Facebook removes over 150 fake accounts running from China
California [US], September 23 (ANI): Facebook on Tuesday said that it has shut down over 150 fake accounts that were being run from China, including accounts posting about November's US presidential e.....»»
‘Palestinian children should be killed’
No, that heartless advice did not come from a mentally deranged man or an ordinary man on the street. It came from a top Filipino diplomat who has worn many hats in government. He is in fact a lawyer, journalist, former Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador to the United Nations, Press Secretary, Congressman, and presently Philippine Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s (United Kingdom) and concurrently Special Envoy to China for special concerns. In my book, those bona fides could easily qualify him as a revered Filipino statesman — but for his indiscretion, uncouth words, and disrespect for the feelings of others. I refer, dear readers, to Teodoro Lopez Locsin Jr. I have to emphasize the descriptive word “Jr.” because, from accounts I have read, he is far different from his namesake, Teodoro Locsin Sr., who fought the Japanese and the dictatorial regime of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., a fearless publisher of the news magazine Philippines Free Press for which he was imprisoned during the Marcos martial law regime. Did the “apple fall far from the tree?” In his Twitter account, Locsin Jr. said: “That’s why Palestinian children should be killed: they might grow up to become as gullible as innocent Palestinians letting Hamas launch rockets at Israel ...They are Muslims...” In the diplomatic community, we call that a faux pas. Perhaps realizing the callousness of his gaffe, he immediately deleted the tweet with the following lame expression of mea culpa: “I immediately deleted my sarcastic response to a tweet as I realized it could be misconstrued ...My apologies to those who did misconstrue my sentiments and did, in fact, get triggered...” That statement did not wash away the disastrous effect of his slip. If one reads between the lines, they were subtle words to camouflage the booboo, not a real entreaty for clemency. His admission of his mistake, though, may work to mitigate the imprudence. Remarkably, the Department of Foreign Affairs, anticipating its far-reaching negative effect, disassociated itself from the statement, saying it was made in Locsin’s “personal capacity.” I wanted to distance this column from the ensuing uproar. But being the de facto medium for Filipino Muslims’ concerns and sentiments on political and social issues, it cannot default from its moral responsibility. I was afraid that repeating the obnoxious remark might gain traction — and psychologists warn about the “repetition-induced truth effect.” I did not want to dignify it. After all, he had shown remorse and apologized for the impropriety of his words, and, as a sage says, “There is no need to beat a dead horse.” But the storm of controversy has spread like wildfire in Morolandia that I have to add my voice of indignation. Silence amid the din of protest is a sin. I have not seen in a long time such a display of revulsion and rage from the Moros, reminiscent of the time foreign invaders came to their shores and, for 300 years, the Moros dug in, resisted, and repelled the hegemonistic colonization campaign. Muslim netizens promptly denounced the statement as xenophobic, insensitive, and unbecoming of a diplomat. Their protest and outcry reverberated from the halls of the Houses of Congress, the Regional Parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to the cramped temporary shanties of the Marawi war evacuees and the shores of the Sulu seas. For a single moment in their lives, the tribes of Morolandia set aside their tribal identities. They spoke in one thunderous voice, calling for a sanction for what they perceived was the misconduct of a diplomat who, to preserve his honor, must perform a Japanese seppuku or self-sacrifice by resigning from his post. Articulating the collective position of the Deputies of the BARMM interim Regional Parliament, Speaker Pangalian Balindong issued a public statement rich in a poignant message condemning the “insensitive and irresponsible social media post ...for its Islamophobic, racist, and anti-Semitic undertones.” (To be continued) amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com The post ‘Palestinian children should be killed’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Gaza genocide may trigger nuke war
The genocide by Israel in Gaza is ongoing: 1. An Israeli ground assault that would duplicate and surpass the viciousness of the Hamas ground assault in terms of the number of casualties, a ten-eyes-for-an-eye biblical vendetta; 2. Intensifying random airstrikes killing civilians and 3. The deadliest — a food, water, and electricity blockade leading to genocide — if not stopped. Only about 700,000 have evacuated Gaza. The rest of the 400,000 have nowhere to go. They will be the victims of genocide by slow starvation. Sending two aircraft carriers with troops to the war region and promising total support during his recent visit to Israel, U.S. President Biden failed to stop Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from continuing the genocide. In the eyes of the entire Arab and Persian worlds, both conservatives and radicals, this was tantamount to the U.S. being part of the crime. Instantly, the Arabs unilaterally boycotted a scheduled U.S.-Arab summit. Biden was left talking only to the Israelis in his Middle East tour. The U.S. is now geopolitically isolated in the entire Middle East. Rocket attacks on U.S. bases immediately ensued — two in Saudi Arabia and one in Syria. Also, Iran and Saudi Arabia, historically arch enemies, are now talking to each other. The genocide may unite all Islamic splinters into one scary solid mass. Now, the U.S. is as much a target of Islamic anger as the Israelis. It was a knee-jerk diplomatic blunder by Biden, who could have played more of a referee by openly warning Israel to stop the genocide. Now, the U.S. is part of that genocide, the critical ingredient to a possible nuclear war. As the reality of genocide emerges, it is inevitable for Iran and the Arabs to make a vicious response. There are protests in Israel against Netanyahu’s war moves, but the peacemakers are overwhelmed by the screams of the bloodthirsty. The genocide is virtually unstoppable. The Arab-Iran response may trigger a nuclear war if Israel is “cornered.” The U.S. will use its carriers to attack Iran. These carriers can quickly be taken out by a massive rain of Iranian hypersonic missiles from underground silos if these missiles are long-range enough to reach the carriers, which they will not hesitate to use in the name of survival. Existential survival is the catalyst to a nuclear holocaust. Once Iran is “cornered” by a U.S. counter-response, Russia will come into the picture, completing the elements for a full-blown proxy war beyond imagination. Russia will never permit Iran to fall into the hands of the U.S. The fall of Iran will mean the fall of Russia. The Russian response may be nuclear. China may now take the opportunity to launch the Taiwan war to weaken the U.S. in a “war on two fronts.” Many may think this scenario is an exaggeration. But this may be a valid warning if you put it side by side with the prophecies of Fatima, Medjugorje, and the Book of Revelation. There is total fear of a nuclear holocaust among the big powers — U.S.-NATO, Russia, China, and even lesser nuclear-capable nations such as Iran and India — which has been a deterrent to a nuclear war. But these prophecies may become a reality once fear evolves into anger or survival. There are violent street protests worldwide, especially in EU and U.S. cities, for and against Israel. Nations are uniting for or against Israel, a seeming new biblical event. This ongoing rapid intensifying polarization is the preview to World War III, as it was for World Wars I and II. But this new one is ten-fold in size. The Lord saved the Chosen People from their enemies in Old Testament accounts. But He punished them for turning away from Him, as in the Babylonian exile. Now, we do not know what the Lord has in store for Israel — salvation or punishment. If it is punishment, Israel may bring the entire human race down with it. Pope Francis is in a panic, launching global prayer campaigns, because he has an insight into the looming hand of God in the expanding war in the Middle East. His move in telling humanity to pray, pray, pray, and return to the Lord’s fold may be the only option. It may take the Hand of God to bring peace if prayers and a change of heart somehow appease His wrath. eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post Gaza genocide may trigger nuke war appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China bolsters ‘patriotic education’ with new law
