, calligraphy and henna tattoo sessions. Walls of blue zellige (handmade tiles) that will be an explosion of spellbinding mosaic patterns will bookend the space, which will be festooned with food and accouterments.

TEHRAN: Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed a winning debut in the Asian Champions League as he helped Al Nassr to a 2-0 victory against 10-man Persepolis in Iran on Tuesday night. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has five UEFA Champions League titles to his name, captained the Saudi Arabian side to an opening three points in Group E.Nassr's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo reacts lying on the field during the AFC Champions League group E football match between Persepolis FC and al-Nassr FC at Azadi stadium in Tehran on September 19, 2023. Iran and Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties seven years ago, meaning Asian Champions League matches had been since played at neutral grounds. In the East Asian side of the draw, South Korea's Incheon United opened their Group G account with a 4-2 win over J.League champions Yokohama F Marinos in Japan. In Group I, South Korean champions, and 2020 Asian Champions League winners, Ulsan Hyundai won at home over Thailand's BG Pathum United 3-1, while Japan's Kawasaki Frontale saw off hosts Johor Darul Ta'zim 1-0 in Malaysia.

(UPDATE) THE Philippines will file environmental cases against China for its destructive activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra confirmed the plan to file charges against China before the PCA. A section of the July 12, 2016 ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal on environmental issues involving China in the South China Sea said, "China had caused severe harm to the coral reef environment." The Tribunal accused China of not fulfilling its obligations to stop such activities and even suggested that Chinese fishermen were allowed to harvest the clams on land features in the South China Sea, where China would soon be building. He said the coral destruction in the South China Sea has been a "half-century-old problem" caused by destructive dynamite and cyanide fishing.

WILCON Depot, the country's leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer, has launched its Virtual Reality (VR) Store Experience, offering customers a personalized and convenient way to explore its extensive product assortment from the comfort of their homes. CONTRIBUTED PHOTORecently, the Wilcon VR Store Experience was recognized as the "Digital Initiative of the Year – Philippines" at the Retail Asia Awards 2023. Understanding how VR technology has become increasingly popular in the industry for improving customer engagement and transforming how customers shop, Wilcon Depot harnessed its benefits to elevate its customers' shopping experience. Launched during the Worldbex event at the World Trade Center, Wilcon's VR Store Experience is an interactive 360-degree VR experiential tour that allows customers to discover the Wilcon Depot products conveniently through VR headsets. This immersive shopping approach enriches the customer experience beyond brick-and-mortar shopping and serves as a new standard and way for brand differentiation.

A FRIENDLY warning to English speakers and writers: Never allow "only" to go haywire. ("It's only I that think Jennifer belongs to this league.") "I only think Jennifer belongs to this league." "I think Jennifer belongs only to this league." ("This is what I think: Jennifer belongs only to this league and to no other.")

The row centers around the Sikh independence, or Khalistan, movement. India has repeatedly accused Canada of supporting the movement, which is banned in India but has support among the Sikh diaspora. Here are some details about the issue:What is the Khalistan movement? India’s Sikh independence movement eventually became a bloody armed insurgency that shook India in the 1970s and 1980s. The Indian government has warned repeatedly over the years that Sikh separatists were trying to make a comeback.

Sunac China (1918) sought bankruptcy protection in New York as the defaulted developer moved to protect assets while its offshore debt restructuring nears its conclusion. Peer China Evergrande (3333), which is also working to restructure its offshore debt, last month made its own Chapter 15 filing. China's 16th-largest developer by contracted sales, Sunac first defaulted on a US dollar bond in May 2022. The company unveiled its offshore debt restructuring plan in March, and within several weeks investors holding more than 75 percent of those borrowings accepted the proposal. Meanwhile, Country Garden (2007) is said to have missed a US$15.4 million (HK$120 million) bond interest payment on Monday.

