Rs 16 crore in usd

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The police’s efforts to strengthen its anti-criminality campaign and its series of simultaneous manhunt and buy-bust operations led to arresting eight wanted persons and 16 drug suspects in Quezon City. The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) reported on Thursday that 24 individuals were collared by personnel from various police stations. The police arrested all eight wanted persons in multiple areas on March 22, while the 16 drug suspects were collared in different locations recently. Wanted persons Among the wanted persons was Bobby Ortega, who was arrested in Barangay Bahay Toro for acts of lasciviousness. The personnel of Masambong Police Station identified Ortega. On the other hand, Janella Dela Cruz and France Talino were apprehended for resistance and disobedience to persons in authority. The personnel of Makati City Jail Female Dormitory and Talipapa Police Station, respectively, identified them. According to QCPD, the … [Read more...] about 8 wanted persons, 16 drug suspects nabbed in Quezon City – police

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Key News Asian equities were mostly higher overnight as the Yuan and the Asia Dollar Index both gained significantly versus the US dollar. Xi Jinping returned to Beijing from Russia with some lower-level agreements, especially regarding the northern and eastern borders. I have not heard an update on Xi’s call with Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy, but we know that he is keen to meet with the Chinese president. Given his reticence about Xi’s visit to Moscow, we can assume that he is open to hearing Xi out. An end to the war could be a positive black swan for markets. Tencent’s over-the-counter ADR traded at a significant discount to its Hong Kong share class, which was up +8% overnight versus the ADR's only +2% gain yesterday. This echoes the continued disparity between US and global/China views of China. Tencent’s results were slightly lower than expected, but the company is rebounding in its advertising division after the … [Read more...] about Yuan Strengthens Versus USD, Tencent Soars On Earnings

Photo via Channel 7 Sixteen Chinese tourists complained to Pattaya Tourist Police yesterday after they were abandoned at an elephant village in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya by their Thai tour guides . One tour guide, however, denied the accusation. The Pattaya Tourist Police received a complaint from Chinese tourists via the 1155 hotline yesterday and rushed to the Chiang Mai Elephant Village to investigate the matter. Upon arriving, the Chinese citizens informed the officers that they were left there and wanted to go back to their hotel. One Chinese woman later gave a phone interview with a Thai reporter. She said… “I don’t know why the tour guides left us. The two disappeared and did not inform us of anything. I did not see his tour guide license card. They told us that they are Thai people. They communicated in Chinese very well. Their names are Zhou Zhihao and Jia Jia. I also don’t know where my hotel is.” Related news Bangkok Airways … [Read more...] about 16 Chinese tourists accuse Thai tour guides of abandoning them in Pattaya

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Amid growing global concern over the social media platform, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday, where U.S. lawmakers are expected to question Chew over safety concerns for minors and preventing U.S. user data from foreign access. Key Facts In Chew’s first appearance before Congress, he’s expected to discuss the company’s privacy and data security practices, as well as the company’s relationship with the Chinese government, which has come under increased scrutiny in recent months. Prepared Remarks Chair Rodgers, Ranking Member Pallone, and Members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to talk about TikTok and our mission to inspire creativity and bring joy to more than 1 billion people worldwide. I look forward to discussing what makes TikTok so special to the diverse audiences it serves, as well as our … [Read more...] about TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s Prepared Comments Before Congress

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin When you unshackle 1.4 billion consumers who have been penned up at home for three years, it’s reasonable to expect some fireworks. For the residents of Mainland China, life under “zero COVID” policies was a dreary round of rolling travel restrictions and lockdowns – as if the United States was permanently stuck on a skipping record of the Spring of 2020. While most of the population was able to find a way to get back to work eventually, the everyday routines of travel, dining out, and visiting friends and family were severely curtailed. Wallets stayed snapped shut. Since China executed its “COVID pivot” in late December 2022, economists have been scrutinizing the data to see if the country will be able to achieve its goal of 5% growth in 2023. If achieved, China will serve as an engine to help developed economies avoid tipping into recession. This is particularly relevant in the new era of higher interest rates, … [Read more...] about Why China’s COVID Comeback Is Still In The Early Innings, With Upside Ahead

