The government is 'ready to prohibit the import' of food products such as seafood and fruit 'if Japan endangers the ocean.' Tse went on to say that any discharge of nuclear wastewater would mean Japan was failing in its responsibilities under international law. And authorities have formed a task force to conduct stepped-up tests for signs of radiation on food imported from various regions in Japan. And with Hong Kong far from Japan, Tse sees the city facing a low risk of its water quality being affected by Fukushima wastewater from Japan's east coast. But the trade would need to watch for customers eating less Japanese food if Tokyo insists on discharging the nuclear wastewater.

Chedeng intensifies into typhoonThe Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that Chedeng (international name Guchol) could further intensify and reach peak intensity by tomorrow. MANILA, Philippines — Tropical cyclone Chedeng intensified into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, but it is still not seen to directly bring heavy rainfall although it may enhance the southwest monsoon or habagat. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that Chedeng (international name Guchol) could further intensify and reach peak intensity by tomorrow. The hoisting of tropical cyclone wind signals is unlikely, but Chedeng may result in the enhancement of the monsoon. The timing and intensity of monsoon rains over the country may still change depending on the movement and intensity of Chedeng and its interaction with other weather systems.

June 8, 2023 – 05:14 PMMTropical Cyclone Chedeng intensified into a typhoon on Thursday, according to state meteorologists. ADVERTISEMENTThe eye of the storm was last sighted 1,220 kilometers east of Southeastern Luzon, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). June 7, 2023 – 5:34PMTropical storm Chedeng (International name: Guchol) has picked up strength while heading west-northwestward over the Philippine Sea on Wednesday afternoon, said the state weather bureau. June 7, 2023 – 12:08 PMTropical storm ‘Chedeng’ (international name ‘Guchol’) has maintained its strength as it moves northward of the Philippine Sea, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (Pagasa) said on Wednesday. Read moreJune 7, 2023 – 07:45 AMTropical storm ‘Chedeng’ (international name ‘Guchol’) further intensified on Wednesday, but is still not expected to affect the country directly, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (Pagasa).

Former district councilor Wong Chun-yeung was remanded in custody on Thursday after appearing in court over a fraud case where he allegedly cheated elderly women out of HK$970,000 in nine "guess who" telephone scams. The magistrate adjourned the case to September 28 upon the prosecution’s request, with Wong required to be remanded in custody. A police spokesman said yesterday that the woman filed a police report on May 30, with the arrest made in Tseung Kwan O on Monday. Wong won the district council election in 2019 and served Islands district as an independent. But in October 2021, he was among 16 district councillors who were disqualified when authorities invalidated their oaths.

Just this Monday, the institute placed Mayon under Alert Level 2 due to increasing unrest. Pilots are also advised to avoid flying close to the summit as ash from any sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft. What happenedRepeated collapse of the growing summit dome of Mayon has generated an increasing number and volume of rockfall events since the volcano was placed under Alert Level 2, according to Phivolcs. A total of 267 rockfall events and two volcanic earthquakes were recorded from Monday to Thursday. Only 54 rockfall events were logged from June 1 to 4.

(UPDATE) MIAMI: Erik Spoelstra has preached about the value of adversity for months, not shying away from saying that it helped the Miami Heat get to these NBA Finals. Game 3 of the NBA Finals is on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) in Miami, the series between the eighth-seeded Heat and top-seeded Nuggets knotted at a game apiece. Wednesday's winner obviously gets the upper hand with a 2-1 series lead, and history will tip in that team's favor as well. The Nuggets have outscored Miami, 167-138, in those periods, outshooting the Heat 53 percent to 39 percent. One of the teams — either the big pre-finals favorite Nuggets, or the eighth-seeded, nothing-to-lose Heat — is going to be two wins away from a title.

The Junior Police Call (JPC) Summer Internship Program is now taking applications to offer members over 300 internship placements across a wide variety of industries. The program is open for JPC members aged 18 or above, aiming to help the young adults experience the actual working environment and strengthen their leadership and communication skills while exploring career options in the job market through self-understanding. Applicants could choose from working at the theme park, participating in aviation-related projects or being a trainee journalist etc., as the program received enthusiastic support from various large corporate. For the post of program assistant at different police stations, the Internship Program also welcomes applicants aged 16 or above. The employment period will start from two weeks, depending on the internship positions.

