Infrastructure crisis
Without infrastructure — including “info-structure” — there can be no development. And without development support, many developing countries will be starved of the infrastructure they desperately need. Infrastructure is the foundation of everyday life for people and economies. From drinking water and basic sanitation, to electricity, connectivity and Internet access. From public services like schools and hospitals, to modern roads, bridges, tunnels, harbors and railways that keep people and goods moving. And yet, billions in the developing world lack access to these basic systems. This infrastructure crisis comes as people are facing a cauldron of challenges across our efforts to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights. This includes soaring costs of living, rising inequalities and the existential threat of climate breakdown. Meanwhile, progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement is slipping into reverse. We must find and fund ways to generate economic growth, create decent jobs, transform energy systems and advance sustainable solutions for the 21st century. Infrastructure is a crucial pathway. We can and must turn the infrastructure emergency into the infrastructure opportunity. The Belt and Road demonstrates that we have a historic opportunity to build modern, green cities, communities and transportation and power systems that place resilience and sustainability at the heart. That deliver services and decent jobs for people in a sustainable manner. And I see the Belt and Road Initiative’s potential to make valuable contributions in two key areas of action. First — by advancing economic sustainability in developing countries. Many developing countries are confronting dramatic financial challenges, drowning in debt and without fiscal space to implement the sustainable development goals. It is time to make the global financial architecture truly global and fit for the 21st century. At last month’s SDG Summit, world leaders endorsed a commitment to reforming the global financial architecture to make it reflect the world economy of today, not the one of 1945. Leaders also agreed that we can take actions right now to promote effective debt relief mechanisms — including by ensuring that countries are not locked into unsustainable debt — and channeling emergency financial support toward those countries that need it most. And leaders also supported an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion per year. Now, in this context, a dramatic context for the developing countries, the relevance of the Belt and Road Initiative is undeniable. It has included nearly $1 trillion in cumulative investments across more than 3,000 projects around the world. The second key area for action is by advancing environmental sustainability. The Belt and Road Initiative recognizes that infrastructure for infrastructure’s sake is not enough. The Belt and Road is an important instrument to make key investments a reality, driven by clear domestic demand, and in line with international best practices. Investments that enable resilience and adaptation across national and local planning. Investments that can help keep our 1.5-degree global warming limit within reach. And investments that don’t leave countries with stranded assets and the polluted dead ends of the past. Many developing countries are confronting dramatic financial challenges, drowning in debt and without fiscal space to implement the sustainable development goals. It is time to make the global financial architecture truly global and fit for the 21st century. I recognize the efforts of the Green Silk Road initiative to anchor investments in sustainable solutions — an area in which the UN is poised to support. But developing countries will need massive support for a fair, equitable and just energy transition towards renewables while providing affordable electricity to all. We all agree that development cannot come at the expense of the air we breathe, the water we drink or the biodiversity that defines our planet’s health. *** Excerpts from the UN Secretary General’s remarks at the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, 18 October 2023. The post Infrastructure crisis appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Northern Samar insurgent dies in clash
TACLOBAN CITY — Authorities reported on Thursday that an individual believed to be a member of the New People’s Army was killed in a clash with soldiers on the outskirts of Catubig, Northern Samar. The still unidentified armed rebel allegedly belonged to a band of 10 insurgents that engaged in a 10-minute gun battle with members of the Philippine Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion in upland Anongo village in Catubig town. According to 20th IB commander Lt. Col. Joemar Buban, soldiers were deployed to carry out the mobile community support and sustainment program operations in the village when they encountered remnants of the Front Committee-15, sub-regional committee, Eastern Visayas regional party committee. “They were known for their involvement in intimidating, making grave threats, and extorting from the local populace and small businesses in Northern Samar communities,” Buban said in a statement. After the brief clash, the rebels retreated, leaving behind their slain comrade and war materials, including four backpacks, two hammocks, one 30-round magazine assembly, an M203 empty shell, ammunition, slippers, a cauldron, a water container, a pair of rainboots, and subversive documents. There are about 10 army battalions assigned in Samar province as the government heightened its fight against communist insurgents. Only two NPA guerilla fronts in Samar Island remain in existence after the dismantling of one front and the weakening of another early this year. The post Northern Samar insurgent dies in clash appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Loch Ness hunt biggest in decades
