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Cebu City buy-bust: Over P12M ‘shabu’ seized from 2 HVIs
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Police confiscated over P12 million worth of suspected shabu from the possession of two men during a bust-bust operation in Brgy. Bulacao, Cebu City on Tuesday evening, March 26. The buy-bust operation was conducted at around 10 p.m. in Lower Sario in Brgy. Bulacao. One of the suspects was identified as.....»»
US lawmakers stand with Philippines vs Chinese sea aggression
Visiting US lawmakers expressed their concern over China’s continued aggression in Philippine waters during their meeting with President Marcos at Malacañang yesterday......»»
Biden to Host Japan PM Kishida, Philippines President Marcos
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a White House summit next month amid growing concerns about North Korea's nuclear program, provocative Chinese action in the South China Sea and differences over a Japanese company's plan to buy an iconic American steel company.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a sta.....»»
China to send youngest-ever crew to space station
Tiangong is the crown jewel of Beijing's space program, which has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon and made China the third country to put humans in orbit. The station is constantly crewed by teams of three astronauts, who are rotated out every six months. The Shenzhou-17 module carrying the trio to the station is scheduled to blast off at 11:14 a.m. (0314 GMT) Thursday from the Jiuquan launch site in China's arid northwest. "It is the crew of astronauts with the youngest average age since the launch of the space station construction mission," Beijing's State Council Information Office said in a statement. The all-male trio will be led by Tang Hongbo, who is on his first return mission to the Tiangong space station. "Throughout the past two years, I have often dreamt of going back to space," Tang said at a press conference on Wednesday. "The space station is our other home that takes us away from Earth and into the universe," he added. Accompanying him will be Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, both in their thirties and each making maiden space voyages. The crew has an average age of 38, compared to 42 for the crew of Shenzhou-16 when it launched. "According to the plan, the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft will conduct autonomous rendezvous and docking procedures after entering orbit," Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson for China's space program, said during a Wednesday morning press briefing. It will dock with the station's core module "about six-and-a-half hours" after first initiating the procedure, he added. 'Space dream' Plans for China's "space dream" have been put into overdrive under President Xi Jinping. The world's second-largest economy has pumped billions of dollars into its military-run space program in an effort to catch up with the United States and Russia. In June, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-15 spaceship touched down at a landing site in the northern Inner Mongolia region, with state media hailing the mission as a "complete success". That month also saw the launch of the Shenzhou-16 capsule, which carried the first Chinese civilian -- Beihang University professor Gui Haichao -- into orbit. That crew will return to Earth on October 31 after completing a handover, officials said Wednesday. Beijing also aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface. Spokesperson Lin reiterated that aim Wednesday, saying that the "goal of landing Chinese people on the moon by 2030 will be realized as scheduled". Lunar plans The country's lunar plans were dealt a setback in 2017 when the powerful Long March-5 Y2 rocket failed to launch on a mission to put communication satellites into orbit. That forced the postponement of the Chang'e-5 launch, originally scheduled to collect Moon samples in the second half of 2017. Another robot, the Chang'e-4, landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019 -- a historic first. Chang'e-5 eventually landed on the Moon in 2020, raising a Chinese flag on the lunar surface and returning to Earth with the first lunar samples in four decades. The final module of the T-shaped Tiangong -- which means "heavenly palace" -- successfully docked with the core structure last year. The station carries several pieces of cutting-edge scientific equipment, according to state news agency Xinhua, including "the world's first space-based cold atomic clock system". The Tiangong is expected to remain in low Earth orbit at between 400 and 450 kilometers (250 and 280 miles) above the planet for at least 10 years. China will send its youngest-ever crew of astronauts to the Tiangong space station this week, officials said Wednesday, as Beijing pursues plans for a manned mission to the Moon by the end of the decade. Tiangong is the crown jewel of Beijing's space program, which has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon and made China the third country to put humans in orbit. The station is constantly crewed by teams of three astronauts, who are rotated out every six months. The Shenzhou-17 module carrying the trio to the station is scheduled to blast off at 11:14 am (0314 GMT) Thursday from the Jiuquan launch site in China's arid northwest. "It is the crew of astronauts with the youngest average age since the launch of the space station construction mission," Beijing's State Council Information Office said in a statement. The all-male trio will be led by Tang Hongbo, who is on his first return mission to the Tiangong space station. "Throughout the past two years, I have often dreamt of going back to space," Tang said at a press conference on Wednesday. "The space station is our other home that takes us away from Earth and into the universe," he added. Accompanying him will be Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, both in their thirties and each making maiden space voyages. The crew has an average age of 38, compared to 42 for the crew of Shenzhou-16 when it launched. "According to the plan, the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft will conduct autonomous rendezvous and docking procedures after entering orbit," Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson for China's space program, said during a Wednesday morning press briefing. It will dock with the station's core module "about six-and-a-half hours" after first initiating the procedure, he added. 