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Wise up, China and Russia
Dear Editor “The map is not the territory.” — Alfred Korzybski China and Russia can have and keep their respective maps with all their might. In the case of China, it is its map of the entire South China Sea, but not the sea itself because no Philippine territory (West Philippine Sea to be specific) is owned by any foreign country. In China’s nine-dash line map, Chinese officials are free to commit all the aggressions and bullying they want to do and no nation will protest, not even the Philippines. They can build as many illegal structures there as they want and our government will not file for sure a single note verbale because Filipinos respect China’s dignity. Furthermore, there is no need for the Philippine government (in such an instance) to assert the ruling of the Arbitral Court that found there is no more need for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to prepare for the defense of our maritime territory against China. And what about the Philippines continually expecting the promised support/backing of big, developed nations like the United States, Australia, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, the entire European Union and many other thinking nations for any eventuality — in defense of what belongs to Filipinos in the disputed sea? By the way, China’s nine-dash line is stranger than fiction, according to world experts. Are you willing/ready and capable to going to war with the world, dear China? German Chancellor/dictator Adolf Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, which triggered World War 2, yet Hitler was the one who ended up invaded by hell as he ultimately committed suicide in 1945, out of frustration and desperation, or guilt. Aside from many other lesser crimes against humanity that evil Hitler committed, he massacred over six million Jews at the altar of his selfish and narcissistic ambition. Unforgivable. Pray that Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin would take a cue from Hitler’s colossal blunder — vis-a-vis the West Philippine Sea, Ukraine and Taiwan. I read somewhere two years ago that a Western superpower has advanced scientifically and technologically in ways unprecedented and unparalleled in the matter of military might. I was led to ask: What nation could be more powerful than this nation which has the knack/capability, an unseen weaponry or “mechanism” in space to detect and redirect at the same time any kind of nuclear bomb launched against it — back to its point of origin? Watch out and wise up, China, Russia (and North Korea)! Learn from world history before it’s too late. Wouldn’t you behave and allow sanity, civility, reason and peace to prevail? What seems to be so difficult about the act when it won’t even cost you a dime or a single, precious human life to do it? Remember, good always triumphs over bad. Reni M. Valenzuela renivalenzuelaletters@yahoo.com The post Wise up, China and Russia appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Possible Chinese malware in US systems a ‘ticking time bomb’: report
The Biden administration believes China has implanted malware in key US power and communications networks in a "ticking time bomb" that could disrupt the military in event of a conflict, The New York Times reported Saturday. The Times, quoting US military, intelligence and security officials, said the malware potentially gave China's People's Liberation Army the ability to disrupt US military operations if Beijing were to move against Taiwan at some point. The systems affected, the Times said, could allow China not only to cut off water, power and communications to US military bases, but also to homes and businesses across the United States. The report comes two months after Microsoft warned that state-sponsored Chinese hackers had infiltrated critical US infrastructure networks. Microsoft singled out Guam, a US Pacific territory with a vital military outpost, as one target but said malicious activity had also been detected elsewhere in the United States. It said the stealthy attack, carried out since mid-2021, was likely aimed at hampering the United States in the event of a regional conflict. Authorities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Britain warned at the same time that Chinese hacking was likely taking place globally, affecting an extensive range of infrastructure. Discovery of the malware, the Times said, sparked a series of meetings in the White House Situation Room involving top military, intelligence and national security officials in an effort to track down and eradicate the code. The newspaper quoted one congressional official as saying the malware operation amounted to "a ticking time bomb." The White House issued a statement Friday that made no mention of China or military bases. "The Biden administration is working relentlessly to defend the United States from any disruptions to our critical infrastructure, including by coordinating interagency efforts to protect water systems, pipelines, rail and aviation systems, among others," said Adam Hodge, acting spokesman for the National Security Council. He added that President Joe Biden "has also mandated rigorous cybersecurity practices for the first time." Reports of the malware operation come at a particularly strained point in US-China relations, with China aggressively asserting its claim that Taiwan is Chinese territory and the US seeking to ban sales of sophisticated semiconductors to Beijing. bbk/dw © Agence France-Presse The post Possible Chinese malware in US systems a ‘ticking time bomb’: report appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Plastic pollution: Treaty talks get into the nitty-gritty
