Today’s News 10 July 2021 (Saturday)

A. NAVY NEWS/COVID NEWS/PHOTOS Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

B. NATIONAL HEADLINES Title Writer Newspaper Page 1 PDP-Laban expels Cusi, 2 other execs P Romero P Star 1 Sara open to palace bid; PDP-Laban row D Yap PDI A1 2 ‘ ’ escalates

C. NATIONAL SECURITY Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

D. INDO-PACIFIC Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

E. AFP RELATED Title Writer Newspaper Page COA flags AFP over P1.8 B in unauthorized E Marcelo P Star 8 3 ‘ ’ bank accounts AFP identifies remains of 20th victim in C- M Punongbayan P Star 6 4 130 crash After C-130 Jolo crash Duterte orders N Lacson D Tribune A6 5 DOTR: assess airstrip fitness 6 Plane crash hero on race to save lives L Abubakar Jocson M Bulletin 8 Pamilya ng nasawing mga sundalo sa C-130 D Franche Ngayon 2 7 may P600K cash, benepisyo

F. CPP-NPA-NDF-LCM Title Writer Newspaper Page 8 NPA attack in Samar town condemned C Ong Tempo 5 PRO3 launches Akap Kapatid for rebel B Galang P Journal 11 9 ‘ ’ returnees

G. MNLF/MILF/BIFF/ASG Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

H. EDITORIAL-OPINION-COMMENTARY-SPECIAL Title Writer Newspaper Page 10 Air mishaps R Tulfo P Star 5 11 The C-47 Plane Crash D Remoto P Star 4 12 Mga tunay na bayani Ngayon 4 13 Uneasy calm in WPS P Journal 4 14 Jardaleza presses baseline law passage A Murcia D Tribune 3

I. ONLINE NEWS Title Link NATIONAL NEWS Kids aged 5 and up allowed outdoors in https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/kids-aged-5- 15 GCQ, MGCQ areas and-up-allowed-outdoors-in-gcq-mgcq-areas/ Weak phreatomagmatic eruptions https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146512 16 continue in Taal Volcano WESM prices push up Meralco power https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/09/wes 17 rates this month m-prices-push-up-meralco-power-rates-this- month/ PAGASA Saturday weather forecast: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1458013/cloudy- 18 Rain showers, thunderstorms, cloudy skies-rains-expected-over-palawan-visayas- skies due mindanao-due-to-itcz-pagasa NAVY NEWS Carpio points to Malampaya, https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio galunggong to prove award vs China n/794808/carpio-points-to-malampaya- 19 valuable galunggong-to-prove-award-vs-china- valuable/story/ De Lima urges Senate to expedite https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/de-lima-urges- 20 passage of bill declaring July 12 as senate-to-expedite-passage-of-bill-declaring- West PH Sea day july-12-as-west-ph-sea-day/ Fishers’ group: Declaring part of PH https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/fishers-group- 21 Rise as protected area 'insufficient' to declaring-part-of-ph-rise-as-protected-area- uphold territorial rights insufficient-to-uphold-territorial-rights/ Maritime academy officers face probe https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1457930/maritime 22 over possible ‘neglect of duty’ -academy-officers-face-probe-over-possible- neglect-of-duty Minimal oil sheen seen around half- https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146572 23 ‘ ’ sunken ship off Manila: PCG Stricter rules on marine vessel sewage https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/10/busin 24 urged ess/green-industries/stricter-rules-on-marine- vessel-sewage-urged/1806455 Mga baril at bala, nahukay sa kampo ng https://news.abs- 25 mga rebelde sa Zambales cbn.com/video/news/07/10/21/mga-baril-at- bala-nahukay-sa-kampo-ng-mga-rebelde-sa- zambales AFP RELATED ‘No ideology can justify rights https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regio violations, CHR says after suspected ns/794698/no-ideology-can-justify-rights- 26 ’ NPA attack in Eastern Samar violations-says-after-suspected-npa-attack-in- eastern-samar/story/ PNP verifying assassination plot vs https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/pnp-verifying- 27 spokespersons of anti-communist task assassination-plot-vs-spokespersons-of-anti- force — NTF-ELCAC communist-task-force-ntf-elcac/ AFP identifies 20th fatality in Sulu crash https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/afp-identifies- 28 20th-fatality-in-sulu-crash/ Pilot in C-130 crash once flew in PRC https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146517 29 medical supplies from China 30 PH Red Cross provides psychological https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/ph-red-cross- first aid to affected individuals of Sulu C- provides-psychological-first-aid-to-affected- 130 crash individuals-of-sulu-c-130-crash/ Families of soldiers killed in C-130 https://news.abs- 31 crash to receive at least P600,000 aid, cbn.com/news/07/09/21/c130-tragedy-sulu- benefits plane-crash-soldier-benefits-military Duterte orders DoTr: Assess airstrip https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/10/dut 32 fitness erte-orders-dotr-assess-airstrip-fitness/ 'Minor flight incident': PAF confirms https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/paf-confirms- 33 damage to Brazilian aircraft during brazilian-aircraft-is-damaged-during- maintenance flight maintenance-flight/ 2 AFP senior officers promoted to https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146500 34 higher rank Sen. Go leads groundbreaking of P1.6- https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/sen-go-leads- 35 B housing project for police, military in groundbreaking-of-p1-6-b-housing-project-for- Cebu police-military-in-cebu/ DOST partners with PH Army, PNP in https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/dost-partners- 36 field testing ready-to-eat food products with-ph-army-pnp-in-field-testing-ready-to-eat- food-products/ COA flags AFP over P1.8 billion in https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/07/10/21 37 ‘unauthorized’ bank accounts 11478/coa-flags-afp-over-p18-billion- unauthorized-bank-accounts Rights group wants CHR to block https://news.abs- 38 Parlade retirement cbn.com/news/07/10/21/rights-group-wants- chr-to-block-parlade-retirement Suspected Abu Sayyaf member killed in https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regio encounter with troops in Sulu military ns/794833/suspected-abu-sayyaf-member- 39 — killed-in-encounter-with-troops-in-sulu- military/story/ INDO-PACIFIC NEWS 5 years after South China Sea ruling, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/ 40 China's presence around Philippines philippines-south-china-sea-ruling-eez-nine- only growing dash-line-15186024 China must honour legally binding https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de UNCLOS verdict on South China Sea fence/china-must-honour-legally-binding- 41 unclos-verdict-on-south-china- sea/articleshow/84257847.cms 2016 arbitral legacy must be upheld https://adrinstitute.org/2021/07/09/2016- 42 arbitral-legacy-must-be-upheld/ ASEAN, EU bat for peace, stability in https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/asean-eu-cite- 43 South China Sea importance-of-peace-security-safety-stability- in-south-china-sea/ Democrats Try to Blame Guns for the https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/demo 44 Crime Surge Caused by Liberal Policies crats-try-to-blame-guns-for-the-crime-surge- ( caused-by-liberal-policies/ White House: US supports Tokyo https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 45 Games 0709_13/ US indices remove Chinese firms https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news- 46 following Biden directive detail/us-indices-remove-chinese-firms- following-biden-directive_18882 47 US sanctions 23 more Chinese firms https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ over Xinjiang, military and business ties article/3140574/14-chinese-companies-added- us-economic-blacklist-over-xinjiang US may have drawn a clear line on https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 48 Taiwan but China will still worry article/3140545/us-may-have-drawn-clear-line- taiwan-independence-china-will US needs Japan and Korea to counter https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s- 49 China tech: ex-Google CEO Picks/Interview/US-needs-Japan-and-Korea- to-counter-China-tech-ex-Google-CEO China to safeguard its firms against US https://www.hindustantimes.com/world- 50 blacklist news/china-to-safeguard-its-firms-against-us- blacklist-101625817378348.html China evacuates nationals from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/c 51 Afghanistan amid US pullout hina-evacuates-nationals-from-afghanistan- amid-us-pullout-15186682 Chinese FM to visit Central Asia on https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228 52 SCO mission for Afghan peace 280.shtml Currency and control: why China wants https://asiapost.live/currency-and-control-why- 53 to undermine bitcoin china-wants-to-undermine-bitcoin-china/ China Fires Back at Biden with https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/09/china- 54 Conspiracy Theories About Maryland fires-back-at-biden-with-conspiracy-theories- Lab about-maryland-lab/ China calls on int'l community to resist http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021- 55 politicizing origin-tracing 07/10/c_1310052710.htm What does China want in Nepal? https://www.9dashline.com/article/what-does- 56 china-want-in-nepal Dozens of Pro-Democracy Politicians https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/resign- 57 Resign in Hong Kong Ahead of Oath 07082021120636.html Requirement Hong Kongers doubtful of future under https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archi 58 law ves/2021/07/10/2003760613 Macao disqualifies pro-democracy https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Macao- 59 groups from legislative election disqualifies-pro-democracy-groups-from- legislative-election Resignation, anger as Japan digests https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/ 60 Tokyo Olympic fan ban tokyo-olympics-japan-spectator-ban-covid-19- reactions-15186088 Holding Tokyo Olympics during https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/31405 pandemic shreds consensus in Japan 90/decision-proceed-pandemic-postponed- 61 tokyo-olympics-has-shredded-public

