In the town of Bayambang, the ‘onion capital’ of Pangasinan province, an invasion of armyworms is wreaking havoc on the onion crops. To combat the infestation, many farmers took out loans to pay the escalating costs of pesticides, racking up massive debts they have struggled to pay back. Scientists have warned that crop-damaging pests will only become more destructive as climate change brings hotter weather and more unseasonable rains. In places like the Philippines, now unsustainable farming practices leave rural communities unable to adapt, prompting calls to shift to more innovative and greener farming. In the Philippines, the armyworm was first reported in Pangasinan in 2016, when a major infestation ravaged over 1,000 hectares of land.

Hong Kong’s finance chief urged people to head out and spend during the holidays to boost the local economy, as eligible residents are set to get the second payment of their consumption vouchers on Saturday. The second phase of the city’s e-voucher scheme split the HK$5,000 into two or three payments, with HK$2,000 already disbursed in August. He hoped citizens’ spending would help boost businesses in the catering and retail sectors. Meanwhile, Chan said he understood that the catering industry has been hit hard during the Covid epidemic and that authorities have rolled out several measures to support them. He believed the industry has the tenacity to harness the innovation and lessons from the epidemic to create new opportunities.

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Sometimes maybe, but not for a driver who put up a sign threatening police officers and eventually got his illegally parked car towed away. A black seven-seater was fined before getting towed away by police officers in Cheung Sha Wan on Monday after the driver illegally parked it on a roadside near Hoi Tat Estate. It is understood an illegal parking ticket was issued at around 5pm yesterday before officers arranged for the vehicle to be towed away at around 8pm. Netizens did not hesitate to join in on the teasing, with some saying the driver was out of his mind. “A problem that could originally be solved by paying a HK$320 fine escalated into a more complicated issue because the dumb driver decided to challenge the police, what an absolute genius!” One netizen wrote.

Police are investigating the scene of a fatal traffic accident in Kwun Tong last night (Sept 27), where a medium-sized truck crashed into multiple vehicles, causing the death of a 65-year-old male pedestrian and injuring five people. A 65-year-old male pedestrian was trapped between the minibus and a lamppost, with the medium truck further crashing into the metal gate of a bank. Firefighters rushed to the scene and freed the pedestrian surnamed Tong, who had lost consciousness. Five injured, including the 63-year-old van driver, 50-year-old minibus driver, and three passengers in the medium truck aged between 53 and 66, were sent to the same hospital in a conscious state and are currently undergoing treatment. The 65-year-old male medium truck driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death and is being detained for inquiries.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has released the virtual oathtaking schedule of new passers of the Librarian Licensure Examination. (PRC / Manila Bulletin)In an advisory, PRC said that the ceremony will be conducted on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022 at 10 a.m. and it will be spearheaded by PRC Iloilo through Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Participants of the said oathtaking were instructed to wear formal or business attire and use a white backdrop throughout the virtual ceremony. “Those who are unable to join within the said screening will no longer be allowed to access the video conference and to take their oath,” said PRC. Individuals with confirmed appointments but failed to join the ceremony will be allowed to secure another schedule.

MANILA, Philippines—The cry for help could get lost in the din of destruction. Nasira ang mga bahay, nasira ang mga bangkang pinagkukunang ng kabuhayan ng mga residente dito. Bono Mari and St. Vincent de Paul POGI Social Dev’t, Inc. have started initial relief work to help residents. GABRIELA IS CALLING FOR DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEERS to help our countrymen who are currently being hit by #SuperTyphoonKardingPH. Responding to appeals for help, the Inquirer is extending its relief efforts to the families affected by Typhoon Karding.

Four men were arrested in the New Territories in a three-day anti-illegal road racing operation, with 28 illegal private cars detained. Officers launched a raid to find four men aged 20 to 23 on suspicion of illegal road racing, and the police detained two vehicles for further investigation. Two were charged with illegal racing and appeared in court on Monday, and the other pair were released on bail. Besides, 26 more private cars on Route Twisk and Bride's Pool Road were detained for suspected illegal modification and sent to Hong Kong Police Force Vehicle Examination Centre. A total of 190 fixed penalty tickets were issued to vehicles suspected of speeding during the operation, according to the police.

