Hong Kong ranked fourth in Asia in an English proficiency index, trailing Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Singapore's EPI score is 631 and tops the list in Asia, followed by the Philippines (578) and Malaysia (568). "I do not believe that AI can completely replace language learning, but educators can harness AI to enhance language learning methods," Tse said. The survey also noted the age group with the best English proficiency in the city is 31 to 40 years old. According to the data, China's English proficiency improved significantly from 2015 to 2020, reaching the "Moderate" band at one point.

India has framed new rules to expedite clearing of visas for Chinese nationals working in the sectors where the government has offered incentives to boost local manufacturing, a government source said on Wednesday. During a review of India's main industry incentive scheme also known as production linked scheme (PLI) company executives asked the government to expedite visa for Chinese professionals as it was slowing investments. "A new SOP (standard operating procedure) has been circulated for those working in the PLI sector. This will help streamline visa approvals and yes this is for Chinese nationals," one government official, who declined to be named, told reporters in New Delhi. India is trying to attract investments to its nearly $24 billion PLI, launched in 2020 that covers 14 sectors ranging from electronic products to drones.

The revolutionary idea was originally developed by Ries and Trout—both seasoned advertising agency executives—for marketing, branding, and product advertising. "So it's incorrect to call the concept 'product positioning' as if you were doing something to the product itself. In the battle for people's minds, Ries and Trout argue, perception is reality. And to succeed in today's world, it's never too early or too late to read Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind and to start applying its prescriptions now—right now. Read this essay and listen to its voice recording in The Manila Times:Winning the battle for people's mindsNext: The world in 854 words November 16, 2023Visit Jose Carillo's English Forum, http://josecarilloforum.com.

NEW DELHI — A toxic blanket of grey smog hangs over New Delhi’s monuments and high-rises. Authorities are struggling to rein in severe air pollution levels, an annual and chronic health crisis that disrupts the lives of over 20 million in the city every year. ADVERTISEMENTOn Tuesday, the air quality index veered close to the 400 mark for tiny particulate matter, a level considered hazardous and more than 10 times the global safety threshold, according to SAFAR, India’s main environmental monitoring agency. The severe air pollution crisis affects every resident in the city, but the millions who work outdoors are even more vulnerable. “If I had had employment back home, I wouldn’t have come to Delhi to work.”

DA: Enough food supply for holidays“This Christmas season, we are making sure that pork, chicken, rice and vegetable supplies are stable. The local production of pork and chicken is stable and additional imports will arrive by fourth quarter,” DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in Filipino over radio dzBB. MANILA, Philippines — There will be no pork shortage as the holiday season approaches, the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured the public. “This Christmas season, we are making sure that pork, chicken, rice and vegetable supplies are stable. The local production of pork and chicken is stable and additional imports will arrive by fourth quarter,” DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in Filipino over radio dzBB.

A video showing a column of white smoke rising above a tower crane on a construction site in Chai Wan has raised concerns whether the crane is at risk of collapse. A worker could also be heard shouting in the video voicing a concern that the crane might collapse. Poon said the footage was filmed on Monday (Nov 6) at the construction site of Water Supplies Department Headquarters with Hong Kong and Islands Regional Office and Correctional Services Department Headquarters Building in Chai Wan. It was learned that Aggressive Construction Company Limited is the site's contractor, and the company has been involved in several fatal industrial accidents recently. Regarding the incident, the Architectural Services Department said it had promptly demanded the principal contractor undertake a detailed inspection of the concerned crane and provide an investigation report.

A 43-year-old teacher working at a Tin Shui Wai secondary school was arrested on Tuesday night after he was alleged to have sexually harassed up to five female students during an exchange trip to the mainland in April. The case came to light after an Instagram page linked to the Tin Shui Wai school was used to publish several posts alleging pupils were harassed during the school trip and that the institution had failed to take action. The teacher was accused of having sexually harassed at least five girls on a five-day trip he led to Changchun in Jilin province in the spring. Police said the arrest last night came after they received a complaint alleging a 14-year-old female student from the Tin Shui Wai school was sexually harassed by a man. The Education Bureau earlier confirmed it had launched an investigation after a secondary school reported allegations of a male teacher sexually harassing female students during the trip.

