BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister and Finance Minister Srettha Thavisin on Wednesday proposed his government's fiscal year 2024 budget bill worth 3.48 trillion baht ($101 billion) to parliament for its first reading. The budget allocation aims to improve people's well-being through six national strategies, covering economic, social and political aspects, with immediate and long-term plans to boost the Southeast Asian country's growth potential, Srettha told parliament.

LIST: Long weekends for 2024MANILA, Philippines (Updted 3:58 p.m.) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday reminded the public to plan ahead of the long weekends scheduled for 2024. In October 2023, the president issued Proclamation 368, identifying regular holidays and the special non-working holidays for 2024. Some of these holidays were moved around to extend rest days after or before the weekend. In a January 1 post on social media, Marcos said that the public should plan their transactions and vacations during the long weekends for a "prosperous and productive year." We’ve compiled a list of the long weekends for the year:MarchMarch 28, Thursday – Maundy Thursday (regular holiday)March 29, Friday – Good Friday (regular holiday)March 30, Saturday – Black Saturday (additional special non-working day)March 31, Sunday – Easter SundayAprilApril 6-7, Saturday and SundayApril 8, Monday (possible date for leave)April 9, Tuesday – Araw ng Kagitingan (regular holiday)AugustAugust 21, Wednesday – Ninoy Aquino Day (special non-working day)August 22, Thursday (possible date for leave)August 23, Friday (possible date for leave)August 24-25, Saturday and SundayAugust 26, Monday – National Heroes Day (regular holiday)NovemberNovember 1, Friday – All Saints’ Day (special non-working day)November 2, Saturday — All Souls’ Day (additional special non-working day)November 3, SundayDecember

Grace Lau Mo-sheung has made history by topping the world rankings in women's kata, the first Hong Kong martial artist to gain the accolade. The World Karate Federation's rankings released yesterday shows the 32-year-old Lau at the top with 7,125 points after being world No 2 since November 2022. Topping the world rankings came quicker than she expected and provided a very happy start to her year. "It's very exciting to see Hong Kong's homegrown athletes ranking among the best in the world again. Although she was edged out by Ono by one point in the final of the world championships, Lau still claimed a silver medal to make Hong Kong history, which also marked a career best.

A New Year demands that we be hopeful and fearless. There is an extra day this year to be humbled for your bold takes and preposterous predictions. This is not that day, and for now, we can indulge in visions for the hoop landscape for the next year. Non-American Born NBA MVP

Previous NextHeavy pressure for public hospitals as 20 pc more patients seek help at A&E compare to past holiday peaks: HAThere was a surge in people seeking treatment in public hospitals following the Christmas-new-year holiday, with the occupancy rate of medical wards surpassing 110 percent, according to a committee under the Hospital Authority. Speaking on a radio program, Siu noted the public hospitals faced the pressure of heavy service demand yesterday (Jan 2) as over 6,700 patients sought care in the emergency room, a 20 percent increase compared to the past holiday peaks. He anticipated that 20 to 30 percent more patients with mild symptoms would visit emergency rooms compared to the previous week or two. He urged them to consider seeking help from family doctors or general clinics in order to free up resources for those in need. "It will also help reduce the work pressure on frontline medical staff," he added.

POWERFUL voices. Freedom and peace. With human resilience, we have broken through with the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we have also seen multiple wars that exemplify the worst of humanity, such as Russia and Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, and tensions between China and the Philippines that remain. I take the unbiased ground of intergenerational peace and healing for all.

TOKYO — All 379 passengers and crew of a Japan Airlines (JAL) plane miraculously escaped from a fire following a collision with a coast guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday, but local media said most of the coast guard plane crew had died. The coast guard said the collision involved one of its planes that was headed to Niigata airport on Japan’s west coast to deliver aid to those caught up in a powerful earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day, killing at least 48 people. ADVERTISEMENTFive of the six crew of the coast guard aircraft have died, public broadcaster NHK reported. A coast guard spokesperson earlier said five of the crew were unaccounted for but that the captain had escaped. Footage and images shared on social media showed passengers shouting inside the smoke-filled cabin and running across the tarmac away from an evacuation slide.

BEIJING: The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector was 49 in December, down from 49.4 the previous month, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Sunday. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.

