The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia (Wisma Putra) and the Islamic Banking and Finance Institute Malaysia (IBFIM) announced the completion of a learning program for 83 learners under a Malaysian Technical Cooperation Program (MTCP) 2023 - Dispatch of Experts Program in Manila on July 8. Under this collaboration, the Fundamental Certificate in Islamic Banking (FCIB) course is offered with the aim to advance Islamic finance knowledge as one of the means to promote Islamic finance knowledge in the Republic of Philippines. The MTCP participants who become part of IBFIM's global alumni of Islamic finance professionals, currently serve in many emerging and developing Islamic finance markets such as the Republic of the Philippines. He further emphasized "The inter-link between countries, especially those in the same region, is important to create opportunities in fostering a more inclusive Islamic finance industry." Under the MTCP program, IBFIM offers two of its flagship certifications – the Fundamental Certificate in Islamic Banking (FCIB) and the Associate Qualification in Islamic Finance (AQIF), apart from modular-based programs on Islamic Capital Market and Sustainability.

Hong Kong came to a standstill on Monday as the observatory hoisted the city’s first T8 signal of the year. There'll be no trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for the day. Tram, ferry and most bus routes will also remain suspended with the T8 signal hoisted. Meanwhile, as of 6 am the government call center had received three reports of fallen trees, but none of landslides or flooding. The Hospital Authority said it had not received any reports of anyone being admitted to public hospitals because of storm-related injuries.

The observatory said Talim had shown signs of intensification and it would assess the need of issuing storm signal No 8 overnight. "Talim will be closest to Hong Kong [this morning], skirting within about 300 kilometers to the south of Hong Kong," it said. Hong Kong Airlines have canceled two flights between Hong Kong and Haikou, HX107 and HX108, today. "I heard from the observatory that [Talim] will not hit Hong Kong directly. When typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong [in 2018], there were knee-deep floods."

A woman was sent to the hospital after a gust of wind from tropical storm Talim snapped a large tree limb that fell on her on Sunday. At around 4 pm, police received a report that a woman was struck by a 20-meter-tall tree that suddenly fell on South Bay Road, Repulse Bay. She suffered a head injury and lying on the ground unresponsive. The paramedics conducted emergency first aid, and she regained consciousness before being taken to the Queen Mary Hospital. The police are currently investigating the incident.

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) reminded outbound international passengers to be at the airport three hours before their flight schedule to avoid being left behind. "Upon verification, it was confirmed that he checked in only 1 hour and 27 minutes prior to the boarding of his flight," Tansingco said. Latest BI data showed that NAIA Terminal 1 reported a remarkable increase in daily average international travelers since June 16, 2023. The terminal recorded 28,956 passengers per day, a significant 48.1% rise from the previous average of 19,553 passengers prior to the transfer. From a daily average of 33,682 travelers since June 16, 2023, the number went up to 28,168 passengers, or an increase of 19.58%.

Special transport arrangements are currently in place as severe tropical storm Talim approaches. Separately, Hong Kong Airlines announced that two of its flights traveling between Hong Kong and Haikou on Monday (Jul 17) will be canceled. The affected flights are HX107 from Hong Kong to Haikou and HX 108 from Haikou to Hong Kong. The airline advised passengers to check the latest flight status at its official website before leaving for the airport. Click here to view the latest announcement from the Transport Department.

Metro Manila transport paralyzed next week, group vowsStudents return to their respective schools as in-person classes in Marikina City resume on March 9, 2023. Face-to-face classes in some areas will resume today after transport groups announced the end of their jeepney strike on Wednesday. The so-called Magnificent Seven represents the seven major transport groups in the country, he said. “After we launched the transport strike, many members of the transport groups joined Manibela,” he noted. He said that the three-day transport strike was supposed to start today but was delayed for one week after many jeepney drivers requested that they also participate.

London: Tearful Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur described her third defeat in a Grand Slam final as the "most painful" of her career as she vowed to learn from the tennis greats who were also jinxed at the majors. The 28-year-old is only the eighth woman to lose her first three Grand Slam finals. However, she can take comfort from knowing that the likes of Chris Evert, Kim Clijsters and Simona Halep also suffered the same fate before going on to capture Grand Slam titles. Former world number one Clijsters lost the 2001 and 2003 French Open finals, the US Open title match in 2003 and the Australian Open final in 2004. "To encourage me to be strong, to come back and win a Grand Slam, win a Wimbledon.

