The Consumer Council earlier tested six commonly used food ordering platforms among Hong Kongers and found that the majority of prices on food ordering platforms were higher than those of takeout. The consumer watchdog tested six ordering platforms, Deliveroo, Foodpanda, KeeTa, KFC, McDelivery, and Pizza Hut. The watchdog found that about 83 to more than 90 percent of food prices are higher than the average takeout price. Only about 9 to nearly 14 percent of food prices were cheaper due to the platform. In comparison, KFC holds 70 percent of the food prices that were more expensive compared to restaurant takeout, and nearly 30 percent of the food prices were lower.

While interest rates have hit the highest level in more than two decades, a situation ordinarily accompanied by higher unemployment and a consumption pullback, it has not been the case this time. 'Value of talent'Low unemployment, wage growth and hiring have underpinned consumers' willingness to spend. Purchasing powerAmericans are snagging jobs and wage increases, while annual real wage growth has been positive since May 2023, said ZipRecruiter chief economist Julia Pollak. This "allowed corporations to issue debt at very low interest rates," North said, adding that many companies did just that. But the outlook this year remains positive with interest rate cuts on the horizon as inflation has fallen — a development that generally spurs business activity.

TOKYO: Once forecast to become the world's biggest economy, Japan slipped below Germany last year to fourth place, official data showed on Thursday, although India is projected to leapfrog both later this decade. DEMOTED People commuting to work in the morning cross a pedestrian crossing in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Japan’s moved down to being the third-largest economy to fourth after being overtaken by Germany last year. AFP PHOTO DEMOTED People commuting to work in the morning cross a pedestrian crossing in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Japan's moved down to being the third-largest economy to fourth after being overtaken by Germany last year.

The Republican White House frontrunner was widely rebuked after saying he would not defend NATO members who had not met their financial obligations, in his most extreme broadside yet against the military alliance. AFP PHOTOStoltenberg laid out new defense spending estimates, showing the number of states reaching 2 percent of their gross domestic product was expected to jump from 11 in 2023. Overall, though, he said European allies and Canada would have added more than $600 billion to their defense spending since they set the 2-percent goal a decade ago. Spurred on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, last year saw an "unprecedented rise" of 11 percent of spending by European members and Canada, Stoltenberg said. But the US still accounts for the vast bulk of combined defense spending by NATO members.

Gilas buckles down for FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers campaignMANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas has started its preparations for the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. Photos uploaded by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) on Thursday showed the team training at the Inspire Sports Academy Philippines. “The journey starts now for Gilas Pilipinas. Training continues in preparation for their two important matches at the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers 1st Window,” the SBP said in the Facebook post. The team will kick off its campaign against Hong Kong on February 22.

Any price reduction is welcome news, but I would hardly call it a “crash” in egg prices. The prohibition might have even raised the rates, thus negating any price “crash” at the farm gate. Today the lowest retail price for white refined sugar in the wet market is P80 a kilo; in the supermarkets, the price can be as high as P110. * * *For rice, a farmers’ group said this week that the average retail price of well-milled rice had gone down by P2, to P52 a kilo. In my part of town yesterday, rice retail prices ranged from P50 to P56 for non-special varieties.

THE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has cleared a proposed joint venture by Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) with Singapore-registered NTT UD Asia Pte. In a filing on Thursday, property developer CLI said it had received the PCC certification, dated February 6, authorizing the establishment of CLI NUD Ventures Inc.. CLI announced its partnership with NTT last September, saying the proposed residential project would add to its more than 100 developments across the Visayas and Mindanao regions. NTT, meanwhile, is an international developer of office buildings, residential properties, and other mixed-use developments in Southeast Asia. CLI shares were unchanged at P2.62 each on Thursday amid a 0.4-percent rise in the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index.

