'You're dead': Atom Araullo status on public transport spurs discussion, grievancesMANILA, Philippines — Journalist Atom Araullo's tweet last December 9 revived anew the sorry state of the country's public transport system. No coupon taxis, no metered taxis, no Grab. This is what a broken transpo system looks like," his initial tweet read. No coupon taxis, no metered taxis, no Grab. — NoMad (@3lpresident3) December 9, 2022There were others who posted their gripe against lawmakers who could have done something about the public transport system, which many believe has been lagging behind neighboring countries.

Shandong Boan Biotechnology, an offshoot of Luye Pharma (2186), has passed its main board listing hearing at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange while Kintor Pharmaceutical (9939) will have a share placement to raise more than HK$500 million. Boan was reported to have raised US$200 million (HK$1.56 billion), while its net interim loss widened 20 percent yearly to 153.3 million yuan (HK$171.58 million). Meanwhile, Kintor Pharmaceutical announced a placement of 42 million shares at a price of HK$12.94 apiece, or 9.8 percent lower than the closing price of HK$14.34 last Friday. The co-founder and chairman, Tong Youzhi, will sell the 42 million shares and then issue 40 million new shares on behalf of the company, both of which are at the offered price. After the placement, the stake held by Tong will be reduced to 9.1 percent from 10.4 percent, cashing in HK$25.88 million.

KYIV — The Ukrainian port of Odesa was not operating on Sunday after the latest Russian attack on the region’s energy system, Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky said, but he added that grains traders were not expected to suspend exports. Two other ports — Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi — authorized to export grains from Ukraine under a deal between Russia and Ukraine were partially operating, he said. Solsky said that Odesa port was not operating at the moment because the power generators had not been switched on yet. Grains traders continued to ship grains via the two other ports, he said. Since October, Moscow has been targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with large waves of missile and drone strikes.

'Rosal' intensifies, may develop into 'low-end tropical storm'According to Pagasa’s 11 a.m. bulletin, the center of Rosal was last estimated 420 kilometers east northeast of Casiguran in Aurora or 455 km east of Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, moving at 15 kph. MANILA, Philippines – Tropical Depression “Rosal” continues to intensify on Sunday morning as it moves east northeastward, with state weather bureau forecasting that it may still develop into a “low-end tropical storm” in the next 24 hours. According to the the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration's 11 a.m. bulletin, the center of Rosal was last estimated 420 kilometers east northeast of Casiguran in Aurora or 455 km east of Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, moving at 15 kph. No tropical cyclone wind signal has been hoisted, but Rosal is expected to bring rainshowers and thunderstorms over Calabarzon, the north part of Palawan and Calamanian Islands, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, and Marinduque. Rosal is forecast to weaken by late Monday and may be embedded by the leading edge of the monsoon come late Tuesday or Wednesday.

83 held in online lending scamPolice said 83 collection agents of the agency were apprehended after they were caught in the act of sending threatening messages to customers. MANILA, Philippines — Police have arrested more than 80 people for allegedly operating an illegal online lending agency in Manila. Police said 83 collection agents of the agency were apprehended after they were caught in the act of sending threatening messages to customers. Gen. Joel Doria said he ordered the conduct of intelligence-driven operations against online lending agencies to protect the public. “Let this serve as a warning to illegal online lending agencies: the PNP-ACG is watching you in cyberspace,” Doria said.

The health minister said on Sunday that the government will adjust the function of LeaveHomeSafe, the city's mandatory premises-tracking app under the current Covid rules, but there is no plan to abandon the app. "LeaveHomeSafe used to play an essential role in fighting the epidemic to record the confirmed cases and prevent infection," Secretary Lo Chung-mau said in a press briefing today. The government will adjust the current functions of LeaveHomeSafe according to the situation of the epidemic, he noted, but will not cancel its mandate in the short term. "The Health Bureau is conducting a thorough review of the current Covid measures for possible space to amend," Lo said. In a press conference today, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu agreed to keep the LeaveHomeSafe, citing that the increase in daily confirmed cases may lead to pressure on the public health system and require certain anti-epidemic measures to stay.

All non-critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian port of Odesa was without power after Russia used Iranian-made drones to hit two energy facilities, officials said on Saturday, adding it could take months to repair the damage. ADVERTISEMENTSince October, Moscow has been targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with large waves of missile and drone strikes. “According to preliminary forecasts, it will take much more time to restore energy facilities in the Odesa region than after previous attacks,” the administration said. Odesa, Ukraine’s largest port city, had a population of over 1 million before Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office said two power facilities in Odesa region were hit by Shahed-136 drones.

OFW remittances to grow 4% this year and in 2023Dennis Lapid, officer-in-charge of the Department of Economic Research, said there is an uptick in the deployment of OFWs. MANILA, Philippines — The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is confident that remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can still grow by four percent this year despite the soft increase this year. Likewise, cash remittances coursed through banks grew by 3.1 percent to $23.82 billion during the nine-month period. In 2021, the BSP missed its six percent growth forecast as personal and cash remittances went up by only 5.1 percent. Personal remittances increased to an all-time high of $34.88 billion, while cash remittances reached new record high of $31.42 billion.

