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Failure of Manila s anti-China bloc in S. China Sea is determined
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s file photo. /XinhuaEditor's note: CGTN's First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events. The Philippines and Vietnam on Tuesday signed two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on ma.....»»
BARMM social services ministry fuses ranks with anti-child labor bloc
The Bangsamoro social welfare ministry is the latest addition to a bloc of local and foreign entities working together to address child labor in Cotabato City and in the six provinces of the autonomous region......»»
Malta hosts fresh round of Ukraine-backed peace talks
A third round of Ukrainian-backed peace talks opened in Malta Saturday with representatives from more than 60 countries but without Moscow, which denounced it as a "blatantly anti-Russian event". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the first of two days of closed-door talks among national security and policy advisors, which he hopes will drum up support for his 10-point plan to end the war. In a statement on social media afterward, he said 66 countries had taken part in the talks, proof that his plan "has gradually become global". It follows similar meetings in Jeddah and Copenhagen this summer, with the Ukrainians hoping to eventually hold a summit at the level of heads of state. "The meeting confirmed the broad interest and increasing support for the key elements of Ukraine's Peace Formula," an EU official said Saturday. Against the backdrop of the Hamas-Israel war, it also showed "that restoration of just peace is important beyond Ukraine -- it is about a global plea for respect of international law". Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova however has dismissed the Malta talks as a "blatantly anti-Russian event". They had "nothing to do with the search for a peaceful resolution", she said on Thursday. "Obviously such gatherings have absolutely no perspective, they are simply counterproductive." China absent Participants in Malta included the United States, the EU, and Britain, staunch supporters of Kyiv following Russia's February 2022 invasion. Turkey, which has offered itself as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, was also represented, according to a list seen by AFP before the talks opened. So too were South Africa, Brazil, and India -- all members of the influential BRICS bloc, which also includes Russia. South Africa and India have not condemned Russia's invasion, while Brazil has refused to join Western nations in sending arms to Ukraine or imposing sanctions on Moscow. China, which insists it is neutral and refuses to criticize the invasion, did not attend, despite being present in Jeddah in August, according to the EU official. Organizers were hoping for a joint statement from the Malta summit after both previous meetings ended without a final declaration. Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said on Telegram that the discussions on Saturday were "lively" and focused on five key areas, notably the issue of Ukraine's territorial integrity. Zelensky's peace plan calls for Russia to withdraw all its troops from Ukraine's internationally recognized borders, including from the territory of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Russia, which claimed last year to have annexed the four Ukrainian regions of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, has rejected any settlement that would involve giving up land. The Malta talks are also looking at nuclear security, notably the need to ensure the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and how to protect Ukraine's energy infrastructure as winter approaches. The issue of food security was also on the agenda, as Russia blocks grain exports from Ukraine; and humanitarian issues, including the release of prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children to taken to Russia. "Russia will have to give in to the international community. It will have to accept our common conditions," Yermak said. Both Russia and Ukraine are preparing for a grueling winter ahead, with Ukraine warning of renewed strikes on its energy infrastructure and Russia pushing back against Kyiv's counteroffensive. The post Malta hosts fresh round of Ukraine-backed peace talks appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
EU businesses ‘questioning their position’ in China — trade commissioner
European businesses in China are increasingly questioning their positions in the face of tough new security laws and a politicization of trade, an EU commissioner warned in Beijing on Monday. "European companies are concerned with China's direction of travel," Valdis Dombrovskis said in a speech at the capital's Tsinghua University. "Many are questioning their position in this country." He pointed to a new foreign relations law and a recent update to China's anti-espionage laws as being of "great concern to our business community". "Their ambiguity allows too much room for interpretation," he warned. "This means European companies struggle to understand their compliance obligations: a factor that significantly decreases business confidence and deters new investments in China," Dombrovskis said. The EU trade commissioner is on a multi-day visit to the world's second-biggest economy, where he is set to meet senior economic officials and press the bloc's case that it is not seeking an economic decoupling from China. His trip follows a report by the Chamber of Commerce of the European Union last week that showed business confidence was at one of its lowest levels in decades. "For decades, European companies thrived in China," the Chamber's president Jens Eskelund said. But, after three "turbulent" years, he said, "many have re-evaluated their basic assumptions about the Chinese market". And it comes in the