S.Korea's Moon to visit Japan from July https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 62 23 0709_23/ N. Korea could return to dialogue with http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=202 63 US, spy agency says 10709000842 North Korea Cracks Down on https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/money- 64 Counterfeiting, on the Rise as Economy 07082021165348.html Worsens SE Asia Games in Vietnam postponed https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 65 0709_36/ Environmental Concerns, Rising Costs https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/project- 66 Plague China's Flagship Indonesian 07082021175346.html Project Families of Victims of Crackdown Call https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/icc- 67 on ICC to Prosecute Myanmar Junta 07082021192301.html Leaders Myanmar Junta Reportedly Arresting https://www.voanews.com/east-asia- 68 Dissidents’ Family Members pacific/myanmar-junta-reportedly-arresting- dissidents-family-members Five-Year-Old Forced to Endure Stress https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/stre 69 Positions During Two-Week Detention ss-07082021183938.html by Myanmar’s Junta The Top Five Debriefing Questions https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/09/biden- 70 About Afghanistan top-five-debriefing-questions-about- afghanistan-war/ US must redouble efforts to stay ahead https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/us-must- 71 in innovation race with China redouble-efforts-to-stay-ahead-in-innovation- race-with-china/ The U.S. Grand Strategy Of Liberal https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/07/the-u-s- 72 Internationalism Is Dead grand-strategy-of-liberal-internationalism-is- dead/ Despite Western Warnings, Russia https://jamestown.org/program/despite- 73 Moves Closer to China western-warnings-russia-moves-closer-to- china/ Russia Invests in Southeast Asia https://geopoliticalfutures.com/russia-invests- 74 in-southeast-asia/ Russia, China, Iran Step Up Talks as https://www.newsweek.com/russia-china-iran- 75 Afghanistan Loses Border Control step-talks-afghanistan-loses-border-control- 1608396 How Are Taiwan’s Diplomatic Allies https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/how-are- 76 Faring in the Great Vaccine Race? taiwans-diplomatic-allies-faring-in-the-great- vaccine-race/ A Sea Change Brewing over the Taiwan https://www.fpri.org/article/2021/07/a-sea- 77 Strait change-brewing-over-the-taiwan-strait/ LISTEN: Taiwan s Place in the Indo- https://www.rusi.org/podcasts/bridging-the- 78 ’ Pacific oceans/episode-19-taiwans-place-indo-pacific DEFENSE NEWS French company OCEA to launch a https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/na shipyard in the Philippines val-news/naval-news-archive/2021/10240- 79 naval-news-july-2021-navy-forces-maritime- defense-industry/10416-french-company-ocea- to-launch-a-shipyard-in-the-philippines.html Pentagon spokesperson warns of https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/09/pen 80 ‘concerning’ Taliban advances tagon-warning-taliban-advances-498924 U.S. to Prop Up Afghan Air Force https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/08/us- 81 afghan-air-force-biden-support/ Pentagon mulls options for Afghan https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/j 82 interpreters fearing Taliban revenge ul/8/pentagon-mulls-options-afghan- interpreters-fearing/ 83 The US Military Should Return to https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/07/us Vietnam -military-should-return-vietnam/183609/ Kaseya Ransomware Attack Demands https://www.csis.org/analysis/kaseya- 84 Action to Match Rhetoric ransomware-attack-demands-action-match- rhetoric US Response To Russian-Based https://www.defensedaily.com/us-response-to- 85 Ransomware Attacks Forthcoming, russian-based-ransomware-attacks- Administration Official Says forthcoming-administration-official-says/cyber/ Biden tells Putin Russia must crack https://the-japan- 86 down on cybercriminals news.com/news/article/0007570758 Digital Design Revolution Key To All https://breakingdefense.com/2021/07/digital- 87 Domain Ops: Air & Space Officials Say design-revolution-key-to-all-domain-ops-air- space-officials-say/ US reborn F-16 fighter from graveyard , https://defenceview.in/us-reborn-f-16-fighter- 88 ‘ ’ still more durable than Su-30 from-graveyard-still-more-durable-than-su-30/ US gives glimpse of new B-21 bomber https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/arti 89 amid China, Russia ‘threats’ cle/3140384/us-gives-glimpse-new-b-21- bomber-amid-china-russia-threats Bath Iron Works seeks assurances of https://www.upi.com/Defense- 90 more Naval destroyer orders News/2021/07/09/biw-bathironworks- destroyer/4261625858352/ America ARG-31st MEU team http://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News/Display/A implements waterborne ambulance rticle/2688204/america-arg-31st-meu-team- 91 during exercise implements-waterborne-ambulance-during- exercise U.S., Allied Forces conduct Exercise http://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News/Display/A Pacific Vanguard 2021 off Coast of rticle/2688285/us-allied-forces-conduct- 92 Australia exercise-pacific-vanguard-2021-off-coast-of- australia US Marines Train With Handheld https://www.thedrive.com/the-war- Swarming Drones That Can Also Be zone/41479/marines-train-with-handheld- 93 Fired From 40mm Grenade Launchers swarming-drones-that-can-be-fired-from- 40mm-grenade-launchers US Marines' 'Summer Fury 21' exercise https://www.upi.com/Defense- 94 begins with long-range strikes News/2021/07/09/marines-summerfury21- washington-miramar/6391625846919/ Aegis Ashore Too Limited For Guam: https://breakingdefense.com/2021/07/aegis- 95 Former INDO-PACOM Head ashore-too-limited-for-guam-former-indo- pacom/ Updated Report: Chinese Strategy and https://www.csis.org/analysis/updated-report- 96 Military Forces in 2021 chinese-strategy-and-military-forces-2021 U.S. Pacific intel chief: Coming Chinese https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/j 97 attack on Taiwan could target other ul/8/us-pacific-intel-chief-coming-chinese- nations attack-taiwa/ China Coast Guard Harasses Malaysian https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/harass 98 Oil, Gas Operation Off Sarawak es-07082021182547.html China tested underwater drones in https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4244 99 Taiwan Strait 11 years ago 419 China to hold major military activity in https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228 100 Yellow Sea amid fall of rocket debris 222.shtml 101 China’s Air Defenses Are Blowing https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/china% Russia’s Anti-Aircraft Weapons Away E2%80%99s-air-defenses-are-blowing- russia%E2%80%99s-anti-aircraft-weapons- away-189366 China’s Nuclear Silos and the Arms- https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-nuclear- 102 Control Fantasy silos-and-the-arms-control-fantasy- 11625696243 China seeking exotic nukes, warns US https://asiatimes.com/2021/07/china-seeking- 103 ‘ ’ diplomat exotic-nukes-warns-us-diplomat/ China reveals new aircraft, neither J-15 https://defenceview.in/china-reveals-new- 104 nor J-11 aircraft-neither-j-15-nor-j-11/ China Upgrading Fifth-Gen Fighter https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/artic 105 Capabilities les/2021/7/9/china-upgrading--fifth-gen-fighter- capabilities Taiwan: CAA to activate two new long- https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archi 106 range radar systems ves/2021/07/10/2003760617 Taiwan to produce new armour-piercing https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news- ammunition for direct-fire support detail/taiwan-to-produce-new-armour-piercing- 107 variant of Cloud Leopard ammunition-for-direct-fire-support-variant-of- cloud-leopard Japan to hold first drills with UK aircraft https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International- 108 carrier off Africa relations/Indo-Pacific/Japan-to-hold-first-drills- with-UK-aircraft-carrier-off-Africa South Korea’s Intelligence Agency https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/south-koreas- 109 Confirms North Korean Cyberattacks intelligence-agency-confirms-north-korean- cyberattacks/ 10 SoKor Air Force men indicted in https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/07/ suicide case 09/national/defense/Air-Force-Ministry-of- 110 National-Defense-sexual- assault/20210709155400335.html How Vietnam's 'influencer' army wages https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de information warfare on Facebook fence/how-vietnams-influencer-army-wages- 111 information-warfare-on- facebook/articleshow/84261911.cms A Strong U.S.-India Defense https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/202 Partnership 1/07/09/india_should_remove_the_roadblock_t 112 o_a_strong_defense_partnership_with_the_us _784788.html Same S-400, but Indian version has https://defenceview.in/same-s-400-but-indian- 113 twice the range of China version-has-twice-the-range-of-china/ Indian Air Force Orders Akash Missiles https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29986/Indi 114 an_Air_Force_Orders_Akash_Missiles India’s Nuclear Doctrine: The Agni-P https://www.rusi.org/explore-our- and the Stability Instability Paradox research/publications/commentary/india- 115 – nuclear-doctrine-agni-p-and-stability-instability- paradox New pictures released of the Pakistan https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/na Navy first type 054A/P frigate val-news/naval-news-archive/2021/10240- 116 naval-news-july-2021-navy-forces-maritime- defense-industry/10411-new-pictures- released-of-the-pakistan-navy-first-type-054a- p-frigate.html Dormant foreign cyber threats could be https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dorma lurking inside critical Australian nt-foreign-cyber-threats-could-be-lurking- 117 infrastructure inside-critical-australian-infrastructure- 20210709-p588fk.html Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/na HMAS Perth back in the water val-news/naval-news-archive/2021/10240- naval-news-july-2021-navy-forces-maritime- 118 defense-industry/10412-royal-australian-navy- anzac-class-hmas-perth-back-in-the- water.html Australian Army Takes Delivery of https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29993/Aus 119 Chinook Helos tralian_Army_Takes_Delivery_of_Chinook_Hel os Russian firm Starts Testing Parachute https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29991/Rus 120 System to Air Drop Heavy Armored sian_firm_Starts_Testing_Parachute_System_ Vehicles to_Air_Drop_Heavy_Armored_Vehicles Unmanned Armata Tank Tested in https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29985/Un 121 Russia manned_Armata_Tank_Tested_in_Russia A Rising Concern in Washington: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/rising- 122 Russian Missile Bases in Venezuela concern-washington-russian-missile-bases- venezuela-189372 Taliban claim to control 85% of https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world 123 Afghanistan /taliban-afghanistan-key-border-crossing- captured-us-withdrawal-15186742 Taliban targeting Afghan pilots for https://thehill.com/policy/international/middle- 124 assassination as US withdraws: report east-north-africa/562316-taliban-targeting- afghan-pilots-for Ex-Colombian military, Haitian https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world 125 Americans among 28 people suspected /28-people-assassination-haiti-president- in killing of Haiti president american-colombians-15185208 Haiti’s president assassination suspects https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 126 arrested inside Taiwanese embassy article/3140437/haiti-assassination-suspects- arrested-inside-taiwanese-embassy French Defense Minister: France https://news.usni.org/2021/07/09/french- 127 Stepping Up Security Spending, defense-minister-france-stepping-up-security- Expanding Operations Abroad spending-expanding-operations-abroad How We Get to Captain America-level https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/07/ho 128 Battle Speeds w-we-get-captain-america-level-battle- speeds/183610/ France, Lasers and Defeating UAVs https://defense.info/featured- 129 story/2021/07/france-lasers-and-defeating- uavs/ How to Stop Political Division from https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/07/ho 130 Eroding Military-Academic Relations w-stop-political-division-eroding-military- academic-relations/183588/ This American Strategy Didn't Work On https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/america 131 the Soviet Union and It Won't Work On n-strategy-didnt-work-soviet-union-and-it-wont- China Either work-china-either-189365 132 Why America could lose its next war https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/comme ntary/2021/07/09/why-america-could-lose-its- next-war/ Assessing Chinese-Russian Military https://csis-website- Exercises: Past Progress and Future prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs- 133 Trends public/publication/210709_Weitz_Chinese- Russian_Exercises.pdf Russian Media Misrepresents US Anti- https://jamestown.org/program/russian-media- 134 Terrorism Strategy to Justify misrepresents-us-anti-terrorism-strategy-to- Repressions in Russia justify-repressions-in-russia/ The Strategic Stability Dialogue: Think https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/202 135 Before You Speak 1/07/08/the_strategic_stability_dialogue_think_ before_you_speak_784794.html Move Like a Shark, Vanish Like a Squid https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2 136 021/july/move-shark-vanish-squid The Centre of Gravity: A bridge https://wavellroom.com/2021/07/09/centre-of- 137 between maritime and air environments gravity-a-bridge-between-maritime-and-air- environments/ COVID NEWS Russia delivers 132,200 doses of https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/10/russia-delivers- 138 Sputnik V jabs to PH 132200-doses-of-sputnik-v-jabs-to-ph/ Sinovac vaccine effective against https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/sinovac- 139 ‘ ’ COVID-19 — DOH vaccine-effective-against-covid-19-doh/ How does the delta variant dodge the https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/09 140 immune system? Scientists find clues /world/delta-immune-system/ Here’s What We Know About Long https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/0 Covid, The Debilitating, Lingering Illness 7/09/heres-what-we-know-about-long-covid- 141 That Could Affect Millions the-debilitating-lingering-illness-that-could- affect-millions/ EU regulator finds link between heart https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world 142 inflammation and mRNA COVID-19 /covid-19-eu-regulator-link-heart-inflammation- vaccines mrna-vaccines-15188148 Pfizer developing COVID-19 booster http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0709/c90000- 143 shot to target Delta variant: media 9869894.html Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine less https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world 144 effective against Gamma variant: Study /sinovac-covid-19-vaccine-less-effective- against-gamma-variant-15184826 Countries using Chinese, Astra shots https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/10/cou 145 increasingly eye boosters ntries-using-chinese-astra-shots-increasingly- eye-boosters/ US shipping 2 million doses of COVID- https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/ 146 19 vaccines to Bhutan, Nepal us-shipping-millions-doses-covid-19-vaccines- bhutan-nepal-15187962 North Korea rejected AstraZeneca's https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/c 147 COVID-19 vaccine over side effects ovid-19-north-korea-rejected-astrazeneca- vaccine-side-effects-15188508 Lockdowns, Scramble For More https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/vacci 148 Vaccines as Southeast Asian States ne-scramble-07082021182032.html Fight COVID-19 Surge Best of both worlds? Should we mix or https://www.smh.com.au/national/best-of-both- 149 match vaccines? worlds-should-we-mix-or-match-vaccines- 20210707-p587nb.html Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020- 150 Across the World coronavirus-cases-world- map/?srnd=coronavirus Covid map: Where are cases the https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105 151 highest? Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid- 152 vaccine-tracker-global- distribution/?srnd=premium-asia