FILE PHOTO: Dancers clad in mango-inspired costumes participate in the street dancing competition of the Mango Festival in Zambales to celebrate the province’s bountiful mango harvest. (Allan M. Macatuno) SAN ANTONIO, Zambales — The biggest festival in this province, featuring the world’s sweetest mango, will return on April 21–29 after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., the provincial government and various community organizations have started preparing for at least 16 major events to highlight a nine-day festival. “We expect more visitors to come to the festival this year because we have activities that would appeal to a wide range of audiences,” Ebdane said in a statement on Wednesday, March 22. Aside from the parades, drum and lyre performances, street dance competitions, various mango-eating challenges and a series of mango-picking activities targeting visitors will take place on five provinces’ farms. Other … [Read more...] about Zambales mango festival to go full blast after pandemic halt

Yellow dust blankets Seoul on Thursday as weather authorities warned of bad air quality through Friday. [YONHAP] Yellow dust descended on Korea on Thursday and was expected to linger through Friday, pushing fine dust levels up in the Seoul metropolitan area and some southern regions. The Air Quality Forecasting Center, run by the Environment Ministry’s National Institute of Environmental Research, blamed China for the air pollutants, saying that the yellow dust affecting Korea this week originated from northeast China on Wednesday. Korea's northwestern coastal areas were the hardest hit on Thursday, with fine dust levels in Incheon reaching 163 micrograms per cubic meter, which is considered “very bad” on the government’s four-tier air quality system. On Friday, fine dust levels in the Seoul metropolitan area — referring to Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi — Gangwon, South Chungcheong, North Chungcheong, North Jeolla, Busan, Daegu, Ulsan and North Gyeongsang are expected to be … [Read more...] about Yellow dust expected to continue Friday

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Professional gamblers wager millions on the NCAA Tournament using an auction-style format that brings out casual hoop dreamers and sophisticated quants. With brackets busted, it still pays to play the game within the game. N eal, a 36-year-old insurance broker who lives in Ohio with his wife and two children, is the proud owner of the University of Texas, University of Connecticut, Tennessee, Creighton and Florida Atlantic men’s basketball teams. His wife doesn’t know about his ownership stakes, but hopefully by the end of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament his $19,000 investment will turn into $50,000. And then, he’ll let her know. “Right now, we’re on a heater,” he says of the March Madness run his teams are on. “We’re still in the red on paper, but I hope that will change quickly with a few wins.” Neal doesn’t technically own any team, of course, but the amateur sports gambler “bought” these college … [Read more...] about Inside A High-Stakes March Madness Calcutta

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Dan Fisher is the president and CEO of ECMC Group , a nonprofit focused on helping students succeed in postsecondary education. Conversations around college access and affordability in the U.S. typically focus on tuition costs and student loans. But for many high school students—particularly those from traditionally underserved populations—the barriers to postsecondary education tower above the tuition bill they get in the mail. Basic needs like food, transportation, textbooks, housing security and physical and mental health present additional hurdles to accessing postsecondary education that reinforce existing societal inequities. And another obstacle is less tangible but no less important: Very few students feel they are properly prepared to decide their future plans. That’s what my organization found in our recent survey of 14- to 18-year-old high school students who come from first-generation, … [Read more...] about Helping Underserved Students Find The Right Postsecondary Pathway

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Income tax rate reduction and flattening, along with the expansion of school choice, are among the most consequential policy trends of the early 2020s. However, there is another policy trend emerging that, like income tax relief and greater educational choice, is making states more attractive to workers and employers. That trend is the push by policymakers to remove or mitigate the barriers to employment that state occupational licensing requirements have become. On Tuesday, March 21, Florida legislators will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 1364, legislation to recognize out-of-state occupational licenses held by new residents so that they can get to work and begin earning income in their new home state right away. If this reform, known as Universal License Recognition (ULR), is passed by legislators in Tallahassee and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis (R) this spring, Florida would become state number 22 to enact ULR. … [Read more...] about Barriers To Employment Fall With The Rise Of Out-Of-State Occupational License Recognition