face of mounting trade tensions between the EU and China, following Brussels' decision to launch a probe into Beijing's electric car subsidies. The investigation could see the EU try to protect European carmakers by imposing punitive tariffs on vehicles it believes are unfairly sold at a lower price. The day after that announcement, the Chinese commerce ministry hit back at the EU's "naked protectionism", and said the measures "will have a negative impact on China-EU economic and trade relations". Speaking in Beijing on Monday, Dombrovskis insisted China remained an attractive investment opportunity for European businesses. "The EU and China both benefited immensely from being open to the world," he said. "Trading and cooperating across borders helped to shape our economic and geopolitical strength." But, he said, growing challenges for business risked turning "what many saw as a 'win-win' relationship in past decades could become a 'lose-lose' dynamic in the coming years". Ukraine war China's refusal to condemn Russia's war in Ukraine also poses a "reputational risk", he said. Beijing's position "is affecting the country's image, not only with European consumers but also businesses", he said. China has sought to position itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict while offering Moscow a vital diplomatic and financial lifeline as its international isolation deepens. Russian leader Vladimir Putin is due to visit China next month. "China always advocates for each country being free to choose its own development path," Dombrovskis said. "So it's very difficult for us to understand China's stance on Russia's war against Ukraine, as it breaches China's own fundamental principles." The post EU businesses ‘questioning their position’ in China — trade commissioner appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
More agencies join Bangsamoro anti-child labor bloc
The foreign-assisted anti-child labor campaign in six southern provinces got a boost this week with pledges of cooperation from more local executives, law enforcement and state security entities......»»
Southeast Asian air force chiefs to snub Myanmar meeting
Several Southeast Asian air force commanders will shun an upcoming meeting chaired by Myanmar's military rulers, officials told AFP, deepening the junta's regional isolation as it struggles to crush resistance. The annual ASEAN Air Chiefs Conference gathers top air force leaders from the 10-nation bloc to discuss cooperation in defense, combating extremism, and disaster relief. Current chair Myanmar is set to host the meeting next week but at least three Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries told AFP they will not send their top officials. The junta has been accused of war crimes over air strikes carried out by its jets -- mostly Chinese and Russian-built -- in support of ground troops battling opponents of its 2021 coup. Its air force chief Htun Aung, who will chair the conference, has been sanctioned by the United States and Britain. The air force chiefs of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia will not attend the meeting, officials told AFP. Malaysia's air force chief will not attend, a spokesperson said, while the Philippine commander will send a video message to his counterpart rather than go in person. Indonesia's air force chief "will not be attending and won't be sending anyone to represent him either," air force spokesperson Agung Sasongkojati told AFP without giving a reason. At a summit this week, ASEAN accused the junta of targeting civilians in the grinding conflict sparked by its coup, and of ignoring a peace plan agreed with the bloc to end violence. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said there had been "no significant progress" in the five-point plan agreed with the junta more than two years ago. ASEAN has barred junta officials from high-level meetings over their refusal to engage with the plan and their opponents. Cambodian air force commander Soeng Samnang declined to comment on whether he would attend, and the defence ministry could not be reached for comment. The air forces of Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam did not respond to requests for comment. But Thailand's air force chief will make the trip to neighboring Myanmar, a defense ministry official told AFP. While ASEAN has halted high-level meetings with Myanmar's generals, Thailand has held its own bilateral talks with the junta and deposed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in recent months, further dividing the bloc. War crime claims Amnesty International said last year the junta was likely using air strikes as "collective punishment" against civilians supporting anti-coup fighters, and in March the United Nations said the military had carried out more than 300 air strikes in the past year. Also in March, the junta held a parade to mark Armed Forces Day, with flyovers by Russian-made Yak and Sukoi Su-30 jets. The military bombed a gathering in northern Sagaing region in April that media and locals said killed about 170 people, sparking renewed global condemnation of the isolated junta. Human Rights Watch said it had evidence the military had used a thermobaric "vacuum bomb" in the attack, saying it likely amounted to a war crime. Air strikes on a concert held by a major ethnic rebel group in northern Kachin state killed around 50 people last October. The junta has said reports civilians were among the dead were "rumors". AFP has contacted a Myanmar junta spokesman for comment. The post Southeast Asian air force chiefs to snub Myanmar meeting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sectors join anti-child labor campaign in Bangsamoro areas
A big cross-section bloc had pledged during a foreign assisted workshop here to maximize cooperation against child labor and use of children as combatants, a problem prevalent in the Bangsamoro region......»»