(UPDATE) SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test firing of a "new-type surface-to-sea missile," state media reported on Thursday, part of a purported fresh drive to ramp up maritime border security. FIRING TIME A new type of surface-to-sea missile Padasuri-6 is test-fired toward the East Sea of Korea at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim had overseen the "evaluation test-fire of new-type surface-to-sea missile Padasuri-6 to be equipped by the navy." The maritime border between the two countries, known as the Northern Limit Line, has never been officially demarcated, and has been the site of previous clashes between the two Koreas. Earlier this week, North Korea announced it had tested a new control system for a multiple rocket launcher it said would have an "increased" battlefield role.

Coach Jorge Gallent and the Best Player of the Conference and Finals MVP, CJ Perez, answer the media as the San Miguel Beermen secured their 29th PBA title with a thrilling 104-102 victory over the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots in Game 6 of the Commissioner's Cup finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night, Feb. 14, 2024.

With the theme "Generating Knowledge, Cultivating Partnerships and Nurturing Entrepreneurial Skills in Advancing Agricultural Innovations," CLSU has 594 graduands. PHOTO FROM HTTPS://CLSU.EDU.PHThe CLSU Strategic Communication Office (StratCom) said the commencement exercise will be livestreamed via the CLSU official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/clsuofficialpage. StratCom noted that among the graduands, 111 will receive academic honors and special awards to be led by Angelica Quitalig, a Bachelor of Science in Biology student. Quitalig achieved the highest academic honor and will graduate magna cum laude with a general weighted average of 1.31. As class valedictorian, she addressed her fellow graduates during the Tea Party and Recognition Program on Wednesday, February 14.

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday called on concerned government agencies to ensure public safety after Dr. Sharmaine Barroquillo, 27, was attacked and shot by lawless elements in Maguindanao del Sur. Barroquillo survived the attack but sustained three gunshot wounds to the left shoulder and lower back that penetrated her spinal cord. “Magtulungan po tayo at huwag nating hayaang maghari ang mga kriminal sa ating mga komunidad (let us help each other and not allow criminals to reign in our communities),” she added. According to Duterte, no one, especially responsible citizens and government employees like Barroquillo, should suffer violence at the hands of criminals. “Ang nangyari sa kanya sa Buluan, Maguindanao ay isa lamang sa mga insidente ng karahasan sa buong bansa na sumasalamin sa estado ng seguridad at kaayusan ng bansa,” said Duterte.

Take this sentence: "Not all of the women in the district did not vote for the lone female candidate." That sentence is semantically problematic and confusing; it could be interpreted that "Some of the women did not vote for the lone female candidate," or that "None of the women voted for the lone female candidate." The first option: "Not all of the women in the district voted for the lone female candidate." The second option: "None of the women in the district voted for the lone female candidate." Lexical negation is simply the negative structuring of sentences by using words with negative denotations, such as "neither," "nor," "rarely," "hardly," and "seldom."

A-list actress Marian Rivera shares her thoughts on the recent success of her Metro Manila Film Festival entry 'Rewind' with husband Dingdong Dantes, which became the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time. The celebrity mom also updated fans about the second season of the couple's sitcom 'Jose & Maria's Bonggang Villa' Season 2 and how she juggles work and family time. Video by Iza Iglesias

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024 in Malacanang, awards the Presidential Medal of Merit to 106-year-old Maria Whang-Od Oggay for her contribution in preserving the art of traditional tattooing or 'batok' and for raising awareness on the heritage, culture and tradition of the indigenous peoples in the country. Video by Malacañang Press Corps Pool

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: The chief executive officer (CEO) of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI said on Tuesday that the dangers that keep him awake at night regarding artificial intelligence (AI) are the "very subtle societal misalignments" that could make the systems wreak havoc. Altman on Tuesday warned of ‘very subtle societal misalignments’ that would make artificial intelligence a danger to society. Altman on Tuesday warned of 'very subtle societal misalignments' that would make artificial intelligence a danger to society. "I'm much more interested in the very subtle societal misalignments where we just have these systems out in society and through no particular ill intention, things just go horribly wrong." The United Arab Emirates (UAE), an autocratic federation of seven hereditarily ruled sheikhdoms, has signs of that risk.