The Consumer Council apologized on Thursday for mislabeling and retested Nongfu Spring's water sample, raising its overall rating. The Consumer Council today clarified the sample, stating that after meeting and having an in-depth exchange with the representatives of Nongfu Spring yesterday (Jul 17), it learned that the product in question is neither "natural mineral water" nor "purified drinking water", but just "drinking water". It also added that the standard adopted by the company is the "National Food Safety Standard Packaged Drinking Water" from the place of production - the mainland. In light of this, the council reclassified the sample into the independent category "natural drinking water" and scored the sample again. The watchdog confirmed that it is within the range of the limit for "drinking water" and is well below the maximum limit, making it safe to drink.

Duterte to DepEd execs: Stay until new secretary removes youMANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte instructed officials of the Department of Education to remain in their positions "until the new secretary will remove you." "The day I resigned, I sent [DepEd officials] a message and then invited them for dinner... I told them: '[Undersecretaries] and [assistant secretaries], please stay until the new secretary will remove you," the outgoing DepEd secretary said. "Because otherwise, if everyone leaves... it will be detrimental to the department," Duterte said in a mix of Bisaya and English. The vice president submitted her resignation from all Cabinet positions on June 19, which takes effect on Friday.

Comelec chair mulls suing ex-lawmaker over 'Bahamas files'MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia announced on Wednesday that he is considering filing a counter-charge of falsification against former Rep. Egay Erice, who accused the poll body official of owning foreign bank accounts and assets. On Monday, Erice presented what he called the “Bahamas files,” which allegedly list 14 bank accounts amounting to P877 million belonging to an unnamed Comelec official and his wife. Erice also mentioned that the unnamed Comelec official received $1 million (approximately P58.3 million) from Miru Systems, the South Korea-based service provider for the 2025 midterm elections. On Tuesday, Erice requested the Supreme Court (SC) to cite the Comelec chair in contempt for his statements regarding the petition Erice filed, which challenges the poll body’s P17.9-billion contract with Miru Systems. The SC has required Erice to comment on Miru’s gag order petition, which aims to prevent the disclosure and discussion of information by third parties.

Rafa Nadal marked his return to singles tennis with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Leo Borg, son of Swedish great Bjorn Borg, to reach the last 16 in Bastad as he prepares for the Paris Olympics. Nadal's last singles match was his first-round defeat by Alexander Zverev at the French Open in May. He skipped Wimbledon to prepare for the Olympic tennis tournaments at Roland Garros. "I haven't been playing a lot of tennis," said Nadal, who faces Cameron Norrie today. Nadal, 38, missed most of 2023 with a hip problem and his comeback earlier this year was stalled by a muscle tear.

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday said her self-appointment as “designated survivor” during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation address was “neither a joke nor a bomb threat.”She, however, refused to clarify what she meant. “It’s not a joke, and it’s not a bomb threat either. READ: A first: Sara to skip Marcos’ Sona, names self ‘designated survivor’Duterte named herself as the designated survivor when she confirmed that she would not be attending Marcos’ Sona on July 22. In the United States, a designated survivor is an official in the presidential line of succession intentionally kept away from gatherings to ensure that someone can assume the presidency in the event of a mass casualty incident. Duterte’s comment drew the ire of some lawmakers and the public alike, with some pointing out that the comment was made “in poor taste.”ADVERTISEMENTREAD: VP Duterte’s ‘designated survivor’ joke ‘poor in taste’ – lawmaker

HANGZHOU, China, July 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud Music Inc. (HKEX: 9899, "NetEase Cloud Music" or the "Company"), a leading interactive music streaming service provider in China, today announced that it has entered into a special partnership with Timbaland's Beatclub™ ("Beatclub") to unleash creativity and foster innovation across China's growing music scene. Under the collaboration, hundreds of signature, premium Beatclub beats will be introduced to NetEase Cloud Music's Beatsoul, China's premier beat transaction platform, marking a significant milestone in China's music industry. Aligned with NetEase Cloud Music's emphasis on fostering independent artists, GRAMMY Award-winning producer Timbaland co-founded Beatclub to nurture new music creators. By the end of 2023, NetEase Cloud Music had approximately 149 million cumulative music tracks, securing a wide range of copyright content and enhancing its content ecosystem. Its focus on discovering and promoting emerging musicians has made Cloud Music Inc. a destination of choice for exploring new and independent music among music enthusiasts in China.

BEIJING, July 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on China's deepening reform practices:  With China's deepening reform practices, what opportunities will arise? Discussions are being held during the session about further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization. In the past decade or so, the world has seen evident progress in China's efforts of comprehensively deepening reforms. As a forerunner of China's reform and opening-up, Hainan has gradually built itself into a free-trade harbor. China Mosaichttp://chinamosaic.china.com.cn/index.htmWith China's deepening reform practices, what opportunities will arise?

