$695,000 awarded to teacher over job loss
Together with the interest, Tong first requested a total compensation of HK$16 million - including general damages of HK$3 million, HK$1.9 million of loss of earnings arising from the deprived contract, and HK$10 million for "future loss of earnings." Coleman handed down his judgment yesterday that Tong can get the loss of earnings arising from the deprived contract, and an extra fee for teacher registration for a total of HK$695,238. In the decision, Coleman reaffirmed that Tong was qualified for the position of NET teacher, and was selected by Fuk Wing Street Government Primary School in Sham Shui Po after two rounds of interviews. The internal policy, which has not been stated in any document, said government primary schools could only get candidates' resumes from the bureau, the judgment said. Schools may opt to recruit NET teachers directly on their own or select candidates through the central pool.
Source:The Standard
January 04, 2023 07:23 UTC
30 Filipino seafarers abandoned by Chinese vessel employer
MORE than 30 Filipino crewmembers of the livestock carrier, Yangtze Fortune, are stranded in Australia and reportedly abandoned by the registered vessel owner Soar Harmony Shipping of China. According to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), Yangtze Fortune has been arrested in Portland, Victoria by the Australian Federal Court. Built in 2005 in China as a containership, the vessel has at least five different names and many managers and registered owners. The 4,800 dwt ship carried livestock between Australia and China with a crew of about 30. ITF Australia's Assistant Coordinator, Matt Purcell, who is providing support to the crew, said that five members of the crew had already worked eight months aboard the vessel.
Source:Manila Times
January 04, 2023 06:17 UTC
Converge sends DiGregorio, Ilagan, Hill to Blackwater for Ebona, first round pick
Converge and Blackwater pulled the first trigger and agreed to a four-man, two-team trade that was approved by the Office of the Commissioner on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Barkley Ebona (left) is joining Converge while (from the right) RK Ilagan, Tyrus Hill and Mike Digregorio join Blackwater (PBA Images)Under the deal, the FiberXers are sending three players in RK Ilagan, Mike DiGregorio and rookie forward Tyrus Hill in exchange for Barkley Ebona and the Bossing’s first round pick in next season’s PBA draft. The draft pick that Converge had acquired was the pick that Blackwater got in a trade for Troy Rosario. Ilagan is a solid backup point guard for the FiberXers while Hill is a forward brimming with potential and only needs some minutes to prove his worth – something he could get with Blackwater. The question, however, for the Bossing is how they will balance the minutes in a team now suddenly loaded with guards following the addition of Ilagan and DiGregorio.
Source:Manila Times
January 04, 2023 05:37 UTC
Kids among dead in Kashmir village attack
The blast occurred near one of the houses targeted overnight in Dhangri village in the southern Rajouri district. Dhangri is a Hindu-majority village and all the victims were Hindus. Nearly three dozen people in the southern city of Jammu also protested the killings that Sinha condemned as a "cowardly terror attack." Later on Monday, Sinha visited the village and met the victims' families. Rebels in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi's rule since 1989.
Source:Manila Times
January 04, 2023 04:12 UTC
The Fil-Am who helped bring Disney+ to the Philippines – Philstar.com
One guy who was there representing the Philippines was Fil-Am Disney executive Jay Trinidad. He said he was “confident” that Disney+ would be “a runaway hit” among Filipinos. Trinidad, Filipino-American SVP and general manager for Direct-to-Consumer for Disney Asia Pacific, certainly believes that is the case. “The Philippines is important to Walt Disney for a number of reasons,” he states. “In 2011, we honored the Philippines national icon for her singing roles as Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and Fa Mulan in Mulan,” he says with pride.
Source:Philippine Star
January 03, 2023 23:55 UTC
Distribute medicine to grassroots amid medicine-buying frenzy, community group urges
The SAR government should take the initiative to distribute flu medicine to grassroots citizens as many are struggling to find the medications at pharmacies, said Society for Community Organization community organizer Ivan Lin Wai-kiu. His comments came after a surge of Covid-19 infections across China, and the news of the HK-mainland border reopening have sent residents rushing to buy flu medicine, painkillers, and test kits in Hong Kong. Lin said many grassroots citizens reflected that they are struggling to get ahold of over-the-counter flu medicine as multiple brands of antipyretic and analgesic medications are now in short supply due to the shopping frenzy. He said authorities should make reference to previous experiences in distributing anti-Covid packs, having elderly centers and district health centers help distribute the household medicines. He also called on authorities to streamline the procedures for grassroots elderly to get their check-ups at government clinics.
Source:The Standard
January 03, 2023 21:31 UTC
Philippines' Marcos Jr. heads to China amid sea disputes
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., right, waves beside wife Maria Louise as they board a plane for China on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at the Villamor Air Base in Manila, Philippines. Alluding to the two countries’ territorial dispute in the South China Sea, he said he looks forward to discussing bilateral and regional political and security issues. “The issues between our two countries are problems that do not belong between two friends such as Philippines and China,” he added. Most recently, a Filipino military commander reported that the Chinese coast guard forcibly seized Chinese rocket debris that Filipino navy personnel had retrieved in the South China Sea last month. China accounts for 20% of the Philippines’ foreign trade and is also a major source of foreign direct investment.
Source:The Standard
January 03, 2023 07:28 UTC
Floods in Philippines leave 51 dead, over a dozen missing
Floods have subsided in most of the areas hit by bad weather that disrupted Christmas celebrations in the eastern, central and southern Philippines. Over 4,500 houses were damaged by the floods, along with roads and bridges, and some areas still have disrupted power and water supply, the disaster management agency said. Teams from the capital Manila were sent to assist communities with limited clean water in setting up water filtration systems. At least 22 cities and municipalities have declared a state of calamity, the disaster management council said. A shear line — the point where warm and cold air meet — triggered heavy rains in parts of the country last week, causing the floods, the state weather bureau said.
