The Indian government has put forward a new proposal that mandates Chinese smartphone manufacturers like Xiaomi (1810), OPPO, and Vivo to appoint local individuals as chief officers, according to local media. China-based companies such as Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, and others have been requested to include Indian equity partners and appoint Indian individuals in key positions, as discussed during a meeting between company executives and Indian government representatives, sources told The Economic Times. The news followed a report that India's Enforcement Directorate has issued notices to Xiaomi, Deutsche Bank, HSBC (0005) and Citigroup over alleged illegal remittances to the tune of 55.51 billion rupees (HK$5.29 billion) made by the smartphone giant to foreign entities. The funds have been frozen since last year. Xiaomi's shares dipped 0.73 percent to HK$10.86 yesterday.

BBM the BoldPresident Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. has a bold foreign policy. Both strategic powers are friends of the Philippines but BBM manages to keep China at bay without losing the latter’s economic support, cultural ties and friendship. We will aim to feed the hungry, free the bound and banish poverty,” said President Marcos Jr. last June 12 at the Luneta. BBM aims to halve poverty incidence to 9 percent by the end of its term in June 2028. China has $3.4 trillion reserves, South Korea $423 billion, Singapore $289 billion, Thailand $225 billion, Indonesia $140 billion, Malaysia $114 billion and the Philippines, $101 billion.

June 28 declared holiday for Eid’l AdhaMuslims converge on July 9, 2022 at the grounds of the Bangsamoro regional capitol in Cotabato City for the traditional Eid’l Adha congregational worship rites. MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has declared June 28, a Wednesday, a regular holiday throughout the country in observance of Eid’l Adha or Feast of Sacrifice. The proclamation also cited Republic Act 9849, declaring the 10th day of Zhul Hijjah, which is the 12th month of the Islamic calendar, a national holiday for the observance of Eid’l Adha, with a movable date. Following the 1444 Hijrah Islamic Lunar Calendar, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos has recommended that June 28 be a national holiday, the proclamation said. Eid’l Adha marks the end of Hajj, a five-day hajj or pilgrimage at Min?, Saudi Arabia, near Mecca, but is celebrated by Muslims throughout the world.

CULINARY school CCA Manila announces the launch of its groundbreaking course, Fundamentals in Filipino Cuisine. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOSRecognizing the need to promote and protect Filipino culinary heritage, the Special Committee on Creative Industries and Performing Arts (SCCIPA) of the Lower House of Representatives called for the worldwide promotion of Filipino cuisine in 2020. In response to the growing demand for professional Filipino culinary arts education, CCA Manila took the initiative to develop the Fundamentals in Filipino Cuisine Course. At the time, there were no culinary schools in the Philippines offering specialized training in Filipino culinary arts. By offering this course, we take pride in our leadership in owning the narrative of Filipino culinary education," CCA Manila program manager chef Kerwin Funtanilla said.

Eduard Bañez finds fulfillment in teaching physical education and sports to children ages 13 to 15. I applied online through the teachers' union; I primarily teach health and physical education in the field and it's very interesting. http://Eduard Bañez finds fulfillment in teaching physical education and sports to children ages 13 to 15. I solely teach physical education [for children ages 13 to 15). Who is Eduard Bañez in the classroom/field versus Eduard Bañez the celebrity?

A former policewoman was on Wednesday sentenced to three months in prison plus one year of probation after she was found guilty of stealing a hat worth over HK$5,600 in a Tsim Sha Tsui boutique. She was previously convicted on one count of theft after stealing a black hat worth HK$5,670 in a boutique TWIST on the UG floor in iSQUARE in Tsim Sha Tsui on May 21, 2022. Passing sentence, magistrate Kestrel Lam Tsz-hong said he did not accept the defendant's explanation of her committing the crime under the influence of prescription drugs. He said surveillance footage had seen no abnormality from the defendant and that her actions were premeditated to a certain extent. Lau served the police force for over 30 years and was suspended from duty following her arrest.

Vehicle sales zoom 31.5% in 5 monthsMotorists experience heavy traffic along EDSA in Cubao, Quezon City on April 4, 2023. MANILA, Philippines — Vehicle sales in the country remained on the uptrend in the five months of the year, growing by 31.5 percent. In May alone, vehicle sales increased by 44.8 percent to 38,177 units from 26,370 units in the same period last year. Sales growth in the first five months of the year was led by passenger cars, which grew by 32.7 percent to 41,862 units. In 2022, vehicle sales grew 31.3 percent to 352,596 units.