J. OPINION/EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Title Link 153 Air mishaps https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/07/10/2 111426/air-mishaps 154 The C-47 plane crash https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/07/10/2 111430/c-47-plane-crash 155 Cebu reclamation project in many ways https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/10/opinio a mess n/columns/cebu-reclamation-project-in-many- ways-a-mess/1806444 156 Inefficiency stands out https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/10/ine fficiency-stands-out/ 17 Why Kissinger's secret China visit still http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0709/c90000- matters 50 years later 9870206.html 158 UMNO’s withdrawal of support shows https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/com Malaysia’s political establishment is mentary/malaysia-politics-umno-pn-muhyiddin- losing the plot cabinet-zahid-ismail-covid-15180368 159 Why the US-China contest will be fought https://www.scmp.com/week- in the heartlands of America asia/opinion/article/3140522/why-us-china- contest-will-be-fought-heartlands-america 160 After Afghanistan falls http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=202 10707001044 161 A Blueprint for Getting Out of the Middle https://www.cato.org/commentary/blueprint- East getting-out-middle-east 162 West should learn to value Hong Kong http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0709/c90000- as it is under national security law 9870169.html 163 Vietnam learns to exploit nationalist https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Vietnam- rage over Chinese maps learns-to-exploit-nationalist-rage-over- Chinese-maps 164 World watches as Japan tries to https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/07/ manage games amid COVID-19 09/commentary/japan-commentary/world- watch-tokyo-olympics-amid-covid-19/ 165 Ransomware attacks will end, but not https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/07/ anytime soon 07/commentary/world- commentary/ransomware-attacks-will-end/ 166 China Is the First Crack in the Covid https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/20 Recovery 21-07-09/china-s-rate-cut-foreshadows-a- weaker-than-expected- economy?srnd=premium-asia

Kids aged 5 and up allowed outdoors in GCQ, MGCQ areas

Published July 9, 2021, 12:55 PM by Argyll Cyrus Geducos After more than a year of being locked up inside their homes to keep them safe from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the government’s pandemic task force has finally allowed children aged five and up outdoors in select areas.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said children at least five years old are now allowed to go outdoors in select areas under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) and GCQ, except those under heightened restrictions.

This implies that children in 28 of the 30 GCQ areas for the month of July will be allowed to go out of their homes including Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Rizal which are under GCQ with some restrictions.

However, this would mean that kids in Cavite and Laguna would still have to stay inside their houses as these areas are under GCQ with heightened restrictions.

Roque said the outdoor areas where children will be allowed are the following:

 Playgrounds  Beaches  Biking and hiking trails  Outdoor tourist sites and attractions as may be defined by the Department of Tourism (DOT)  Outdoor non-contact sports courts and venues  Al-fresco dining establishments

Kids, however, are still not allowed in mixed-use indoor/outdoor buildings and facilities like malls and other similar establishments. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/kids-aged-5-and-up-allowed-outdoors-in-gcq-mgcq-areas/

Weak phreatomagmatic eruptions continue in Taal Volcano

By Ma. Cristina Arayata July 9, 2021, 1:22 pm

Taal Volcano (File photo)

MANILA – At least five short phreatomagmatic bursts caused by the interaction of magma and water occurred in the Taal Volcano from Thursday to early Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

These were logged Thursday at 06:47 a.m., 06:06 p.m., 09:21 p.m., and 09:50 p.m; and 02:59 a.m. Friday. Phivolcs said that short, jetted plumes that rose to 200 meters were produced above the Main Crater Lake.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum, Jr. earlier said the eruption is "weak" if the eruption column is not high. The height of the eruption column in January 2020 was around 15 kilometers.

Meantime, 58 volcanic earthquakes caused by movement or eruptions of magma from the volcano were recorded in the past 24 hours. The figure includes five explosion-type earthquakes, 24 low-frequency volcanic earthquakes, and 27 volcanic tremor events that lasted 1 to 6 minutes, and two hybrid earthquakes which indicate rock fracturing and magma or fluid movement.

The volcano also continues to emit high levels of volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas, and steam-rich plumes that reach 1,200 meters high. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) SO2 emission averaged 6,095 tonnes/day on Thursday.

Taal Volcano has been under alert level 3 (magmatic unrest) since July 1, as magma extruding from the Main Crater could drive explosive eruption.

Phivolcs has recommended evacuation at the Taal Volcano Island (TVI), Taal Lake, and villages in the towns of Agoncillo (Banyaga, Bilibinwang), and Laurel (Gulod, Boso-Boso, Lakeshore Bugaan East) due to possible hazards of pyroclastic density currents and volcanic tsunami.

All activities on Taal Lake should not be allowed at this time, Phivolcs said.

Communities around the Taal Lake shores are advised to take precautionary measures against possible airborne ash and volcanic smog, and prepare for possible evacuation should unrest intensify.

Volcanic smog is a type of air pollution caused by volcanoes. It consists of fine droplets containing volcanic gas such as SO2 which is acidic and can cause irritation of the eyes, throat, and respiratory tract in severities depending on the gas concentrations and durations of exposure. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146512

WESM prices push up Meralco power rates this month BYLENIE LECTURA JULY 9, 2021 2 MINUTE READ ELECTRICITY rates in the franchise area of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) are going up this month by P0.2353 per kilowatt- hour (kWh) to P8.9071 per kWh, mainly due to charges in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

The overall rate for a typical household, or those with an average monthly consumption of 200 kWh, increased by P0.2353 per kWh, from last month’s P8.6718 to P8.9071 per kWh this month. This is equivalent to an increase of around P47 in the total bill.

Generation charge—a major component of a power bill—for July stood at P4.8707 per kWh, a P0.2536 increase from last month’s P4.6171 per kWh.

WESM charges remained high at P8.7424 per kWh due to tight supply conditions in the Luzon grid, aggravated by the ongoing Malampaya natural gas supply restriction.

It can be recalled that the Luzon grid was placed on Red Alert from May 31 to June 2 and on Yellow Alert on June 4 as major power plants went on forced and prolonged shutdowns, shaving off as much as 4,000 megawatt (MW) of power from the grid. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/09/wesm-prices-push-up-meralco-power-rates-this-month/

Pagasa Saturday weather forecast: Rain showers, thunderstorms, cloudy skies due

By: Christia Marie Ramos - Reporter / @CMRamosINQ

INQUIRER.net / 09:32 AM July 10, 2021

MANILA, Philippines — Cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms are expected over Palawan as well as Visayas and Mindanao on Saturday, the state weather bureau said.

In its early morning weather update, the Philippine Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) continues to affect the said areas.

According to Pagasa, the ITCZ will bring rains over a large portion of Southern Luzon while the rest of the island will experience localized and isolated rain showers and thunderstorms.

Particularly for Palawan as well as Kalayaan Islands, the state weather bureau forecasts cloudy skies with high chances of continuous rains.