'Space dream' Plans for China's "space dream" have been put into overdrive under President Xi Jinping. The world's second-largest economy has pumped billions of dollars into its military-run space program in an effort to catch up with the United States and Russia. In June, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-15 spaceship touched down at a landing site in the northern Inner Mongolia region, with state media hailing the mission as a "complete success". That month also saw the launch of the Shenzhou-16 capsule, which carried the first Chinese civilian -- Beihang University professor Gui Haichao -- into orbit. That crew will return to Earth on October 31 after completing a handover, officials said Wednesday. Beijing also aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface. Spokesperson Lin reiterated that aim Wednesday, saying that the "goal of landing Chinese people on the moon by 2030 will be realized as scheduled". Lunar plans The country's lunar plans were dealt a setback in 2017 when the powerful Long March-5 Y2 rocket failed to launch on a mission to put communication satellites into orbit. That forced the postponement of the Chang'e-5 launch, originally scheduled to collect Moon samples in the second half of 2017. Another robot, the Chang'e-4, landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019 -- a historic first. Chang'e-5 eventually landed on the Moon in 2020, raising a Chinese flag on the lunar surface and returning to Earth the first lunar samples in four decades. The final module of the T-shaped Tiangong -- which means "heavenly palace" -- successfully docked with the core structure last year. The station carries several pieces of cutting-edge scientific equipment, according to state news agency Xinhua, including "the world's first space-based cold atomic clock system". The Tiangong is expected to remain in low Earth orbit at between 400 and 450 kilometers (250 and 280 miles) above the planet for at least 10 years. The post China to send youngest-ever crew to space station appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
U.S. asserts safe WPS passage for all
It has nothing to do with that particular country, or so they claimed rather cautiously and diplomatically. Navies of the Philippines and the United States opened their bilateral naval exercises yesterday, along with six other countries, at Naval Station Jose Andrada on Roxas Boulevard, Manila. The drills involve at-shore events at the Philippine Navy’s headquarters before going out to sea for exercises intended to improve the allied naval forces’ interoperability. Dubbed Exercise Sama-Sama, or Together, the exercise, according to Philippine Navy chief Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci, has nothing to do with a particular country that has figured in increasing tensions in the West Philippine Sea. But Adaci was obviously referring to China whose coast guard had used water cannons on Philippine Coast Guard-led resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal in the WPS. Adaci opened the exercise with US Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Karl Thomas. “The exercise is designed to be conducted here in Manila and the southern Luzon area,” Adaci said. Thomas, for his part, stressed the need to recognize the rules-based international order. Strong word “I think it is important that all nations have a right to sail and operate in the West Philippine Sea — free from worrying about being attacked,” Thomas said. “And attack is probably a strong word.” “I would say, free from being coerced, free from being intimidated. You know we want the commons to be common and open and free. And so long as our nations operate in accordance with the rule of law, in accordance with the rules and regulations, with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he said. Like Adaci, Thomas did not mention China, but it is common knowledge that the United States military has been conducting “freedom of navigation” patrols to keep the South China Sea open to international commerce. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last week ordered the PCG to cut the 300-meter floating barrier installed by Chinese militia vessels at Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal. PN assets in action A 2016 arbitral ruling deemed China’s territorial claim on nearly the entire South China Sea, including areas that overlap the WPS, invalid. The ruling stemmed from a 2013 case filed by the Philippines against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, or PCA, after Beijing seized control of Scarborough Shoal in 2012. As the PCA junked China’s nine-dash line South China Sea claim, it affirmed the Philippines’ entitlement to its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. Around 700 sailors and marines from different PN units are participating in the exercise, which will see in action, among other assets, the BRP Antonio Luna, and an AW109 naval helicopter. For the second straight year, the exercise will include the navies of Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Australia. They will be participating mainly in humanitarian assistance and disaster response drills. Observers Meanwhile, the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Indonesian Navy are also joining as observers the naval exercise that dates back to 1994 when it was known as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training. In 2017, its name was changed to Exercise Sama-Sama. Subsequently, the exercise was conducted annually across various regions: In 2017 at Naval Forces Central; in 2018 at Naval Forces Northern Luzon; in 2019 at Naval Forces West; and in 2021 at the Northern Luzon Command. Last year, it was held alongside Exercise Lumbas — the bilateral navy-to-navy exercise between the Philippines and Australia — with the limited participation of France, Japan and the United Kingdom. According to the PN, the primary objective of the exercise is to enhance the capabilities of both nations in responding to regional crises. Additionally, it aims to strengthen its capacities to address non-traditional challenges, including territorial defense, natural and man-made disasters, counterterrorism, maritime security and transnational crimes. The post U.S. asserts safe WPS passage for all appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Narcolepsy, cancer tipped as Medicine Prize opens Nobel week