China has adopted a new law strengthening so-called patriotic education, state media said, the latest step in President Xi Jinping's drive to reassert the Communist Party's ideology in the country's classrooms. A crackdown on the highly lucrative world of for-profit private tutoring in 2021 was also seen as part of efforts to reassert ruling party control over the education system. The moves banned tutoring firms from hiring overseas teachers, with critics saying it was cutting off Chinese children from outside influences. The new law, which comes into effect on January 1 and was approved on Tuesday, will "strengthen patriotic education in the new era" and seek to impart a "patriotic spirit" in China's youth, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. A Xinhua commentary hailing the law's adoption by Beijing's top lawmaking body said that education had been "facing challenges" recently. "Some people are at a loss about what is patriotism," the commentary read. It attacked "the influences of some social thoughts, such as historical nihilism" -- a term often employed by Beijing's leadership to condemn accounts that run contrary to official rhetoric about the party. The law contains provisions already included in other legislation, the commentary said, including those banning "insulting the national flag and distorting or denying heroes' deeds and spirit". Zhao Leji, China's top lawmaker, said the law would help the country in "forging a mighty force" to build a "strong" nation, Xinhua reported. Education has long been used by the Communist Party to boost its legitimacy in the eyes of China's 1.4 billion people. Much of its narrative centers on its role in conquering absolute poverty and asserting China's position in a hostile international climate. But conspicuously absent are detailed discussions of the party's role in instigating China's bloody Cultural Revolution and Great Famine, in which millions died. The post China bolsters ‘patriotic education’ with new law appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
2 Koreans wanted for telecom, wire fraud arrested
Two fugitives were captured by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) after being sought by South Korea and the US for their involvement in fraud-related operations. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco confirmed the arrests of the two South Korean fugitives, who were identified as Kwon Junyoung, 38, and Seok Jongmin, 48. The two were arrested last Saturday in Brgy. Cuayan, Angeles City, Pampanga, by the BI Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) operatives. Tansingco said that the operation was conducted in collaboration with the South Korean authorities, government intelligence groups, and the Angeles City Police Station. According to the South Korean authorities, Kwon is wanted for telecommunications fraud in South Korea, while Seok is wanted in Texas for engaging in wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. The BI chief said that as the BI board of commissioners has already issued summary deportation orders against them, soon they will be deported to face the crime they committed. Tansingco added that their names were also placed on the bureau’s blacklist of undesirable aliens, so they are now banned from re-entering the Philippines, the BI chief added. According to information obtained from Interpol's National Central Bureau (NCB) in Manila, the Suwon District Court in Korea issued an arrest order for Kwon on 12 December 2019. Authorities claimed that Kwon was part of a telecom fraud syndicate operating in Dalian, China, that used voice phishing to call random victims. Based on reports, the callers impersonated investigators from the Seoul Central Prosecutor's Office in order to harass the victims and trick them into transferring money to the syndicate's accounts. In contrast, the NCB revealed that Seok is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the US district court in Western Texas. He is accused of conspiring to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, conspiring to commit money laundering, and three counts of aggravated identity theft. Seok is accused of working with other suspects to gain access to the websites of the US Departments of Defence and Veterans Affairs using thousands of US military veterans' stolen personal identification information (PII), depriving the victims of their benefits. The BI-FSU also reported that Seok was arrested after posting bail at the Angeles City regional trial court, where he was charged with robbery and extortion, and will be transferred to the BI’s facility in Bicutan, Taguig. While Kwon will remain in the custody of the Angeles City police due to his ongoing local case, he will continue to be under the BI’s legal custody for deportation proceedings. The post 2 Koreans wanted for telecom, wire fraud arrested appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tanduay optimistic about entry into competitive Taiwan rum market
Tanduay has a positive outlook about its entry into Taiwan amid stiff competition from other rum brands. “Based on early reviews, we think that the brand will perform well since the Taiwanese market already has a sophisticated taste and is very accepting of brands that offer them something new and unique,” said Marc Ngo, Tanduay International Business Development manager and senior brand manager. He compared the Taiwanese rum market to that of Singapore where people are willing to spend on quality spirits and cocktails. In entering Taiwan, Tanduay partnered with the distributor, Mr. Mixer, Ltd., one of the leading spirits and other liquor distributors in the country. “They believe in the brands and they share our passion for bringing our world-class rums to the Taiwan market,” Ngo said. Mr. Mixer, Ltd recently held a grand launch of Tanduay at Driftwood Bar in Ximending District and invited Taiwan’s premier mixologists Mars Chang and the members of “To Infinity and Beyond Team”, the 2021 World Class competition Taiwan champions, to showcase their outstanding mixology skills as they infused Tanduay rums into unique signature cocktails. Seven world-class rums Tanduay is making its award-winning and best-selling rums available in Taiwan. These include the Tanduay Asian Rum Gold, Tanduay Asian Rum Silver, Tanduay Double Rum, Boracay Rum Coconut, Boracay Rum Cappuccino, Tanduay Dark and Tanduay White. Ngo said they are currently focused on opening and partnering with on-trade accounts to feature their brands and for consumers to try. “At the same time, we are having discussions with big chain accounts for them to carry Tanduay rums in their stores. We are also planning to join the Tainan Cocktail Event on 20-21 October to feature our brands more to local consumers,” he said. The brand’s international business has been on a steady growth trajectory in recent years. Taiwan is the 19th country where Tanduay rums are being sold. In Asia, it is already available in China, Singapore, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In Europe it is being distributed in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Austria, Poland, Georgia, Armenia and the Czech Republic. It is also available in the United States and Canada in Northern America and Costa Rica in Central America. Apart from its increasing global footprint, Tanduay has received numerous accolades from international competitions, such as the World’s Number 1 Rum recognition from Drinks International Magazine for six consecutive years, and Brand of the Year from the World Branding Awards. Not one to rest on its laurels, Tanduay is eyeing further international expansion in the coming months. The post Tanduay optimistic about entry into competitive Taiwan rum market appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Exacting accountability for reef damage