D-League semis on todayMANILA, Philippines — Marinerong Pilipino-San Beda rekindles old tale with Wangs Basketball @27 Strikers-Letran while reigning champion EcoOil-La Salle meets University of Perpetual Help System Dalta today in the opener of the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup Final Four best-of-three series at the Ynares Sports Arena. The Red Lions and Knights, perennial NCAA rivals, lock horns at 2 p.m. followed by an interesting battle between the Altas and title holder Green Archers at 4 p.m.

21-man Gilas pool namedMANILA, Philippines — The hunt for the Gilas Pilipinas Magic 12 continues. After a long deliberation, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and the national quintet’s coaching staff cut the number of candidates for Gilas’ representatives to the FIBA World Cup to 21. Fil-Am NBA star Jordan Clarkson leads the pool with American-born Justin Brownlee and Ivorian-born Ange Kouame providing backup or even competition for the “naturalized player” slot. The pool members named by coach Chot Reyes will now have to make a case for their inclusion in the Final 12 during Gilas’ series of training camps and tuneup matches in Manila and Europe over the next three months. The pool was scheduled for its first practice last night at the Meralco Gym.

Boxing poised to get knocked out of Olympics after Paris 2024LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time) finally ran out of patience with boxing's rulers, casting doubt over the sport's inclusion in future Games after Paris 2024. The IOC's executive board (EB) meeting in Lausanne "recommended" the Olympics ceases to recognize the International Boxing Association (IBA) as the sport's governing body. The Women's World Boxing Championships in India last month went ahead with several nations boycotting the event because of the IBA's policy. Boxing only went ahead in the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics after the IOC stepped in to ensure the qualification criteria. After Wednesday's meeting the IOC's EB said that "in the interest of the boxing athletes and the sport of boxing" it would recommend that boxing maintain its place at the Paris Games next year.

The European Union is considering a mandatory ban on member-states using companies that might pose a security risk in their 5G networks, including China's Huawei Technologies, the Financial Times reported Tuesday. The move comes in response to increasing concerns in Brussels about certain national governments delaying action, the officials told the newspaper. In addition, the EU could introduce a mandatory ban on firms deemed to present a security risk, such as Huawei, if member states continue to delay, including Germany. Huawei said the act opposes politicising cyber security evaluation, violating fairness and non-discrimination principles. Meanwhile, Washington accused Huawei of being a criminal enterprise that had stolen from US companies, violated sanctions against North Korea and made false statements to the FBI and urged its allies to ban the company from their critical communications infrastructure.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will undergo an operation for an abdominal hernia on Wednesday at a Rome hospital, where he is expected to stay for “several days,” the Vatican said. The 86-year-old Pope, who underwent colon surgery in 2021, is suffering from a hernia which is “causing recurrent, painful and worsening” symptoms, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said in a statement. “In the early afternoon he will undergo a laparotomy and abdominal wall surgery… under general anaesthesia,” Bruni said. In July 2021 he underwent surgery at Gemelli for a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine. Francis was also hospitalized for three nights at the end of March with bronchitis, which was cured with antibiotics.

Authorities in Vladivostok, in the far east of Russia, are searching for the missing family of a North Korean consul general, according to Russian news outlets on Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENTThe two — 43-year-old Kim Kum-sun and 15-year-old Park Kwon-ju — were last seen in Vladivostok, the report said. The cab driver who picked them up outside the consulate general office said he dropped them off near a building on the city’s Russkaya Street, which was confirmed by closed-circuit TV footage. The report said the North Korean consul general office filed a missing person report after finding both of them were out of touch with their mobile phones unreachable. Local outlets in Vladivostok published photographs of the missing North Koreans with descriptions of what they were seen wearing last.

Make that two golds for Evaristo Carbonel. After ruling the men's javelin throw F11 event last Monday, Carbonel triumphed in discus throw F11 in the 12th ASEAN Para Games at the Morodok Techo Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Wednesday, June 7. Evaristo Carbonel PSC PHOTOCarbonel made a 25.67m throw, topping Awang Raduan - Awang Haji Mataha of Brunei and Vann Chamroeun of Cambodia who finished second with a 20.99m throw and third with 14.92m throw, respectively.

The foundation works of a Kai Tak public housing project was halted yesterday by the Housing Authority after a minor settlement at an emergency exit at Sung Wong Toi station on Monday. The government said the settlement reached the 20-millimeter pre-set trigger level and all relevant foundation works of the project within 30 meters of the emergency exits were suspended. The settlement monitoring checkpoint was installed by the authorities, which was required by the MTR Corporation to protect railways, a government spokesman said. The company has been monitoring the construction of the Kai Tak public housing project since September last year. It has required the project contractors to set up multiple checkpoints between the Sung Wong Toi and Kai Tak stations, it said.