KAUSWAGAN, Lanao del Norte, Philippines — Advocates are calling on the government to take further steps to cultivate a good atmosphere for promoting organic agriculture in the country. At the conclusion of the weeklong 6th Organic Asia Congress here on Friday, the more than 1,200 participants — including 245 foreigners — recognized the importance of favorable government policy to soften the ground and make organic agriculture take root throughout farming localities. Small segmentOf the country’s 1,489 municipalities, only 251 have organic agriculture programs even as Republic Act No. 10098, or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010, mandates the promotion of this farming mode, noted Arnado, who is president of the country’s League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities, Cities and Provinces, and sits in the National Organic Agriculture Board, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA). A 2017 study done by the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement cited “the very significant and very encouraging growth of organic agriculture” in the country in 2015.

MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network): Vietnamese fishermen were intercepted after encroaching the Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea, a Philippine Navy commander said on Wednesday (June 14). “We caught Vietnamese fishermen entering Pag-asa Island’s waters in December,” said Carlos during the Laging Handa Public Briefing. “We seized the equipment used for cyanide fishing but could not apprehend the culprits as they escaped on their vessels,” he said. Carlos said the Navy would keep patrolling the West Philippine Sea with other government authorities to stop illegal fishing. “Our ships will patrol for illegal fishing with the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources,” he said.

Taxi driver injured after car crashes down stairs during heavy rainstormA taxi driver was injured after his taxi careened down a flight of stairs on Tuesday night when the amber rainstorm signal was in force. The accident happened around 11 pm yesterday when the taxi was traveling along Yee Wai Path after dropping off a passenger. The taxi then plummeted down a flight of stairs before hitting a tree. Despite being trapped, the taxi driver only sustained minor injuries. It is understood that the accident occurred as the driver tried to avoid a dog on the road.

(UPDATE) DENVER: The Denver Nuggets sealed their first title in franchise history on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), defeating the Miami Heat 94-89 to end a 47-season wait for a maiden NBA championship. Nikola Jokic scored 28 points with 16 rebounds as the Nuggets won the best-of-seven NBA Finals 4-1 to bring the Mile High City an NBA crown as a sellout crowd roared in delight and pondered what more the young squad could achieve. Two days after countryman Novak Djokovic won the French Open for his record 23rd Grand Slam tennis crown, Jokic was named the NBA Finals MVP. "It was amazing effort by the team," Jokic said. The Nuggets, down by as many as 10 points in the first half, pulled within 51-44 at half-time despite going 1-for-15 from 3-point range, the worst-ever NBA Finals shooting half from beyond the arc.

Boasting a large array of pavilions ranging from local to popular overseas destinations, the International Travel Expo (ITE) 2023 will put on show a plethora of updated traveling information and special promotional offers. As Hong Kong’s one-and-only travel expo, the ITE 2023 will be showcasing around 400 exhibitors from 50 countries and regions in and beyond Asia. Remarkably, the pavilion of mainland China will be about 1.5 times the scale in comparison to pre-pandemic years – it’s the largest pavilion in the ITE. St. Petersburg, which joined the ITE for the first time in 2022, is coming back with other new Russian exhibitors! As per the ITE tradition, what catch everybody’s eyes each year are the special displays of various travel themes.

One man was declared dead, and a woman was rushed to the hospital after firefighters were called to break into a Happy Valley apartment after a peculiar smell was detected on Tuesday afternoon. Around 4 pm today, a security guard at the Paramount Mansion building located at 2 Shan Kwong Road in Happy Valley contacted the police after smelling a peculiar odor from one of the apartments and receiving no response when knocking on the door. The firefighters arrived and broke down the door to see two approximately 50-year-old people, a man and woman, lying unconscious in the apartment. The man was declared dead on site, while the woman, who was still breathing, was rushed to the Ruttonjee hospital for medical attention. It is understood that the two are siblings.

The Mayon Volcano and the BSP: Both in suspenseful watchTwo unrelated events that have great significance for the country are currently happening at the same time around this time. The first is the Mayon Volcano eruption that is threatening at the very moment. The Mayon Volcano recently displayed unstable behavior. These alert levels are: level 0 indicates “quiet or no alert”; Level 1 “a low level of abnormal volcanic unrest”; Level 2, “a moderate level of increasing volcanic unrest”; Level 3 “a high level of unrest indicating an increased tendency towards hazardous eruption”; Level 4 “a hazardous eruption is imminent”; and Level 5 “a hazardous eruption is in progress. The Mount Pinatubo eruption also affected the world’s temperature, dropping it by half a degree Centigrade in the following year.

HEALTH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Tuesday urged local government units (LGUs) to immediately administer the more than 390,000 doses of bivalent vaccines donated by Lithuania, as these will expire in November this year. HEALTH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa. Photo from DOH HEALTH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa. However, Herbosa also cited some "snags and issues" that might slow down the process of procurement since the public health emergency has been lifted. Herbosa stressed that vaccines are the only weapon of the public against the virus.