Something is revolting about the recent discovery of massive reef damage at two shoals within the West Philippine Sea. Underwater surveys by a special covert mission conducted by the Philippine Coast Guard recently showed “crushed corals,” suggesting deliberate artificial alterations of the underwater terrain. The Escoda and Rozul Reefs, located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone or EEZ, have recently become a focal point of international concern due to allegations of deliberate reef damage. These allegations have raised questions about the responsibility of China’s militia ships for the harm caused to these vital marine ecosystems. The two reefs in the West Philippine Sea are rich in marine biodiversity and essential for ecological and economic reasons. They provide a habitat for numerous species of fish and coral, support local fisheries, and contribute to the region’s food security. Moreover, they play a vital role in global climate regulation, acting as carbon sinks and protecting coastlines from storms and erosion. Allegations of deliberate reef damage at Escoda and Rozul Reefs have emerged recently, pointing to China’s militia ships as the culprits. Several incidents have been reported, including the anchoring of Chinese vessels on the reefs, the use of destructive fishing methods, and the construction of permanent structures, such as military outposts. These actions have had detrimental effects on the delicate marine ecosystem of the area. Evidence supporting these allegations includes satellite imagery, eyewitness accounts, and reports from environmental organizations and the Philippine government. Satellite imagery has shown Chinese ships in the vicinity of Escoda and Rozul Reefs for extended periods, and their activities align with the reported reef damage. Eyewitness accounts by local fishermen and Philippine authorities further corroborate these claims. China’s militia ships have been the subject of international scrutiny in recent years. These vessels are often described as a paramilitary force operating under the Chinese government’s direction. They are typically civilian vessels but can be armed and used for various maritime activities, including asserting territorial claims. In the case of Escoda and Rozul Reefs, it is alleged that these militia ships are being used to advance China’s territorial ambitions while causing harm to the marine environment. Among the key factors, however, that should be considered in exacting accountability for the destruction of these reefs is the legal framework wherein the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS provides guidelines for the use of marine resources within EEZs. States are obligated to protect and preserve the marine environment within their EEZs. If it can be proven that China’s militia ships were involved in deliberate reef damage, then they would be in violation of UNCLOS. Diplomacy could also be pursued to address the issue. The Philippines has brought the matter to international attention and should engage in diplomatic negotiations with China to resolve the dispute peacefully. It is likewise crucial to assess the environmental consequences of the alleged damage and determine the extent of the harm caused. It is essential to recognize, too, that the alleged deliberate reef damage at Escoda and Rozul is taking place in the context of broader geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea. Disputes over territorial claims, fishing rights, and resource exploitation have strained relations between China and neighboring countries, including the Philippines. These tensions complicate efforts to address the issue of reef damage and may influence how accountability is pursued. Accountability for this damage, therefore, should be pursued through international legal frameworks and diplomatic channels while considering the broader geopolitical context in the South China Sea. Ultimately, the protection and preservation of Escoda and Rozul Reefs are essential for the Philippines and the entire global community, as they are integral to our oceans’ health and future generations’ well-being. E-mail: mannyangeles27@gmail.com The post Exacting accountability for reef damage appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
More rice, please
The distribution of confiscated rice to approximately 5,000 underprivileged beneficiaries in the Zamboanga Peninsula on Tuesday, led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian, marked a significant step forward. The 5,000 bags of Jasmine rice, which accounts for approximately 11.8 percent of the total 42,180 bags of imported rice valued at P42 million confiscated by the Bureau of Customs-Port of Zamboanga in a raid on a warehouse in Barangay San Jose Gusu, Zamboanga City on 19 May, effectively addressed the immediate food requirements of some of the most impoverished beneficiaries residing in the municipalities of Tungawan, Sibuco and Zamboanga City. More indigents in the province struggling with food insecurity and lacking access to nutritious meals await the distribution of the remaining 37,180 bags. They, too, want to be assured of sustenance during times of hardship. A matter of concern, however, is the possibility that unscrupulous government officials may repurpose confiscated smuggled rice for their personal gain, instead of utilizing it for the intended public welfare. Over the weeks since August, a total of P940 million worth of smuggled rice was seized by authorities. In three warehouses in Bulacan, P500 million worth of smuggled rice was found. This was not confiscated though. The warehouses were just padlocked, and we are in the dark if charges were filed against the owners. An estimated P40 million worth of smuggled rice from Vietnam, Thailand, and China was seized in Bacoor, Cavite, and Pulang Lupa, Las Piñas, on 14 September. On 18 September, government agents raided warehouses in Tondo, Manila, where P400 million worth of suspected smuggled rice and other imported products were found. Confiscating smuggled goods, such as rice, should allow the government to tackle the illicit trade while ensuring fairness in the distribution of the seized items. We ought to exempt our country from the roster of developing nations because it is where the poor bear a disproportionate burden due to smuggling activities, making it imperative to prioritize their welfare over the interests of greedy traders in cahoots with corrupt officials. By ensuring a fair distribution of nearly a billion pesos worth of confiscated smuggled rice, the national government reduces the demand for illegal markets, discourages ongoing smuggling activities, and encourages legal channels for food distribution. Rather than going uneaten inside sealed warehouses or having them destroyed, distributing them prevents waste and maximizes their value for the benefit of those in need. While distributing them can address immediate food needs, it should only be part of a broader strategy to address poverty, promote sustainable livelihoods, and improve access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities for disadvantaged populations. In bridging the gap between the haves and have-nots, ensuring that even the most vulnerable members of society have access to basic necessities has taken off in Zamboanga. We keep our right fingers crossed that the distribution of hundreds of thousands of 25-kilo bags of smuggled rice reaches the tables of underprivileged Filipinos to signal genuine public goodwill and trust in authorities. On the left hand, we do the same thing that the government prioritizes efforts to identify and hold corrupt officials involved in smuggling accountable, ensuring that they do not benefit from the distribution of seized rice. The post More rice, please appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Israeli PM Netanyahu urges Musk to fight anti-Semitism