Labor group says 2023 wage hike not enough for worker’s daily expensesMANILA, Philippines — A labor group expressed its dismay over the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)'s pronouncement that there will be no salary adjustments this year. In a statement on Tuesday, labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said that the wage increments in the previous year were barely enough to cover the daily expenses of workers. The labor group said that the minimum wage for workers should be adjusted to the “changing needs.”“Under the Wage Rationalization Act, the regional wage boards must issue wage increase orders motu proprio or upon the petition of workers at least each year,” KMU also said in a statement. The current daily minimum wage in the National Capital Region, the highest minimum wage in the Philippines, ranges from P573 to P610. But in no way should it use this as an excuse and pass the burden of the inefficiency of monitoring to the workers,” the labor group said in a statement.

Rafael Nadal begins first singles match in almost a yearSpain's Rafael Nadal reacts during his men's singles match against Austria's Dominic Thiem at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on January 2, 2024. BRISBANE – Rafael Nadal began his first singles match in almost a year at the Brisbane International Tuesday against Dominic Thiem, kick-starting what could be the Spaniard's farewell season. The 37-year-old has not played singles since a second-round loss at the Australian Open last year, undergoing two rounds of hip surgery. However, the Austrian has won their past two encounters at the ATP Tour Finals in 2020 and the Australian Open the same year. Nadal won both his opening service games to love against former US Open champion Thiem.

Chief Secretary, Eric Chan Kwok-ki, announced on Tuesday that they have plans to set up a coordination committee and discuss extending the open hours of border crossings with the mainland for future large-scale events. City-wide criticism was caused by the unfortunate situation of a large number of passengers waiting for cross-boundary transportation after the New Year's countdown and fireworks display. Relevant government departments, together with representatives from the Tourism Board, MTR Corporation, and Kowloon Bus, held a meeting with the transportation industry on the matter this afternoon. Chan spoke to the media after government officials had a meeting with representatives from the tourism and transport sectors on improving cross-border travel arrangements. He said the government will also discuss with mainland authorities the possibility of keeping railway links open later and stepping up train services on special occasions.

MAUMERE, Indonesia: More than 2,000 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters amid heightened activity in a volcano in southern Indonesia, a local official said on Tuesday. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Nusa Tenggara province has erupted several times in recent weeks, including one on Monday that spewed volcanic ash that rose 1.5 kilometers (4,800 feet) from its peak, the country's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.

A Japan Airlines aircraft was engulfed in flames at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Tuesday after a collision with a Coast Guard aircraft, with the airline saying that all 379 passengers and crew had been evacuated. A spokesman of Japan Airlines said the aircraft is Flight 516 from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido to Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Separately, the spokesman of Airport Authority Hong Kong said at least five flights operating between Hong Kong International Airport and Haneda Airport are affected. The airline has also suspended check-in procedures for flights UO628 and UO624, which were scheduled to depart from Hong Kong at 7.50 pm and 11.55 pm respectively until further notice. (NHK, TBS, Reuters, AP and AFP)(Updated at 7.49pm)Read More:HK passenger recalls 'terrifying' crash and fire escape at Tokyo's Haneda airportFive Coast Guard crew dead as planes collide at Tokyo's Haneda airport

THE world population grew by 75 million people in 2023. There will be more than 8 billion people this new year, according to figures released by the US Census Bureau last December 28.

Persistence pays off as Japan warms up for Asian Cup with winThailand's Nico Mickelsen (right) tries to defend against Japan's Mao Hosoya (center) during the New Year’s Day international football friendly match between Japan and Thailand at the National Stadium in Tokyo on January 1, 2024. TOKYO – Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu hailed his team's persistence after they warmed up for this month's Asian Cup with a 5-0 friendly win over Thailand in Tokyo on Monday. Japan will start as one of the favorites to win the Asian Cup in Qatar, and Moriyasu warned that they will need to show the same spirit when the tournament kicks off on January 12. Moriyasu fielded an inexperienced lineup missing several overseas-based players against a Thailand side that is also heading to the Asian Cup. Japan have been drawn in Group D at the Asian Cup and will face Indonesia, Iraq and Vietnam in the first round.