Palace announces new appointmentsMANILA, Philippines — Malacañang announced new appointments in various agencies yesterday, including National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon and former finance undersecretary Romeo Bernardo, who have been named members of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Monetary Board. The new appointees were revealed in a Facebook post by the Presidential Communications Office. Marcos has also appointed Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) executive minister Eduardo Manalo as special envoy for overseas Filipinos concerns, a post he also held during the time of Duterte. The INC endorsed Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte in last year’s elections. Also appointed were Catherine Miranda and Jonathan Leybag (local government operations officers VIII); Cynthia Carrion (Philippine Retirement Authority board of trustees member); Mark Bocobo (national government representative to the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority board of directors); Reginald Rapanan (Office for Transport Security director IV); Felix Castro Jr. (presidential assistant for Marawi rehabilitation with the rank of assistant secretary) and Wilson Buerano Jr. (Philippine Information Agency deputy director-general).

Philippines welcomes first Chinese e-visa holderShe and her female toddler were onboard a China Eastern flight from Shanghai and were welcomed by BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco and Assistant Secretary Henry Bensurto Jr. of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)’s Office of the Consular Affairs, the BI said. MANILA, Philippines — A Chinese mother who was given the first electronic visa or e-visa from the Philippine government arrived in the country, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported yesterday. She and her female toddler were onboard a China Eastern flight from Shanghai and were welcomed by BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco and Assistant Secretary Henry Bensurto Jr. of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)’s Office of the Consular Affairs, the BI said. The system enabled the BI to “streamline its procedures and expedite the process through less paper-based documents,” it added. The BI said it hopes the e-visa system would help attract more foreigners amid relaxing of travel restrictions enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Typhoon Saola made landfall in southern China before dawn Saturday after nearly 900,000 people were moved to safety and parts of the coastal mainland suspended business, transport and classes. It was weakening as it moved in a southwesterly direction along the Guangdong coast at a speed of around 17 kilometers (10 miles) per hour. On Friday, 780,000 people in Guangdong were moved away from areas at risk as did 100,000 others in neighboring Fujian province. Saola passed just south of Taiwan on Wednesday before turning toward mainland China, with its outer bands hitting the island’s southern cities with torrential rain. The typhoon also lashed the Philippines earlier this week, displacing tens of thousands of people in the northern part of the islands because of flooding.

Ships are docked offshore in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. (Reuters)Australian police will stay in the Solomon Islands to provide security for a regional sporting event in November and national elections in 2024, the Pacific Island nation's government has said. China, which has also stepped up its policing cooperation with the Solomon Islands, donated and constructed the Pacific Games stadiums. The island nation made a formal request to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Aug. 4 to extend the Australian police presence until June 2024 to cover the election, the statement said. Discussions with Australia, a major aid partner with a long-standing security relationship with the Solomon Islands, would continue on a "comprehensive security partnership beyond June 2024", the statement added.

Singapore, Singapore — Singapore’s former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was elected president Friday, earning a landslide victory in the city-state’s first contested vote for the largely ceremonial position in more than a decade. The city-state’s government is run by the prime minister, currently Lee Hsien Loong of the PAP, which has ruled Singapore continuously since 1959. “Singaporeans have chosen Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam to be our next President by a decisive margin,” Lee said in a statement. The United States sent a congratulatory message to Shanmugaratnam that pointed to “mutual respect, shared values and common interests” with Singapore. “The presidential election is increasingly being treated as a general election,” said Mustafa Izzuddin, a political analyst with consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore.

Johannesburg, South Africa — Police in South Africa on Friday arrested more than 100 undocumented foreigners living in a house east of Johannesburg, some as young as 10 years old. ADVERTISEMENTPolice arrested them following a tip-off and invited immigration officers along, home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi told local television stations. The home affairs ministry said it had found only four passports in the house with no South African visas. Motsoaledi said that some of the foreigners were “clearly victims”, adding that a trafficking syndicate could be involved. South Africa — the continent’s most industrialised country — is buckling under a wave of illegal migration triggered by the economic woes in its neighbours.

Several solar panels were blown away in Cheung Sha Wan this morning, while the strong winds also tore down some canopies across the city; luckily, no injuries were reported. The solar panels, measuring a few meters in length and width, were torn down by the gale force wind during Typhoon Saola at around 9 am at Hau Lim House in Lei Cheng Uk Estate. At around 10 am, an outdoor modular house was blown away and landed on Hau Wo Street in Kennedy Town. A van parked nearby was hit with the windshield shattered, no casualties were reported. Meanwhile, a 20-meter by 4-meter fence at the Kowloon West Regional Headquarters collapsed when the T10 signal was in force.