Narcolepsy, cancer, or mRNA vaccine research could win the Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday when a week of announcements kicks off, but experts see no clear frontrunner for the Peace Prize. The awards, first handed out in 1901, were created by Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel in his 1895 will to celebrate those who have "conferred the greatest benefit on mankind." The Medicine Prize is first out and will be announced in Stockholm on Monday around 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT), followed by the awards for physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday, and literature on Thursday. The Peace Prize, the most highly-anticipated Nobel and the only one announced in Oslo, will follow on Friday, before the Economics Prize rounds things off on October 9. The Medicine Prize has over the years crowned groundbreaking discoveries like the X-ray, penicillin, insulin, and DNA -- as well as now-disgraced awards for lobotomy and the insecticide DDT. Several Nobel watchers have suggested this year's prize could go to research into narcolepsy and the discovery of orexin, a neuropeptide that helps regulate sleep. It could also go to Hungarian-born Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman of the United States for research that led directly to the first mRNA vaccines to fight COVID-19, made by Pfizer and Moderna. Their discovery has already won a slew of major medicine prizes, but the Nobel committee nowadays often waits decades to bestow its laurels to ensure the research stands the test of time. "Maybe the Academy thinks it needs to look into it more, but someday they should win," predicted Annika Ostman, science reporter at Swedish public radio SR. Gene engineering and IceCube telescope But Ostman said her guess for this year was on Kevan Shokat, an American biologist who figured out how to block the KRAS cancer gene behind a third of cancers, including challenging-to-treat lung, colon, and pancreatic tumors. T-cell therapy for cancer treatment and work on the human microbiome could also be contenders, said David Pendlebury, head of the Clarivate Analytics group which identifies Nobel-worthy research. "There are more people deserving of a Nobel Prize than there are Nobels to go around," he told AFP. Lars Brostrom, Ostman's colleague at SR, singled out two American biologists, Stanislas Leibler, and Michael Elowitz, for their work on synthetic gene circuits which established the field of synthetic biology. It enables scientists to redesign organisms by engineering them to have new abilities. But Brostrom noted the field could be seen as controversial, raising "ethical questions about where to draw the line in creating life". For the Physics Prize, twisted graphene or the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica were seen as possible winners, as well as the development of high-density data storage in the field of spintronics. Peace Prize to Iranian women? For Wednesday's Chemistry Prize, Pendlebury suggested next-generation DNA sequencing could get the nod, or research into how to target and deliver drugs to genes. Brostrom said he would love to see it go to US-based chemist Omar Yaghi for his work into porous materials known as MOFs, which can absorb poisonous gases or harvest water from desert air, and is an "important field for the future" with enormous potential for the environment. Criticism over a lack of gender and geographical diversity has plagued the Nobels over the years. US-based men have dominated the science fields, while women account for just six percent of overall laureates -- something the various award committees insist they are addressing. Among the names making the rounds for Thursday's Literature Prize are Russian author and outspoken Putin critic Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Chinese avant-garde writer Can Xue, British author Salman Rushdie, Caribbean-American writer Jamaica Kincaid and Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse. But for the Peace Prize, experts have been scratching their heads over possible winners, as conflicts rage around the globe. Some have pointed to the Iranian women protesting since the death in custody a year ago of Mahsa Amini, arrested for violating Iran's strict dress code imposed on women. Others suggest organizations documenting war crimes in Ukraine, or the International Criminal Court, which could one day be called upon to judge them. "I think that climate change is a really good focus for the Peace Prize this year," Dan Smith, the head of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told AFP after a year of extreme weather around the world. For the Economics Prize, research on income and wealth inequality could be honored. Recent winners of the Nobel Medicine Prize Here is a list of the winners of the Nobel Medicine Prize in the past 10 years: 2022: Swedish paleogeneticist Svante Paabo for his discoveries on the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution. 2021: US duo David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for discoveries on human receptors responsible for our ability to sense temperature and touch. 2020: Americans Harvey Alter and Charles Rice, together with Briton Michael Houghton, for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus, leading to the development of sensitive blood tests and antiviral drugs. 2019: William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza of the US and Britain's Peter Ratcliffe for establishing the basis of our understanding of how cells react and adapt to different oxygen levels. 2018: Immunologists James Allison of the US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan, for figuring out how to release the immune system's brakes to allow it to attack cancer cells more efficiently. 2017: US geneticists Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael Young for their discoveries on the internal biological clock that governs the wake-sleep cycles of most living things. 2016: Yoshinori Ohsumi of Japan for his work on autophagy -- a process whereby cells "eat themselves" -- which when disrupted can cause Parkinson's and diabetes. 2015: William Campbell, an Irish-US citizen, Satoshi Omura of Japan, and Tu Youyou of China for unlocking treatments for malaria and roundworm. 2014: American-born Briton John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser, and Edvard I. Moser of Norway for discovering how the brain navigates with an "inner GPS". 2013: Thomas C. Sudhof, a US citizen born in Germany, and James E. Rothman and Randy W. Schekman of the US for work on how the cell organizes its transport system. The post Narcolepsy, cancer tipped as Medicine Prize opens Nobel week appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
EDITORIAL — Pastillas scam: A laughable penalty
An angry Rodrigo Duterte summoned them to Malacañang during his presidency, although he did not carry out his threat to make them eat paper rolled up like pastillas or local milk pastry. Last week, one of 50 Bureau of Immigration employees accused of facilitating the entry of 143 foreigners, mostly Chinese, between 2017 and 2020 was fined the princely sum of P5,000 by the Sandiganbayan......»»