Among those flying in this morning is Ha, who resided in Taiwan and has not seen his family members in Hong Kong for more than two years. Ha mentioned that his return to Hong Kong is a secret from his family members and he wanted to give them a surprise. "I have been waiting for this for almost three years," said 58-year-old Hong Kong resident, Barbara Van Moppes, who arrived from Bangkok. Meanwhile, flight bookings out of Hong Kong have seen a massive leap of 400 percent since the “0+3” scheme was announced. The average length of overseas hotel bookings for Hong Kong travelers is three to four days, said Eddy Yip, Trip.com’s e-commerce lead for Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Super Typhoon Noru slammed into the Philippines Sunday, battering the heavily populated main island of Luzon with strong winds and heavy rain that have forced hundreds of people to flee their homes. Videos posted on social media and verified by AFP showed trees being buffeted by strong winds in Infanta and on the Polillo islands. Emergency personnel braced for the possibility of strong winds and heavy rain battering the capital, home to more than 13 million people. Noru comes nine months after another super typhoon devastated swathes of the country, killing more than 400 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. Ahead of the latest storm, residents in several municipalities in Quezon were evacuated from their homes, according to the provincial disaster office.

KC Cepada finished with 21 points for UE with Lia Pelaga and Von Dimacungalan providing reinforcements with 15 and 11 markers, respectively. UE head coach Ronwald Dimacungalan noted that his team had a rough opening set, the reason why they had a hard time dealing with the Lady Cardinals. Mapua, however, saved three match points with Hannah De Guzman on the service line, who tallied an ace before sending the next service straight to the net that gave UE its first win. De Guzman, who recorded 10 points for the Lady Cardinals secured the opening set with two consecutive points. Now moving within rhythm, UE wasted no time in the next two sets only to fall short at the fourth against the gutsy Mapua.

Four more men, aged 23 to 33, were arrested on Friday over Wednesday night's bloody incident where a group of attackers in a private car hunted down and knifed a driver in Kennedy Town. The attack happened at about 10 pm on Wednesday when a 42-year-old man named Wong was driving along Shing Sai Road. Still, after about 300 meters, the attackers rammed his car with theirs, forcing it to mount the curb. Afterward, they clambered out of their vehicle and proceeded to attack Wong, slashing at him with a knife. Wong was later discovered by officers patrolling nearby, who found the abandoned car and followed the blood stains on the road.

Yuka Saso blasted a bogey-free seven-under-par 64 to share the early lead with five others at the start of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas Friday, Sept. 23 (Saturday in Manila). Kim exploded with six birdies in the first 10 holes, then stumbled into a lone bogey on the 11th, before picking up her game with two more birdies on the 14th and 18th. Like Saso, Lee also went bogey-free by firing seven birdies including four at the back nine while Coughlin highlighted her round with an eagle on the 18th apart from six birdies and a bogey. Vivan Hou and Lilia Vu trail by one shot with identical 65s, while Charley Hull, Sophia Schubert, Muni He, Georgia Hall, A Lim Kim and Jenny Shin posted similar 66s. Saso tees off for the second round at 1:22 p.m., while Khang and O’Toole start at 1 p.m. Coughlin competes at 12:16 p.m., Kim starts at 8:11 a.m. and Lee at 7:38 a.m.

(Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)LONDON — Roger Federer described his tennis career as a “perfect journey” despite being denied a fairytale ending with a doubles defeat at the Laver Cup early on Saturday alongside Rafael Nadal. The result meant Team Europe were locked at 2-2 with Team World at the end of the opening day of the Ryder Cup-style event. Federer and Nadal seized on their first break point in the 10th game, winning the first set when Sock netted with a backhand to huge cheers. In the evening session Murray lost a gruelling encounter to Alex de Minaur 5-7, 6-3, 10-7 before all eyes turned to Federer. The Swiss is leaving the stage 19 years after winning his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003.

Two managers and a staffer in a Tsim Sha Tsui bar were arrested Friday night for misleading police officers by providing Covid-19 testing sticks with a negative result to customers. Another 25-year-old woman was arrested for misleading police officers as well for presenting another person's negative test result. A 22-year-old man was issued a fixed penalty ticket for failing to present a test result at all. As officers continued their raid targeting restaurants and bars in the area, they arrested a 21-year-old man for presenting another person's vaccine pass. All arrestees are now remanded in custody.