(Policy Address 2022) Govt to develop more urban activities to enhance citizen’s mental health amid Covid
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced in his Policy Address on Wednesday to promote the city’s sports and leisure activities. “The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau will map out a 10-year development blueprint for sports and recreation facilities which will provide about 30 diversified facilities by phases,” he said. He added the government will continue to enhance professionalism in the sports sector and develop sports as an industry, noting that a project of the Hong Kong "M" Mark System will support hosting at least 10 major international sports events in the city each year. He mentioned the government will promote eco-tourism and plan to develop about 1,000 hectares in the southern part of Lantau for eco-tourism or recreation uses. “Events of weekend bazaars will also be held in the fourth quarter this year across the city,” he said.
Source:The Standard
October 19, 2022 05:48 UTC
'Judicial review king' wins appeal over legal aid refusal in vaccine exemption fight
The man who launched a legal challenge to the government's attempt to invalidate 20,000 vaccine exemption certificates on Tuesday won a High Court appeal against the Legal Aid Department’s decision to deny him public funds in the case. Following the court decision, the Legal Aid Department turned down Kwok's application for public funds in the case on the grounds that he is not directly affected because he has received three doses of the Covid vaccine. Kwok also confirmed that a woman who holds an exemption certificate - who he previously said would join in - will not be involved in his legal fight. The jab exemption certificates allow people who are not fully vaccinated to enter premises such as restaurants. Read more: Jab waiver challenger on his own after bid for legal aid denied
Source:The Standard
October 18, 2022 16:54 UTC
Sports centers used in Covid fight to reopen next month
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced on Tuesday that seven sports centers managed by the office will gradually reopen for public use starting from November 1, after they were no longer needed for anti-epidemic purposes. The seven centers include Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre, Harbour Road Sports Centre, Boundary Street Sports Centre No. 2, Hiu Kwong Street Sports Centre, Java Road Sports Centre, Sai Wan Ho Sports Centre, and Lai Chi Kok Park Sports Centre,Click here for the timetable for the reopening. Members of the public can reserve the fee-charging facilities of the venues according to their booking commencement dates via the Internet booking services of Leisure Link, counter bookings and self-service kiosks, or via the Booking Offices of the District Leisure Services Offices during office hours.
Source:The Standard
October 18, 2022 16:04 UTC
Index heavyweights drive markets higher
Index heavyweights drive markets higherLikewise, the broader All Shares index gained 20.89 points or 0.66 percent to finish at 3,198.63. MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine stock market advanced yesterday, with the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Composite index (PSEi) closing 65.58 points or 1.11 percent higher at 5,970.33. Likewise, the broader All Shares index gained 20.89 points or 0.66 percent to finish at 3,198.63. Analysts from Philstocks Financials said interest in index heavyweights, especially SM Investments Corp. and SM Prime Holdings, helped lift the bourse into the positive territory. Asia’s main markets had struggled overnight but Europe’s STOXX 600 made a 0.5 percent early gain as both the pound and UK government bonds rallied in London.
Source:Philippine Star
October 18, 2022 00:16 UTC
Learn how to prepare bid documents
Learn how to prepare bid documentsMANILA, Philippines — The Government Procurement and Policy Board regularly release compliance regulations that will boost the efficiency of procurement and bidding for consulting services. Whether you are doing government to government (G2G) or government to private transactions, you must update yourselves to these changes. The rules mandate all government entities and prospective bidders to use the revised bidding documents for the procurement of consulting services. Failure to successfully conclude procurement projects are normally due to faulty crafting of the TORs and requirements in the bidding documents, while the disqualification of bidders are attributable to inability to align their bidding documents with the Philippine bidding documents (5th Edition). Learn from expert practitioner, lawyer Zoilo Andin Jr. who is a seasoned lecturer, senior consultant, and adviser to many national government agencies, LGUs, private companies, and law firms on Procurement Law.
Source:Philippine Star
October 18, 2022 00:09 UTC
Autistic teen who prank-calls judge gets probation
An autistic teenager was on Monday sentenced to 14 days’imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, for prank-calling a judge and his wife eight times in December two years ago. Chan Po-hong, 19, previously pleaded guilty to contempt of court, after he allegedly violated an interim court injunction banning the doxxing and harassing of judicial officers and their families. He was said to have obtained the telephone numbers online and made eight silent calls to the judge and his wife on December 6, 2020. His conviction is also the first in the territory in relation to the injunction imposed in October 2020. Passing sentence, High Court judge Russell Coleman noted that Chan had told police investigators under caution that he committed the acts thinking it was fun, and was dissatisfied with the judge being “pro-government”.
Source:The Standard
October 17, 2022 21:22 UTC
Police officer's gun accidentally goes off in Happy Valley
A gun accidentally discharged inside the Happy Valley Police Station on Monday morning; no injury was caused. The incident occurred at around 9am in the bullet-loading areas of the police station. Police officers said the incident was suspected to be due to a male officer who serves for the Hong Kong Island Regional Traffic Department firing a bullet in an accidental discharge of his gun. The case is now under investigation by the department with officers emphasizing the police force has strict rules on equipment use.
Source:The Standard
October 17, 2022 20:13 UTC
Raslag accelerates spend of IPO proceeds by 6 months
Raslag accelerates spend of IPO proceeds by 6 monthsRaslag [ASLAG 1.68 1.20%] [link], the solar power generation company owned by the Nepomuceno Family, disclosed that its board has voted to re-allocate the disbursement schedule of its IPO proceeds to spend P380 million in mid-November of this year on paying the balance owed on the land for RASLAG-4, and funding the equity portion for RASLAG-4’s construction and development. The original schedule called for this to happen sometime in the first half of next year. ASLAG did not say why it is accelerating the RASLAG-4 project, nor did it say how the proceeds of the loan would be used. MB BOTTOM-LINEI’ve been a vocal opponent of a board’s ability to make changes to the disbursement plan of its IPO proceeds, but that’s usually because these changes are not obviously to the benefit of minority shareholders. They’re putting IPO investor cash to work sooner than anticipated.