KYIV — Ukrainian children began their second straight school year in wartime on Friday, some heading to new classrooms underground, others bracing to run to bomb shelters to take cover from Russian missiles and drones. Many, at home and abroad, stayed online for a fourth year, their education ravaged by Russia’s invasion and COVID-19. They fled the southern city of Kherson for Thessaloniki in April 2022, but her son Oleksii felt lost in a Greek school. She protested when her son said he wanted to join the Ukrainian military like his father, who is fighting in the east. “My children will attend online classes, although our school offered a bus to transfer children to the subway.”RELATED STORIESYour subscription could not be saved.

President Marcos vows response to China’s 10-dash mapMANILA, Philippines — The Philippines “will respond” to Beijing’s release of a new map showing an expanded claim in the South China Sea, President Marcos declared yesterday, but declined to reveal “operational details.”“Now, once again, we received the news, that now the nine-dash line has been extended to the 10-dash line. Beijing’s supposed new standard 2023 map covers what it now calls 10-dash line, which includes waters and features within the Philippine territory. Meanwhile, Marcos hailed the Armed Forces Western Command for holding the line in the face of Chinese intimidation. “And that is the very difficult and important job that the Western Command has before you. Beijing’s claim in the South China Sea was originally based on its so-called nine-dash line.

The government’s privacy watchdog said recent cases in which people selling SIM cards that have been registered for an average price of P1,000 have drawn its attention. The NPC said that severe penalties await those involved in the sale and transfer of registered SIM cards without properly informing the concerned telecommunications firm. In light of these, the NPC also gave some recommendations to protect the public from these shady practices, including educating them about the legal and privacy implications of registering and selling SIM cards. Likewise, it said that the public should be cautious of individuals offering to purchase their SIM cards and to report these suspicious activities. “If you are approached with offers to sell your registered SIM card, report such incidents to your telecommunications service provider.

MANILA, Philippines — One person was reported dead from the combined effects of super typhoon Goring and typhoon Hanna, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Friday. The fatality is from Western Visayas. The council has yet to release data on injured and missing persons. Hanna and Goring are currently enhancing the southwest monsoon, bringing heavy rainfall in most parts of Luzon. RELATED STORIES:Hanna develops into a typhoon, says PagasaPagasa: Wet, windy Friday in Metro Manila, other parts of LuzonAPLYour subscription could not be saved.

Gilas Pilipinas remains winless in the FIBA World Cup after losing to South Sudan Thursday night at the Araneta Coliseum. Most residents of the slum would struggle to afford even the cheapest tickets for a World Cup game at one of the official venues in Manila. - 'Hard work, not height' - The Tenement court has earned international fame over the years, with high-profile visits from NBA stars including LeBron James. That the Philippines did not make it to the second round of the World Cup was not surprising, with its national team ranked 40th in the world. "They love teams that fight to the very end, whatever the outcome."

'Power of manifestation': Rabiya Mateo shows off first car, new family houseRabiya Mateo, Miss Universe Philippines 2020 competes on stage in evening gown during the Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on May 15, 2021 (Philippine time). MANILA, Philippines — Former beauty queen and now host-actress Rabiya Mateo is feeling blessed after reflecting on her first car and the permanent home she bought for her family in Iloilo. According to the website of MG Philippines, the vehicle's price ranges from P848,000 to just over P1 million depending on which version of the SUV and the features they carry. Among those who expressed their support for the "manifestation" were fellow pageant veterans MJ Lastimosa, Michele Gumabao, and her Miss Universe Philippines successor Beatrice Luigi Gomez, Kuya Kim Atienza, Rodjun Cruz, DJ Chacha, David Guison, and her boyfriend Jeric Gonzales. RELATED: Rabiya Mateo emotional over buying new house for family

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US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has offered greater clarity to a relationship with China that Joe Biden's administration is probably trying to craft. Despite talks of decoupling from China for some years, it is increasingly obvious that the administration is refining its approach. One - advanced technology - is non-negotiable; the other - concerning trade and probable areas of cooperation - is flexible. Raimondo said she had rejected outright Premier Li Qiang's request to reduce export controls on technology and withdraw the executive order banning US investment in Chinese technology companies. Perhaps it is because London's foreign policy towards China cannot be separate on its own from that of the US.