Niger neighbors warn of war as French evacuate
The military-backed governments of Burkina Faso and Mali warned against international intervention on neighboring Niger and opposed the reinstatement of the latter’s ousted leader. “The transitional governments of Burkina Faso and Mali express their fraternal solidarity to the people of Niger, who have decided with full responsibility to take their destiny in hand and assume the fullness of their sovereignty before history,” the two countries said in joint statements read out on their national broadcasters on Monday, according to Al Jazeera. “Any military intervention against Niger would be tantamount to a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali,” the two countries warned. They said the “disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger... could destabilize the entire region.” The two also said they “refuse to apply” the “illegal, illegitimate and inhumane sanctions against the people and authorities of Niger.” The warning comes as the West African bloc ECOWAS called on leaders of the coup d’etat in Niger to restore deposed President Mohamed Bazoum or face military intervention. Niger presidential guards chief General Abdourahamane Tiani has declared himself leader of the Sahel region country. The government of Guinea, another Sahel country, expressed its “disagreement with the sanctions recommended by ECOWAS, including military intervention.” It said it had “decided not to apply these sanctions, which it considers illegitimate and inhumane” and urged ECOWAS to “reconsider its position.” Meanwhile, Paris’ embassy in Niger’s capital Niamey said on Tuesday that an airlift of French citizens in the city is underway. The message sent out by the embassy to French citizens, said the evacuations “will take place very soon in a very limited span of time.” Last week’s coup has unleashed anti-French protests in Niamey. “The decision to move citizens out of the country was prompted by attacks on the French embassy in Niamey, and the closure of Niger’s airspace which made regular departures impossible,” the ministry said in a statement. WITH AFP The post Niger neighbors warn of war as French evacuate appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
German far-right party notches up another win
Germany's far-right AfD notched up another first Sunday when its candidate was elected a full-time town mayor, in a further boost for the anti-immigration party. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to record highs in opinion polls, and the latest result comes just a week after they won their first district election. Hannes Loth was elected mayor of the small town of Raguhn-Jessnitz, in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, in a run-off against independent candidate Nils Naumann, according to results on the town's Facebook page. Loth, reportedly a 42-year-old farmer who was already a member of the local parliament, won 51.1 percent of the vote against 48.9 percent for Naumann in the town of about 9,000 inhabitants. It marks the first time the party has won an election race for a full-time mayor's position, German media reported. AfD members have held positions as voluntary, or part-time, mayors in smaller places. An AfD member was a full-time mayor of a town in southwest Germany from 2018 to 2020 but was not elected under the party's banner -- he joined the outfit during his term. Loth thanked his supporters for the "wonderful result." "I will be mayor for everyone in Raguhn-Jessnitz," he wrote on social media. In last week's election, Robert Sesselmann, a lawyer and regional lawmaker, won a runoff for district administrator in Sonneberg in the central state of Thuringia, near the border with Bavaria. Recent surveys have put support for the AfD at a record 18 to 20 percent, neck-and-neck with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats and behind only the conservative CDU/CSU bloc. Thomas Krueger, head of the federal agency for civic education, warned this weekend the party should not be dismissed as a "mere protest movement". "Voters want this party... the situation is serious," he told the RND media group. Created in 2013 as an anti-euro outfit before morphing into an anti-Islam, anti-immigration party, the AfD has benefited from growing discontent with Scholz's three-party coalition amid concerns about inflation and the affordability of the government's climate plans. High immigration also remains a key voter concern. The AfD stunned the political establishment when it took around 13 percent of votes in the 2017 general elections, catapulting its lawmakers into the German parliament. It slid to around 10 percent in the 2021 federal election. sr/gw © Agence France-Presse The post German far-right party notches up another win appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Red-tagging, prelude to Terror Law implementation – Makabayan bloc
For the Makabayan bloc and other progressive organizations, the recently concluded Senate hearing on red-tagging will be used by state security forces as a justification to declare them as terrorists under the Anti-Terror Law. The post Red-tagging, prelude to Terror Law implementation – Makabayan bloc appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
Groups ask Makabayan bloc solons to resign; end youth recruitment
RESIGN. Rallyists burn a tarpaulin bearing the image of Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Joma Sison during a rally at the Senate grounds on Tuesday (Dec. 1, 2020). The anti-communist groups and other civil society organizations group called on the Makabayan bloc legislators to resign and denounce the Communist Party of the Philippines-New […].....»»
Makabayan calls for realignment of P19 billion anti-insurgency fund
Members of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives are pushing for the removal of the P19.1-billion proposed budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict for next year......»»
