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.

The Denver Nuggets win Game Five of their best-of-seven finals against the Miami Heat on Monday, June 12, 2023 (Tuesday in Manila) to claim their first NBA championship Nikola Jokic scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. added 16 points and 13 rebounds while Jamal Murray chipped in 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets. Get the latest newsdelivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times’ daily newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Lawmaker seeks to allow foreign doctors to temporarily practice in PhilippinesThis photo taken on Sept. 16, 2022 shows a nurse walking along a hallway before entering an intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Manila. MANILA, Philippines — A senator is asking the Department of Health to consider allowing foreign doctors to practice in the Philippines even just for a limited time to foster knowledge-exchange opportunities. Tolentino noted that there are foreign doctors who have expressed interest in practicing in the Philippines but current policies prevent them. He added that there are Filipino-American healthcare workers who have also signified that they wanted to go back to the Philippines to serve the medical industry. The Philippines has inked several agreements with other countries such as Germany to help provide more opportunities for Filipino healthcare workers who wish to work abroad.

Thai university opens international scholarship slots for post-grad science programsThis photo shows the Chulabhorn Graduate Institute in Bangkok, Thailand. MANILA, Philippines — Chulabhorn Royal Academy in Bangkok, Thailand is offering 15 full-ride scholarship slots for international students, including from the Philippines, who wish to pursue their master's degree studies in science and technology. In a memorandum signed by Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Popoy De Vera, Filipino students are invited to apply for the master’s scholarship program of the Chulabhorn Graduate Institute (CGI) Postgraduate Scholarship of the Chulabhorn Royal Academy. CGI’s scholarship program is being offered in the following Master’s degree programs:Applied Biological Sciences with a focus on Environmental HealthEnvironmental ToxicologyChemical Sciences. Chulabhorn Royal Academy—named after Princess Chulabhorn Walailak—is a multidisciplinary post-graduate academic institute in Bangkok, Thailand established in 2005.

Customs seized counterfeit goods with a total market value of about HK$4.5 million at the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal Customs Cargo Examination Compound last Monday. After conducting a risk assessment, customs officers intercepted a 40-foot container arriving in Hong Kong from Guangdong Nansha that was scheduled to head to Canada last Monday (Jun 5). After investigating the container, the officers discovered a large number of suspected counterfeit goods, such as footwear, perfumes, jewelry, wristwatches, and wallets. The customs officers seized approximately 11,000 items with an estimated market value of HK$4.5 million. The Customs spokesman has stated they will increase their cooperation with the mainland and overseas law enforcement to crack down on cross-boundary counterfeit goods activities.

AHMEDABAD/MUMBAI — Four boys drowned after venturing into rough seas in Mumbai as Indian authorities began evacuating people from western coastal areas on Tuesday, two days before a powerful cyclone approaches Gujarat state and neighboring southern Pakistan. Eight districts in coastal Gujarat are expected to be affected, the state government said. Gujarat is home to many offshore oil installations and major ports in the country and most have been forced to suspend operations. Two of India’s largest ports – Kandla and Mundra – located in Gujarat, have suspended operations, the state government said. Other ports including Bedi, Navlakhi, Porbandar, Okha, Pipavav and Bhavnagar have also closed due to the cyclone, according to shipping sources.

NOT SMOOTH Two men sit under a sign of Credit Suisse displayed on a building in Lugano on June 9, 2023. AFP PHOTO NOT SMOOTH Two men sit under a sign of Credit Suisse displayed on a building in Lugano on June 9, 2023. AFP PHOTOThe country's leading bank UBS was forced into a marriage to prevent its rival from going under, but it hasn't waited for Monday to start preparing to absorb Credit Suisse. Credit Suisse risked collapse when its share prices plunged more than 30 percent during trading on March 15, after three US regional lenders folded. The deal includes guarantees for UBS in case there are any nasty surprises in the Credit Suisse cupboards.

ADB calls for greater female inclusion in fintechIn the multilateral lender’s blog, ADB senior social development specialist Zonibel Woods, ADB integrity officer Richeline Mascarinas and communications consultant Micah Nazal said increasing female leadership and participation in the digital and fintech industry would require girls and young women to have a strong foundation in STEM. Citing a LinkedIn research, they said skills that are in demand are rapidly changing, with digital skills now having the highest demand in many sectors. Women also represent less than 13 percent of leadership as founders and as members of executive boards of fintech firms. “Fintech plays a role in financial inclusion; having women in fintech allows for the development of products that respond to women’s needs,” the ADB experts said. They also said investors would need to help provide an enabling business environment for women and to invest in female entrepreneurs.