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday urged Elon Musk to fight anti-Semitism on his X platform as he sat down with the tech tycoon to discuss artificial intelligence. The conversation, which was broadcast on Musk's X platform (formerly Twitter), came as the Tesla tycoon is mired in row with the Anti-Defamation League, a US-based Jewish organization. Musk has accused the ADL of making unfounded accusations of anti-Semitism that have scared away advertisers and hurt his company's revenue, and has threatened to sue for billions of dollars. The ADL has for years accused the social media site of amplifying anti-Semitic hate speech, and has charged that problematic and racist speech has risen sharply on X after Musk completed his $44 billion takeover in October. "I know your commitment to free speech," Netanyahu told Musk, who has branded himself a free speech absolutist and welcomed back tens of thousands of banned accounts to the platform when he took over. "I respect that because it's foundational to democracies, but I also know your opposition to anti-Semitism..." the prime minister said. "I hope you find within the confines of the First Amendment, the ability to stop not only anti-Semitism, or rolling it back as best you can, but any collective hatred of people that anti-Semitism represents," Netanyahu said. Musk said while his website couldn't stop all hate speech before it was posted, he was "generally against attacking any group, no matter who it is." "I'm in favor of that which furthers civilization and which ultimately leads us to become a space-faring civilization, and where we understand the nature of the universe," Musk said. "We can't do that if there's a lot of infighting and then hatred and negativity," he added. 'Blessing and curse' The main topic of the conversation was the potential fallout from AI. "I think in many ways, we stand today at a juncture for all humanity, where we have to choose between a blessing and a curse," Netanyahu told Musk. Musk, who founded his own AI company this year, said he was optimistic that international powers would see the wisdom of setting common rules for AI in order to avoid any catastrophic outcomes that would affect humanity. "Every sport has a referee of one kind or another so that's the rationale for AI safety," Musk argued, saying a repeat of a nuclear arms race on AI was unwise. Musk said he recently warned senior officials in China that if AI "is sufficiently powerful, and care is not taken, that digital super intelligence could be in charge of China, instead of the CCP (the Chinese Communist Party)." "The CCP prefers to be in charge" and took action on regulation, he added. The post Israeli PM Netanyahu urges Musk to fight anti-Semitism appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sovereign shame
The government should recognize the possibility that Chinese workers in the country are committing espionage amid the escalating territorial friction in the West Philippine Sea. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro raised the alarm, saying employees of mainly Chinese state firms may be engaged in potential “covert economic and information activities,” including propaganda operations, to sway public opinion in favor of the mainland. Among the workers on the watchlist are “the ones hired by Beijing’s state-run enterprises involved in public infrastructure projects,” according to Teodoro. The Department of National Defense said it is looking into clandestine dealings “happening in the background.” “It’s the activities that we cannot see… that’s what alarms us,” the defense chief said. “The best way to weaken a country, rather than by an overt warlike function or disruption of [its] facilities, is really to take control of [its] internal economy, internal processes, and the like,” Teodoro pointed out. The records of Chinese migrants in the country are inadequate based on previous Senate hearings. No government agency was able to provide the Senate, for instance, with an accurate number of illegal Chinese workers, indicating that they are not being monitored. Labor agencies have also failed to keep track of how many foreign workers are in jobs that, by mandate of the Constitution, should be for Filipinos only. Under the law, foreigners are only allowed to work in jobs that require highly specialized skills and where no Filipinos are deemed competent to do them. During the Senate probe, it was also discovered that as many as 119,000 Chinese nationals who came to the country as tourists are now residents and have jobs in violation of labor regulations. Chinese tourists, through some “gainful” means, were able to obtain special work permits from the Bureau of Immigration. They now work in very diverse areas such as Metro Manila, Clark, Subic, Cagayan and Cagayan de Oro. In one of the inquiries, a Department of Labor and Employment official explained that the special permits were issued without the need for an Alien Employment Permit, or AEP, because the nature of the employment was temporary, lasting from three to six months. The loose process, thus, has allowed foreign workers to enter the country practically unbridled. Senators questioned the discrepancy between the AEPs issued and the number of Chinese workers in the country. Independent sources said that as many as 200,000 to 400,000 Chinese workers are in the country. Four different agencies issue different permits that make the situation worse. The biggest insult by China is that its propaganda work against the Philippines and other opponents in the territorial conflicts is done in this country. Facebook recently removed two networks of fake accounts that were spreading government propaganda, one originating in China and the other in the Philippines. Taken down were 155 Facebook accounts, 11 pages, nine groups and seven Instagram accounts traced to China, and 57 accounts, 31 pages and 20 Instagram accounts based in the Philippines. Such operations breach Facebook’s rules against “coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign or government entity.” The Chinese network used faces created through an AI technique known as GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks). Facebook was able to trace the origins of the accounts because of their visual signatures. “This form of AI is readily available online, and its use (or abuse) by covert operations has exploded in the last year,” according to a report on the social media platform. Identified were a dozen GAN-generated images from the Chinese propaganda operation. Teodoro, who has access to a wealth of information, in revealing the supposed operations being conducted by the Chinese in the country’s backyard, virtually confirmed the problem has reached alarming proportions. It would be easy for the government to keep track of foreign workers if only the appropriate agencies would resist the seduction of human smuggling. In accepting bribes to let the aliens skirt the law, these officials and functionaries have placed our national security at risk. The post Sovereign shame 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......»»
