Fighting for the forestsSocial media has been flooded with photos of visitors posing on the recently completed Philippine Eagle statue in Barlig, Mountain Province. After all, Barlig hosts one of the last old-growth forests in the country, from mystical mossy forests to dipterocarps with critically endangered hardwood trees and the elusive rafflesia, the biggest flower in the world! But with the road project, who knows how much longer these ecological services will last? Costa Rica has been pioneering ecotourism to restore forests and protect ecosystems while generating income for the communities. The past has shown us the devastation that can happen should we continue to destroy our forests and nature as a whole.

Eleven people were injured on Cathay Pacific’s flight CX880 at the Hong Kong International Airport early on Saturday after the carrier aborted its take off due to a technical issue, Cathay said in a statement. The flight, from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, was carrying 17 crew and 293 passengers at around 1 am. It was understood that five men and 13 women were injured during their evacuation. The other 10 women and a man aged 29 to 77 were sent to North Lantau Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital. “We understand that 11 passengers are being treated at the hospital with injuries sustained during the evacuation process.

U.S. intelligence agencies found no direct evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic stemmed from an incident at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, a report declassified on Friday said. ADVERTISEMENT“The Central Intelligence Agency and another agency remain unable to determine the precise origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, as both (natural and lab) hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting,” the ODNI report said. U.S. President Joe Biden in March signed a bill declassifying information related to the origins of the pandemic. As of March 20, four other U.S. agencies still judged that COVID-19 was likely the result of natural transmission, while two were undecided. For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

WASHINGTON — Narendra Modi’s denial that discrimination against minorities exists in India contradicts thorough documentation by rights advocates, according to activists disappointed by President Joe Biden’s embrace of the Indian prime minister. Rights advocates said that by not publicly calling out the human rights situation in India, Biden had lost their trust. He failed on his campaign promises of promoting human rights,” said Raqib Hameed Naik, the founder of Hindutva Watch, a group that monitors reports of attacks on Indian minorities. India also leads the list for the highest number of government-imposed internet shutdowns globally for five consecutive years. The U.N. human rights office described a 2019 citizenship law as “fundamentally discriminatory” for excluding Muslim migrants.

Booking a ride on the small submersible Titan set back adventurers a quarter of a million dollars each. A frantic rescue effort involving research ships and at least two unmanned submarines were mobilized. From Sunday to the discovery of the debris field Thursday, the massive rescue effort grabbed the world’s attention. At the depth where the Titan imploded, water pressure is about 300 times what it is on the surface. Spain, Italy and Greece have deployed nearly full-time maritime assets to rescue migrants in distress.

Man caught sneaking shabu into jail gets life“We will have a case build-up and they will be subjected to anti-illegal drugs operations,” PNP Public Information Office head Brig. BAGUIO CITY , Philippines — A man who tried to sneak shabu into the city jail here has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Jail guards discovered the illegal drugs upon inspection. It cited the testimonies of the jail guards and other witnesses who identified Pinto as the man who brought the illegal drugs. Police said the suspect was behind the distribution of illegal drugs in Datu Anggal Midtimbang and nearby towns.

(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Monetary Board member Eli Remolona as the new governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Malacañang announced on Friday. Remolona will replace Felipe Medalla, whose term will end on July 2. Photo from BSP website Eli M. Remolona. "His work focused on crucial issues such as financial stability, capital market development and asset management for Asia-Pacific central banks," Garafil said. "As the newly appointed governor, Mr. Remolona is expected to leverage his extensive knowledge and experience to guide the BSP in promoting financial stability, implementing effective monetary policies and fostering a robust banking sector," Garafil said.

Paris: The Olympic torch has been into space, deep underwater and even scaled Mount Everest. The flame is lit during the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on June 17, 2023. Heated protestsThe torch relay has been the target of several protests, most notably during the run-up to Beijing 2008 as demonstrators took China to task over its Tibet policy. In Japan, monks at an ancient Buddhist temple pulled out of hosting a torch ceremony because of the Chinese crackdown in Tibet. The torch relay set the tone for the subdued games, with public sections of the relay scrapped in areas where virus cases were spiking, including the final leg in Japan's capital.

