THE Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced the appointment of Liew Chian Jia as regional director of Southeast Asia (SEA) effective Jan. 11, 2024. HKTB Executive Director Dane Cheng expressed confidence in Liew: "With Chian Jia's extensive tourism experience and strong regional trade connections, I am sure she will lead the team to new heights and contribute significantly to the growth of the Southeast Asian market for Hong Kong tourism." Hong Kong Tourism Board appoints Liew Chian Jia as regional director of Southeast Asia. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOLiew joined HKTB in 2017 and has since been instrumental in driving the trade partnerships and marketing Hong Kong to the travel trade in the Southeast Asia region. Prior to this appointment, Liew was the director of HKTB's Trade Marketing for the SEA region.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Acting Chairman Romando Artes questions the methodology used by the Tomtom Traffic Index in concluding that Metro Manila has the worst traffic in the world. In a press conference at the MMDA head office in Pasig on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, Artes pointed to several reasons behind the traffic congestion and the MMDA's plans to resolve the problem. Video by John Orven Verdote

WATCH: Palawan's hidden gem Pamuayan FallsMANILA, Philippines — Pamuayan Falls, also called Pawpawyan Falls, is a beautiful little waterfall located 5.6 kilometers northeast from the coastal town of Port Barton in San Vicente, Palawan. It’s a short and exhilarating 15-minute walk along a scenic nature trail to get there. Eight meters high, it has its raging waters dropping straight down into a small basin that is great to swim in. Located in a secluded part of Port Barton, which is best known for its beaches, Pamuayan Falls is a hidden gem not often frequented by visitors. Be one of only a few who know and enjoy the simple pleasures that nature has to offer.

LUCENA CITY — Taal Volcano in Batangas province emitted on Thursday, Jan. 18, another alarming volume of sulfur dioxide (SO2), according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). ADVERTISEMENTState volcanologists also observed an “upwelling of hot volcanic fluids” in the main crater lake, located on Taal Volcano Island, locally known as “Pulo,” which sits in the middle of Taal Lake. From Dec. 15 to Dec. 21 last year, the volcano also released a high volume of toxic volcanic gas when it emitted 11,437 MT of SO2 daily. ADVERTISEMENTLocal health officials have yet to issue a public advisory on the harm brought by the high volume of toxic volcanic gas. According to the state volcanologist, Taal Volcano remained under alert level 1 (low level of volcanic unrest).

'World's best beach': Why you should visit Port Barton in PalawanMANILA, Philippines — Yet another invitation to visit the picturesque coastal town of Port Barton in San Vicente, Palawan… This time, it’s from a tourist guide’s point of view, as she sums up the best that the place has to offer. For one, it’s got the best beach in the world, according to Big 7 Travel. Second reason: Island hopping adventures here allow visitors to experience majestic views, with snorkeling giving you all the right reasons to love coral reefs and schools of fish passing by. Number 3 and probably the best reason for foodies to head straight to Port Barton: Indulge in the freshest spread of seafood and meats all you want! — Video by Philstar.com / Enrico Alonzo

Go Negosyo to step up mentoring this yearMANILA, Philippines — For the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), 2024 will be a good year, according to Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, as the non-profit institution prepares to hold its first entrepreneurship event for the year – 3M on Wheels at the TriNoma Mall in Quezon City on Jan. 20. In response, Concepcion said Go Negosyo plans to hold at least 50 of its free entrepreneurship mentoring events this year and double the number of small entrepreneurs they can help start and grow their businesses. “For the Philippines to rise above poverty, we really have to scale up our MSMEs,” Concepcion said. She will share how small entrepreneurs can use readily available social media tools to promote and market their products and services. 3M on Wheels is a program of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (Go Negosyo).

556 E-bike crashes recorded in NCR in 2023 — LTFRBMANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Thursday said that there were 556 crash incidents of electric bikes (e-bikes) in Metro Manila in 2023. According to LTFRB’s data sent to reporters, the e-bike crashes in the National Capital Region (NCR) resulted in 281 instances of property damage, 273 non-fatal injuries and two fatal injuries. Crash incidents peaked in August 2023 with 64 cases, while the lowes recorded totaled to 26 cases in November 2023. Quezon City posted the highest number of incidents among cities in the NCR with 96 e-bike crash cases. According to LTO Administrative Order 2021-035, electric vehicles that have a maximum speed below 25 kilometers per hour are exempt from registration with the LTO.