Super app needs infra, info drive
Government should speed up the construction of digital infrastructure and the implementation of cyber education among Filipinos to make the use of the mobile super app for government services and information called eGov PH. Philippine Coalition for Consumer Welfare Inc., or PCCWI, chairman and founder Ricardo Samaniego said the mobile internet speed in the country remains slow, offsetting the desired benefits of easier and faster government transactions for the majority of Filipinos. “Our number one and persistent problem is still connectivity, especially among prepaid subscribers which accounts for 88.9 percent of mobile users,” he said in a Viber message to the Daily Tribune. Citing data from wisevoter.com, Samaniego said the local internet speed of 32.36 megabytes per second, or mbps, is much slower than Singapore’s 300.83 mbps and Hong Kong’s 292.21 mbps. Data from Speedtest Global Index 2022 showed similar results with 25 mbps in the Philippines, also slower than China’s 110 mbps and United Arab Emirates’s 181 mbps. Samaniego added the government must also ensure the Internet is present in more areas by tapping technology experts and investing heavily in digital infrastructure, especially since the Philippines consists of many islands. “It has 18 regions, 81 provinces, 145 cities, 1489 municipalities and 42,029 barangays. It is a great challenge for the government to interconnect them. Implementing IT infrastructure and cybersecurity measures requires investment and expertise,” he said. 24 agencies linked Currently, the app is linked to 24 government agencies, 14 out of 16 cities and municipalities in Metro Manila and over 200 local government units in the provinces. Those not yet connected to the app include the Department of Health, Department of Public Works and Highway, Department of National Defense, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of Budget and Management. To spread information about the availability of the e-Gov app, Samaniego advised the government to conduct cyber education activities across the country. He said this will also help the government obtain feedback to improve the app. The post Super app needs infra, info drive appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Slower Q2 growth as inflation bites
The economy may have slowed further in the second quarter, private economists said, as persistent inflation and higher interest rates continued to affect consumer spending. Forecasts in the survey conducted by Daily Tribune spanned from 5.6 percent to 6.1 percent, yielding a median estimate of 5.9 percent gross domestic product, or GDP, growth from April to June this year. The economy grew by 6.4 percent in the first quarter, the weakest growth rate since the first quarter of 2021, when it contracted by 3.8 percent. This year’s first quarter growth is slower than the 8 percent increase in the same period last year and the 7.1 percent growth in the preceding quarter. The Philippine Statistics Authority is scheduled to report the second quarter GDP growth data on Thursday, 10 August. Security Bank: 6.1% growth Security Bank’s senior assistant vice president and chief economist Robert Dan Roces expects the Philippine economy to grow by 6.1 percent in the second quarter. He added growth may have been driven by the still robust consumer spending and improved exports. “Private investments continued in the second quarter, supporting economic activity, while low government consumption served as a dampener,” Roces said in an emailed commentary. “The downside risks to growth include the risks to sticky inflation, elevated interest rates, and weaker global economic growth,” Roces added. Michael Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., who predicted a 6 percent growth, noted the stronger consumer spending and election-related expenditure amid easing pandemic restrictions, but not without flagging the impact of inflation in the second quarter. He also said that the lower individual income tax rates that went into effect earlier this year might have caused the increase in consumer spending. “Lower individual income tax rates starting January 2023 for most income brackets as part of the TRAIN Law, could lead to increased consumer spending, which accounts for at least 75 percent of the economy, and, in turn, lead to faster economic growth,” Ricafort told Daily Tribune in a Viber Message. China Banking Corp. chief economist Domini Velasquez expects a 5.9 percent GDP growth due to some factors, including higher inflation, which could have offset post-pandemic spending, and lukewarm government spending. “We saw substantial increases in infrastructure spending, but both PS and MOOE growth remained lukewarm,” Velasquez said in a Viber message. “There is a need to hasten government spending in identified agencies lagging behind.” Moving forward, Velasquez expects continued moderation in economic activities as elevated policy rates impact business and household spending. In the third quarter of this year, Velasquez expects the country’s economy to grow to around 5.5 percent and full-year growth to average 5.8 percent, just shy of the government’s 6.0 percent low-end target. In a virtual briefing last 19 July, First Metro Investment Corp. and the University of Asia and the Pacific that the Philippine economic growth likely slowed to 5.6 percent in the second quarter. “I do expect a slowdown in the second quarter to 5.6 percent,” UA&P economist Victor Abola said in the virtual briefing. “It’s really the carryover of inflation to the second quarter; even though it’s lower, people are still a bit more reluctant,” he added. While consumption is expected to slow down in the second quarter, Abola expects a rebound in the second half of the year. The post Slower Q2 growth as inflation bites appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phl economic growth may slow in Q2
The Philippine economy may have slowed further in the second quarter of 2023, private economists said, as persistent inflation and higher interest rates continue to affect consumer spending. Forecasts in the survey conducted by Daily Tribune spanned from 5.6 to 6.1 percent, yielding a median estimate of 5.9 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth from April to June this year. For context, the Philippine economy grew by 6.4 percent in the first quarter, the weakest growth rate since the first quarter of 2021, when it contracted by 3.8 percent. This year's first quarter GDP growth is slower than the 8 percent increase in the same period last year and the 7.1 percent growth in the preceding quarter. