Go Negosyo to step up mentoring this year
Go Negosyo to step up mentoring this yearMANILA, Philippines — For the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), 2024 will be a good year, according to Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, as the non-profit institution prepares to hold its first entrepreneurship event for the year – 3M on Wheels at the TriNoma Mall in Quezon City on Jan. 20. In response, Concepcion said Go Negosyo plans to hold at least 50 of its free entrepreneurship mentoring events this year and double the number of small entrepreneurs they can help start and grow their businesses. “For the Philippines to rise above poverty, we really have to scale up our MSMEs,” Concepcion said. She will share how small entrepreneurs can use readily available social media tools to promote and market their products and services. 3M on Wheels is a program of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (Go Negosyo).
Source:Philippine Star
January 18, 2024 22:25 UTC
Pakistan retaliatory airstrikes on Iran kill at least 7 people
The strikes in Sistan and Baluchestan province follow Iran’s attack Tuesday on Pakistani soil that killed two children in the southwestern Baluchistan province. They all have a common goal of an independent Baluchistan for ethnic Baluch areas in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. Thursday’s development came a day after Pakistan recalled its ambassador to Tehran because of Tuesday’s strikes by Iran inside Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province. Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile), largely lawless border in which smugglers and militants freely pass between the two nations. Beijing is a key regional player and has a major Belt and Road development in Gwadar port in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 18, 2024 18:26 UTC
WATCH: July plebiscite eyed for people's initiative on Charter change – Salceda
Albay 2nd District Rep. Jose Maria Clemente 'Joey' Salceda confirms to reporters during a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, that the plebiscite for the people's initiative on Charter change may be held in July. Salceda, however, denied that the plebiscite was a 'gift' to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his State of the Nation Address, and added that the changes to the 1987 Constitution were 'inevitable.' Video by Red MendozaGet the latest newsdelivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Source:Manila Times
January 18, 2024 17:50 UTC
WATCH: Romualdez, Consing invite foreign investors to PH at WEF
Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Maharlika Investment Fund Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Rafael Jose Consing Jr. meet with foreign business executives during a 'Breakfast interaction with the Philippine delegation to the World Economic Forum' in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2023 (local time). Romualdez told foreign businessmen that now is the most opportune time to invest in the Philippines, especially through the Maharlika Investment Fund. Video and Photos from Speaker Romualdez Bureau
Source:Manila Times
January 18, 2024 17:40 UTC
Accelerating development: The Indonesian experience
Indonesia's population is estimated to be around 274 million, the fourth largest in the world after India, China and the United States. In turn, they will create significant demand for products and in the process, fuel economic growth further. The World Bank reported that around 20 percent of Indonesia's population joined the middle class during the last 15 years due to rising wages. And with the surplus it is generating from its mineral exports, Indonesia is also preparing itself to face the challenges that climate change is imposing. Just like Indonesia, the Philippines is a mineral-rich country and the resources, if properly utilized, can accelerate our economic development.
Source:Manila Times
January 18, 2024 16:33 UTC
Maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait
Maintaining peace in the Taiwan StraitThe biggest political story last week in this part of the world was the presidential election in Taiwan. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has taken a more defiant stand towards China during its presidency the last eight years. This has made the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) with eight seats with enough power to swing a majority. In his victory speech, Lai Ching-te pledged that they would maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait but would defend the island nation from Chinese belligerence. The DPP victory ensures that its friendly alliance between Taiwan and the Philippines will continue.
Source:Philippine Star
January 18, 2024 07:55 UTC
Shell, NYK suspend Red Sea routes
WASHINGTON, D.C: British oil giant Shell has paused transit through the key Red Sea shipping route indefinitely over fears of escalating tensions involving Yemen's Houthi rebels, according to a media report Tuesday. Oil giant Shell and Japanese shipping firm NYK said on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, they are suspending travel along the Red Sea for fear of being attacked. The oil major's decision comes after Britain's BP said in December that it would suspend transit of oil through the Red Sea. Meanwhile, Japanese shipping firm Nippon Yusen said on Wednesday it is joining other major companies in suspending routes through the Red Sea. Lines — have also suspended navigation through the Red Sea, Japanese business daily Nikkei reported Tuesday.
Source:Manila Times
January 18, 2024 04:15 UTC
Scientists clone first rhesus monkey using new method
PARIS: Scientists in China on Tuesday announced that they have cloned the first healthy rhesus monkey, a 2-year-old named Retro, by tweaking the process that created Dolly the sheep. RETRO ACTIVE Retro the cloned rhesus monkey is photographed in a laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Neuroscience in the city of Shanghai, eastern China in 2023. A pair of identical crab-eating macaques named Hua Hua and Zhong Zhong were created using SCNT in 2018 by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai. He told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the team had extensively researched why previous efforts to clone the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) had failed. For the SCNT procedure, scientists remove the nucleus from a healthy egg, then replace it with another nucleus from another type of body cell.