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network): President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said the government is targeting a bigger buffer stock of rice in the country to ensure a sufficient supply of the staple food at a lower price. “We will increase the buffer stock so that we will no longer see the sudden spikes in prices,” the President explained in Filipino. “All the countries in Asia are trying to ensure that they have sufficient reserves (of rice), they have a buffer stock (and) that’s why they are racing to buy, which induces a rise in the price,” Marcos explained. But the long-term solution to this problem, according to the President, is increasing local rice production. We don’t want to be in a situation when the Filipinos go hungry because there is no sufficient supply of rice,” he added.

NEW DELHI — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said authorities were “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking New Delhi’s agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, a concern India dismissed as “absurd”. Nijjar supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent, so-called state of Khalistan in India’s northern state of Punjab, the birthplace of the Sikh religion, which borders Pakistan. Modi, in turn, conveyed strong concern to Trudeau over recent demonstrations in Canada by Sikhs calling for an independent state. Khalistan is an independent Sikh state whose creation has been sought for decades. RELATED STORIESIndia summons Canada High Commissioner, concerned over Sikh protestersModi scolds Trudeau over Sikh protests in Canada against IndiaYour subscription could not be saved.

They are buying at the same time, the price of rice also rises so we have to put a price cap,” he stressed. Marcos, who is also the agriculture secretary, said below normal rainfall is expected in the coming months due to El Niño that could result in lower yield. The Chief Executive has issued Executive Order 39, mandating a price ceiling of P41 for regular milled rice and P45 for well-milled rice. President Marcos seemed bent on lifting the price cap the government imposed on rice before the month ends, ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo revealed on Tuesday. Tulfo explained that there have already been recommendations from farmers’ groups to Marcos, who also sits as agriculture secretary in a concurrent capacity and chairman of the NFA Council.

Security threat? Perhaps the same intel has reached our National Security Council. This month, NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya raised the possibility of banning the use of TikTok on devices used by government security personnel. But whoa… users will surely ask, how is TikTok a national security risk? That a TikTok subsidiary is operating in China already says a lot, if you consider that Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are banned in China.

CHINA's fishing/militia fleet is still at Rozul (Iroquois) Reef, the same area where corals were found to have been harvested in mid-September by divers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, according to a US satellite image. STILL HERE Satellite image taken on Monday, Sept. 17, 2023 shows China’s fishing/militia fleet still at Rozul (Iroquois) Reef which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). At least 35 ships are visible in the area where corals have been harvested based on an underwater survey recently conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). "Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, a coastal state granted an exclusive economic zone enjoys the rights to the resources within that zone. Vice Admiral Albert Carlos, commander of the AFP Western Command (Wescom), reported over the weekend that the corals that grow in abundance in the shallow waters close to Rozul Reef have disappeared, apparently due to massive coral harvesting.

The Capital Group Companies has sold a 2 percent stake in Postal Savings Bank of China (1658) to cash in HK$1.5 billion. The American financial services firm offloaded 407 million H-shares of the Chinese state-owned lender for a total of HK$1.53 billion last Thursday. Its holdings in the bank dropped from 5.36 percent to 3.31 percent after the disposal, below the disclosure threshold of 5 percent. Meanwhile, Wang Xing, the co-founder and chairman of Meituan (3690), sold a total of 1.95 million shares of Li Auto (2015) for HK$310 million last week, a separate filing showed. Wang, a non-executive director of the electric vehicle maker, had a 21.79 percent stake in the firm after the cut, down from 21.9 percent.

(UPDATED) VOLLEYBALL star Alyssa Valdez said her teammates are going to trust each other as Creamline Cool Smashers fight without top playmaker Jia Morado in the upcoming Premier Volleyball League (PVL). "We've been together for so long, so we're banking on familiarity." Alyssa Valdez (right) PVL PHOTOIt also came after former teammate Morado signed a deal with Japanese team Denso Airybees in Japan V.League. For Valdez, she is more focused on the upcoming PVL conference, saying that she and her teammates are working hard. Creamline finished runner-up earlier in June during the Invitational Conference and are now focused on the Second All-Filipino Conference.