Who are the terrorists?
Lately, various showbiz personalities have been stepping forward on behalf of the “Makabayan” party-list bloc. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, who ordered anti-communist streamers to be torn down the other week, joined the equally fetching likes of Lisa Soberano and Angel Locsin......»»
Red-tagged bloc seeks TRO vs. terror law
Another group of petitioners on Friday prodded the Supreme Court to seriously consider its plea for the immediate issuance of a temporary restraining order to prevent the government from implementing Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020......»»
Citing heightened red-tagging, Makabayan bloc calls on SC to halt anti-terror law implementation
Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc told the Surpeme Court: "Petitioners are now being targeted under the patently unconstitutional Anti-Terrorism Act so they need injunctive relief now.".....»»
Pagdinig sa kinukwestyong Anti-Terrorism Law, pinamamadali ng Makabayan bloc sa SC
Kinalampag ni House Deputy Minority Leader at Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate ang Supreme Court para madaliin ang pagdinig sa constitutionality ng Anti-Terrorism Law. Iginiit ni Zarate na nalalagay sa alanganin ang buhay at kalayaan ng nakararami lalo na ang kanilang mga miyembro sa patuloy na red-tagging ng National Task Force to End Communist Armed […] The post Pagdinig sa kinukwestyong Anti-Terrorism Law, pinamamadali ng Makabayan bloc sa SC appeared first on Bandera......»»
New-look House leadership off to a good start, say solons
House members can’t help but notice a sense of synergy between Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and Majority Leader Martin Romualdez in just their first few days of working together. Case in point, according to Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., San Jose del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes, and Ang Probinsyano Party-list Rep. Alfred delos Santos, were the two important bills that the House leadership was able to deliver without a hitch during the conduct of special sessions this past week. The Majority Bloc solons were referring to the passage on third and final reading of measures House Bill (HB) No.7727, or the P4.506-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) of 2021; and HB No.7884, or the proposed Act authorizing the President to expedite the processing and issuance of national and local permits, licenses and certifications. “The performance of the new leadership during special session was very commendable. This is a very encouraging sign in our mission to approve the legislative agenda of President Duterte,” Barzaga said. “The Velasco-Romualdez leadership (is) off to a good start,” added the veteran congressman and former Dasmariñas mayor. For her part, Robes said she is “extremely delighted that the leadership impasse in the House of Representatives had been resolved peacefully and amicably by our two honorable leaders, Lord Alan Velasco and former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.” “I look forward to a renewed, more united and inclusive leadership at the House of Representatives led by Speaker Velasco with Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. I believe that Speaker Velasco and Majority Leader Romualdez are both righteous and committed to steer the House of Representatives to new heights to become a more effective and responsive institution to serve the Filipino people especially in these trying times,” she stressed. On the other hand, Delos Santos believes that the new-look leadership of the Lower Chamber will continue to work beyond 2020 even as he praised his colleagues for passing next year’s budget bill. “We are very happy that it (GAB) already finished the third reading. Our goal is always to fast-track the process to help out fellow Filipinos. These are not normal times, and gusto po nating matugunan agad yung mga pangangailangan ng mga kababayan natin (we want to quickly address the needs of our people),” Delos Santos said. “We want to assure government agencies (will have enough) resources for them to be able to function in the new normal,” he added. The passage of HB No.7884 or the Anti-Red Tape Bill followed soon after the chamber gave its final nod to the 2021 GAB. Both had been certified as urgent by President Duterte......»»
Business bloc takes stand vs.anti-terror bill
Not surprisingly, nor unexpectedly, the business sector, or at least a part of it, has openly expressed objections to the passage by Congress of a draconian anti-terrorism bill......»»
Anti-terror bill kukuwestyunin sa SC
KUKUWESTYUNIN ng House minority bloc sa Korte Suprema ang constitutionality ng anti-terror bill. “Yan po ay laban talaga sa Constitution kaya we are thinking of going to the Supreme Court if ever the Anti-Terror bill becomes a law,” ani House minority leader at Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante. Sinertipikahan ng Malacañang ang House bill 6875 kaya […] The post Anti-terror bill kukuwestyunin sa SC appeared first on Bandera......»»
Kaspersky Shares Cybersecurity Tips for a Peaceful Getaway during the holy week
As the holiday season approaches, the urge to unwind and kick back is natural. And it’s all too common for people to let their guard down completely when connecting to the Internet too– but shouldn’t. Recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group shared its findings on identity theft cases in the country. Between November […].....»»