Pagasa advised residents to watch out for rains and and possible floods and landslides.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1458013/cloudy-skies-rains-expected-over-palawan-visayas-mindanao- due-to-itcz-pagasa

Carpio points to Malampaya, galunggong to prove award vs China valuable Published July 9, 2021 10:48pm Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio on Friday refuted claims made by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque that the Philippines arbitral victory over China ought not to affect the relations between the two countries. ’ According to JP Soriano s report on 24 Oras, Carpio said it would be a big loss should the Philippines lose its territory in the West Philippine Sea. ’ “ ” Forty percent of our power comes from Malampaya from the West Philippine Sea. It s running out of gas in two to three years. We have to get the gas from Reed“ Bank but China is preventing us. Maliit na bagay ba yun? asked . ’ Twelve to 14 hours of brownouts every day in Luzon, ma‘liit ba” na bagay yun?

Carpio“ also expressed concern that the disputed waters was being heavily‘ fished” by China.

So they re scooping all the fish, where do we get our galunggong now? We import our galunggong from China. Where does China get the galunggong, from the“ West’ Philippine Sea. Atin yun, he pointed out.

Roque earlier characterized the‘ Philippines” arbitral win as a minor factor in the Philippines' relations with China. ’ Alam niyo po napakaliit na bagay kung itong decision na ito at enforcement ng decision will determine the entire relations between two neighboring countries in“ Asia, Roque had said.

Carpio also” questioned President Rodrigo Duterte s praise for the supposed friendship between China and the Philippines during the celebration of the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China.’

China is his best friend, but his best friend is invading the West Philippine Sea. So how can you call somebody who bullies you and takes your property that has been“ judged by an international court as yours, he said.

”

Malacañang has yet to answer Carpio s assertions.

However, the Palace previously said that’ the Philippines would not surrender its territory to China or any other country in the West Philippine Sea. — Joahna Lei Casilao/DVM, GMA News https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/794808/carpio-points-to-malampaya-galunggong- to-prove-award-vs-china-valuable/story/

De Lima urges Senate to expedite passage of bill declaring July 12 as West PH Sea day

Published July 9, 2021, 2:32 PM by Hannah Torregoza ADVERTISEMENT Detained Senator Leila de Lima on Friday, July 9 urged the Senate to immediately pursue the passage of the proposed bill that seeks to officially declare July 12 of every year as the “West Philippine Sea Victory Day” to commemorate the country’s arbitration victory against China.

De Lima, who earlier filed Senate Bill No. 376, said the bill will solidify the country’s stand against the repeated incursions of China in the West Philippine Sea and assert the nation’s sovereign rights over its own territories.

ADVERTISEMENT “I hope that my esteemed colleagues in the Senate will act with dispatch on my proposed bill and help pass it into law soon not only to observe the country’s arbitration victory against China over the WPS, but also to remind the government to uphold our sovereign rights amid China’s continued bullying of our country,” De Lima said.

The measure seeks to declare the said date as a special working holiday to mark the historic decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/de-lima-urges-senate-to-expedite-passage-of-bill-declaring-july-12-as- west-ph-sea-day/

Maritime academy officers face probe over possible ‘neglect of duty’

PMMA says cadet who died was ‘manhandled’ by an upperclassman despite strict rules By: Joanna Rose Aglibot - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:04 AM July 10, 2021 SALUTE The corps of midshipmen of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy holds a necrological service for Midshipman Cadet 4th Class Jonash Bondoc who died of head injury after he was allegedly punched by an upperclassman on Tuesday. The urn bearing Bondoc’s ashes was flown home to Butuan City by his parents on Thursday. — PHOTO COURTESY OF PMMA

SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES — The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) has started an investigation into possible lapses and neglect of duty of certain officers in the state-run maritime school in the wake of the death of one of its students who was punched by an upperclassman during a “traditional recognition” rite.

PMMA stressed that hazing among its corps of midshipmen, or cadets, “is not tolerated” and it will proceed with the probe despite the arrest of the suspect, Midshipman Cadet 2nd Class Jomel Gloria, amid public uproar over the death of Midshipman Cadet 4th Class Jonash Bondoc.

Gloria was already charged with homicide for Bondoc’s death but police said he was released on a P120,000-bail on Thursday.

“The PMMA has yet to close the case and shall look into possible administrative lapses and neglect of duties for possible disciplinary measures,” Commodore Joel Abutal, PMMA superintendent, said in a statement.

He added: “Despite the strict rules and regulations, regimented routines, heavy consequences on any form of breach of discipline, and the long-standing Honor Code System, maltreatment such as this case still happens.”

Blunt force injury

PMMA is a quasi-military institution and the country’s premier maritime school that gets funding both from the government and the shipping industry. Its graduates are conferred the rank of ensign (second lieutenant) who can choose to join either the Philippine Navy or the Philippine Coast Guard, or be a part of the private maritime industry.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1457930/maritime-academy-officers-face-probe-over-possible-neglect-of- duty

‘Minimal’ oil sheen seen around half- sunken ship off Manila: PCG

By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz July 9, 2021, 6:29 pm

MONITORING. Personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) inspect the half-sunk MV Palawan Pearl off Baseco Beach on Thursday (July 8, 2021). The PCG said oil sheen is seen around the distressed vessel on Friday (July 9), with an oil spill boom placed around the vessel. (Photo courtesy of PCG)

MANILA – Waters surrounding MV Palawan Pearl, the half-sunk vessel off Baseco Beach after a ship collision on Thursday, are showing “minimal traces of oil sheen”, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Friday.

In a Facebook post, the PCG said the Marine Environmental Protection (MEP) group of the PCG Station Manila continues to monitor the status of the distressed vessel located about 100 meters from the Baseco beach shoreline.

“They also fixed the displaced segments of oil spill boom to effectively collect oil in thick surface layers for easy recovery, thereby reducing the possibility of marine pollution,” the PCG said.

Based on initial investigation, MV Palawan Pearl (345 GT) was traveling from the Commander’s Wharf at the Baseco Compound towards El Nido, Palawan while Cyprus-flagged utility ship BKM 104 (375 GT) was headed towards the Manila Bay Anchorage area and Bulacan when the incident occurred.

Based on witness accounts, it said MV Palawan Pearl was sailing at around 7 knots and was three kilometers from the mouth of Pasig River when it noticed BKM 104 around 100 meters away from its port (left) side and was sailing at 10 knots.

“Agad na nagmaneobra ang MV PALAWAN PEARL para iwasan ang BKM 104, pero dalawang beses ito bumangga sa kaliwang bahagi ng cargo vessel kaya naman halos lumubog ito sa tubig (The MV Palawan Pearl immediately attempted to evade BKM 104, but it was hit twice on its left side, causing the vessel to almost sink),” the PCG said.

It said that BKM 104 only sustained minimal paint damage, while no injuries were reported from both ships.

“Patuloy ang pakikipag-koordinasyon ng PCG sa dalawang sasakyang pandagat, lalo na sa BKM 104, para malaman ang bilang ng mga tripulante nito. Ayon sa MV Palawan Pearl, 18 marino ang sakay ng kanilang barko, kabilang ang kapitan nito (The PCG continues its coordination with both vessels, especially with BKM 104, to find out the number of its crew. According to the MV Palawan Pearl, they were carrying 18 seafarers including its captain),” the PCG said. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146572

Stricter rules on marine vessel sewage urged By Eireene Jairee Gomez

July 10, 2021 The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is calling for stricter guidelines in the monitoring and reporting of sewage discharge of marine vessels to ensure the effective implementation of the Manila Bay rehabilitation program.

DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns and Manila Bay Anti-Pollution Task Force head Benny Antiporda suggested this to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to prevent pollution from sewage during a recent meeting along with the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), shipyard associations, and marine vessel owners.

"In six years, a lot has changed already. Marine vessels have already increased in number and our population has grown. Maybe it would be better if we talk about the solution, which is coming up with a suited policy on how to control or stop the pollution in Manila Bay," Antiporda told the PCG.

He suggested the need to have a more thorough data monitoring and reporting of sewage from the source, treatment, collection, coordination with agencies, and disposal to sufficiently support the Manila Bay rehabilitation.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/10/business/green-industries/stricter-rules-on-marine-vessel- sewage-urged/1806455

Mga baril at bala, nahukay sa kampo ng mga rebelde sa Zambales ABS-CBN News Posted at Jul 10 2021 09:22 AM Nadiskubre ng awtoridad ang mga baril at maraming bala na nakabaon sa isang hukay sa San Marcelino sa Zambales.

Kabilang sa mga nakita ay mga bala ng iba't ibang kalibre ng baril, ammunition para sa M-16 at grenade launcher.

Ayon kay Police Col. Romano Cardiño, Provincial Director ng Zambales Police, sumuko sa kanila ang isang rebelde nitong linggo na umano'y No. 12 sa listahan ng provincial level communist terrorist group database.

Sinabi umano ng rebelde na may plano ang grupo niya na atakihin ang San Marcelino Police Station. Siya rin ang nagturo sa kinaroroonan ng kanilang kampo kung saan nakatago ang mga gagamiting armas.

Sa pangunguna ng 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company, pinuntahan nila ang Sitio Lomibao sa Barangay Buhawen pero wala silang inabutang tao sa lugar.

Bukod sa mga armas na nahukay, may mga pagkain at hygiene kits ring nakabaon sa lupa na ginagamit umano ng mga rebelde sa kanilang kampo.

Malaking epekto sa rebeldeng grupo ang pagkadiskubre sa kanilang hideout at mga armas, ayon sa pulisya.

Iniutos rin ni Cardiño sa mga police chief sa lalawigan na mas paigtingin ang kampanya laban sa mga rebelde.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/07/10/21/mga-baril-at-bala-nahukay-sa-kampo-ng-mga-rebelde- sa-zambales

No ideology can justify rights violations, CHR says after suspected NPA attack in Eastern‘ Samar ’

By JULIA MARI ORNEDO, GMA News Published July 9, 2021 10:58am The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) underscored on Friday that no ideology can justify violations of human rights following an attack by suspected members of the New People s Army (NPA) in Eastern Samar.

CHR deputy spokesperson’ Marc Louis Siapno said suspected NPA members ambushed state forces in the town of Jipapad on Wednesday morning, killing three and injuring around four others from the government side.

The NPA was said to have used an improvised explosive device (IED) as well.

The CHR said it would pursue an independent probe into the incident.

