OTTAWA — The Canadian government, under pressure over the rising cost of housing, could consider capping foreign student visas, which have rocketed in recent years, new Housing Minister Sean Fraser said on Monday. Official data show there were more than 800,000 foreign students with active visas in 2022, up from 275,000 in 2012. Canada is a popular destination for international students since it is relatively easy to obtain a work permit. ADVERTISEMENTFraser, who was immigration minister before taking up his job last month, said the sharp rise in the number of students was putting pronounced pressure on some housing markets. Asked whether a cap could be imposed on the number of foreign students, he said, “I think that is one of the options that we ought to consider.” The government has not yet made a decision, he added.

THE much-anticipated Suzuki Auto Festival is back, and this time, the 2-day extravaganza will happen at the Lower Ground Level of SM City Bacoor in Cavite this coming August 26 and 27. The first of a 3-month long series, the Suzuki Auto Festival will feature Suzuki's iconic cars such as the new Ertiga Hybrid, S-Presso AGS, Dzire, XL-7 and Jimny. The Suzuki Auto Festival is also a good venue for families to bond and have a relaxing time after a week of work or school activities. There will be four shows for each day of the Suzuki Auto Festival scheduled from 12:30 p.m. up to 7:30 p.m. The Suzuki Auto Festival at SM City Bacoor will open at 10 a.m. and will close at 10 p.m. on Saturday, August 26; and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, August 27.

ON Monday last week (August 14), the town of Casiguran, Aurora, shattered the record for the highest heat index ever recorded in the Philippines at 60 degrees Celsius. The previous heat index record — which was only set in May this year — was 53 C in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, on May 24. Casiguran equaled that mark on Friday and Saturday, August 11 and 12, broke the record on Sunday the 13th with a reading of 59 C, and exceeded that on Monday. For my American audience, 60 Celsius is 140 degrees Fahrenheit. No matter what temperature scale you use, that temperature is not survivable for humans for very long.

Six suspects, all Colombians police say belong to criminal gangs, are being held in the murder. Other candidates have reported attacks against them, though in several cases police have said that violence was not directed at the hopefuls themselves. Luisa Gonzalez, a protegee of Correa, led polling before Villavicencio’s murder with about 30% of voting intention. Pro-market candidate Otto Sonnenholzner has hardened his discourse since Villavicencio’s murder, repeatedly promising that criminals who use violence will be shot by police under his government. ADVERTISEMENT“The new president must propose things that are real, not just words,” said university student Menaly Luge, 18, who is voting for Villavicencio’s Construye party.

(UPDATE) THE FIBA World Cup Championship Trophy made a stop at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium on Sunday. The Championship Trophy, also known as the Naismith Trophy, was shown to the public, with former Gilas Pilipinas players and now ambassadors Larry Fonacier and Jeff Chan gracing the event. Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, World Cup Global ambassador, was also present. GOLDEN FIBA World Cup Global Ambassador Catriona Gray presents the Naismith Trophy at the SM Mall of Asia on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. The Philippines opens its World Cup campaign against the Dominican Republic on August 25 at the Philippine Arena.

Two hit-and-run cases occurred Sunday morning in one hour in Kowloon Tong and Tai Po. The first case happened in Tai Po at around 6 am, a driver lost control of his Mercedes-Benz sedan going down the slope on Tai Po Tai Wo Road when turning right to enter Po Nga Road. The car crashed into the metal fence and a traffic light before overturning on the streets, and the driver climbed out of the vehicle with minor injuries. The police and paramedics were alerted to the scene, but the driver was nowhere to be found when they arrived. Pedestrians witnessed a male driver and a female passenger abandoning the vehicle and reported the incident to the police.

(UPDATE) THE Sangguniang Bayan of Kalayaan in the province of Palawan adopted a resolution on Aug. 3, 2023 declaring Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian as persona non grata. The South China Sea has long been a source of tension between Manila and Beijing. Beijing claims "indisputable sovereignty" over almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea, as well as most of the islands within it. Philippine maritime authorities have accused Chinese vessels of harassing Filipino fishers in the vicinity. Relations were strained in December when Manila expressed "great concern" about the presence of Chinese vessels in the contested body of water.

