Eagerly anticipating Xi's goodies
It is highly likely the president will come for the anniversary event in person rather than remotely online. In recent days, the question of whether or not Xi will come to Hong Kong has been the subject of intense speculation in local political circles and the financial market. Knowing that Xi will come, the stock market has also livened up. This will be a major political milestone for Xi - and investors are brimming with anticipation. It is evident from yesterday's market performance and the large trading volume that the treasure hunt is underway.
Source:The Standard
June 27, 2022 20:27 UTC
Ailing oceans in the spotlight at major UN meet
LISBON—A long-delayed UN conference on how to restore the faltering health of global oceans kicks off in Lisbon Monday, with thousands of policymakers, experts and advocates on the case. Wild fish stocksMicroplastics — found inside Arctic ice and fish in the ocean’s deepest trenches — are estimated to kill more than a million seabirds and over 100,000 marine mammals each year. “At least one-third of wild fish stocks are overfished and less than 10 percent of the ocean is protected,” Kathryn Matthews, chief scientist for US-based NGO Oceana, told AFP. Another major focus will be “blue food”, the new watchword for ensuring that marine harvests from all sources are sustainable and socially responsible. If properly managed, “wild ocean fish can provide a climate-friendly, micro-nutrient protein source that can feed one billion people a healthy seafood meal every day — forever,” said Matthews.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
June 27, 2022 16:54 UTC
Dr. Clarita Carlos, the nemesis of 'groupthink'
This June 23, 2022 file photo shows incoming National Security Adviser Dr. Clarita Carlos speaking during a talk in Ortigas Center, Pasig City. PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTEBEFORE the national spotlight shone on her, Dr. Clarita Reyes Carlos was a retired professor of political science at the University of the Philippines. In 2020, she was among the appointees of the Commission on Higher Education in its technical panel for political science. But Dr. Carlos never claimed she was still teaching at UP; she always said she was a retired professor. On June 8, 2020, President-elect Marcos announced that Dr. Carlos would be his national security adviser.
Source:Manila Times
June 27, 2022 16:07 UTC
Yuka Saso finishes at joint 30th in KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Yuka Saso limped home with a five-over-par 77 to finish tied at 30th place in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Bethesda, Maryland Sunday (Monday in Manila). Yuka Saso (AFP)Saso struggled with five bogeys and a double bogey against two birdies to finish with 292, nine strokes behind eventual champion In Gee Chun. The Fil-Japanese had earlier rounds of 72, 70 and 73. Saso blew cold at the front nine with bogeys on the second and seventh, and a double bogey on the par-4 fifth hole. Meanwhile, Bianca Pagdanganan staggered with a 78 for 301 following earlier rounds of 74, 73 and 76.
Source:Manila Times
June 27, 2022 16:03 UTC
Teen aged 17 among three arrested over seizure of imitation guns
Three males aged 17 to 44 were arrested over three imitation gun cases, as police seized 38 fake guns and some anti-government flags. Poice cracked three cases of possession of imitation guns and searched several flats on Monday morning, seizing 38 imitation guns, eight knives, a retractable stick, a number of gas masks and anti-government flags. Senior superintendent Ho Chun-tung said preliminary investigations found no relation between the three arrested. He was arrested this morning and was found with an air gun, a retractable stick, a folding knife, a hammer, an anti-government flag, and some cloth badges with anti-government slogans. In addition, West Kowloon police identified a unit in Sham Shui Po, where they arrested a 44-year-old delivery worker and seized 27 air guns, 56 magazines, and three sabers.
Source:The Standard
June 27, 2022 11:05 UTC
4 dead, dozens hurt as stands collapse in Colombia bullring
Handout picture released by Colombia's National Police showing locals working at the bullring after a grandstand collapsed, in the Colombian municipality of El Espinal, southwest of Bogota, on June 26, 2022. A full three-story section of wooden stands filled with spectators collapsed, throwing dozens of people to the ground, according to images broadcast on social media. Aerial view of the collapsed grandstand in a bullring in the Colombian municipality of El Espinal, southwest of Bogotل, on June 26, 2022. When he served as mayor of Bogota, the leftist Petro put a stop to bullfights in the city's signature bullring, La Santamaria. While animal abuse is a crime in Colombia, bullfights and cock fights are protected because of the cultural history behind them.
Source:Manila Times
June 27, 2022 09:45 UTC
Mikey Williams, Chot Reyes keep focus amid contract negotiation
TNT head coach Chot Reyes and star guard Mikey Williams won’t let the grueling contract negotiations hinder their performance on the court. Mikey Williams (PBA Images)“Even from the start, when we were talking, I think the critical part was we had to keep our player-coach relationship strong and differentiate that from the player-manager relationship,” Reyes said. Reyes, meanwhile, lauded the professionalism of Williams who despite the ongoing talks regarding his contract, continued to put the work in hopes to help TNT defend the all-Filipino Cup title. If he makes a mistake on the court, he actually prefers that you tell him directly,” Reyes said of his high-scoring sophomore. I think that’s the important thing.