We reiterate that no ideology can justify violations of human rights nor be used as a reason to excuse themselves from any accountability, Siapno said. “ He also stressed that even non-State actors must comply with” international humanitarian law alongside the government.

In this incident, the indiscriminate use of IEDs, including landmines, continues to fail in distinguishing between civilians and combatants and protect especially civilians“ and communities from the ill effects of armed conflict, Siapno said.

The CHR previously condemned the NPA's use of IEDs after a landmine” blast in Masbate claimed the life of 21-year-old football player Kieth Absalon and his cousin.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) later admitted that the Masbate incident violated international law.—AOL, GMA News https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/794698/no-ideology-can-justify-rights-violations- says-after-suspected-npa-attack-in-eastern-samar/story/

AFP identifies 20th fatality in Sulu crash

Published July 9, 2021, 3:35 PM by Martin Sadongdong

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) identified on Friday, July 9, another soldier who died in a C-130 military plane crash in Patikul, Sulu over the weekend.

AFP Chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana identified the 20th fatality in the Sulu crash as Airman First Class Fortunate Regidor, of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), who was already being prepared for air transport.

Last Wednesday, the AFP released the names of 19 of its members who perished in the plane crash. The tragedy claimed the lives of 52 individuals and injured 51 others.

List of military personnel who died in the C-130 crash in Patikul, Sulu on July 4, 2021. (Manila Bulletin)

With 20 bodies already identified, there remained 29 military personnel and three civilians whose remains have yet to be cross-matched and confirmed via DNA testing and dental records by the investigators. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/afp-identifies-20th-fatality-in-sulu-crash/

Pilot in C-130 crash once flew in PRC medical supplies from China

July 9, 2021, 1:33 pm

ESSENTIAL FLIGHT. Maj. Michael Vincent Benolerao, one of the fatalities of the C-130 crash in Sulu on Sunday (July 4, 2021), was the pilot of this April 28, 2020 flight that flew home medical supplies from China. The supplies were for the Philippine Red Cross molecular laboratory’s Covid-19 response. (Photo courtesy of PRC)

MANILA – Members of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) fondly recalled the affable pilot who flew in medical supplies from Changsha Airport in Hunan, China last year for the country’s Covid-19 efforts.

Maj. Michael Vincent Benolerao was one of 49 fatalities of the C-130 crash in Patikul, Sulu on Sunday.

The 38-year-old Iligan City native also accompanied PRC volunteers in the April 28, 2020 C-130 flight that flew home laboratory machines, swabs, reagents, and consumables for the PRC molecular laboratory.

“We mourn our fallen hero,” said Senator Richard Gordon, chairman and chief executive officer of PRC.

“When we needed his service, he was quick to respond. We lost one of our own in our fight against this deadly disease. Our deepest sympathies to his family, his colleagues, and the Air Force, and our eternal gratitude to a true front-liner,” he added.

Benolerao graduated from the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology Integrated Developmental School in 2000 and from the Philippine Military Academy in 2006.

He was planning to retire in 2022 to marry his fiancé in Canada where his family now lives. (PR)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146517

PH Red Cross provides psychological first aid to affected individuals of Sulu C-130 crash

Published July 9, 2021, 9:27 PM by Merlina Hernando-Malipot

To help them cope with the situation, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) continues to provide psychological first aid (PFA) to the bereaved families of the 50 casualties and survivors of the Sulu C-130 crash.

“Nakipag-coordinate na tayo sa Red Cross chapters sa Sulu at Zamboanga upang mabigyan tulong ang lahat ng naapektuhan ng trahedya (We are coordinating with Red Cross chapters in Sulu and Zamboanga so we can provide help to all those who need it),” said PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senator Richard Gordon.

After the incident, which happened last July 4, Gordon immediately deployed Sulu Chapter to respond to the incident. “Ako at ang buong Philippine Red Cross ay nakikiramay sa mga pamilya ng mga pumanaw sa pagbagsak ng eroplanong C-130 sa Sulu (The entire Philippine Red Cross sends our condolences to the bereaved families of those who died in the C -130 plane crash),” Gordon said.

PRC Sulu Chapter conducted home visitation to the bereaved family of the two civilians who died from the C-130 plane crash.

Among those who were given help were Sherma and Hakam Bab who lost their two sons and grandmother from the incident. Aside from psychological first aid, PRC also provided them with relief goods and P2,500 cash to support and help them cope up with the situation. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/ph-red-cross-provides-psychological-first-aid-to-affected-individuals-of- sulu-c-130-crash/

Families of soldiers killed in C-130 crash to receive at least P600,000 aid, benefits

ABS-CBN News Posted at Jul 09 2021 03:49 PM | Updated as of Jul 09 2021 04:34 PM MANILA — The families of soldiers who perished in the Sulu C-130 plane crash will receive cash and other benefits, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday said.

Those left behind by the fallen soldiers will receive a Command Special Financial Assistance based on the sum of their base pay, hazard pay and bonuses; a funeral service support amounting to P80,000; and monthly pension based on rank and length of service.

Beneficiaries will also get P500,000 under the Office of the President’s Comprehensive Social Benefits Program. Shelter, health, education, and employment assistance will also be given.

Cash advance release are being processed by the Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefits Association, Inc. (AFPMBAI) for the families of those who were killed.

Sulu Vice Governor Abdusakur Mahail Tan will also give P30,000 for the families of the 49 soldiers.

"No amount can ever replace the lives of our brave comrades who paid the ultimate sacrifice in line of their duty to protect our people and the state. Extending financial assistance to their families and loved ones is the least that we can do for the invaluable services they have rendered to our country," said AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Sobejana in a statement. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/09/21/c130-tragedy-sulu-plane-crash-soldier-benefits-military

'Minor flight incident': PAF confirms damage to Brazilian aircraft during maintenance flight

Published July 9, 2021, 11:54 AM by Martin Sadongdong

Following the tragic C-130 transport plane crash in Sulu over the weekend, an A-29B Super Tucano light attack aircraft of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) has also sustained damage during a test flight–thus raising questions as to whether or not the protocols being implemented by the military have duly addressed assets maintenance.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page Thursday, July 8, the PAF confirmed that the Brazilian aircraft was flown for a routine maintenance equipment check flight at Clark Air Base in Pampanga and “sustained some damage during landing.”

It was not mentioned exactly when the incident happened but military and defense news blog MaxDefense Philippines described it as a “recent incident.”

The PAF said that a Brazilian instructor pilot of Embraer Defense and Security, its Brazilian manufacturer, served as the pilot in command of the Super Tucano when the incident occured. Meanwhile, it said the wing commander of the 15th Strike Wing to which the aircraft was assigned to “sat as observer/passenger in the entire duration of the flight.”

According to initial investigation, the Brazilian Embraer instructor pilot “failed to initiate a go-around and prevent a positive landing” which damaged parts of the aircraft.

“The Brazilian Instructor Pilot had full control of the aircraft and responsib ility for the flight. The Wing Commander was just a mere passenger observing the performance and flight characteristics of the aircraft as part of his functions,” it said.

Coincidentally on Thursday, the PAF’s 15th Strike Wing bared that Brig. Gen. Aristotle Gonzalez has been installed as its new wing commander, replacing Brig. Gen. Araus Robert Musico. The 15th Strike Wing did not elaborate on the recent change of leadership.

The PAF said all the damaged parts incurred by the Super Tucano aircraft “are all reparable” and will be provided by Embraer “at no cost to the PAF.”

https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/paf-confirms-brazilian-aircraft-is-damaged-during-maintenance-flight/

2 AFP senior officers promoted to higher rank

By Priam Nepomuceno July 9, 2021, 1:39 pm

PROMOTED. AFP chief, Gen. Cirilito Sobejana (center) poses for a photo opportunity with newly-promoted senior officers, Rear Admiral Antonio Palces (left) and Brig. Gen. Mark Edwin Moro (right) during their donning ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Thursday (July 8, 2021). Palces is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Training (J-8) while Moro is the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff of Communication, Electronics and Information Systems (J-6). (Photo courtesy of AFP)

MANILA – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief, Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, on Thursday personally presided over the donning ceremonies of two newly-promoted senior military officials.

Promoted were Rear Admiral Antonio Palces and Brig. Gen. Mark Edwin Moro. The ceremony was held at the Bulwagang Balangiga of the General Headquarters Building in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

“Our honorees possess impeccable service reputations that undoubtedly befitted them with distinct attributes as competent and committed officers and leaders of the AFP,” Sobejana said in a statement Friday.

Palces is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Training (J-8) while Moro holds the position of Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff of Communication, Electronics and Information Systems (J-6).

The promotion to a higher rank in the military organization is one of the enduring demonstrations of the tradition of excellence and professionalism in the noble profession of arms.

Sobejana congratulated the honorees including their families for achieving the milestone while reminding the officers of their obligations as leaders of the AFP.

“This is truly a huge milestone in your respective careers, I, therefore, ask that you take time to reflect on the significance of this promotion. May it also serve as a reminder of the higher responsibilities and greater expectations of the organization and the Filipino people,” he added. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146500

Sen. Go leads groundbreaking of P1.6-B housing project for police, military in Cebu

Published July 9, 2021, 4:55 PM by Calvin Cordova

CEBU CITY – A P1.6-billion housing project intended especially for the police and military personnel broke ground here Friday, July 9.

Sen. Bong Go led the groundbreaking of Southpark Residences in Pulangbato, a mountain barangay in the northern part of this city.

National Housing Authority General Manager Marcelino Escalada Jr. said two 10-story and a 13-story building will rise on a 2.1-hectare land.

The medium-rise condominium will have a total of 850, two-bedroom residential units with each unit measuring 42 square meters (sqm), including a 2.5-sqm balcony.

The project’s excavation works, installation, and concreting of footing are already ongoing.

“This is the 27th housing project that we delivered under the Duterte administration. Before, housing units only measured 24 square meters. There was no decency and privacy and we tried to address that by increasing it to as big as 60 square meters,” said Escalada.

Escalada said each unit would cost around P1.9 million which will be payable for next 30 years.

Aside from police and military personnel, the housing project will also benefit employees of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Bureau of Corrections.