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is scheduled to report the second quarter GDP growth data on Thursday, 10 August. Security Bank's Senior Assistant Vice President (SAVP) and Chief Economist Robert Dan Roces, who expects the Philippine economy to grow by 6.1 percent in the second quarter of 2023, said the growth may have been driven by the still robust consumer spending and improved exports. "Private investments continued in the second quarter, supporting economic activity, while low government consumption served as a dampener," Roces said in an emailed commentary. "The downside risks to growth include the risks to sticky inflation, elevated interest rates, and weaker global economic growth," Roces added. Michael Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., who expects a 6.0 percent growth, noted the stronger consumer spending and election-related expenditure amid looser pandemic restrictions, but not without flagging the impact of inflation in the second quarter this year. He also said that the lower individual income tax rates that went into effect earlier this year might have caused the increase in consumer spending. "Lower individual income tax rates starting January 2023 for most income brackets as part of the Train Law, could lead to increased consumer spending, which accounts for at least 75 percent of the economy, and, in turn, lead to faster economic growth," Ricafort told Daily Tribune in a Viber Message. Meanwhile, China Banking Corp. chief economist Domini Velasquez expects a 5.9 percent GDP growth due to some factors, including higher inflation, which could have offset post-pandemic spending, and lukewarm government spending. "We saw substantial increases in infrastructure spending, but both PS and MOOE growth remained lukewarm," Velasquez said in a Viber message. "There is a need to hasten government spending in identified agencies lagging behind." Moving forward, Velasquez expects continued moderation in economic activities as elevated policy rates impact business and household spending. In the third quarter of this year, Velasquez expects the country's economy to grow to around 5.5 percent and full-year growth to average 5.8 percent, just shy of the government's 6.0 percent low-end target. In a virtual briefing last 19 July, First Metro Investment Corp. (FMIC) and the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) that the Philippine economic growth likely slowed to 5.6 percent in the second quarter. "I do expect a slowdown in the second quarter to 5.6 percent," UA&P economist Victor Abola said in the virtual briefing. "It's really the carryover of inflation to the second quarter; even though it's lower, people are still a bit more reluctant," he added. While consumption is expected to slow down in the second quarter, Abola expects a rebound in the second half of the year. The post Phl economic growth may slow in Q2 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China imposes export curbs on critical metals, drones
Chinese controls on exports of two metals critical to making semiconductors came into force on Tuesday, a day after Beijing imposed curbs on the foreign sales of some drones. The Biden administration has in recent months stepped up measures to restrict Chinese companies' access to the most advanced semiconductors. China, which seeks to become self-sufficient in semiconductor design, says those measures are aimed at maintaining US supremacy in the field. From Tuesday, Chinese companies seeking to export gallium or germanium will need to obtain a license, according to a directive from the Ministry of Commerce. Under the new rules, they will also need to provide information on the final recipient and give details about their end use. China accounts for 94 percent of the world's production of gallium -- used in integrated circuits, LEDs and photovoltaic panels -- according to a report by the European Union published this year. For germanium, essential for fiber optics and infrared, China makes up 83 percent of production. The export curbs "send a clear signal that China holds all of the power in this dangerous game", analyst James Kennedy told AFP, calling the curbs "an unambiguous message" to the United States. "If the US chooses further escalation, China's next response will have consequences." For now, he said, China "aims to cause a minimum of damage" to the United States, because their needs in gallium and germanium are "low" and the metals can be acquired elsewhere. The measures come as the Biden administration mulls fresh curbs on Chinese access to high-tech chips, as well as on outbound US investments in China. Drone export ban They also follow curbs by Beijing on the exports of certain types of unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones. As of September 1, exporters will require a license laying out their end use as well as other details before they can be sold overseas. A China commerce ministry spokesperson said the move was not aimed at "any specific country or territory". But they did cite the risk of drones "being converted for military use" in justifying the restrictions. China is a major exporter of drones, with the US-blacklisted DJI representing more than 70 percent of global market share, according to CNBC. The company's drones are reported to have been used extensively by both sides in the war in Ukraine. In April 2022, DJI said it was temporarily suspending business in both Russia and Ukraine while it "internally reassess(ed) compliance requirements". The United States has accused China of mulling arms shipments to support Russia's campaign -- claims Beijing has strongly denied. A US intelligence report last week said Beijing likely supplied Moscow with dual-use civilian-military equipment employed in Ukraine, but noted that it is "difficult to ascertain the extent to which (China) has helped Russia evade and circumvent sanctions and export controls". The post China imposes export curbs on critical metals, drones appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Former Twitter exec says a mercurial Musk rules by ‘gut’
A fired Twitter product manager said Elon Musk ran the company newly renamed X by instinct not data, surrounded by sycophants with his mood changing unpredictably. Esther Crawford, whose picture sleeping in a Twitter office late last year made her a viral sensation, shared her thoughts on Wednesday in a lengthy post at X. "I disagree with many of his decisions and am surprised by his willingness to burn so much down, but with enough money and time, something new and innovative may emerge," Crawford said in the post. Crawford joined Twitter when it bought her startup in 2020, before Musk bought the social media platform for $44 billion. "In person Elon is oddly charming and he's genuinely funny," Crawford said. "The challenge is his personality and demeanor can turn on a dime going from excited to angry." Twitter employees feared being called into meetings with him or having to deliver negative news, according to Crawford. "At times it felt like the inner circle was too zealous and fanatical in their unwavering support of everything he said," Crawford wrote. "Product and business decisions were nearly always the result of him following his gut instinct, and he didn't seem compelled to seek out or rely on a lot of data or expertise to inform it." Musk seemed to trust random feedback and Twitter polls more than employees working to solve problems at the company, according to Crawford. "His boldness, passion and storytelling is inspiring, but his lack of process and empathy is painful." Musk has proven success tackling engineering problems, but a social networking platform requires emotional intelligence, Crawford said. She did not spare the previous management, calling it "bloated" and "soft and entitled" where "teams could spend months building a feature and then some last-minute kerfuffle meant it'd get killed for being too risky." Musk killed off the Twitter logo this week, replacing the world-recognized blue bird with a white X. After buying Twitter, Musk had said that he wanted to create a super-app inspired by China's WeChat, which would function as a social media platform and offer messaging and payments. Since Musk bought Twitter last October, the platform's advertising business has collapsed as marketers soured on Musk's management style and mass firings at the company that gutted content moderation. In response, the billionaire has moved toward building a subscriber base and pay model in a search for new revenue. Many users and advertisers alike have responded adversely to the social media site's new charges for previously free services, its changes to content moderation, and the return of previously banned right-wing accounts. The post Former Twitter exec says a mercurial Musk rules by ‘gut’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Twitter website replaces bird logo with X