Man nabbed for molesting girl, 13Jose Samson is facing complaints for acts of lasciviousness in relation to Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, for the incident that occurred in Barangay Novaliches Proper at around 3 p.m.MANILA, Philippines — A man who allegedly sexually abused a 13-year-old girl in Quezon City was arrested on Friday. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said the victim was in their house when Samson, her neighbor, went inside and asked if he could borrow a nail cutter. While looking for a nail cutter, the suspect allegedly pushed the girl against a corner of the house and attempted to rape her. The victim told her mother about her ordeal and they reported the incident to the Novaliches police station. Torre urged the public to immediately report similar incidents and other crimes to the police.

But the mega drought desiccating the western United States is sending reservoir levels plummeting towards deadpool — the point at which the dam can no longer produce power. LOS ANGELES, United States — Brutally high temperatures threatened tens of millions of Americans Saturday, as numerous cities braced to break records under a relentless heat dome that has baked parts of the country all week. The National Weather Service warned of an "extremely hot and dangerous weekend," with daytime highs routinely ranging between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal in the US West. The heat is forecast to remain anchored over the West for the weekend, "growing hotter in the South by early next week." "Just when I take a drink of water, I get dizzy, I want to vomit because of the heat," he told AFP.

WITH Kai Sotto's NBA Summer League stint with the Orlando Magic drawing to a close, Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes expects the 7-foot-3 slotman to join the team's practice by Tuesday, July 18. The left-handed center's arrival will be a timely boost for Gilas Pilipinas, which is already heading to the final stretch of its preparations for the 2023 FIBA World Cup slated next month. Sotto is coming off a decent debut game in the NBA Summer League on Friday following three games where he did not play. Three days later, Gilas Pilipinas came back with a vengeance as it blasted Saudi Arabia, 84-46, at the Mall of Asia Arena. Sotto returned for the fifth window in November, helping Gilas defeat Jordan, 74-66, before dumping Saudi Arabia anew, 76-63, in Jeddah.

A 32-year-old taxi driver has been arrested after he overcharged an undercover cop HK$150 for a HK$27 ride at Lan Kwai Fong. Police’s operation was mounted from Friday night to the early hours on Saturday. The undercover cop hired a cab at Lan Kwai Fong and traveled to a destination on Hong Kong Island. Although the ride should be priced at HK$27, the cop was charged by the taxi driver HK$150, marking more than a five-fold jump. After preliminary investigation, the 32-year-old driver Chan was then arrested for overcharging the taxi fare.

The Housing Bureau organized the transitional housing open day on Saturday as operators seized the chance to introduce to the public the living environment, community services, transportation, and facilities of their projects and accept on-site applications. The open day also offered free round-trip shuttle buses for citizens to visit the United Court and Pok Oi Kong Ha Wai Village in Yuen Long, and “A Square” in Stanley. “I hope to organize another open day in the summer holidays as I saw many families bringing along their children to today’s open day,” she said. Ho also said authorities will actively consider turning elderly housing into transitional housing after the ombudsman earlier pointed out the low occupancy rates. She noted many transitional housing units will be completed by the end of this year and early next year.

Now available: Popeyes' Cinnamon Apple PiePopeyes, with its all-American flair igniting the local palate with Louisiana flavors and side dishes that tickle everyone's fancy, introduces a new favorite for a truly satisfying meal: Cinnamon Apple Pie. Popeyes’ Cinnamon Apple Pie features soft, warm apple filling and crispy, golden brown cinnamon crust. Popeyes' Cinnamon Apple Pie features soft, warm apple filling and crispy, golden brown cinnamon crust. Popeyes' Cinnamon Apple Pie packs a punch, with a bigger serving size. Honey can be used as a natural sweetener, a delectable spread, a flavorful dressing and a natural honey, among others.

MANILA police have confirmed that five of their active members are allegedly involved in robbery and extortion. The incident happened inside a computer shop at about 11:20 p.m. on July 11 in Sampaloc Manila, according to a police report. "They demanded and took the money worth P40,000 from the owner in exchange for not getting arrested for illegal gambling. The policemen are members of the District Police Intelligence Operation Unit (DPIOU) of the Manila Police District. We will not tolerate any illegal activity of our policemen.