“Me and President Duterte are happy with this project because the police and our soldiers are our priority. We know our police and soldiers are close to the President’s heart because they are the ones who are making a lot of sacrifices,” Go said in Cebuano. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/sen-go-leads-groundbreaking-of-p1-6-b-housing-project-for-police- military-in-cebu/

DOST partners with PH Army, PNP in field testing ready-to-eat food products

Published July 9, 2021, 12:43 PM by Charissa Luci-Atienza

The Department of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) is jointly implementing a project with the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to develop and field test its ready-to-eat products as food rations for men in uniform during combat and high-risk operations.

DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the Packaging Technology Division of the DOST-ITDI is closely coordinating with the Philippine Army and PNP to fully implement the project.

Among the DOST-ITDI’s retort foods that undergo field testing are steamed rice, chicken adobo, adobong kangkong, beef curry, chicken afritada, and bangus sisig.

“The project will also establish the process schedule for the RTE foods, shelf-life simulating storage conditions, handling and distribution of food rations in combat operations, label design and transport packaging,” de la Peña said.

He said sensory evaluation of RTE chicken adobo has already been conducted with 25 military and civilian officers and technical staff as panelists.

“The product was evaluated as very acceptable in terms of texture, odor, and taste,” the DOST chief said.

He said comments from the panelists were noted and considered in the reformulation of the product.

Last month, the DOST announced the development of RTE chicken soup under its “Pack of Hope” brand, seven years after it developed its RTE arroz caldo.

The newly developed food product aims to meet the food and nutrition needs of the country’s most vulnerable sectors, including children and elderly during disasters and calamities. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/dost-partners-with-ph-army-pnp-in-field-testing-ready-to-eat-food- products/

Rights group wants CHR to block Parlade retirement Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News Posted at Jul 10 2021 02:51 AM MANILA — The military official that served as a spokesperson of the controversial anti- insurgency task force of the government should not be accorded a "graceful exit," according to a human rights group, as it moved to block his retirement later this month.

In a letter to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), human rights alliance Karapatan urged the government body to withhold clearances for the retirement of Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.

Parlade, commander of the Southern Luzon Command and former spokesperson of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), will reach the mandatory age of retirement on July 26 when he turns 56.

The military official made headlines over the past year for remarks he issued against some groups and personalities due to their alleged links to the communist movement in the country.

According to Karapatan, Parlade "deserves no graceful exit" for his "rabid" red tagging that endangered the lives of several individuals.

"A rabid red-tagger like Antonio Parlade Jr. deserves no graceful exit... Allowing Parlade to walk away scot-free amid the pending cases against him... would be tantamount to impunity. We ask the CHR to withhold clearances for Parlade," Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said in a statement. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/10/21/rights-group-wants-chr-to-block-parlade-retirement

Suspected Abu Sayyaf member killed in encounter with troops in Sulu —military Published July 10, 2021 9:46am A suspected member of the Abu Sayyaf Group was killed in an encounter with state troops on Friday in Talipao, Sulu, the Joint Task Force Sulu says on Saturday, July 10, 2021. Photo shows soldiers during clearing operations in the area. Photo courtesy: Philippine Army 11th Infantry Division A suspected member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) died in an encounter with state troops on Friday in Sulu, the Joint Task Force Sulu said on Saturday.

Major General William Gonzales, Philippine Army's 11th Infantry division commander, said the https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/philippines-south-china-sea-ruling- eez-nine-dash-line-15186024presence around Philippines only growing

CATO, Philippines: Filipino fisherman Randy Megu has often braved the storms that spring up in the South China Sea, but these days he has a greater fear: seeing a Chinese maritime enforcement vessel on the horizon.

Five years after a landmark international arbitration court ruling repudiated China's claims to the waters where Megu fishes, the 48-year-old complains that his encounters with Chinese boats are more frequent than ever.

"I was so scared," said Megu, describing how a Chinese vessel had tracked his wooden outrigger boat for three hours around 140 nautical miles (260km) from the coast in May.

He said other fishermen had reported being rammed or blasted with water cannons while working in what they considered their historic fishing grounds - which they had hoped to secure after the ruling in The Hague in 2016.

China rejected the ruling and has stood by its claim to most of the waters within a so-called Nine Dash Line, which is also contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/philippines-south-china-sea-ruling-eez-nine-dash-line- 15186024

2016 arbitral legacy must be upheld

Dindo Manhit, President, Stratbase ADR Institute

Amid rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Duterte administration has persistently set aside the 2016 Arbitral Award and is playing powerless against the lingering presence of Chinese maritime militia vessels in the country s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). During the celebration of the 46th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines, President Duterte vowed to continue’ promoting a win-win cooperation with China, citing that country s role and influence in the region. “ ” After brandishing a stronger’ stance on the WPS issue during his election campaign, President Duterte early in his term announced that he would sever ties with the United States and forge a more robust diplomatic relationship with China. Since then, the administration has pursued its defeatist attitude and inaction on China s expansionist agenda in the WPS.

Filipinos have expressed serious concerns’ over China s actions, which violate Philippine sovereignty and undermine the maritime commons and stability in the region. According to Social Weather Stations surveys, between June 2019 and July’ 2020, 70 percent to 87 percent of Filipinos agreed that the Philippine government should assert its right to the islands in the West Philippine Sea as stipulated in the 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. “ Still, the President chose to downplay the arbitral ruling as a piece of paper.” Bringing the WPS issue to the United Nations was a waste of time, he said, and would only disrupt the good relations between China and the Philippines. “ ” “ ” The previous administration pursued a policy to clarify the country s maritime entitlement in the WPS and rightly challenged the validity of China s absurd territorial claims. As the chief architect of the country s foreign policy, the late President Benigno Aquino III maint’ ained close ties with allies and partners, including the United States, Japan, ’Australia, and several maritime nations in Southeast Asia.’ He also led the initiative to file the country s victorious arbitration case against China despite the economic and political challenges the country was facing during that time. ’ In one of his speeches, then President Aquino said that standing up to a giant is no small feat, but his administration chose to do so because it was the right thing to do. He also emphasized that China s actions in the region violate not only the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but also the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and the Convention on International’ Trade in Endangered Species.

With less than a year left before the 2022 elections, the Philippines must urgently recalibrate its foreign policy and security strategy to effectively respond to China s regional aggression and manage the dire consequences of President Duterte s appeasement policy. Aside from working closely with like-minded states, the country should explore viable options’ such as the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States,’ the Status of Forces Agreement with Australia, the establishment of a strategic partnership with Vietnam, the development of the National Coast Watch Center, and joint collaborations between Japan and the Philippine Coast Guard to strengthen the country s defense, security, and law enforcement capabilities in the WPS. https://adrinstitute.org/2021/07/09/2016-arbitral-legacy-must-’ be-upheld/ ASEAN, EU bat for peace, stability in South China Sea

Published July 9, 2021, 2:04 PM by Roy Mabasa

Senior officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) member states have reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety, and the right of freedom of navigation and overflight above the South China Sea.

The joint statement came at the conclusion of the ASEAN – EU Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) that was convened via videoconference on Thursday, July 8, 2021.

The meeting also came four days ahead of the commemoration of the 5 th anniversary of the July 12, 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that gave the Philippines its victory over China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, or the West Philippine Sea.

“We engaged in candid and productive discussions on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern. We underlined the importance of the respect for international law, in particular, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We also reaffirmed our support for the open, inclusive and rules-based multilateral system,” the ASEAN and EU said in the statement.

Amid China’s continued activities in the South China Sea, the world’s two biggest regional blocs also reaffirmed their call for the peaceful resolution of disputes, in accordance with international law, “in particular the 1982 UNCLOS which is of universal character and sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out”.

Both sides likewise encouraged negotiations towards the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) consistent with international law, in particular the 1982 UNCLOS. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/asean-eu-cite-importance-of-peace-security-safety-stability-in-south- china-sea/

Democrats Try to Blame Guns for the Crime Surge Caused by Liberal Policies By ARON RAVIN

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference on gun violence in New York City, July 6, 2021. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters) As the Left tries to avoid responsibility for its own mistakes, many Americans see the progressive narrative about guns and crime for the charade that it is.

ACRIME WAVE is gripping American cities, and the Left, in the wake of a ruinous series of radical criminal-justice “reforms,” needs scapegoats.

As Kevin Williamson has explained, much of this can be traced back to ridiculous city ordinances, such as the abolition of cash bail in some major cities. But, glossing over such decisions, major news outlets and politicians have instead taken to describing the problem as an issue of gun violence. There’s a reason for this: So long as they maintain

this account, the Left can avoid responsibility — even with their policy fingerprints all over the crime scenes.

This sustained dishonesty started with coverage of police brutality. For the past year or more, we’ve heard about how police annually “shoot and kill nearly 1,000 people.” It’s one of the worst acts of journalistic malpractice of the last several years that this statistic has been so little challenged or contextualized. https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/democrats-try-to-blame-guns-for-the-crime-surge-caused- by-liberal-policies/

White House: US supports Tokyo Games #World Friday, July 9, 13:58

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the US government supports the Tokyo Olympic Games following Japan's announcement that spectators will be banned.

No spectators will be allowed at Olympic venues in Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures. The decision came after the declaration of a fourth coronavirus state of emergency in the capital that will take effect from Monday.

Psaki told reporters on Thursday that the Japanese government has stressed that "public health remains a central priority" in hosting or preparing to host the Games.

She said, "We have stayed in close contact with the Japanese government throughout the planning process," and, "We support the Games moving forward."

Asked if First Lady Jill Biden will visit Japan to attend the Games, Psaki said, "We are still assessing the feasibility." She added, "Our advance team arrives in Tokyo later this week."

White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said there is no reason for him to have concern about the first lady visiting Japan. He said the protocols to protect the health of participants in the Games are "quite strict and stringent." https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210709_13/

US indices remove Chinese firms following Biden directive by Jon Grevatt

Major US indices that produce and maintain stock market indexes have removed dozens of Chinese firms from their lists. The move follows a US decision last month to ban investment in Chinese companies deemed to have links with China's military- industrial complex.