Twitter launched its new logo on Monday, replacing the blue bird with a white X on a black background as the Elon Musk-owned company moves toward rebranding as X. The social media network's website showed the company's new logo, but its URL was still showing as twitter.com and the blue "Tweet" button was visible, suggesting the rebrand was not yet finalized. Musk and the company's new chief executive Linda Yaccarino announced the rebranding Sunday, saying the company would be renamed X and move later into payments, banking, and commerce. Founded in 2006, Twitter takes its name from the sound of birds chattering, and it has used avian branding since its early days, when the company bought a stock symbol of a light blue bird for $15, according to the design website Creative Bloq. Musk changed his profile picture late Sunday to the company's new logo, which he described as "minimalist art deco," and updated his Twitter bio to "X.com," which now redirects to twitter.com. He also tweeted that under the site's new identity, a post would be called "an X." Musk had already named Twitter's parent company the X Corporation and has said his takeover of the social media giant was "an accelerant to creating X, the everything app" -- a reference to the X.com company he founded in 1999, a later version of which went on to become online payments giant PayPal. Such an app could still function as a social media platform and also include messaging and mobile payments. Musk had previously said he wanted to create a super-app modeled on China's WeChat, a social media platform that also offers messaging and mobile payments. "You basically live on WeChat in China because it's so usable and helpful to daily life, and I think if we can achieve that, or even get close to that at Twitter, it would be an immense success," he told a company town hall meeting in June last year. The new logo was projected onto the facade of Twitter's San Francisco headquarters on Sunday night. "Powered by AI, X will connect us in ways we're just beginning to imagine," Yaccarino tweeted earlier. Yaccarino, a former advertising sales executive at NBCUniversal who Musk hired last month to be Twitter's CEO, said the social media platform was on the cusp of broadening its scope. "X is the future state of unlimited interactivity – centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking – creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities." Simon Kemp, CEO of digital consultancy Kepios, said he was skeptical that Twitter could evolve into a super-app. "Given how Musk has treated Twitter's own employees since the acquisition, I don't imagine many developers will rush to build third-party apps to integrate into the Twitter ecosystem unless Musk can offer outstanding incentives, and that'll be extra tricky given the company's existing debt." But he also said the platform had the potential to become "a great (global and paid) news aggregator." New revenue streams Since Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion last October, the platform's advertising business has partially collapsed as marketers soured on Musk's management style and mass firings at the company that gutted content moderation. In response, the billionaire SpaceX boss has moved toward introducing payments and commerce through the platform in a search for new revenue. Twitter is thought to have around 200 million daily active users, but it has suffered repeated technical failures since Musk sacked much of its staff. Many users and advertisers alike have responded adversely to the social media site's new charges for previously free services, its changes to content moderation, and the return of previously banned right-wing accounts. Musk said this month that Twitter had lost roughly half of its advertising revenue since he took control. Facebook parent Meta also launched its text-based platform this month, called Threads, which has up to 150 million users according to some estimates. But the amount of time users spend on the rival app has plummeted in the weeks since its launch, according to data from market analysis firm Sensor Tower. The post Twitter website replaces bird logo with X 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. The post China still intractable appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Blinken rallies SE Asia against ‘coercion’ in swipe at China
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed unity Friday with Southeast Asian nations against "coercion", in a thinly veiled reference to Beijing, as host Indonesia warned at talks that the region should not become a proxy for global rivalries. Blinken met foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta at a gathering that also brought the top diplomats of China and Russia, the two main adversaries to the United States. A day after his latest talks with China on managing tensions between the two powers, Blinken made a clear if unstated allusion to concerns shared with many in the region over Beijing. "We share a vision of the Indo-Pacific that is free, open, prosperous, secure, connected and resilient," Blinken told ASEAN foreign ministers, using another term for the Asia region. "That means a region where countries are free to choose their own paths and their own partners, where problems are dealt with openly -- not through coercion," he said. "We must uphold the freedom of navigation in the South and East China Seas and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." Friction has been rising for years between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines, over China's sweeping claims to much of the South China Sea. Maritime incidents have been on the rise and tensions have also soared over Taiwan, the self-governing democracy which Beijing claims and has not ruled out seizing by force. But host Indonesia warned that ASEAN cannot become a proxy, as tensions flare not only between the United States and China but over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "The Indo-Pacific must not be another battleground," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told ministers of the 18-nation East Asia Summit, which includes the United States, China and Russia, as well as Japan, India and Australia. Managing tensions The annual closed-door talks have often been a raucous affair as big powers clash, but the United States and China have been working to prevent disagreements from spiraling out of control. Blinken met Thursday evening for more than an hour and a half with China's foreign policy supremo Wang Yi, less than a month after the top US diplomat paid a rare visit to Beijing. He told Wang that Washington would hold hackers "accountable" after a breach of US government email accounts was blamed on Chinese state-backed actors, a US official said. Wang urged Washington to "work with China in the same direction" to improve ties and stop interfering in China's affairs, according to a statement on Friday by the foreign ministry in Beijing. