The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data has arrested a 35-year-old wife on suspicion of disclosing the personal information of her husband’s mistress on a social media platform. The privacy watchdog on Thursday said the victim and the husband of the arrested person developed a close relationship between 2019 and 2021, after which the victim exposed the relationship to the arrested person. The personal data disclosed included the victim’s Chinese name, English name, alias, year of birth, area of residence, area of work, as well as her occupation and photos. The suspect was granted bail and the office said it will continue its investigation into the case. The watchdog reminded members of the public that doxxing is a serious offense and that offenders are liable on conviction to a fine of up to HK$1,000,000 and imprisonment for 5 years.

Government debt stock fattens in October — TreasuryA general view of buildings in the financial district of Makati City on November 10, 2022. MANILA, Philippines — The national government’s debt stock increased in October and has already exceeded the expected pile by the end of the year, as the Marcos Jr. administration took on new debts to finance its programs. The state’s debt stock climbed at the onset of the pandemic, due in part to the Duterte administration’s borrowing spree to fund its pandemic response. A fat debt stock would mean more taxpayers' funds are needed for debt servicing in the coming years. “What is important is that we outgrow our debt so that the overall debt to gross domestic product ratio can fall,” he added.

Most major vegetables grow Q3 productionCustomers shop for vegetables in Kamuning Public Market on December 6, 2022. Among the country’s top vegetable and root crops were ampalaya, mongo, cabbage, eggplant, onion, tomato, potato, sweet potato and cassava. Northern Mindanao was the top tomato producer with 22,582.57 MT, accounting for 76.2 percent of the total production during the quarter. Mongo production improved by 0.7 percent to 1,371.54 MT with Cagayan Valley as the major producer, accounting for 41.5 percent with its 569.76 MT output. Among the major vegetables and root crops, potato, eggplant, ampalaya and onion saw higher area planted at 0.8 percent, 0.4 percent, 0.4 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

INQUIRER.net, the country’s leading online news site, and STI College signed a memorandum of agreement on Tuesday, Dec. 6, to provide students with internship and career opportunities with INQUIRER.net. Under the agreement, INQUIRER.net will regularly provide training and career opportunities to STI students and alumni through postings and internship programs. “We welcome this partnership with STI because we believe that this will open opportunities for other new projects. For STI, the partnership with INQUIRER.net brings more possibilities to equip and prepare students as they transition from school to work, according to STI ESG President Peter Fernandez. “This partnership will provide huge opportunities for our students who are on the cusp of joining the workforce.

The government confirmed the BioNTech bivalent vaccine will be available as the third shot for eligible people aged 18 or above from this Friday, and the fifth dose will be open for appointments from next Friday (December 16). Citizens may choose to receive the BioNTech bivalent vaccine when they make appointments to receive the third or fourth dose. People could also request staff members on site to receive the BioNTech bivalent vaccine as the third dose. Meanwhile, people who live in residential care homes may choose to receive the Sinovac or the BioNTech vaccine as their third, fourth or fifth dose under the outreach vaccination service. "As the protection conferred by the vaccines will diminish over time, we appeal to the members of the public who have not received a suitable number of doses of vaccine to get their doses as soon as possible for self-protection," said a government spokesman today, "in particular high-risk persons such as the elderly.

Ocean Park Corporation stated on Wednesday in an annual revenue report that it had recorded a loss of HK$1.81 billion at the end of June this year for the fiscal year from 2021 to 2022. "The figure was contributed mainly by an impairment on property, plant, and equipment and right-of-use assets," according to the report, "which didn't affect the corporation’s current cash flows." The corporation still holds bank balances and cash of around HK$1.312 billion. In the fiscal year, the park recorded 1.4 million visitors for its main park, and the figure logged 200,000 for the newly opened Water World. Coupled with government grants, the corporation recorded an operating surplus of HK$436.2 million for the fiscal year.

Hong Kong came to a standstill for three minutes yesterday as the city joined the rest of the country in mourning the death of former president Jiang Zemin. This may not be unprecedented but most past instances when Hong Kong stood still were triggered by natural disasters. Jiang oversaw all these signifi cant developments in person at a solemn ceremony that historic midnight at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. National mourning is one of these. Without a well-practiced local protocol for national mourning, the administration would have to create one for such an occasion.