Source:The Standard
January 03, 2023 00:07 UTC
Driver arrested for dangerous driving in TKO bus side-turned accident
A bus accident on New Year’s Day in Tseung Kwan O caused multiple passengers to be trapped and 12 to be injured, and the bus driver was arrested for dangerous driving after the police’s investigation. The accident happened at around 5 pm yesterday when a Citybus route 796P travelling along the LOHAS Park Road suddenly lost control, side-turned and rammed into the woods on the roadside. Most passengers were freed within 15 minutes, and one woman stuck by bus seats on the upper deck was rescued within 30 minutes. Twelve people aged between 39 to 76, including five men and seven women, were sent to the hospital as suffering minor injuries. The bus driver was arrested after being accused of dangerous driving after the preliminary investigation.
Source:The Standard
January 02, 2023 04:50 UTC
MGen prepares to start building new RE projects
MGen prepares to start building new RE projectsMANILA, Philippines — Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen), the power generating arm of Manila Electric Co., is targeting to commence this year the construction of “hundreds of megawatts (MW)” of new renewable energy projects, as two solar plants are set for commissioning this quarter. MGen president and CEO Jaime Azurin said the company was eyeing to commission this quarter projects that would add around 150 MW to its renewable energy capacity. The projects that will start commercial operations include the 75-megawatt alternating current (MWac) solar plant in Baras, Rizal through PH Renewables Inc., a joint venture of unit MGen Renewable Energy Inc. (MGreen) with Mitsui’s local unit MitRenewables Philippine Corp. MGen owns a 51-percent equity stake in PowerSource First Bulacan Solar Inc., which commenced operations of a 55-MWac solar plant in San Miguel, Bulacan in May 2021. The company has set its sights on reaching 1,500-MW of renewable energy capacity in the next seven years.
Source:Philippine Star
January 01, 2023 21:59 UTC
Doncic scores 51 as Dallas win streak reaches six
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Luka Doncic scored 51 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to their sixth victory in a row while the Brooklyn Nets stretched their NBA win streak to 11 on Saturday, Dec. 31. Christian Wood, who added 25 points and seven rebounds for Dallas, marveled at what he sees as a Most Valuable Player-style effort. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points to lead the Pistons while Anthony Edwards netted 30 in a losing cause. Julius Randle scored 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead New York’s 108-88 romp at Houston, which snapped the Knicks’ five-game losing streak. Myles Turner scored 34 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 24 to lead the Indiana Pacers over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 131-130.
Source:Manila Times
January 01, 2023 18:26 UTC
2022 year-end review
As a result, the US dollar index ended 2021 with an 8.9 percent gain. Last September, we may have seen the peak of the US dollar after the dollar index (DXY) hit a 20-year high of 114.78. Almost all currencies in the world depreciated against the US dollar in 2022, except for the Singapore dollar, which appreciated 0.7 percent. SPX ended down 19.4 percent, its worst performance for the year since the global financial crisis in 2008. The aggressive tightening of central banks worldwide in 2022 has increased the likelihood of a recession.
Source:Philippine Star
January 01, 2023 16:58 UTC
One dead, one injured in suspected murder-suicide case on New Year's Eve
Police received a report on New Year's Eve that a woman killed herself with a knife in Ma On Shan and her husband was injured in his neck. The accident occurred around 9 pm on Saturday when police received a phone call from the husband surnamed Lai, 44, claiming his same-year-old wife surnamed Lee committed suicide in their home. Police went to the residential flat in Kam Fung Court where the couple lived, finding the wife lying unconscious in the living room and the husband injured his neck. The two were sent to Prince of Wales Hospital, the wife was later certified dead. Police classified the accident as "suicide" and "attempting to murder", with a further investigation ongoing.
Source:The Standard
January 01, 2023 15:44 UTC
Zelensky, Putin promise victory in contrasting New Year speeches
The leaders of Ukraine and Russia both vowed to push for victory in New Year speeches, but while Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of gratitude and pain, Vladimir Putin urged duty to Russia, casting the war as a near-existential fight. The attacks followed a barrage of more than 20 cruise missiles fired across Ukraine on Saturday – and many bombardments earlier. “The main thing is the fate of Russia,” Putin, dressed in a dark suit and tie, said. ADVERTISEMENTReiterating that the West is supposedly intent on “destroying Russia” by using Kyiv, Putin vowed he will never allow that. While Putin immediately blamed Kyiv for orchestrating the powerful blast, Ukraine had not previously claimed responsibility for it – or any other attacks inside Russia, since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 01, 2023 11:49 UTC
QCPD destroys almost P1-M worth of prohibited fireworks ahead of New Year
QCPD destroys almost P1-M worth of prohibited fireworks ahead of New YearIn this photo, Quezon City police are seen destroying P810,697 worth of illegal fireworks, January 31, 2022MANILA, Philippines — Around P810,697 worth of prohibited firecrackers and pyrotechnics were destroyed by police authorities after being seized following the implementation of a stricter Quezon City order before the New Year. The said fireworks and firecrackers were products of 58 operations conducted during the intensified operations carried out by 16 police stations and other units of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD). The said ordinance prohibits the use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices in "all public places in Quezon City." However, there are still some hardheaded folks selling in public markets who think they could get away with the law," said QCPD Director Police Brig. 54, S-2022 banning the use of fireworks and firecrackers even in private households.
Source:Philippine Star
January 01, 2023 09:50 UTC