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong held her own meeting with Wang on Thursday and said she had urged Beijing to "navigate our differences wisely" and provide "transparency" on a controversial policing pact with Solomon Islands. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi also met Friday with Wang, where Tokyo and Beijing traded barbs over the former's plan to discharge treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. US shuns Russia While the United States has sought to increase communication with China, Blinken shunned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It was first time Blinken and Lavrov were in the same room since a Group of 20 meeting in March in New Delhi, where they spoke briefly on the sidelines. US officials say Russia has no real interest in diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine, with Western powers instead ramping up military support to Kyiv. The US approach has caused unease in parts of the developing world, with countries including India and South Africa refusing to rally behind condemnation of Russia. Meeting with ASEAN, Blinken called for a "just and lasting peace to Russia's war of aggression" in Ukraine. In an interview with Indonesian media this week, Lavrov said the war in Ukraine would not end until Western nations gave up their efforts to "defeat" Russia. Pressure on Myanmar ASEAN talks have been dominated by the crisis in Myanmar. The bloc refused to invite the country's military junta, which seized power in February 2021. With Myanmar's chair at the table conspicuously empty, Blinken urged more pressure. "In Myanmar, we must press the military regime to stop the violence, to implement ASEAN's five-point consensus, to support a return to democratic governance," Blinken said. ASEAN reached a five-point peace plan two years ago with the junta, which has yet to implement it. Myanmar's neighbor Thailand has broken with the bloc by pursuing engagement with the junta, although its foreign minister said he also was able to see deposed elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Sunday. Singapore Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters at the end of meetings Friday that ASEAN members "encourage all channels of communication to be open". The post Blinken rallies SE Asia against ‘coercion’ in swipe at China appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Gatchalian: NGCP’s existing shareholder pact ‘violative’ of Constitution
Senator Win Gatchalian sees there's a violation in the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ shareholder agreement. Gatchalian said on Friday that the existing pact prevents majority shareholders from convening and making emergency decisions “unless minority members are present” and described it as “violative of the Constitution.” “A constitutional provision limiting foreign stake in public utilities to 40 percent is meant to safeguard Filipino interests,” he emphasized. In the case of NGCP, Gatchalian lamented that Filipino board members account for a 60 percent majority stake in the grid public utility. In comparison, he added, the State Grid Corporation of China accounts for a 40 percent minority stake. However, Gatchalian cited that a board meeting—per the shareholder agreement—cannot happen if the minority shareholders do not attend. This can only happen for two consecutive times, after which the majority shareholders can proceed with the board meeting despite the absence of the minority, he added. “This provision effectively tied the hands of the Filipino shareholders. Filipinos should always be in control, management-wise, finance-wise, and in terms of operation,” he further lamented. In a recent Senate hearing by the Committee on Energy on the performance of NGCP, Gatchalian questioned the grid’s ownership. “The Constitution is very clear that 60 percent of the capital of public utilities should be owned by Filipinos. This ownership structure allows Filipinos, and not foreigners, to make decisions on the direction, management, and operations of a crucial business imbued with public use and public service. How can Filipinos make a decision if they cannot convene?,” he said, citing Article 12, Section 11 of the Constitution. Gatchalian was irked that the existing NGCP shareholder agreement won’t really provide Filipino shareholders the power to decide on their own, even during emergencies, including those relating to national security. During the hearing, NGCP Assistant Corporate Secretary, Atty. Dylan Concepcion, said the internal agreement is supported by a Supreme Court decision covering public utility companies. “Concepcion and his team, however, failed to provide the specific general register number of the high court decision he cited,” Gatchalian said. “The constitutional provision that a utility company should always be majority-owned by Filipinos with at least 60% stake is meant to enable control of the utility by Filipinos to ensure public interest and national security are upheld and protected,” he added. Senator Raffy Tulfo, who chairs the Committee on Energy, previously raised concerns over the poor performance of the NGCP and China’s massive control over the Grid’s operations despite the 60-40 investors’ shares. The post Gatchalian: NGCP’s existing shareholder pact ‘violative’ of Constitution appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Blinken to meet top Chinese diplomat in Jakarta: US
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet top Chinese foreign policy official Wang Yi on Thursday in Jakarta, their second meeting in as many months as the powers seek to manage tensions. Blinken and Wang will meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN-plus-three foreign minister talks in the Indonesian capital, the State Department's public schedule showed. The meeting is going ahead despite Microsoft recently saying that Chinese hackers had breached US government email accounts, including those of the State Department. The Jakarta talks come nearly a month after Blinken travelled to Beijing, the first visit by the top US diplomat in nearly five years, and met President Xi Jinping as well as Wang and Foreign Minister Qin Gang. Since then, there has been a flurry of diplomacy, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visiting Beijing last week and a trip set in the coming days by climate envoy John Kerry. Tensions have soared in recent years between the world's two largest economies over a host of issues including China's assertiveness in the region including Taiwan and sweeping restrictions imposed by the United States on exports of its advanced semiconductors. Neither country has predicted breakthroughs in the renewed diplomacy but both have spoken in terms of managing the relationship to make sure that friction does not lead to outright conflict. The post Blinken to meet top Chinese diplomat in Jakarta: US appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»