Vive Versailles! A right royal welcome for British monarchs
For his first state visit as sovereign to France, which had to be postponed for six months due to riots, Britain's King Charles III will receive the gold standard of French welcomes -- a reception at the Palace of Versailles. The palace, which was the seat of the monarchy before the French Revolution of 1789, is now a museum, but it is still used by French presidents to host leaders they want to impress, from Queen Victoria to Vladimir Putin. 'Long live the king!' France, which beheaded its own king and queen, has a long-running love affair with the British royal family and over the past 170 years has often wined and dined them at Versailles. Emperor Napoleon III threw a ball for 1,200 guests at the royal opera in Versailles when Queen Victoria visited in 1855, the first trip to Paris by a British monarch in 400 years. In 1938, as Europe stood on the threshold of another world war, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II swept into Paris to cries of "Long live the king!" and were too hosted at Versailles, in this case for lunch. Less than two decades later, President Rene Coty pulled out all the stops for the young Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest-serving monarch who died last year, on her first state visit to France with her husband Prince Philip. After a night at the Paris Opera, the pair had lunch in Versailles' Hall of Mirrors, where the World War I reparations treaty was famously signed in 1919. Fondness for foie gras The land where food is king has served up an eye-popping array of delicacies for its British visitors. But Victoria, known for her voracious appetite, had only faint praise for French cuisine, writing that while "the fowl and bouillon are quite delicious" French cooking has "less variety than ours". Her son Edward VII was treated to a 16-course feast in 1903, complete with fattened chicken, quail and glazed ducks. By Elizabeth II's time, the menu had been slimmed down to four or five courses, with one recurring staple: foie gras. The Francophile queen had a fondness for the controversial pate obtained by force-feeding ducks or geese, but it is unlikely to feature on the menu for Charles, who has banned it from his household. Open for business Versailles has hosted many distinguished commoners as well. In the post-war years, President Charles de Gaulle used it to host John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon when they were US presidents, as well as the Shah of Iran. Socialist president Francois Mitterrand threw open the palace gates to communists when he used it to host Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. By contrast, Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande rarely used Versailles, with the exception of late Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi for the former and Chinese President Xi Jinping for the latter. In 2017, before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine turned him into a pariah, Russian President Vladimir Putin was welcomed there by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. Macron has also used Versailles to tout France's charms to foreign investors, including Tesla founder and X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk who was invited to a business summit there in May. The post Vive Versailles! A right royal welcome for British monarchs appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Marina Adams debuts in Asia
Longlati Foundation presents Marina Adams’ debut institutional solo exhibition in Asia, In the Garden of My Memory, featuring 11 large-scale acrylic and watercolor paintings and four scroll intaglio monoprints on paper inspired by Chinese folded books. Poetry is a crucial component of Adams’ artistic practice, intertwining language and painting, opening a pathway through its ineffable sensory experience. In the Garden of My Memory is derived from Ted Berrigan’s poem “Tambourine Life.” Perhaps this phrase struck Adams in her studio on a summer afternoon and leapt off the page. Here, it functions as a cryptic invitation, inviting viewers to journey through the artist’s vibrant realm of memories constructed through colors. Like poetry, Adams’ artworks don’t provide specific imagery or narratives, yet they vividly convey her perspectives and contemplation of the world. Impressions drawn from nature, music, fabrics, architecture and literature are transformed into dynamic colors, humming with the physical resonance of individual existence through the canvas as if its structure were a kind of grammar, and light and shadow serve as its tones. These pieces traverse the boundaries of diverse logical fields, directly reaching the channels of individual senses. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="180075,180073"] Adams’ creations should be understood as abstract expressionism within the realm of color field painting. On the one hand, she follows the tradition of color field painting, emphasizing the ontological superiority of overall form and color in the painting, thereby discarding the once-prominent symbols and rhetoric. On the other hand, distinct from the typical serenity and meticulousness of color field paintings, she consistently infuses her colors with spiritual energy, imbuing her paintings with vitality. They undoubtedly emanate from the artist’s bodily rhythm, interpreted into live abstractions through brushes and pigments. Adams earned degrees from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, and Columbia University in New York. She is the recipient of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship (2016) and the Award of Merit Medal for Painting from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2018). She has participated in various solo and group exhibitions, including the Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York (2021), Modern Art Museum, Fort Worth (2020), Camden Arts Centre, London (2016) and CUE Art Foundation, New York (2008). Marina Adams’ work is in the collections of the MoMA, New York, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Longlati Foundation, Shanghai. She lives and works in New York, Bridgehampton, Long Island and Parma in Italy. Co-founded by David Su and Zihao Chen in 2017, Longlati Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Hong Kong. It aims to contribute to the development of contemporary art in its diversity. Curated by Jenny Chen Jiaying, In the Garden of My Memory runs from 14 September to 25 October on the third floor of Longlati Foundation, 117 Hong Kong Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, China. The post Marina Adams debuts in Asia appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Meta fights sprawling Chinese ‘Spamouflage’ operation