Army destroys firearms from rebels, terroristsA road roller runs over 300 surrendered firearms, including assault rifles, grenade launchers and bolt-action sniper rifles, at Camp Siongco in Awang Dos, Maguindano. COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Army destroyed Friday 300 firearms turned in by local terrorists and New People’s Army (NPA) guerillas who surrendered in batches in recent months. A road roller was used to run over the cache, which consists of assault rifles, grenade launchers and bolt-action sniper rifles. About 400 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Dawlah Islamiya and NPA have surrendered to the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division in the past three years. The destruction of firearms was jointly led by Bacarro and 6th ID commander Major Gen. Roy Galido at Camp Siongco in nearby Datu Odin Sinsuat town, Maguindanao del Norte.

Some of those protesters, tracked down by China’s security apparatus, now face an anxious wait about their fate. Amid the caution, state broadcaster CCTV announced further easing, with tourism and entertainment venues – including theatres, libraries, internet cafes, and table game centers no longer requiring COVID tests and health codes. China’s tally of 5,235 COVID-related deaths is a tiny fraction of its population of 1.4 billion, and extremely low by global standards. Some experts have warned that the toll could rise above 1.5 million if the exit is too hasty. Manufacturers remain cautious too, retaining COVID curbs until they get a clearer picture of just how workplaces will be affected by the easing of stringent measures.

Concerns raised in procurement of COVID-19 bivalent vaccinesPeople queue to receive COVID-19 vaccine at a drugstore along Bayan-Bayan Ave. in Marikina City during the pilot implementation of the government’s “Resbakuna sa mga Botika” program on Jan. 20, 2022. MANILA, Philippines — Several medical and policy experts comprising the Advisory Council of Experts, a group organized by Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, are raising concerns that the same mistake may be repeated in the country’s vaccination efforts to procure bivalent vaccines against COVID-19. Last month, the Department of Health bared a plan to procure only a limited number of doses of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. “We can’t afford to make the same mistakes twice with our bivalent vaccines,” he said. Concepcion led private sector efforts to procure COVID-19 vaccines in the early days of the pandemic through a tripartite agreement that overcame regulatory roadblocks for the vaccines.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the ceremonial blessing of two T-129 attack helicopters at the Presidential Security Group compound in Malacañang on Friday morning. Growing fleetThe OPS said T-129 helicopters are manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries and are based on the AgustaWestland A129 Mangusta design. The two T-129 ATAK helicopters were the second batch of six T-129 ATAK helicopters the government procured from Turkiye. ADVERTISEMENTAccording to the PAF, the capabilities of T-129 are very far and different from the old procured helicopters. RELATED STORY:Bongbong Marcos Jr. leads blessing of 2 attack helicopters from TurkeyRead Next

A resident of the Haus an der Linde nursing home receives the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in Lichtentanne, Saxony, Germany. (Reuters)Beijing will grant German nationals living in China access to mRNA vaccines produced by the European country, according to the foreign ministry. “China and Germany have reached agreement on providing German vaccines for German nationals in China, and relevant arrangements will be discussed and determined by the two sides through diplomatic channels,” Mao Ning, a ministry spokesperson, said Friday at a briefing. The move was expected after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last month that China will make BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 vaccine available to foreigners living in the country. Germany recently granted a permit allowing Chinese nationals in the European country to receive China’s Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine, a decision that Mao said the country welcomes.

Jenin, Palestinian Territories: Israeli troops on Thursday (Friday in Manila) killed three Palestinians during a firefight in a West Bank city, and another in a separate incident, Palestinian officials said. The Islamic Jihad militant group said its fighters engaged in "fierce clashes" with Israeli forces in the northern West Bank city. The Israeli army said it had carried out multiple operations across the West Bank overnight Wednesday-Thursday to arrest wanted suspects in cities including Bethlehem and Ramallah. International alarmA surge in bloodshed this year has seen 26 Israelis and at least 150 Palestinians killed across Israel and the West Bank. Israel has occupied the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem, since the Six-Day War of 1967.

A 65-year-old man was found dead on Friday on a reef at Cape Collinson in Siu Sai Wan as police believed he accidentally slipped during morning exercise. Swimmers were swimming in the waters near Island Resort in Siu Sai Wan this morning when they saw an apparently unconscious man lying on a 4-meter-high reef at Cape Collinson. The man was then pronounced upon further examination and his body was brought onto the rescue boat and sent to the pier opposite the Siu Sai Wan Sports Center. Officers also believed Wu accidentally slipped and fell to his death during his morning exercise. According to the swimmers, the man was found lying on top of an isolated reef 50 meters away from the swimming shed.