Source:Philippine Star
October 17, 2022 09:48 UTC
Banks’ real estate exposure eases to 21.8% in 1st half
Banks’ real estate exposure eases to 21.8% in 1st halfBuildings are seen along EDSA in Quezon City before dawn, Sunday (July 3, 2022). Commercial real estate loans grew by 6.7 percent to P1.58 trillion from P1.48 trillion, while residential real estate loans went up by 8.2 percent to P919.89 billion from P850.34 billion. Past due commercial real estate loans decreased by 7.6 percent to P39.91 billion from P43.21 billion, while past due residential real estate loans slipped by 4.9 percent to P101.41 billion from P106.67 billion. The industry’s real estate exposure from January to June was well within the 25 percent ceiling set by the BSP. These measures also included the heightened surveillance of banks’ real estate and project finance exposures, and the real estate stress test thresholds for universal and commercial banks as well as thrift banks.
Source:Philippine Star
October 17, 2022 02:42 UTC
Local Frontlines of Globalized Islamic States Network: The Emerging War Arena for the Filipino Soldier
Air strikes continue to pound Marawi City on June 29, 2017, more than a month after the Maute Group seized the city. A soldier walks past a bombed-out mosque in Butig, Lanao del Sur after government troops retook Butig town from the Maute group in December 2016. MindaNews photo by Froilan GallardoBut after two weeks, the Maute Group failed in its bid to occupy the town of Butig. It is said that the Maute Group even sent fighters to the ISIS war in the Middle East. The residents’ cash and jewelry were also secured to fill the Maute Group’s war chest.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 16, 2022 14:30 UTC
Xi Jinping opens 20th congress of China’s ruling Communist Party
BEIJING — President Xi Jinping on Sunday kicked-off the 20th congress of China’s ruling Communist Party, a week-long event where he is widely expected to win a third leadership term and cement his place as the country’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. The son of a Communist Party revolutionary, Xi has reinvigorated a party that had grown deeply corrupt and increasingly irrelevant, expanding its presence across all aspects of China, with Xi officially its “core”. The twice-a-decade congress is expected to reconfirm Xi as party general secretary, China’s most powerful post, as well as chairman of the Central Military Commission. The day after the congress ends on Saturday, Xi is expected to introduce his new Politburo Standing Committee, a seven-person leadership team. RELATED STORIESEXPLAINER: The ways China’s Xi Jinping amassed power over a decadeWho is China’s President Xi JinpingRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 16, 2022 10:12 UTC
China’s Xi to open 20th Communist Party Congress
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping is to open the 20th Communist Party Congress on Sunday, a week-long event where he is widely expected to win a third leadership term and cement his place as the country’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. ADVERTISEMENTThe congress will likely open with Xi, 69, reading a lengthy report in a televised speech that reviews the party’s achievements of recent years and outlines broad-brush priorities for the next five years. REVOLUTIONARY’S SONThe son of a Communist Party revolutionary, Xi has reinvigorated a party that had grown deeply corrupt and increasingly irrelevant, expanding its presence across all aspects of China, with Xi officially its “core”. The twice-a-decade congress is expected to reconfirm Xi as party general secretary, China’s most powerful post, as well as chairman of the Central Military Commission. The day after the congress ends on Saturday, Xi is expected to introduce his new Politburo Standing Committee, a seven-person leadership team.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 16, 2022 00:07 UTC
Carlo Biado storms into semis of US Open 9-Ball Championship
Carlo Biado blanked Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Chia Chen, 10-0, to barge into the semifinals of the US Open 9-Ball Championship Friday, Oct. 14, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Carlo Biado is the last Filipino standing in the US Open 9-Ball Championship. Corteza absorbed a 10-2 beating from United Kingdom’s Chris Melling while Garcia fell short on his bid with a 10-5 loss to Austria’s Max Lechner. Biado, meanwhile, held his ground and bested Poland’s Konrad Juszczyszyn, 10-7, in the Last 16 before routing Chen in the quarters. Lechner trounced United Kingdom’s Chris Melling, 10-4, while Chung squeaked past Albania’s Eklent Kaci, 10-8.
Source:Manila Times
October 15, 2022 12:55 UTC
Two men and underage girl arrested for stealing Tesla in car deal meet-up
Two 18-year-old men and a 16-year-old girl were arrested for stealing a Tesla that was put for sale on online trading platform Carousell on Friday. A woman earlier put the electric car for sale on Carousell and arranged a meeting with two so-called buyers in Sai Kung. Officers then located the electric car at a Mei Foo parking lot through the GPS. They successfully intercepted and arrested the two men and the girl for taking conveyance without authority. Police have recovered the car key from one of the men and all three are now remanded in custody.
Source:The Standard
October 15, 2022 09:46 UTC
US grants Philippines US$100m in foreign military financing
U.S. Navy F-18 fighter jets are parked on the deck of aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) during a goodwill visit in Manila, Philippines. (Reuters)The United States has made available US$100 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines, its ambassador in Manila said on Friday, part of efforts to boost the Southeast Asian country's defence capabilities and military modernization. The new military financing underscores improved defence ties between the treaty allies under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, shifted his country's foreign policy away from the United States to pursue warmer ties with China. Manila is looking to buy heavy-lift Chinook helicopters from the United States. The amount includes US$475.3 million worth of foreign military financing to Philippines, among the biggest in Southeast Asia.
Source:The Standard
October 15, 2022 09:07 UTC