Meta on Tuesday said it purged thousands of Facebook accounts that were part of a widespread online Chinese spam operation trying to covertly boost China and criticize the West. The campaign, which became known as "Spamouflage", was active across more than 50 platforms and forums including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter, according to a Meta threat report. "We assess that it's the largest, though unsuccessful, and most prolific covert influence operation that we know of in the world today," said Meta Global Threat Intelligence Lead Ben Nimmo. "And we've been able to link Spamouflage to individuals associated with Chinese law enforcement." More that 7,700 Facebook accounts along with 15 Instagram accounts were jettisoned in what Meta described as the biggest ever single takedown action at the tech giant's platforms. "For the first time we've been able to tie these many clusters together to confirm that they all go to one operation," Nimmo said. The network typically posted praise for China and its Xinjiang province and criticisms of the United States, Western foreign policies and critics of the Chinese government including journalists and researchers, the Meta report says. The operation originated in China and its targets included Taiwan, the United States, Australia, Britain, Japan and global Chinese-speaking audiences. Facebook or Instagram accounts or pages identified as part of the "large and prolific covert influence operation" were taken down for violating Meta rules against coordinated deceptive behavior on its platforms. Meta's team said the network seemed to garner scant engagement, with viewer comments tending to point out bogus claims. Clusters of fake accounts were run from various parts of China, with the cadence of activity strongly suggesting groups working from an office with daily job schedules, according to Meta. 'Doppelganger' Some tactics used in China were similar to those of a Russian online deception network exposed in 2019, which suggested the operations might be learning from one another, according to Nimmo. Meta's threat report also provided analysis of the Russian influence campaign called Doppelganger, which was first disrupted by the security team a year ago. The core of the operation was to mimic websites of mainstream news outlets in Europe and post bogus stories about Russia's war on Ukraine, then try to spread them online, said Meta head of security policy Nathaniel Gleicher. Companies involved in the campaign were recently sanctioned by the European Union. Meta said Germany, France and Ukraine remained the most targeted countries overall, but that the operation had added the United States and Israel to its list of targets. This was done by spoofing the domains of major news outlets, including the Washington Post and Fox News. Gleicher described Doppelganger, which is intended to weaken support of Ukraine, as the largest and most aggressively persistent influence operation from Russia that Meta has seen since 2017. The post Meta fights sprawling Chinese ‘Spamouflage’ operation appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Taiwan decries China’s ‘military harassment’ after warplanes detected
Taiwan urged China on Tuesday to stop "military harassment" that risked damaging regional security after it said 24 Chinese warplanes were detected near the island. China has ratcheted up military and political pressure on self-ruled Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016 because she rejects Beijing's stance that the island is part of Chinese territory. "The People's Liberation Army's continuous military harassment in the region could lead to a sharp escalation of tensions and worsening of regional security," Taiwan's Defense Ministry said in a statement. "We urge Beijing to take responsibility and immediately cease all unilateral actions that undermine regional stability," it said. According to the ministry, Beijing had sent 24 aircraft, including fighter jets, bombers and drones, as well as five warships close to Taiwan in what it described as a "joint combat patrol" since 9 am local time (0100 GMT). Half the warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered the self-ruled island's southwest air defense identification zone, it said, and Taipei was using its own aircraft, vessels and land-based missile systems to monitor them. Taipei has seen an increase in Chinese air incursions since Tsai's visit to Eswatini, the only African country that recognizes Taiwan diplomatically over China, was announced on Friday. The defense ministry said on Saturday it had detected 32 Chinese warplanes and nine warships around the island over 24 hours. The increase in incursions also comes after the United States approved last week the sale to Taiwan of advanced sensor equipment for fighter jets. And on Monday, Taiwan's defense ministry said a Chinese BZK-005 drone circled the island on a flight path that appears to be increasingly common for such long-range vehicles. Beijing conducted military exercises to simulate the encirclement of the island in April after Tsai met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California. Beijing also staged military drills earlier this month after Vice President Lai Ching-te made returned to Taiwan after a trip to Paraguay that included two US stopovers, and banned mango imports from the island. China's state-run Xinhua news agency said the drills were intended to serve as "a stern warning to the collusion of 'Taiwan independence' separatists with foreign elements and their provocations". The post Taiwan decries China’s ‘military harassment’ after warplanes detected appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Evergrande plunges as HK trading resumes