DRUMNADROCHIT, United Kingdom (AFP) — The biggest search for the Loch Ness Monster in five decades takes place in the Scottish Highlands Saturday, as researchers and enthusiasts from around the world meet to try to track down the elusive Nessie. The expedition will deploy drones with thermal scanners, boats with infrared cameras and an underwater hydrophone to try to unravel a mystery that has captivated the world for generations. “It’s always been our goal to record, study and analyse all manner of natural behavior and phenomena that may be more challenging to explain,” said Alan McKenna, of co-organizers Loch Ness Exploration. The searchers believe the thermal scanners could prove crucial in identifying any strange anomalies in the murky depths. The hydrophone will allow the searchers to listen for unusual Nessie-like underwater calls. Stretching 23 miles and with a maximum depth of 788 feet, the freshwater loch is the UK’s largest lake by volume. Reports of an aquatic monster lurking in Loch Ness date back to ancient times, with stone carvings in the area depicting a mysterious beast with flippers. The earliest written record of the creature dates back to AD 565 in a biography of the Irish monk, Saint Columba. According to the text, the monster attacked a swimmer and was about to strike again when Columba commanded it to retreat. More recently, in May 1933, the local Inverness Courier newspaper reported a couple driving along a newly constructed lochside road seeing “a tremendous upheaval” in the water. “There, the creature disported itself, rolling and plunging for fully a minute, its body resembling that of a whale, and the water cascading and churning like a simmering cauldron,” the report said. In December that year, British newspaper the Daily Mail recruited a South African big game hunter, Marmaduke Wetherell, to locate the sea serpent. Wetherell found large footprints that he believed belonged to “a very powerful soft-footed animal about 20 feet long.” But zoologists at London’s Natural History Museum determined that the tracks were made with an umbrella stand or ashtray that had a hippopotamus leg as a base. In 1934, English physician Robert Wilson captured what came to be known as the “Surgeon’s Photograph,” seemingly depicting Nessie’s head and elongated neck emerging from the water. The photo, published in the Daily Mail, was later revealed to be part of a hoax, catapulted the Loch Ness Monster into international fame. There are now more than 1,100 officially recorded Nessie sightings, according to The Loch Ness Center in Drumnadrochit, near Inverness. The monster brings in millions of pounds in tourism revenue to the Scottish economy each year. Over the years, scientists and amateur enthusiasts have tried to find evidence of a large fish such as a sturgeon living in the depths of the loch. Some have suggested the monster could be a prehistoric marine reptile like a plesiosaur. In 1972, the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau undertook the biggest search to date but returned empty-handed. In 1987, Operation Deepscan deployed sonar equipment across the width of the loch and claimed to have found an “unidentified object of unusual size and strength.” In 2018, researchers conducted a DNA survey of Loch Ness to determine what organisms live in the waters. No signs of a plesiosaur or other such large animal were found, though the results indicated the presence of numerous eels. “The weekend gives an opportunity to search the waters in a way that has never been done before, and we can’t wait to see what we find,” said Paul Nixon, the general manager of the Loch Ness Center. The post Loch Ness hunt biggest in decades appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sustainable national sports program sought
Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro called for a sustainable national sports program to help young Filipino athletes achieve their full potential as he kicked off the opening ceremony of the 2023 Palarong Pambansa. “We want a sustainable national sports program for the Filipino youth,” Teodoro said. “We want to provide them with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed in sports and in life.” The mayor said that heavy rains in the past few days did not dampen the spirits of the delegates to the Palaro. They even braved the downpour during the grand parade. “Despite the heavy rains in the past few days, like the tests in our country, we are still here full of hope, have strengths, for a prosperous and stable country,” Teodoro said. The Palarong Pambansa is the country’s largest youth sporting event. This year’s games are being held in Marikina City from 1 to 5 August. Along with