The strikes in Sistan and Baluchestan province follow Iran’s attack Tuesday on Pakistani soil that killed two children in the southwestern Baluchistan province. They all have a common goal of an independent Baluchistan for ethnic Baluch areas in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. Thursday’s development came a day after Pakistan recalled its ambassador to Tehran because of Tuesday’s strikes by Iran inside Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province. Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile), largely lawless border in which smugglers and militants freely pass between the two nations. Beijing is a key regional player and has a major Belt and Road development in Gwadar port in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province.

Albay 2nd District Rep. Jose Maria Clemente 'Joey' Salceda confirms to reporters during a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, that the plebiscite for the people's initiative on Charter change may be held in July. Salceda, however, denied that the plebiscite was a 'gift' to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his State of the Nation Address, and added that the changes to the 1987 Constitution were 'inevitable.' Video by Red MendozaGet the latest newsdelivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Maharlika Investment Fund Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Rafael Jose Consing Jr. meet with foreign business executives during a 'Breakfast interaction with the Philippine delegation to the World Economic Forum' in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2023 (local time). Romualdez told foreign businessmen that now is the most opportune time to invest in the Philippines, especially through the Maharlika Investment Fund. Video and Photos from Speaker Romualdez Bureau

Indonesia's population is estimated to be around 274 million, the fourth largest in the world after India, China and the United States. In turn, they will create significant demand for products and in the process, fuel economic growth further. The World Bank reported that around 20 percent of Indonesia's population joined the middle class during the last 15 years due to rising wages. And with the surplus it is generating from its mineral exports, Indonesia is also preparing itself to face the challenges that climate change is imposing. Just like Indonesia, the Philippines is a mineral-rich country and the resources, if properly utilized, can accelerate our economic development.

Maintaining peace in the Taiwan StraitThe biggest political story last week in this part of the world was the presidential election in Taiwan. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has taken a more defiant stand towards China during its presidency the last eight years. This has made the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) with eight seats with enough power to swing a majority. In his victory speech, Lai Ching-te pledged that they would maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait but would defend the island nation from Chinese belligerence. The DPP victory ensures that its friendly alliance between Taiwan and the Philippines will continue.

WASHINGTON, D.C: British oil giant Shell has paused transit through the key Red Sea shipping route indefinitely over fears of escalating tensions involving Yemen's Houthi rebels, according to a media report Tuesday. Oil giant Shell and Japanese shipping firm NYK said on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, they are suspending travel along the Red Sea for fear of being attacked. The oil major's decision comes after Britain's BP said in December that it would suspend transit of oil through the Red Sea. Meanwhile, Japanese shipping firm Nippon Yusen said on Wednesday it is joining other major companies in suspending routes through the Red Sea. Lines — have also suspended navigation through the Red Sea, Japanese business daily Nikkei reported Tuesday.

PARIS: Scientists in China on Tuesday announced that they have cloned the first healthy rhesus monkey, a 2-year-old named Retro, by tweaking the process that created Dolly the sheep. RETRO ACTIVE Retro the cloned rhesus monkey is photographed in a laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Neuroscience in the city of Shanghai, eastern China in 2023. A pair of identical crab-eating macaques named Hua Hua and Zhong Zhong were created using SCNT in 2018 by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai. He told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the team had extensively researched why previous efforts to clone the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) had failed. For the SCNT procedure, scientists remove the nucleus from a healthy egg, then replace it with another nucleus from another type of body cell.

To begin with, I'd like to emphasize that as a rule, "even though" and "even if" are not interchangeable. It doesn't sound right to me. My reply to Edward:The sentence you presented doesn't sound right to me either. The right usage is "satisfied with": "I'm satisfied with what I've done in boxing." This doesn't mean though that "satisfied of" is grammatically wrong; it just so happens that "satisfied with" is the widely accepted usage.