Shares in troubled Chinese property giant Evergrande plummeted nearly 80 percent in Hong Kong on Monday after the end of a 17-month trading suspension. The Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. is on holiday yesterday as the country marked National Heroes Day. The resumption of trading came after the company said in a filing on Friday that it had met guidelines set out by the bourse, including belatedly publishing its financial results and complying with other listing rules. Once China’s largest real estate firm, Evergrande defaulted in 2021 and is saddled with more than $300 billion in liabilities, becoming a symbol of the nationwide property crisis that many fear could spill over globally. 87% freefall Its shares plunged as much as 87 percent during morning trading, slashing its market value from a peak of more than $50 billion in 2017 to less than $600 million. It finished the day down 79.4 percent. The company on Sunday reported fresh losses for the first half of the year amounting to 33 billion yuan ($4.53 billion) — an improvement on the 66.4 billion yuan in losses reported in the same period last year. But its cash assets fell from $2 billion last year to $556 million, reflecting its dwindling liquidity. China’s property market “cooled down significantly” in the first six months of the year and saw new defaults in the sector, “further exacerbating the volatility in the market,” Evergrande said. “Based on the principles of respecting international restructuring practices and treating the rights and claims of all creditors in a fair and equitable manner, the Company steadily pushed forward the work related to the restructuring of its offshore debts,” the firm added. In March 2022, the Hong Kong stock exchange suspended trading in Evergrande shares after it failed to publish its 2021 financial results. Its earnings for 2021 and 2022 were published last month, showing a net loss of more than $113 billion over the two-year period. The company risked being delisted if its shares were suspended from trading for 18 months, according to Hong Kong stock exchange rules. Meetings delayed Evergrande was supposed to hold creditor meetings on Monday on its offshore debt restructuring proposal, but it announced in the afternoon the meetings were delayed — just hours before they were set to take place. The postponement of roughly one month will allow creditors to “consider, understand and evaluate” the plan, the company said in an exchange filing. The meetings will take place between 25 to 26 September, which the developer said was “in line” with the timetable creditors expected. Evergrande’s plan offers creditors a choice to swap their debt into new notes issued by the company and equities in two subsidiaries, Evergrande Property Services Group and Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group. Earlier this month, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States, a measure to safeguard its US assets during its restructuring. The post Evergrande plunges as HK trading resumes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China developer Evergrande plunges as Hong Kong trading resumes
Shares in troubled Chinese property giant Evergrande plummeted nearly 80 percent in Hong Kong on Monday after the end of a 17-month trading suspension. The resumption of trading came after the company said in a filing on Friday that it had met guidelines set out by the bourse, including belatedly publishing its financial results and complying with other listing rules. Once China's largest real estate firm, Evergrande defaulted in 2021 and is saddled with more than $300 billion in liabilities, becoming a symbol of the nationwide property crisis that many fear could spill over globally. Its shares plunged as much as 87 percent during morning trading, slashing its market value from a peak of more than $50 billion in 2017 to less than $600 million. It finished the day down 79.4 percent. The company on Sunday reported fresh losses for the first half of the year amounting to 33 billion yuan ($4.53 billion) -- an improvement on the 66.4 billion yuan in losses reported in the same period last year. But its cash assets fell from $2 billion last year to $556 million, reflecting its dwindling liquidity. China's property market "cooled down significantly" in the first six months of the year and saw new defaults in the sector, "further exacerbating the volatility in the market", Evergrande said. "Based on the principles of respecting international restructuring practices and treating the rights and claims of all creditors in a fair and equitable manner, the Company steadily pushed forward the work related to the restructuring of its offshore debts," the firm added. In March 2022, the Hong Kong stock exchange suspended trading in Evergrande shares after it failed to publish its 2021 financial results. Its earnings for 2021 and 2022 were published last month, showing a net loss of more than $113 billion over the two-year period. The company risked being delisted if its shares were suspended from trading for 18 months, according to Hong Kong stock exchange rules. Creditor meetings delayed Evergrande was supposed to hold creditor meetings on Monday on its offshore debt restructuring proposal, but it announced in the afternoon the meetings were delayed -- just hours before they were set to take place. The postponement of roughly one month will allow creditors to "consider, understand and evaluate" the