Source:Manila Times
June 27, 2022 09:44 UTC
QC, other megacities worldwide face severe flooding
Cities will have to protect their critical infrastructure from the damage stormwater flooding can wreak,” it said. Quezon City is part of the research as it is a member of the global C40 network of megacities committed to addressing climate change. ADVERTISEMENTUnder the current climate, nearly 87,000 people (2.93 percent) of Quezon City’s residents are exposed to flooding each year. Apart from flooding, severe droughts also pose a grave threat to C40 cities as they can worsen water and food scarcity. The report estimated that these cities would face surface water losses of more than 16.1 billion cu.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
June 27, 2022 06:07 UTC
Two senior officials recovered from Covid ahead of July 1 inauguration ceremony
Two senior government officials who contracted Covid-19 last Thursday have tested negative for the virus through rapid tests, and their recovery may be just in time to allow them to attend the inauguration ceremony for the new government. The officials in question are Director of the Chief Executive’s Office Eric Chan Kwok-ki and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai. Chan, the incoming Chief Secretary, and Tsang, who keeps his post in the next government, are currently in isolation. Responding to media inquiries on Monday, Chan said both he and Tsang have already obtained negative RAT results. However, the SAR government will hold the final decision on whether both of them will be allowed to attend the inauguration ceremony on July 1, he added.
Source:The Standard
June 27, 2022 05:26 UTC
Allies 'won't splinter' on Russia, Biden vows at G7
"We have to stay together," Biden told Merkel's successor Olaf Scholz, the host of the three-day gathering. Seeking to turn up the heat on Moscow, the G7 announced it would outlaw imports of Russian gold. The United States said gold was the second largest export for Russia and a significant source of revenue for Putin and his allies. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron said they now saw an "opportunity to turn the tide" in Ukraine. As the gulf separating Western allies from Russia and China widens, the G7 sought to rally other major players to its side with a major global infrastructure plan.
Source:Manila Times
June 27, 2022 03:29 UTC
Kindergartens pledged to follow new anti-child abuse standards
Two kindergartens in Hong Kong pledged to follow new “child safeguard standards” established by children welfare organization Plan International Hong Kong to protect children from abuse. “The situation is alarming and reveals the lack of relevant policy to prevent child abuse in child-related organizations,” read Plan’s statement. The policy was set to be first implemented among ten kindergartens in Hong Kong and would be extended among all kindergartens in the city. Plan went on that the child abuse offence in the care home of “failure to protect” had not yet been proceeded to legislation. He added that parents also play important roles in child abuse issues, and he suggested establishing a charter on children protection for parents.
Source:The Standard
June 27, 2022 02:10 UTC
Putin to make first foreign trip since launching Ukraine war
LONDON — Vladimir Putin will visit two small former Soviet states in central Asia this week, Russian state television reported on Sunday, in what would be the Russian leader’s first known trip abroad since ordering the invasion of Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENTPavel Zarubin, the Kremlin correspondent of the Rossiya 1 state television station, said Putin would visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and then meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo for talks in Moscow. In Dushanbe, Putin will meet Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon, a close Russian ally and the longest-serving ruler of a former Soviet state. In Ashgabat, he will attend a summit of Caspian nations including the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Turkmenistan, Zarubin said. Ukraine calls the invasion an imperial-style land grab.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
June 26, 2022 21:20 UTC
History will likely be favorable to Duterte
Even now, Mr. Duterte leaves office with unusually high approval and satisfaction ratings. Remember that before President Duterte assumed office in 2016, the Philippines was in danger of becoming a narco state. Unfinished businessAnother reason why history is likely to be kind to Mr. Duterte is that most Filipinos want his policies to continue. But Mr. Duterte also never claimed to be presidential, saying he was merely a mayor from Mindanao. In any case, no leader is perfect, and Mr. Duterte never claimed to be one.
Source:Manila Times
June 26, 2022 16:12 UTC
Sick person in custody at Tai Lam dies in public hospital
A sick 37-year-old female remand person in custody at Tai Lam Centre for Women died in a public hospital on Sunday. The woman suffered from renal failure and required continuous medical care at the institution hospital and a public hospital. She was sent to a public hospital for treatment due to physical discomfort last Friday. During hospitalisation, her condition deteriorated and was certified dead at 8.23am today. The person in custody was remanded for the offence of controlling another person for purpose of unlawful sexual intercourse in April 2022.
Source:The Standard
June 26, 2022 08:17 UTC
Village life left in ruins after deadly Afghan quake
AKHTAR JAN, Afghanistan: Village life has always been tough for Afghans in the rugged mountains of the east, but compared to what they are enduring today it was paradise. "If life before was not really good — because for years there was war — the earthquake has made it even harder for us," says Malin Jan, who lost two daughters in the quake. All 14 houses in his village of Akhtar Jan were flattened, and survivors — including some from outlying hamlets — are now living in tents among the ruins. AFP PHOTOSanitary conditions are likely to deteriorate rapidly — there are no toilets, and people have to draw water from a well to wash."Before the earthquake, life was nice and beautiful," says villager Abdu Rahman Abid. On Saturday, the UN's top official in the country, Ramiz Alakbarov, arrived from Kabul by helicopter to visit the region — including the village of Akhtar Jan — with representatives of each UN agency.
Source:Manila Times
June 26, 2022 08:05 UTC