The sovereign wealth fund – Concept and performanceThe hot topic of the day is the “sovereign wealth fund” (in short, SWF). A SWF is a state-owned investment fund from government money or resources. Some other notable funds include the Abu Dhabi Fund, the China Fund, the Kuwait Fund, and the Singapore Fund. A sovereign fund works within the framework of a country’s economic policy. Fourth, clear accountability procedures are important to prevent misuse of public resources and to gain public support for the fund.

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the G20 Summit. (File Photo)Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a three-day visit, his first to the world's biggest crude oil exporter since 2016, Saudi state media reported on Tuesday. The visit will include a bilateral summit chaired by Saudi King Salman and attended by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. China is Saudi Arabia's biggest customer for crude oil, purchasing roughly a quarter of Saudi oil exports. Xi last visited Saudi Arabia in 2016, the year before Prince Mohammed became first in line to the throne, on a trip that also featured stops in Egypt and Saudi rival Iran.

Growth target for 2023 cutMANILA, Philippines — The economic team of the Marcos administration expects external headwinds to take a toll on overall growth next year amid still-elevated commodity prices and slowdown in major economies. During yesterday’s briefing by the Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), the economic team slashed its 2023 gross domestic product (GDP) growth target to six to seven percent from the previous 6.5 to eight percent goal set in July. Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the global slowdown was factored into the adjustment. Nonetheless, GDP is seen picking up from 2024 to 2028 and register a 6.5 to eight percent growth, the original target of the DBCC. We’re hoping that the global oil prices will stabilize next year,” Edillon said.

An Egyptian watch merchant was arrested over deliberately smashing more than 200 urns and religious idols across multiple locations since April this year. The arrestee, a 38-year-old male, drove his car to various locations, including graveyards and temples, damaging over 210 urns and at least six religious idols. Officers believed the arrestee conducted the crime out of religious intention. Officers followed the car early Sunday and arrived at a temple in Shau Kei Wan. The officers subdued the suspect on the spot before he tried to break another religious idol.

The disrupted MTR services in Tseung Kwan O Line have gradually resumed after more than four hours of the suspension. Over 1,500 passengers were affected with two being sent to the hospital, including a pregnant woman. Around 800 passengers were guided by MTR staff to evacuate. Ng, a passenger on the train, was evacuated with his son, who was in a baby pram under the MTR staff's help. The incident was due to an equipment fault between the sixth and seventh compartments of the train, leading the emergency brake functioning to stop the train.

Biz groups oppose creation of Maharlika Wealth FundPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his first State of the Nation Address as newly elected Congress leaders, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, react on Monday, July 25, 2022. MANILA, Philippines — Business groups joined a clarion call to oppose the Marcos Jr. administration’s plan to create a sovereign wealth fund, owing to concerns of fiscal prudence, transparency and economic interventionism. Related Stories Does the P250-B Maharlika Wealth Fund make sense? These business groups likewise pointed out that the creation of the Maharlika will not be filling in any gaps, or “missing institutions” within the domestic economy. These business groups also noted that the Maharlika’s existence would usher in a period of economic intervention from the government.

EDITORIAL - Settle the Dengvaxia controversyIf uptake of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters continues to be tepid during this week’s three-day mass vaccination program, part of the reason has to be the lingering impact of the hysteria over the Dengvaxia controversy. Developed by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur, Dengvaxia is the first dengue vaccine to be approved by global health authorities. By the end of 2016, the Philippines, Brazil and nine other countries had granted regulatory approval for Dengvaxia. Dengvaxia remains approved for use in countries including Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Singapore and Thailand. A scientifically sound resolution of the Dengvaxia controversy may help ease vaccine hesitancy, which is being seen even in the COVID inoculation drive.

An MTR train on Tseung Kwan O Line suspended service due to its connecting couplings between carriage loosened this morning, with over 1,500 passengers evacuated. According to the announcement of MTR Corporation, a mechanical fault occurred when the involved train was preparing to enter the platform to Tseung Kwan O Station at around 8.57 am on Monday, causing the train to make an emergency stop. About 1,500 passengers on board were directed by MTR staff to walk along the tunnel from the emergency exit of the train to the Tseung Kwan O Station platform. "The train was not derailed, and the service is now gradually resuming as our staff fixing the failed train," Ng added. Free shuttle buses have been arranged at Tseung Kwan O Station for passengers.