The S&P Dow Jones Indices has said that it will remove 25 Chinese firms from August 2021. Another index publisher FTSE Russell said that from late this month it will remove an additional 20 Chinese companies. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-indices-remove-chinese-firms-following-biden- directive_18882

US sanctions 23 more Chinese companies for suspected Xinjiang abuses, military and business ties

 14 companies are ‘implicated in human rights violations and abuses in the implementation of China’s campaign of repression, mass detention and surveillance’  Moves are the latest targeting the human rights situation in Xinjiang and China’s military build- up, which the US views as a threat to global stability

The Biden administration added another 23 Chinese companies to its trade blacklist on Friday – 14 over their role in suspected human rights abuses in the country’s far-west

Xinjiang region, five for their ties to China’s military, and another four for doing business with other firms that had already been sanctioned by the US.It was the latest move from Washington targeting China over the human rights situation in Xinjiang and China’s military build-up, viewed in the US capital as a threat to global stability.

“The Department of Commerce remains firmly committed to taking strong, decisive action to target entities that are enabling human rights abuses in

Xinjiang or that use US technology to fuel China’s destabilising military modernisation efforts,” said US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3140574/14-chinese-companies-added-us- economic-blacklist-over-xinjiang

US draws clear line on Taiwan independence but China will still have cause to worry: analysts

 Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell says the US supported a ‘strong unofficial relationship’ with Taiwan but not independence  Chinese analyst says it’s not what Washington says about its relationship with Taiwan, but the way they say it

Beijing welcomes the US’ clear stand against Taiwanese independence but tension is likely to remain high as Washington and Taipei grow closer, Chinese analysts say.

In the Biden administration’sfirst public statement on what Beijing considers a “red line” on one of its “core issues”, Kurt Campbell, the White House’s coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, said this week that the US supported a “strong unofficial relationship” with

Taiwan but not independence.Beijing considers democratic Taiwan to be its own territory, and has vowed to bring the island under its rule, by force if necessary. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3140545/us-may-have-drawn-clear-line-taiwan- independence-china-will

US needs Japan and Korea to counter China tech: ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt urges cooperation in AI, chips, quantum computing and synthetic biology

Eric Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Futures, who has served as CEO for Google, executive chairman and technical adviser for parent Alphabet, says the U.S. needs to take action to keep its lead over China in artificial intelligence. © Reuters AKITO TANAKA, Nikkei Asia chief business news correspondentJuly 9, 2021 17:00 JST

SINGAPORE -- China's capabilities in artificial intelligence are "much closer than I thought" to catching up to the U.S., former Google CEO Eric Schmidt told Nikkei Asia, stressing that America will not succeed without a "very strong partnership with our Asian friends." https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Interview/US-needs-Japan-and-Korea-to-counter-China-tech-ex- Google-CEO

China to safeguard its firms against US blacklist

The Biden administration is expected as early as Friday to add at least 10 more Chinese companies and other entities to the list over alleged human rights abuses and high-tech surveillance in the Chinese region of Xinjiang

Reuters | | Posted by Shanza Khan, Beijing PUBLISHED ON JUL 09, 2021 02:49 PM IST

China will take all necessary measures to protect its companies, the foreign ministry said on Friday when asked about a Reuters report that the United States is set to add more Chinese firms to its economic blacklist. The Biden administration is expected as early as Friday to add at least 10 more Chinese companies and other entities to the list over alleged human rights abuses and high-tech surveillance in the Chinese region of Xinjiang, the report said. Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made the comments at a regular news conference in Beijing on Friday. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-to-safeguard-its-firms-against-us-blacklist- 101625817378348.html

China evacuates nationals from Afghanistan amid US pullout

An Afghan policeman checks the documentation of a gun owner, at a temporary checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan on Jul 4, 2021. (Photo: AP)

09 Jul 2021 02:48PM BEIJING: China sent a flight to bring home 210 of its nationals from Afghanistan, state media reported Friday (Jul 9), as the US military prepares to leave the country and the security situation grows increasingly fraught.

The Global Times newspaper published by the ruling Communist Party said the Xiamen Airlines flight departed Jul 2 from the capital Kabul and landed in the central province of Hubei.

The airline confirmed the report in a post on its Twitter-like Weibo account but offered no additional details.

The Global Times and other reports said 22 of those onboard tested positive for COVID-19, although those numbers did not appear on the National Health Commission’s daily report of new cases. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/china-evacuates-nationals-from-afghanistan-amid-us- pullout-15186682

Chinese FM to visit Central Asia on SCO mission for Afghan peace By Zhao Yusha and Huang Lanlan Published: Jul 09, 2021 10:36 PM Updated: Jul 10, 2021 02:21 PM

As the security threats of the US military's hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan spills over to neighboring countries, Chinese foreign minister has scheduled visits to three Central Asian countries upon invitation, and will discuss with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) officials about the situation in Afghanistan.

Despite the shadow cast by Afghanistan's new situation, it propels regional countries, including China, to gaze closely into it. Analysts said there are both challenges and opportunities for China in Afghanistan's situation. By including the Afghanistan issue into the SCO agenda, not only can Beijing help further subdue the chaos left by the power vacuum in this country, but will also push ties between China and other Central Asian countries closer, they noted.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan between July 12 and 16 on the invitation of foreign ministers of the three countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced on Friday.

Wang Yi is also scheduled to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of the SCO- Afghanistan Contact Group, where he will exchange views with other SCO

member states and his Afghan counterpart on promoting regional security and stability, advancing the process of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, and deepening cooperation between the SCO and Afghanistan, Wang Wenbin said.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228280.shtml

Currency and control: why China wants to undermine bitcoin | China July 9, 2021

Few would dispute that China’s latest crackdown on cryptocurrency buying and selling and mining has contributed to the latest plunge within the worth of bitcoin and different cryptos.

However whereas the argument rages about whether or not the volatility of cryptos is an indication of elementary weak point or merely a bump alongside the street, the initiatives popping out of Beijing are being seen by specialists as an indication of China’s makes an attempt to incubate its personal fledgling e-currency and reboot the worldwide monetary system.

The Folks’s Financial institution of China goals to develop into the primary main central financial institution to difficulty a central financial institution digital forex. Whereas the PBOC’s counterparts within the west have taken a extra cautious method, it has held trials in a number of main cities together with Shenzhen, Chengdu, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

The advantages of an e-currency are immense. As an increasing number of transactions are made utilizing a digital forex managed centrally, the federal government features an increasing number of skill to watch the financial system and its folks.

The rollout can be seen as a part of Beijing’s push to weaken the facility of the US greenback, and in flip that of the federal government in Washington. China believes that by internationalising the yuan it will possibly scale back its dependence on the dollar-dominated international banking system, simply as its Belt and Highway Initiative is constructing another community of worldwide commerce.

Alarm in western governments is such that the risk posed by the digital yuan, which might put China out of attain from worldwide monetary sanctions, for instance, was mentioned finally month’s G7 assembly.

However one other essential motivation is the rising alarm in Beijing on the dimension of the crypto business in China, the place an enormous quantity of cryptocurrency was being “mined” till the latest crackdown.

The specter of an unregulated different financial system rising from blockchain know-how is a transparent and current hazard to the Communist get together, in accordance with observers.

Jim Cramer, a former hedge fund supervisor and CNN enterprise knowledgeable, stated the federal government in Beijing “consider it’s a direct risk to the regime as a result of … it’s exterior their management”.

Seen from the attitude of central banks, cryptocurrencies are a risk to monetary stability, argues Carsten Murawski, professor of finance on the College of Melbourne in Australia, and if digital currencies are to be developed then authorities need management. https://asiapost.live/currency-and-control-why-china-wants-to-undermine-bitcoin-china/

China calls on int'l community to resist politicizing origin-tracing

Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-10 00:42:01|Editor: huaxia

BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The international community should consciously resist political manipulation on origin-tracing and carry out origin-tracing research in various countries and regions around the world, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Friday.

Wang Wenbin made the remarks in response to a query on attempts by some people in the United States to push the WHO to carry out the second-phase origin-tracing investigation in China.

Wang said origin-tracing is a scientific issue, and science and facts should be respected. The joint WHO-China study on COVID-19 origin-tracing published in March this year clearly pointed out that the origin-tracing should be based on a global perspective, and the work in the future will not be limited to a certain region and will be carried out in multiple countries and regions.

From the overall situation of the pandemic, he said COVID-19 has multiple origins and broke out in multiple places. The mayor of Belleville, New Jersey of the United States, said he was infected with COVID-19 in November 2019, and the test results showed he tested positive for antibodies related to the virus that causes COVID-19, which was more than two months earlier than the first confirmed case reported in the United States, and also earlier than the first case reported in China.

Wang said studies found that there was evidence of COVID-19 infection in five U.S. states as of December 2019. A joint study between the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Washington has also shown that the number of patients with respiratory symptoms and diseases from late December 2019 to February 2020 has increased significantly, indicating that COVID-19 had already spread in U.S. communities before the country had clinical awareness and testing capabilities. Besides, EVALI broke out on a large scale in Wisconsin in the United States in July 2019, and patients' lung CT showed a fuzzy white mass, which was very similar to the symptoms of COVID-19, he said.

Wang stressed that hyping up the so-called second-phase origin tracing in China is not the right way to find the origin of the virus. It does however feed the political manipulation of labeling the virus and politicizing origin-tracing, which will undermine global cooperation in this regard.

The international community should consciously resist all kinds of political manipulation on origin-tracing, and carry out origin-tracing research in various countries and regions to ensure that it can effectively prevent and respond to a pandemic that may reappear in the future, he said. Enditem http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-07/10/c_1310052710.htm

WHAT DOES CHINA WANT IN NEPAL?

WRITTEN BY BINDESH DAHAL

8 July 2021 Moving beyond economic and diplomatic ties with Nepal, China has been wading into Nepali domestic politics for the last few years. This trend was seen alongside Beijing’s increasing assertiveness internationally (what has been dubbed by analysts ‘wolf warrior diplomacy’) amid the rise of President Xi Jinping as China’s paramount leader and the promotion of his "Chinese Dream". The Communist Party of China (CPC) promoted Xi's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a means to wield power, and influence and in response to the country's development needs Nepal hitched its wagon to the BRI in May 2017. The desire to graduate from Least Developed Country status spurred Nepal to become a signatory to the Chinese initiative despite warnings about debt traps.