Countries grappling with the "immense" task of ending plastic pollution began a new round of talks in Paris on Monday, amid protests and warnings of the urgency to act. Representatives of 175 nations with divergent ambitions met at the UNESCO headquarters with the aim of making progress towards reaching by next year a historic agreement covering the entire plastics life cycle. As the talks opened, the head of the negotiations, Gustavo Meza-Cuadra Velazquez of Peru, said the challenge was "immense, as we are all aware here, but it is not insurmountable". "The world's eyes are on us," he said. French President Emmanuel Macron urged participating nations to put an end to a "globalized and unsustainable" production model, where richer countries export plastic waste to poorer ones. "Plastic pollution is a time-bomb and at the same time already a scourge today," he said in a video message, adding that the materials, based on fossil fuels, posed a risk to global warming goals as well as to biodiversity and human health. He said the priorities of the negotiations should be first to reduce the production of plastics and to ban "as soon as possible" the most polluting products like single-use plastics. The stakes are high, given that annual plastics production has more than doubled in 20 years to 460 million tonnes, and is on track to triple within four decades. Two-thirds of this output is discarded after being used once or a few times, and winds up as waste. Less than 10 percent is recycled, while more than a fifth is dumped or burned illegally. Environmental groups have raised concerns about the influence of industry lobbying on the talks, with protests outside the venue on Monday carrying signs saying "Kick industry out". "What do we want? Global plastic treaty! When do we want it? Now!" protesters chanted. In nature, microplastics have been found in ice near the North Pole and in fish navigating the deepest recesses of the oceans. In humans, microscopic bits of plastic have been detected in blood, breast milk, and placentas. Plastic also contributes to global warming, accounting for 3.4 percent of global emissions in 2019, according to the OECD. Gushing pollution In February 2022, nations agreed in principle on the need for a legally binding UN treaty to end plastic pollution around the world, setting an ambitious 2024 deadline to reach an agreement. Policy actions to be debated during the talks include a global ban on single-use plastic items, and production caps on new plastic production. Delegates in Paris have to narrow down what elements should be included in the eventual draft treaty text, though technical debates had already slowed down the schedule on Monday. Environmental groups are concerned the treaty may not include targets to reduce overall plastic production. Reduction of plastic use and production is part of a plan by the High Ambition Coalition of some 50 nations led by Rwanda and Norway and including the European Union, Canada, Chile, and –- as of a few days ago -- Japan. But many countries are reluctant to aim for absolute cuts in production, insisting that recycling and improved waste management are the answer. These include China, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and other OPEC countries, all of which have large petrochemical industries. The head of the UN Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, told the delegates that a throwaway plastic culture was "gushing pollution galore, choking our ecosystems, warming the climate, damaging our health" and that the most vulnerable were the hardest hit. To applause, she added: "We cannot recycle our way out of this mess". Sprint The Paris meeting, which runs to June 2, is the second of five sessions in the process. One more meeting will be held this year and two in 2024 before the treaty is set to be adopted by the middle of 2025, said Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, executive secretary of the negotiating committee, adding that it would be a "sprint". Organizers said limited space at the venue was causing the access limitations, adding that there were some 612 organizations listed to attend in total, with around 40 linked to the business. Campaigners kept the pressure on over-access to the venue during the day. Tweeting a picture of a group of around three dozen campaigners, the Center for International Environmental Law called for greater public participation in the process. "We will not be silenced!" said CIEL's Jane Patton, adding that fewer than a third of those pictured had been allowed into the venue. The post Plastic pollution: Treaty talks get into the nitty-gritty appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
G7 to squeeze Russia, weigh risk of China’s ‘economic coercion’
G7 leaders arrived in Hiroshima, Japan, on Thursday to weigh tighter sanctions on Russia and protections against China's "economic coercion", surrounded by reminders about the harrowing cost of war. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is hosting leaders from six other wealthy democracies in his hometown -- a city synonymous with nuclear destruction and now peppered with peace monuments. Leaders including US President Joe Biden will try over three days to forge a united front on Russia and China, where the allies' interests do not always neatly align. Biden's delicate diplomatic offensive in Asia hit a bump even before Air Force One left US soil: A domestic budget row forced him to cancel stops in Papua New Guinea and Australia. He arrived in Hiroshima Thursday, becoming just the second US president after Barack Obama to visit a city levelled by his country's "Little Boy" atomic bomb. Russia's 15-month-old invasion of Ukraine will top the agenda when the G7 summit gets underway Friday, after a new spate of aerial attacks on Kyiv and a long winter of grinding warfare in Bakhmut and other frontline towns. "We stand up for the shared values including supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign territory and holding Russia accountable for its brutal aggression," Biden said as he met Kishida Thursday. The United States and its allies have poured weaponry into Ukraine to stall the Russian advance, but a long-anticipated spring counteroffensive by Kyiv's forces has yet to materialize. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to address the group by video link. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said leaders would discuss battlefield developments and tightening a sanctions regime that, according to official statistics, caused Russia's economy to contract a further 1.9 percent last quarter. G7 nations have already adopted sanctions on Russian banks and military firms, and placed price caps on Russian crude. Discussions are expected on tighter enforcement, and new measures on a range of goods, including Moscow's roughly $5 billion annual trade in diamonds. Nuclear shadow Putin's repeated threats to turn the Ukraine conflict nuclear have been roundly condemned by G7 leaders and dismissed by some commentators as little more than an attempt to shake European and American resolve. But a leaders' visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Friday is likely to pull those threats into sharper focus. The bombing on 6 August 1945 obliterated Hiroshima, claimed an estimated 140,000 lives and forever changed the world. Kishida wants to use the summit to press his guests -- nuclear powers Britain, France and the United States -- to commit to transparency on stockpiles and arsenal reductions. But expectations for a breakthrough are low. 