Two dead, seven missing in Philippines fishing boat accidentAn incident report from the Philippine Coast Guard said FB Genesis sank 182 nautical miles off Baganga, Davao Oriental, at around 1:00 a.m., June 22. MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:34 p.m.) — Two Filipino fishermen have died and seven are missing after their vessel sank off the Philippines, the coast guard said Friday, with an open-sea search continuing. "At that time the waves were really strong and the fishermen were surprised and did not anticipate they would be that strong," Dacuyan said. The vessel "sank within minutes" after it started taking in water, he said. A coast guard patrol vessel and five other boats of the fishing company, based in the southern port of General Santos city, are continuing the search, Dacuyan said.

“One is the specific provision aligning the salary of our [public] nurses with salary grade 15 [with their counterparts] in the private sector,” he said. Another is improving nurses’ working conditions which has been a perennial problem in both private and public medical facilities. Under Department of Health (DOH) guidelines, the ideal nurse-to-patient ratio is 1:12 although global standards set it at 1:4. He said that unlicensed nurses may get the same pay rate as licensed nurses in an entry-level post, which is Salary Grade15, or equivalent to P36,619 per month. “They could be a source for the human resources for health,” he added, referring to the DOH deployment and training programme.

The central bank’s policy committee emphasized that further tightening would be implemented as necessary until a significant improvement in the inflation outlook was achieved. The central bank’s governor, Hafize Gaye Erkan, is expected to meet with a group of bank executives to discuss sector-related issues. The central bank’s key rate remains lower than deposit rates, which can reach up to 40 percent, resulting in deeply negative real rates. [JPMorgan expects Turkey central bank to lift rates to 25% on June 22](https://business.inquirer.net/326447/jpmorgan-expects-turkey-central-bank-to-lift-rates-to-25-on-june-22)2. [Turkey central bank’s net forex reserves negative for first time since 2002](https://business.inquirer.net/326436/turkey-central-banks-net-forex-reserves-negative-for-first-time-since-2002)3.

LIVE updates: Mayon Volcano restivenessA general view shows Mayon volcano as it releases white smoke into the air as seen from Legazpi on June 12, 2023. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised on June 8 the status of Mayon Volcano in Albay to Alert Level 3 after it showed an “increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption.”Here are the latest updates on the volcano's activity and related events. (Can't view the updates below? Click here.)

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday is planning to sign the bill establishing the Maharlika Investment Fund as soon as it reaches his office. "I will sign it as soon as I get it," the Chief Executive said at the sidelines of the 85th anniversary celebration of the Securities and Exchange Commission in Makati City. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the 85th Anniversary Security Exchange Commission and inauguration of its new headquarters in Makati City on Thursday, June 22, 2023. And we have quite a few good money managers, financial managers that we can call upon," he said. Those decisions are not made by political decisions in government, the decisions made for the fund are made by finance professionals," he added.

BSP holds off rate hike anewThe central bank’s overnight reverse repurchase facility was maintained at 6.25 percent, while interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were retained at 5.75 and 6.75 percent, respectively. The central bank’s overnight reverse repurchase facility was maintained at 6.25 percent, while interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were retained at 5.75 and 6.75 percent, respectively. However, the BSP chief admitted that the lingering upside risks to the inflation outlook also warrant continued vigilance against potential second-round effects. Medalla reiterated that the country’s monetary stance would now depend on domestic inflation instead of the actions of the US Fed. “Our interest rates should be driven by domestic inflation concerns, not by what the US does.

ADVERTISEMENTIndian citizens are by far the most active users of the U.S. H-1B program and made up 73% of the nearly 442,000 H-1B workers in fiscal year 2022. Plans for a pilot program were first reported by Bloomberg Law in February. Each year, the U.S. government makes 65,000 H-1B visas available to companies seeking skilled foreign workers, along with an additional 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees. The pilot program would also include some workers with L-1 visas, which are available to people transferring within a company to a position in the U.S., one of the sources said. India has long had concerns with the difficulty its citizens face in receiving visas to live in the United States, including technology industry workers.