plan, the company said in an exchange filing. The meetings will take place between 25 and 26 September, which the developer said was "in line" with the timetable creditors expected. Evergrande's plan offers creditors a choice to swap their debt into new notes issued by the company and equities in two subsidiaries, Evergrande Property Services Group and Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group. Earlier this month, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States, a measure to safeguard its US assets during its restructuring. It is also fending off winding-up petitions in Hong Kong courts, with one case adjourning its hearing to October. China's real-estate sector has proven to be a stumbling block as the world's second-largest economy tries to break out of a post-Covid slump. Fellow Chinese property developer Country Garden now risks defaulting on its bond payments next month, with the company saying there are "major uncertainties in the redemption of corporate bonds". The post China developer Evergrande plunges as Hong Kong trading resumes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Of China’s ‘One Belt One Road’
Sometime in August 2016, I attended the formal media launch of One Belt One Road, or OBOR, in Beijing, China. I thought then that OBOR, also referred to later as Belt and Road Initiative, must be one of the most, if not the most, significant programs of President Xi Jinping, as it was attended by hundreds of print and broadcast journalists from around the world, the Philippines included. OBOR was to revive the “Silk Road” economic belt of ancient China, a land trade route carrying its finest silk and other goods to its neighboring Central Asian countries and later to as far as Europe; whereas today’s Road refers to the 21st Century land and maritime silk route to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The land route was launched, I think in 2013, while the maritime route was given a big push in 2017. Early on, China set up the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as part of the OBOR mechanism. China sank in the initial capital and was joined later by other member countries. The Philippines was the last country to join AIIB when the late President Noynoy Aquino signed its Charter in the last few minutes of 31 December 2015, and this was ratified a year later during Duterte’s term. In sum, AIIB had 106 members to start. The Philippines, if we look at the records, derived from loans and infrastructure projects, was quite slow in availing of cheap money from this BRI initiative. Indonesia, Singapore, and other ASEAN and African countries had done so for various infra projects, among these railways, dams, and ports. The small loan amount we obtained was later topped up by China in terms of gifts which came in the form of bridges, schools, medical supplies, and vaccines when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Add to that are the much-needed arms for our armed forces to get rid of the marauding Maute ISIS terrorist group in Marawi City and additional help to rehabilitate it later. Alarmed by the inroads China was making with the BRI through the land and marine infrastructure built with the billions of dollars it loaned to countries along the silk routes, the West was quick to make a big issue of it when Sri Lanka defaulted, calling China’s loans a “debt trap.” Of course, not a few of those struggling economies defaulted as the impact of the new infrastructure on their development had yet to gain traction. However, President Xi Jinping waived the interest dues. How is it for China midway to the Road’s target completion date of 2049? The BRI has covered more than 68 countries with an estimated 65 percent of the world’s population. All told, the largesse from China resulted in the reduction of dependency on the US and it created new markets for Chinese products. The US of A is fast losing its dominance. China, once wallowing in the quagmire of poverty, is now the second-largest economy in the world and growing. Will China then go beyond firing water cannons at Philippine Coast Guard vessels? This could only be answered by another set of questions. Is China willing to cut the marine silk route that passes through or close to the West Philippine Sea? Will its land route suffice to bring its products to its export markets in the event the sea lane is altogether cut off? Will the Chinese people relish going back to poverty and isolation? The answers are a big NO. So why EDCA? Why not pursue the Philippines-China joint oil exploration in the WPS as the offer stands at a 60/40 sharing agreement in favor of the Philippines? Why build more military bases when these are veritable beckons to war which we as a policy abhor? Why not take advantage of the short maritime link between China and the Philippines to enhance our economy? The price of fuel is skyrocketing. Our peso is depreciating as in a free fall. We have solutions and yet these, too have become problems. The post Of China’s ‘One Belt One Road’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Banning POGOs will reduce industry-related crimes