'Economic coercion' Summit discussions on China are expected to focus on efforts to insulate G7 economies from potential economic blackmail, by diversifying supply chains and markets. In disputes with countries from Australia to Canada, President Xi Jinping's administration has shown a willingness to block, tax or hamper trade with little warning or explanation. White House official Sullivan said leaders were expected to decry this "economic coercion" and work to bridge transatlantic differences about how to engage with China. Washington has taken an aggressive approach, blocking China's access to the most advanced semiconductors and the equipment to make them, and has pressed Japan and the Netherlands to follow suit. But European policymakers -- most notably those in Berlin and Paris -- are keen to make sure that "de-risking" does not mean shattering ties with China, one of the world's largest markets. "This G7 is not an anti-Chinese G7," an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron told journalists before the summit. "We have a positive message for China, which is that we are ready to cooperate on condition that we negotiate together," the adviser added. Host Japan is also keen to talk to developing nations that have been wooed by Chinese investment, with leaders from India, Brazil and Indonesia among those invited by Kishida to Hiroshima. Evidence of Beijing's growing economic and diplomatic clout was on display Thursday in the former imperial capital Xi'an. There, Xi is hosting the leaders of five Central Asian countries that were once seen as firmly in Moscow's orbit but are increasingly drawn to Beijing. The post G7 to squeeze Russia, weigh risk of China’s ‘economic coercion’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Paris court gives Canada-based professor life for 1980 synagogue bomb
A Paris court on Friday sentenced a Lebanese-Canadian sociology professor to life in prison in absentia for the 1980 bombing of a synagogue in the French capital that left four people dead. The court followed the prosecutor's request for the maximum possible punishment against Hassan Diab, now 69 and a resident of Canada, a decision that was met with silence in court. Some victims and their families could be seen embracing at the end of three weeks of proceedings during which the suspect's box remained empty throughout. Prosecutors had said in their closing arguments Thursday that there was "no possible doubt" that Diab, the only suspect, was behind the attack. Diab, speaking to reporters in Ottawa, called the verdict "Kafkaesque" and "not fair." "We'd hoped reason would prevail," he said, adding that he expects Canada not to send him back to France to serve the sentence. In the early evening of October 3, 1980, explosives placed on a motorcycle detonated close to a synagogue on the Rue Copernic in Paris's chic 16th district, killing a student passing by on a motorbike, a driver, an Israeli journalist, and a caretaker. Forty-six others were injured in the blast. The bombing was the first deadly attack against a Jewish target on French soil since World War II. No organization claimed responsibility but police suspected a splinter group of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. French intelligence agents in 1999 accused Diab of having made the 10-kilogram (22-pound) bomb. They pointed to Diab's likeness with police sketches drawn at the time and handwriting analyses that they said confirmed him as the person who bought the motorbike used in the attack. They also produced a key item of evidence against him -- a passport in his name, seized in Rome in 1981, with entry and exit stamps from Spain, where the attack plan was believed to have originated. In 2014, Canada extradited Diab at the request of the French authorities. However, investigating judges were unable to prove his guilt conclusively during the investigation and Diab was released, leaving France for Canada as a free man in 2018. Three years later, a French court overturned this earlier decision and ordered Diab should stand trial on charges of murder, attempted murder, and destruction of property in connection with a terrorist enterprise. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference after the verdict was announced that "we will look carefully at next steps, at what the French government chooses to do, at what French tribunals choose to do". "But we will always be there to stand up for Canadians and their rights," he said. Denials Most of the evidence presented against Diab was based on intelligence sources, and his lawyers had again argued the case should be thrown out. "I'm in front of you to avoid a miscarriage of justice," celebrity defense lawyer William Bourdon told the court Thursday, saying that an acquittal was "the only judicial decision possible". Diab has claimed he was sitting exams in Lebanon at the time of the attack, backed up by statements from his ex-partner and former students. His conviction means he will now again become the subject of an arrest warrant, which risks stoking diplomatic tensions between France and Canada after his first extradition took six years. David Pere, a lawyer for some of the people present in the synagogue at the time of the bombing, said his clients were "not motivated by vengeance nor looking for a guilty person's head to stick on a pike... they want justice to be done". Diab has won some backing from NGOs, including Amnesty International, who said his assertion that he was in Lebanon at the time of the attack was credible The post Paris court gives Canada-based professor life for 1980 synagogue bomb appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tech advancements in agri sans job threats in Date 2024
Despite the pivotal role of technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) in agricultural development, farmers and laborers in Davao Region face no immediate threat......»»