Teodoro, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte also graced the opening at the Marikina Sports Center. The Palarong Pambansa 2023 is anchored by the theme: “Batang Malakas, Bansang Matatag.” The opening ceremony commenced with a parade of student-athletes, starting from the Marikina River Park to the Marikina Sports Center. During the parade, the delegates were accompanied by marching bands and Marikina students who performed the regional dances of each delegation. Giving additional spectacle to the festive event was the dragon boat exhibition at the Marikina River organized by the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragon boat Federation. After all delegates converged at the MSC, the program proper kicked off with the Oath of Sportsmanship led by volleyball star Alyssa Valdez followed by the Oath of Officiating Officials led by Jonathan Oscar Jimenez, boxing tournament director. Volleyball player Bea de Leon, and basketball player Mark Barroca led the lighting of the Palaro Friendship Cauldron, together with the team captains representing the 17 participating regions in this year’s national games. Some Metro Manila mayors, provincial mayors, governors, members of House Representatives, and other national government officials graced the opening to show their full support to the student-athletes and to the City of Marikina. The post Sustainable national sports program sought appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China still intractable
On the seventh anniversary of the Philippines’ historic 12 July 2016 arbitration victory in which the Permanent Court of Arbitration or PCA in The Hague that voided China’s sweeping claims, including over the West Philippine Sea which covers the exclusive economic zone stretching 200 nautical miles from Philippine shores, the words of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. strike an uplifting chord in the hearts of all patriotic Filipinos. “I will not preside over any process that will abandon even one square inch of territory of the Republic of the Philippines to any foreign power,” he said with conviction to thunderous applause as he stood before members of Congress in joint session for his first SONA on 25 July 2022. The words of the President serve as the title to the microsite recently launched by the Department of Foreign Affairs, which marks the seventh year of Manila’s victory against China at the PCA. That victory, the DFA said on the site, “authoritatively ruled that the claim of historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash’ line had no basis in law and is without any legal effect.” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo describes the site as a central resource of information regarding the award and its contribution to the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS and international law. China, ironically, was among the first to ratify UNCLOS in 1992. Said Manalo, “Anniversaries remind us of the trajectory we have taken as a nation and as a people. In the decision (by the Philippine government, under then President Benigno C. Aquino III) to file an arbitration case, the Philippines opted to take the path of principle, the rule of law, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. The Tribunal’s decision affirmed the correctness of that course of action.” It took three years from the Philippines’ filing of its case against China until 12 July 2016 for the PCA to issue its ruling that crushed China’s claims over the SCS, including its nine-dash line, denouncing the encroachment in and harassment by armed Chinese maritime elements of Filipino fishermen in the WPS. China has long argued that its claim over the South China Sea is historical in nature, with Chinese scholars and analysts contending that islands in the South China Sea were first discovered by China’s Han dynasty over two millennia ago. In his book Asia’s Cauldron, US scholar and strategist Robert D. Kaplan says that between the 10th and 14th centuries, during the Song and Yuan dynasties, many official and unofficial Chinese accounts show the South China Sea to be within China’s national boundaries. He, however, argued that this “historical rights” argument has been challenged on several fronts. First, there is scant proof that China had controlled the South China Sea after the mid-17th century. “Indeed, after a burst of seafaring exploration during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), China’s emperors largely shut their empire off from the seas,” said Chinese marine geographer Wang Ying who contends that, consequently, there is scarce cartographic proof of China’s rights over the SCS. While the nine-dash line concept has been around since 1947, Chinese maps — for the longest time — hardly gave it any prominence. This changed in 2009 when a map marking the nine-dash line was included in the documents submitted by China to the UN during a dispute with Vietnam. Today, Chinese passports are emblazoned with a map with nine dashes through the South China Sea as well as a 10th dash that counts Taiwan as part of Chinese territory. Still, there exists vagueness over what China’s nine-dash line implies. Wang says the dash lines mean that “the ocean, islands, and reefs all belong to China and that China has sovereign right over them. But it’s