JAKARTA: A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck in Indonesia's Banda Sea on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey said, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The tremor, located far from the coast, hit at 11:53 a.m. local time (0453 GMT), the USGS said. Indonesia's geophysics agency has issued no tsunami warning.

Petitioners assailed the transfer of the P125 million from the Office of the President’s (OP) contingency fund to the OVP’s confidential funds in 2022, which the Commission on Audit said was spent only for 11 days. The petitioners argued that the transfer of funds from the national budget to the OVP can only be executed by the legislative department, neither by the OP nor the OVP. “The executive department has no discretion to create another budget item,” he added. Furthermore, the petitioners argued that the confidential funds, specifically the OVP's are not within the scope of funding permitted by the contingent fund due to the absence of any allocation. “There is no item for a confidential fund, therefore, there is no transfer that is allowed by law which is through augmentation,” Santiago said.

A minor dispute in Tsz Wan Shan Monday night led to the hospitalization of two elderly home residents. Around 9 pm yesterday (Nov 6), the police received a report stating that two residents from an elderly home located in the Tsz Ching Estate Ancillary Facilities Building got into a fight which had escalated from a verbal dispute. The officers arrived at the scene and discovered that the elderly man scraped his hand while the elderly woman injured her head. They were both arrested on suspicion of "assault occasioning actual bodily harm". The two residents were then taken to hospital for medical attention.

It’s no coincidence; I was eager to listen to Transportation Secretary Jaime “JJB” Bautista discuss the administration’s plans to improve road infrastructure in the country. At the forum, titled “Powering the Economy Through Infrastructure Development” organized by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines, Sec. It’s also comforting to hear that there are several infrastructure projects lined up by the government to help ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila. Infrastructure and developmentThese and more projects are what Filipinos can look forward to, especially motorists and the commuting public. Indeed, having critical infrastructure including new airports is important to improve the quality of life of Filipinos.

Gaining nominations to run in the District Council elections ought to be a challenging process as authorities needed a system that would allow "trustworthy individuals" to act as gatekeepers, said Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai. His comments came after the city’s opposition hopefuls and some pro-establishment parties earlier said they had struggled to secure nominations to run. Some pro-government politicians, including Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, also said it was challenging for their groups to secure nominations. Speaking at LegCo on Tuesday, Tsang said individuals without any political affiliations could seek nominations through referrals from the Home Affairs Department to their district’s area committees. In response, Tsang said the society should trust the area committees that they would understand the bigger picture rather than prioritize on personal interests.

‘Consumer spending to pick up next year’Scenes in the streets of Marikina City during the rush hour on February 9, 2023. MANILA, Philippines — Consumer spending in the Philippines is expected to pick up further next year on the back of easing inflationary pressures and healthy employment, according to BMI Country Risk & Industry Research. For this year, the research arm of the Fitch Group sees consumer spending growing by 5.5 percent to P12 trillion. “We hold a positive outlook for consumer spending in the Philippines over 2024, as the economic recovery feeds through to strong real consumer spending growth over the year. Our consumer spending outlook will be more positive, relative to 2023, as economic growth persists and consumption level normalizes,” BMI said.

The first session will cover China's economy and policies, property market and financial situation of local governments, says Eddie Yue. The three-day Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit started with a dinner reception and a tour of the Palace Museum in West Kowloon last night for bankers and managers from financial institutions across the globe. People's Bank of China deputy governor Zhang Qingsong, National Financial Regulatory Administration vice minister Xiao Yuanqi, and China Securities Regulatory Commission vice chairman Wang Jianjun will speak at the summit. The companies had indicated that their clients' interest and demand for investing in the mainland has not been reduced. Last month, active long-only funds net sold a combined US$3.1 billion (HK$24.18 billion) in China and Hong Kong stocks in the third straight month of over US$3 billion in net sales, according to Morgan Stanley.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is introducing what it calls a “nuclear solution” to help combat the worsening plastic pollution problem in the country. “Our planet is facing a historic disaster — the epidemic of plastic waste — and the Philippines is at the forefront,” Solidum lamented. The pilot study would look into the effectiveness of the products and how their operation could be supported, particularly in sourcing the plastic waste supply. People think that nuclear energy is only for power generation like the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant or small modular reactor. But that view is very narrow because nuclear energy could be used in agriculture like in mutation that develops new species,” he said.