Jaishankar, Philippines counterpart discuss shared interests in ensuring maritime safety
Manila [Philippines], March 26 (ANI): India has briefed the Philippines on the Indian Navy's deployments in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea to counter ongoing threats, external affairs minister Jaishankar said on Tuesday. Jaishankar, who is on a visit to the archipelagic country, said that he discussed with Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo discussed shared interests in ensuring maritime safety. Addr.....»»
Fil-foreign teams top NBTC finals
Global squads stamped their class as Fil-Am Nation Select-USA and Canada’s Top Flight Sports reigned supreme in the Smart-National Basketball Training Center National Finals Division 1 and 2, respectively, over the weekend at the Mall of Asia Arena......»»
Supporting health care providers through Lawson Health Research Institute
Improving health outcomes for people at risk of substance-related harms and overdose March 25, 2024 | London, Ontario | Health Canada Canada is facing an unrelenting and tragic toxic illegal drug and overdose crisis. No community has been left untouched. The impacts are seen and felt among our friends, family and neighbours. That's why the Government of Canada is leveraging all the tools a.....»»
DepEd s SHS vouchers fall short of decongesting public schools, helping poor learners
"It's a waste that we don't solve the problem of congestion because we are randomly giving the voucher program to students," the senator said......»»
Just seven of 116 SUCs offer medicine programs — lawmaker
House Minority Leader Rep. Marcelino Libanan (4PS Partylist) said that Congress should allot more funding to support "highly advanced" SUCs in establishing their own medical schools to subsidize the schooling of aspiring doctors......»»
Kapuso loveteams lead Sparkle’s first overseas show
For its first-ever international show, Sparkle GMA Artist Center has tapped six of its brightest stars to bring a piece (and an experience) of home to Filipinos in Canada and regale them. Hence, it is titled “Sparkle Goes To Canada” on April 5 and 7, with Southview Alliance Church, Calgary, and Toronto Pavilion, Toronto, as venues, respectively......»»
Scorching schools: How heat worsens conditions of poor students in PH
[This is the second and last part of a special report on how extreme heat in 2023 impacted the education sector in the Philippines. Click here for the first part.] CEBU CITY, Philippines – The same analysis by Cebu Daily News Digital (CDN Digital) showed that even private schools, which usually have better facilities and.....»»
After Ayungin harassment, China tells PH: Prepare ‘to bear all potential consequences’
The Philippines, meanwhile, says it 'will not be deterred – by veiled threats or hostility – from exercising our legal rights'.....»»
Finding the writer in me
It’s the season of the Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC) all over the country and I’d like to share my journey of learning and growth as a writer......»»
President Marcos wants Army to bolster cybersecurity capabilities
Amid “emerging threats” to the country’s stability and sovereignty, President Marcos has called on the Philippine Army to bolster its cybersecurity capabilities and keep up with rapid technological advancements......»»
Asian qualifying results for 2026 FIFA World Cup
BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Following are Thursday's results in Asian qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico: Group A At Doha Qatar bt Kuwait 3-0 At Abha, Saudi Arabia Afghanistan tied India 0-0 Group B At Tokyo Japan bt DPR Korea 1-0 At Yangon Myanmar tied Syria 1-1 Group C At Seoul South Korea tied T.....»»
GCash sets sights on further international expansion
With GCash Overseas, Filipinos in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia can now download and use the GCash app, whether they have Philippine SIMs or local mobile phone numbers in the countries or territories where they live......»»
Panghulan s Hail Mary shot lifts Top Flight past Arellano in NBTC Division 2 finals
Joey Panghulan’s last-gasp half-court heave towed Top Flight Sports Canada into the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) Division 2 finals over the Arellano Braves, 87-84, Friday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City......»»
DBM releases P1.3 billion to light up public schools
The Department of Budget and Management has released nearly P1.3 billion for the electrification of public schools nationwide......»»