AI has always been central to our vision, and Sinch AI truly represents the next evolution in this journey," said Sean O'Neal, Chief Product Officer at Sinch. Seamlessly integrated throughout the Sinch Customer Communications Cloud, Sinch AI delivers intelligent solutions across all major business functions. No matter what, a business needs to create exceptional conversational experiences, Sinch provides the most advanced solutions. To ensure businesses can confidently use Sinch AI, we are committed to embedding robust AI governance from the onset. They think deeply about the problems we're trying to solve," said Geertina Hamstra, MINDD Conversational AI expert.

These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "target," "confident" and similar statements. Among other things, the Business Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as 111's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any such statements. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Philippines losing P99.52 billion yearly due to POGOs — DOFMANILA, Philippines — The Department of Finance (DOF) doubled down on its stance to ban Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), saying that allowing the gaming hubs to continue operations is costing the country P99.52 billion a year. The estimated total economic benefits of POGOs amount to P166.49 billion annually while the estimated total economic costs amount to P265.74 billion,” Adriano said. The economic benefits comprised both direct and indirect benefits. Indirect economic benefits are economic and fiscal multiplier effects. Meanwhile, the direct economic costs include lost investment opportunities, additional costs of law enforcement and the impact to tourism.

Dengue cases up by 19% in first half of 2024MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health on Tuesday reported a 19% increase in dengue cases during the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2023. From January to June 29, the DOH said it recorded 90,119 dengue cases, up from the 75,968 cases reported in the same period last year. The DOH also observed a 30% increase in the number of dengue cases after the start of the rainy season. From 6,323 cases reported last May 19 to June 1 (start of the rainy season), 8,246 cases were reported nationwide last June 2 to June 15. The rainy season creates ideal breeding conditions for the dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito, the health agency explained.

LYSAKER, Norway, July 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Aker Horizons ASA (OSE: AKH), a developer of green energy and industry, today announced results for the second quarter 2024. As of the second quarter 2024, Aker Horizons developed its financial reporting format to reflect a portfolio composed mainly of unlisted assets. From having four listed holdings in 2021, Aker Horizons had one listed holding, Aker Carbon Capture ASA, at the end of the second quarter 2024. As part of the Aker group, Aker Horizons applies industrial, technological and capital markets expertise with a planet-positive purpose to drive decarbonization globally. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.comhttps://news.cision.com/aker-horizons/r/aker-horizons-asa--second-quarter-results-2024,c4015316AdvertisementThe following files are available for download:https://mb.cision.com/Main/20659/4015316/2916984.pdf Aker Horizons Half-Year Report 2024 https://mb.cision.com/Public/20659/4015316/879d1eff0a11dd67.pdf Advertisement Aker Horizons Q2 2024 Presentation

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu urged teenagers to pursue their dreams instead of public housing, saying the value of their ultimate achievements could be 100 times greater or even “infinite” compared to the public home. “[They] should not have such a mindset,” Lee said, while admitting that having a home is of the utmost importance. “I wish to build a Hong Kong that relies on families as the backbone. I believe you will have regrets if you waste your possibilities and dreams for just a public home,” Lee also said. He continued that Hong Kong is a place where everyone can pursue and achieve their dreams, giving the example of the Hongkonger who has been selected for the Chinese national space program.

Infinix's GT 20 Pro recently made a grand appearance in Times Square, highlighting its exceptional gaming prowess and reinforcing Infinix's leadership in the esports industry. AdvertisementTaking on the Esports World CupThe 2024 PUBG MOBILE WORLD CUP (PMWC) and ESPORTS WORLD CUP stand as the first grand event in the PUBG MOBILE esports ecosystem, with only teams that have endured rigorous challenges in the PUBG MOBILE regional series tournaments earning the coveted qualification to compete in the 2024 PMWC. This globally acclaimed "Esports World Cup" event brings together champions and top-tier teams from various PUBG MOBILE regional tournaments. Infinix GT 20 Pro will continue to empower teams and players from across the PMSL regions as they embark on their PMWC adventure. Advertisement Time Square 2024 PMWC"The Infinix GT 20 Pro is an incredibly successful gaming phone.

The Nxled Chameleons survive the Galeries Tower Highrisers in five sets, 25-19, 22-25, 25-18, 25-27, 15-12, in the opening day of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) 2024 Reinforced Conference at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig on July 16, 2024. Nxled 6-foot-2 import Meegan Hart showed her blocking prowess after chipping in 19 points on 12 attacks, and seven blocks. Hart shared that the Philippine volleyball style is faster compared to what she was used to, and was glad that she was able to pull through despite training for one day with Nxled. VIDEO BY NICOLE ANNE D.G. BUGAUISANGet 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