discontinuous, meaning other countries can pass through the lines freely.” Notwithstanding the ambiguities over its nine-dash line concept and the quashing by the PCA of its claim over the SCS, China, to this day, refuses to recognize the 2016 arbitral ruling even as nations, including the US, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia, and the European Union have expressed strong support for the landmark decision that recognized Philippine sovereign rights over its EEZ in the WPS. For the US, the 2016 ruling of the tribunal constituted under UNCLOS is “final and legally binding.” The EU called the ruling a “significant milestone” and a “useful basis for the peaceful resolution of disputes…” even as Canadian Ambassador David Hartman said, “We have always been strong in our position; we have been an active vocal proponent on the enforcement of it, encouraging all parties involved to respect the ruling.” Speaking for President Marcos, DFA Secretary Manalo welcomed “the growing number of partners that have expressed support for the Award. We are honored that the Award stands as a beacon whose guiding light serves all nations. It is a settled landmark and a definitive contribution to the progressive development of international law. It is ours, as much as it is the world’s.” A world, that is, that an obdurate China doesn’t seem to want to be part of nor care for unless it can be bent to its will. 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Indonesia volcano draws thousands for ritual sacrifice
Thousands of Hindu worshippers scaled an active Indonesian volcano on Monday to toss livestock, food and other offerings into its smoking crater in a centuries-old religious ceremony. Swarming the thin rim around the basin of Mount Bromo, devotees heaved goats, chickens and vegetables slung across their backs up to the dusty peak as part of the Yadnya Kasada festival. Every year Tengger tribe members from surrounding highlands gather at the top of the volcano -- famed for its stunning sunrise views -- in hope of pleasing their gods and bringing luck to the Tenggerese, an Indigenous group in eastern Java. Slamet, a 40-year-old farmer who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, brought a baby cow as an offering. "We have a lot of cows back home and this one can be considered excess, so we are bringing it here... to return it back to God," he told AFP. "This is also an act of gratitude to God for giving us prosperity... We return it back to God so we can come back here next year." The calf had a lucky escape as it was handed to a villager after Slamet's prayers instead of being sacrificed to the volcanic cauldron. Some villagers who do not belong to the Tengger tribe took to the crater's steep slopes equipped with nets in an attempt to intercept offerings thrown into the abyss and avoid them going to waste. Farmer Joko Priyanto brought some of his own produce in the form of cabbages and carrots to lob down into the smoky void. "I hope I will receive a reward from the almighty God," the 36-year-old said. 'Better income' Monday's ritual was the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that authorities had allowed tourists to the site after the festival was limited to worshippers last year. The event has its roots in 15th-century folklore from the Majapahit kingdom, a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist empire that stretched across Southeast Asia. Legend has it that Princess Roro Anteng and her husband, unable to bear children after years of marriage, begged the gods for help. Their prayers were answered when they were promised 25 children, as long as they agreed to sacrifice their youngest child by throwing him into Mount Bromo. Their son is said to have willingly jumped into the volcano to guarantee the prosperity of the Tengger people. For shopkeeper Rohim, who travelled from a nearby Javan city on Monday to launch potatoes, leeks and cash into the lava, it was a chance to pray for good luck. He said his fortunes had improved following previous visits. "Business has been better than before, hence my coming here," the 32-year-old said. "I'm hoping my business can improve so next year I can come back." The post Indonesia volcano draws thousands for ritual sacrifice appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
South China Sea: Asia’s Cauldron
First came the Philippine expansion of EDCA allowing US presence in nine Philippine military bases......»»
Naomi Osaka just had her greatest athletic achievement
Osaka, the first tennis player to have lit the Olympic cauldron in the history of the Games, spoke about the experience on social media shortly after......»»
DBP kaladkad sa P9.5B SEA Games scandal
Hiniling ni Senadora Risa Hontiveros sa Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) na ilabas ang dokumentasyon kaugnay ng P9.5 bilyon loan na ini-release sa pagtatayo ng pasilidad na ginamit sa 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games kabilang ang kontrobersyal na ‘cauldron’ o tinaguriang kaldero. The post DBP kaladkad sa P9.5B SEA Games scandal first appeared on Abante......»»
Barbarian at Miagos
Nobody owns the sweet river waters its flows can't be damned nor sold nobody steals our fiery cauldron: boils legal conceits grammar wrong. The post Barbarian at Miagos appeared first on Bulatlat......»»