Criminal activities attributed to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators could have been stopped if the government agreed to permanently ban the gaming industry’s operations in the country, according to Senator Win Gatchalian. Gatchalian described the proliferation of POGO-related crimes in the Philippines as an “alarming” issue. He said illegal activities related to POGOs are likely to expand “unless the gaming industry will be permanently wiped out of the country.” The senator recalled the recent police operation against an online scam operator, wherein 28,000 registered sim cards were confiscated in a POGO facility in Pasay City. Gatchalian lambasted the massive involvement of the POGO operators in online scamming activities. “The confiscation of registered SIM cards indicates that POGOs are heavily entrenched in online scams, possibly victimizing hapless individuals both here and abroad,” he said. Citing a report from the Philippine National Police, Gatchalian said a total of 4,355 individuals became victims of POGO-related criminalities from January 2017 to June 30 this year, with 903 persons tagged as “perpetrators.” Among these documented POGO-related crimes include human trafficking, forcible abduction, homicide, illegal detention, kidnap-for-ransom, theft, robbery-extortion, serious physical injuries, swindling, and grave coercion. Of the total number of perpetrators, about 793 were Chinese nationals and have pending criminal cases. “Criminal activities involving POGOs are likely to worsen if the POGO industry is allowed to continue operating in the country. As much as we dread that situation, that possibility is not difficult to imagine. This should prompt all of us to take a stand against POGOs,” Gatchalian said. Hence, Gatchalian filed a Senate resolution seeking to investigate the growing involvement of accredited POGO operations in the accounted crimes in the country. Senator Raffy Tulfo previously criticized the lack of coordination between law enforcement, immigration officers, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, and labor agencies in addressing issues related to POGO operations Tulfo underscored the need to assess the effectiveness of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation in fulfilling its regulatory mandate, as well as ensuring proper coordination with other concerned agencies and protecting the rights and welfare of POGO workers. The post Banning POGOs will reduce industry-related crimes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China reports record temperature for mid-July at 52.2C
China on Monday said the mercury hit 52.2 degrees Celsius (126 degrees Fahrenheit) in the northwest of the country over the weekend, setting a record for mid-July. A weather station in the Xinjiang region's Sanbao village "recorded a temperature peak of 52.2 degrees Celsius at 19:00 on July 16, breaking the historic heat record for the same period of the year", the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said in a statement. The previous record of 50.6C was set in July 2017, according to the statement. Xin Xin, an analyst working for the CMA, said in post on his verified Weibo account that 52.2C was the "highest measured temperature at a regional station in our country that I have ever seen". Sanbao lies on the outskirts of Turpan city, where authorities have told workers and students to stay home and ordered special vehicles to spray water on major thoroughfares, the meteorological body said. Ground surface temperatures reached 80C in parts of Turpan on Sunday, according to the statement. The Northern Hemisphere has endured record-setting summer heat waves in recent weeks, which scientists say are being exacerbated by climate change. Chinese authorities have warned of extreme weather and "multiple natural disasters" this summer. The post China reports record temperature for mid-July at 52.2C appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Largest, most advanced’ Chinese drill ship arrives in Manila
A training ship of China's People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) arrived in the Philippine capital on Wednesday for a four-day goodwill port call. PLAN Ship Qi Jiguang, named after a Chinese Ming Dynasty navy officer, is the "largest and most advanced naval training vessel" designed and built by China, according to Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian in his online post. The Chinese envoy further said that it is the first Chinese naval vessel to visit the country since January 2019, and also the ship's first port call in Manila since its commissioning in February 2017. Ambassador Xilian, together with Philippine Naval Littoral Combat Force commander Commodore Carlo Lagasca and representatives of various Chinese sectors in the Philippines, led a warm reception for the ship and its crew. "A steady step in CN-PH defense cooperation, the Ship’s four-day goodwill port call is following the tradition of exchanges between the two militaries in addition to implementing the important consensus between the heads-of-state of China and the Philippines," Xilian stated. Prior to its arrival in Manila, Ship Qi Jiguang had also visited Vietnam, Thailand, and Brunei, the Chinese envoy said. See more photos here: The post ‘Largest, most advanced’ Chinese drill ship arrives in Manila appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Pusong Pinoy’ na si Sam Hashimoto sasabak na rin sa pag-awit
MULA nang hiranging Mister Guam noong 2017 ang Japanese-Korean-Chinese na si Sam Hashimoto, sumabak na siya sa pagmomodelo sa Pilipinas. At ngayon, papasukin na rin niya ang industriya ng musika sa bansa bilang isang mang-aawit. Ngunit matagal na pala niyang mahal ang pag-awit. “It’s kind of a funny story. The whole reason why I […] The post ‘Pusong Pinoy’ na si Sam Hashimoto sasabak na rin sa pag-awit appeared first on Bandera......»»
BI,MAY KASALANAN SA MGA KRIMEN NG POGO
MAGANDA ang layunin nang pagpasok sa bansa ng Philippine offshore gaming operators. Nagsimula ito noong 2017 makaraang bigyan ng permiso ng Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. Malaki raw ang kikitain ng bansa at makatutulong sa paglaki ng buwis. Gaganda rin daw ang turismo sa pagpasok ng mga dayuhang Chinese. Umabot sa 130,000 ang mga Chinese […] The post BI,MAY KASALANAN SA MGA KRIMEN NG POGO appeared first on REMATE ONLINE......»»
Taiwan Scrambles Jets to Warn Away Chinese Aircraft
taipei, taiwan - Taiwan scrambled jets on Tuesday to warn away Chinese aircraft in its air defense identification zone including bombers that flew to the south of the island and into the Pacific, in the latest uptick in tensions and largest incursion since late May.Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for the past two years or so of repeated missions by the Chinese air force near the d.....»»