Source:Manila Times
January 17, 2024 17:23 UTC
How the conjunctions 'even though' and 'even if' differ
To begin with, I'd like to emphasize that as a rule, "even though" and "even if" are not interchangeable. It doesn't sound right to me. My reply to Edward:The sentence you presented doesn't sound right to me either. The right usage is "satisfied with": "I'm satisfied with what I've done in boxing." This doesn't mean though that "satisfied of" is grammatically wrong; it just so happens that "satisfied with" is the widely accepted usage.
Source:Manila Times
January 17, 2024 17:23 UTC
‘All about greed': Motives of Cha-cha proponents questioned
‘All about greed': Motives of Cha-cha proponents questionedThis photo shows a screengrab from a video aired on television about the 1987 Constitution. Sen. Risa Hontiveros has flagged the reported “People’s Initiative” being carried out across several provinces — which have been marred by allegations of vote-buying — and raised doubts over the origins of the signature drive. Meanwhile, House Deputy Minority Leader Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers) has questioned the need for Charter change at all and warned that the proposed economic tweaks could serve as a pretext for political amendments. “It’s not right to call the petition a ‘People’s Initiative’ because this did not come from the people themselves,” Hontiveros said in Filipino. “Let us be clear: the reported 'people's initiative' is not about any economic or political reforms in the Constitution.
Source:Philippine Star
January 17, 2024 16:09 UTC
Environmentalists worry 'one bag for two uses' approach encourages citizens to make more plastic waste
The government encourages citizens to opt for the "one bag for two uses" approach – using designated bags instead of plastic shopping bags for their shopping – after the municipal solid waste charge is implemented. However, environmental groups worried the practice may diminish incentives for citizens to bring their shopping bags to reduce waste at the source. For instance, there will be 40 three-liter or five-liter designated bags in one package, while a package of 20 for the 75-liter large bags. "This could inadvertently encourage customers to buy smaller bags, sending the wrong message and undermining the effectiveness of the plastic bag levy," Siu said. She believes only when an extra HK$1 levy for each designated bag sold at the retail points could encourage citizens to bring along their own shopping bags.
Source:The Standard
January 17, 2024 13:35 UTC
2023 annual sales by Geely Holding Brands rise 20% to 2.79m units
2023 annual sales by Geely Holding Brands rise 20% to 2.79m unitsFor the sixth consecutive year, Geely Holding achieved more than 2 million units in aggregate sales. For the sixth consecutive year, Geely Holding achieved more than 2 million units in aggregate sales. About the groupZhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding) is a global automotive group that owns several well-known international automotive brands, with operations spanning the automotive value chain, from research, development and design to production, sales and servicing. Geely Holding employs over 120,000 people globally, and has been listed in the Fortune Global 500 for the past 11 years. For more information regarding Zhejiang Geely Holding Group please refer to the official website at www.zgh.com and Geely Global http://global.geely.com.
Source:Philippine Star
January 17, 2024 12:46 UTC
Russia calls Ukraine peace meetings ‘pointless’, says plan can’t succeed
A commentary on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website said the meeting had exposed differences between participants and produced no increase in support for the proposals. Ukraine has sought, through the meetings and other diplomatic moves, to garner greater support from the “global south,” with many countries having stayed on the sidelines in the conflict. Zelenskiy’s Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, said there were participants at the Davos meeting from 18 Asian countries, 12 African countries, and six South American countries. ADVERTISEMENTREAD: More countries join talks on Ukraine leader’s peace formulaThe Swiss government agreed after the latest gathering on Zelenskiy’s peace plan to host a global peace summit on Ukraine at Zelenskiy’s request. Subscribe to our daily newsletter SIGN ME UPKremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the Davos talks as “simply talking for the sake of talking,” saying there could be no moves towards a settlement without Russia’s participation.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 17, 2024 11:48 UTC
Red Sea attacks could spark inflation
BRUSSELS: European Union economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni on Monday warned that violence in the Red Sea sparked by Houthi attacks on shipping could push up energy prices and inflation in the bloc. Gentiloni said that "what is happening in the Red Sea... is not for the moment apparently creating consequences on energy prices and inflation." "But we think that it should be monitored very closely because these consequences could materialize in the coming weeks," he said. Tensions in the Red Sea have soared after the United States and Britain carried out strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen over their attacks on international shipping. But since mid-November, the attacks have prompted many shipping firms to take the longer route around the tip of Africa, disrupting supply chains and putting upward pressure on inflation.
Source:Manila Times
January 17, 2024 04:38 UTC
Rumors of 'moves' vs Anwar govt may not be exaggerated
The Pakatan Harapan government then appeared to be stable, having commanded a two-third parliamentary majority. But as Dr. Mahathir was pushing 95 as the world's oldest head of government, the question of succession inevitably cropped up. Anwar Ibrahim, the Pakatan Harapan founder and Dr. Mahathir's deputy during the latter's first turn as prime minister, was eager to assume the prime ministerial mantle soonest. The ruling Pakatan Harapan was supposed to hold a political meeting the next day to lay out the Mahathir-Anwar succession plan, including the timeline. That in essence deprived the Pakatan Harapan government of its parliamentary majority, and Dr. Mahathir decided to resign his premiership.
Source:Manila Times
January 17, 2024 04:06 UTC