The city’s graft-buster held its first-ever recruitment experience day on Saturday as the watchdog aims to bring in new blood with 60 new hires and opens applications to third-year university students. Citizens who earlier registered for today’s event can also submit applications and conduct the physical fitness test on-site. When asked if he worries about the competition, Wu said he was satisfied with his physical test results and will strive in upcoming interviews. She said she is interested in ICAC’s work but feared she doesn’t fulfill the requirements, including Cantonese and English. Given the overwhelming response, ICAC will hold another experience day on August 27 and is expected to see over 1,000 participants.

More economic engagements coming our wayRecent developments have been very encouraging with a surge of economic activities coming not only from the United States but countries in Europe and Asia as well. Even when he was a senator, the President has been espousing “green economy” to help mitigate the impact of climate change. The President urged Filipinos to adopt the concept of a “circular economy” – simply put, an economic system where materials are reused and recycled to reduce waste. President Marcos clearly pointed out that economic security is an important part of his administration’s agenda, and surely his efforts are coming into fruition with the investment pledges starting to become a reality. All these important developments are obviously an offshoot of the recent trip of the President to Washington, DC.

A man died after he was buried in debris when the wall of a Yuen Long village house collapsed during the demolition work on Saturday afternoon. A woman filed the report at around 3 pm today, saying that the wall of a house in Tin Liu Tsuen collapsed and a man was buried underneath. The man was hit in his head and fell into a coma. He was later rescued and rushed to Pok Oi Hospital but was eventually pronounced dead at around 5 pm. It was understood that the villagers were carrying out the demolition work of the village house at the time.

Sweden take third place to spoil Australia's World Cup partySweden players celebrate with their bronze medals after winning the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women's World Cup third place play-off football match between Sweden and Australia at Brisbane Stadium in Brisbane on August 19, 2023. BRISBANE, Australia -- Sweden scored either side of half-time to spoil Australia's party and claim third spot at the Women's World Cup with a 2-0 win in Brisbane on Saturday. Ranked third in the world, this is the fourth time that Sweden have finished third at the tournament. They fully deserved their win against the hosts, dominating the midfield and keeping talismanic Australian striker Sam Kerr relatively quiet. Australia's other dangerous attacker, Mary Fowler, had a night to forget as she struggled physically against the size and power of the Swedish defenders.

Filipino-American Megan Paragua (right), niece of Grandmaster Mark Paragua, takes on Antia Vazquez Sanchez of Mexico in the first round. For topping the event, the 10-year-old Paragua will also get an outright Woman Fide Master title. She is the daughter of Jan Vincent Paragua, younger brother of Grandmaster Mark Paragua. ), Michelle Zhang (6.5), Li (6.5), Fang (6), Figueroa (5.5), Ellery Zhang (5.5), Laura Valentina Pardo Useche (5.5) and Sophia Sun (5.5) in this order. In her two previous tournaments, the young Paragua placed third in the Weeramantry National blitz chess tournament of state champions 1800-2199 Section and the 11th Annual WIM Ruth Haring National Chess Tournament held in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Fish from the surrounding seas have always been a key element in Japanese cuisine. A thousand years ago, kamaboko was developed to preserve fish that easily goes off, making a paste then curing, steaming and cooking it. It became the custom to eat it in celebratory meals. Kamaboko has many regional variations, the most popular kind being sold mounted on a thin wooden board. The famous Toyama specialty, Saiku Kamaboko, creates sculptures representing traditionally lucky motifs like sea bream, cranes and turtles, and is used as the centerpiece at celebrations of important life events like weddings.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung and Commissioner for Tourism Vivian Sum Fong-kwang went to the terminal to welcome the tourists and inspect the situation. Yet, taxi drivers encouraged by the government to pick up passengers at the terminal were not so happy. One of the drivers, Chan, waited for at least an hour. Minibuses didn’t see a lot of customers either, as staffers said they had only 23 passengers in two hours in the morning. Tourism minister Yeung only said it took a lot of work to ensure that cabbies could get hired at once.

BEIJING: Chinese leader Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to South Africa next week, the foreign ministry said Friday, while confirming the president will attend the Brics summit in Johannesburg. Xi will pay a state visit to South Africa next week, the foreign ministry said Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, while confirming the president will attend the Brics summit in Johannesburg. This will be Xi's second international trip of 2023, after paying an official state visit to Russia in March. Xi previously visited South Africa in 2018 as he sought to enhance his country's diplomatic and economic ties with the continent. Brics, a loosely-defined group that sees itself as a counterweight to Western economic domination, derives its name from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.