The initial euphoria in joining the ambitious project gradually gave way to apathy as Nepal's ever-fluid political situation and sluggish bureaucracy hindered progress in BRI projects. Differing views within the China-Nepal bilateral about the modality of investments in projects also persist. Even the Trade and Transportation Agreement and the use of Chinese ports have gone nowhere. A detailed project report of the much-touted trans-Himalayan railway and Gyirong-Kathmandu tunnel road has still not been undertaken. In June 2021, Nepal and China inked a deal to develop three hydropower projects on the Marsyangdi River, but given the past track record, there is no guarantee of its completion. The slow progress in ties has even been noticed by President Xi Jinping, who expressed public dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in projects during his visit to Nepal in 2019.

Realising that the smooth functioning of geoeconomic connectivity requires deft geopolitical manipulations, China had tacitly sought to engineer the coming together of all the communist

parties in Nepal. However, its project of building a strong communist governing bloc in Nepal seems to be failing following the split of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Shell-shocked by the dismantling of its influence, Beijing has uttered not a word about the various political developments in Nepal since the Supreme Court in Kathmandu issued a decision effectively splitting the NCP in March 2021 and restoring the status quo ante, i.e. restoring the major communist parties CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre before they had merged to become the NCP in May 2017. Nonetheless, Beijing is continuing with its clandestine endeavour to regroup the communist parties and illicit influence through them. https://www.9dashline.com/article/what-does-china-want-in-nepal

Dozens of Pro-Democracy Politicians Resign in Hong Kong Ahead of Oath Requirement Officials are warning that no 'fake patriots' will be allowed to run for political office in the city.

By Man Hoi Yan and Cheng Yut Yiu 2021-07-08

Dozens of democratically elected district council members in Hong Kong are resigning amid government plans to screen and disqualify them through a new political vetting system and compulsory oaths of allegiance.

The government will likely tell members of the District Council this month that they will be required to take a pledge of allegiance to the government, and up to 230 pro-democracy members elected in a post-protest movement landslide in 2019 could lose their seats, according to local media reports.

While the pro-democracy camp took control of all but one of the city's 18 councils in November 2019, 49 councilors resigned this week, citing a law requiring them to take oaths that was passed in May.

Some also face "subversion" charges under a draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong by the CCP from July 1, 2020, for taking part in a democratic primary in the same summer.

Shatin district councilor Yau Man-chun was among those to resign on Thursday, telling reporters that they were "frustrated" at constant obstruction by government officials.

"The main reason is that I am disappointed, and I need to take some time to calm down and rest," Yau told reporters. "We have experienced this sense of powerlessness actually since the very start of the current term of the District Council."

"It has made it very hard to follow up on issues affecting my district."

Yau's colleague and deputy chairman of Tai Po District Council, Lau Yung Wai, said he would hang on a while longer, to see if he can make some difference.

"I respect my colleagues' [decision to quit] but I hope that those who do choose to stay on will keep trying [to make a difference]," Yau said.

But he added: "I don't yet know if I can keep going ... we can't predict what will happen about the reported lists of members to be disqualified."

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/resign-07082021120636.html

Hong Kongers doubtful of future under law: report

‘UNPRECEDENTED POLITICAL VIOLENCE’: Nearly every aspect of Hong Kong has been affected by the security law, from media to the arts and academia, the report said

 By Chen Yu-fu and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Hong Kong’s National Security Law has had a “chilling effect” on the territory in the year since its passage, with more than 60 percent of Hong Kongers expressing doubts about their future, the Mainland Affairs Council said on Tuesday.

The broad rules have left few segments of Hong Kong society untouched since becoming law in June last year, the council said in a report marking the 24th anniversary of the territory’s handover to China.

The US-based Freedom House in March gave Hong Kong the worst rating in the history of its Freedom in the World report at 52 points, ranking “partly free,” due mainly to the security legislation, the report said.

A person looks at the skyline of the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Germany’s Global Public Policy Institute and Reporters Without Borders similarly downgraded the territory in their respective reports on academic and press freedom, it added.

Although relatively few people have been arrested under the security legislation, the scope of those prosecuted for speech from prior to the law’s passage — from politicians to academics and journalists — has produced a “chilling effect,” the council’s report said.

The press especially is facing “unprecedented political violence,” including with the redefinition of “media representative” to only recognize workers of media outlets registered with the government, it said.

Next Digital has emerged as a victim of the security legislation, as police have used it to prosecute owner Jimmy Lai (黎智英) and Apple Daily executives, it said. The closure of the Apple Daily on June 25, shortly after the government froze its assets, has “sounded a death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong,” it said. Many news firms have chosen to stay silent, leading to the closure or removal of content from online publications such as Stand News, Winandmac Media and Post 852, the council said in the report.

Meanwhile, increasing numbers of academics critical of Beijing have been dismissed or forced out since last year, it said.

Some have even seen their teaching qualifications revoked for disseminating content in support of independence, it added.

Changes to the education curriculum in February also outlawed political activities on campuses and banned teachers from discussing their political views, while mandating education about the security law to more than 8,000 students, it said.

Fear over reporting by students is likely to deepen self-censorship on campuses, the council said, adding that some academics are also considering cutting back on international exchanges.

Censorship has even extended to the Internet and the arts, drawing an ambiguous red line that would stifle creative freedom, it added.

The Web site HKChronicles, which publishes personal information of police officers and pro-Beijing figures, was reportedly shuttered by Hong Kong security forces with cooperation from Internet service providers, the council said. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/07/10/2003760613

Resignation, anger as Japan digests Tokyo Olympic fan ban

Kyoko Ishikawa has been to every Summer Olympics for the past 30 years AFP/Philip FONG 09 Jul 2021 12:30PM(Updated: 09 Jul 2021 12:41PM) TOKYO: Olympic fans in Japan reacted with weary resignation to a ban on Tokyo Games spectators on Friday (Jul 9), as newspaper editorials warned it may not be enough to stop COVID-19. Kyoko Ishikawa, who has attended every Summer Games over the past 30 years, told AFP she "already expected" the decision to ban fans from most Olympic events, which was announced late Thursday.

But she said she still hopes to have "an opportunity to connect people" through online events.

"We already expected it, so it's not really surprising and it's not getting me down," said Ishikawa, who has become a familiar face at Olympic venues over the years in her traditional Japanese outfit and "hachimaki" headband.

"Now, what I have to do is ask how I can still create an opportunity to connect people around the world through the Olympic Games."

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/tokyo-olympics-japan-spectator-ban-covid-19- reactions-15186088

Coronavirus: Japan’s move to host Tokyo Olympics shreds public consensus

 Japanese public voice concerns about the coronavirus at a time when only 16 per cent are fully vaccinated  On the other hand, politicians hope to save face by holding the Games, while pressure on International Olympic Committee is mainly financial

Japan is famous for running on consensus. But the decision to proceed with the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics has shredded it.

On one side, the Japanese public face concerns about the coronavirus at a time when only 16 per cent are fully vaccinated. On the other side are politicians who hope to save face by holding the Games, and the International Olympic Committee with billions of dollars on the line.

“We have been cornered into a situation where we cannot even stop now. We are damned if we do, and damned if we do not,” Kaori Yamaguchi, a member of the Japanese Olympic Committee and a bronze medallist in judo in 1988, wrote in a recent editorial published by the Kyodo news agency. “The IOC also seems to think that public opinion in Japan is not important.”

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3140590/decision-proceed-pandemic-postponed-tokyo- olympics-has-shredded-public

Paper: S.Korea's Moon to visit Japan from July 23 #Japan #South Korea

Frid ay, Ju ly 9, 1 6: 07

A South Korean newspaper says negotiations are underway for President Moon Jae -in to make a two-day visit to Japan from July 23, when the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony is to take place.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported this on its front page on Friday, quoting a government official.

The official is quoted as saying the schedule has been tentatively agreed on but that no decision has been made on the format of a possible summit with Japan.

An official of the presidential office told reporters that nothing has been decided on the matter. The official suggested that South Korea's position is that it can consider such a visit if it would entail a summit and resulting achievements.

Attention is focused on whether Moon and Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide will hold their first face-to-face summit since Suga took office last September. Japan- South Korea relations remain strained over historical issues such as wartime labor and those referred to as comfort women.

Suga told reporters on Thursday that Japan will continue to strongly urge the South Korean side to address the issues appropriately. But he also said that if Moon visits Japan, it would be natural diplomatically for the country to respond politely. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210709_23/

N. Korea could return to dialogue with US, spy agency says

By Yonhap

Published : Jul 9, 2021 - 20:33 Updated : Jul 11, 2021 - 09:28 South Korea's spy agency has told lawmakers that North Korea could return to nuclear dialogue with the United States as it is intent on ending hostile relations with the country, a source said Friday.

The National Intelligence Service made the comment Thursday while debriefing the National Assembly's intelligence committee on the recent remarks from Pyongyang, the source with knowledge of the matter said.

"North Korea's consistent position is to end its hostile relations with the United States," the source quoted the NIS as reporting to the lawmakers.

The NIS said that the North appears to want an easing of sanctions to allow exports of its minerals and imports of refined oil and other daily necessities, according to the source.

"The NIS judges that if the US could mention this at least verbally, the North can come out to the dialogue table," the source said.

Last month, the North's leader Kim Jong-un said in a key party meeting that the country should be ready for "both dialogue and confrontation" with the US, a remark construed by some as indicating openness to return to the nuclear talks stalled since early 2019. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210709000842

North Korea Cracks Down on Counterfeiting, on the Rise as Economy Worsens

Government labels starving people who forge bills as ‘anti-socialist traitors’ in league with the country’s enemies.

2021-07-08 North Korea has labeled counterfeiters of the country’s currency as “traitors who are aligned with external enemies” as starving citizens forge notes worth less than a dollar to buy food and other necessities, sources told RFA.

The coronavirus pandemic added to the economic squeeze of U.S. and UN nuclear sanctions, making an already bad economy even worse. The closure of the Sino- Korean border in January 2020 and the suspension of trade with China has made it

harder for North Koreans who rely on the country’s nascent market economy to support themselves.

Now with food prices skyrocketing and no way to make money by trading smuggled goods from China, many citizens are resorting to small-time counterfeiting to make ends meet.

The North Korean won has an official exchange rate of about 900 to the U.S. dollar, but it is actually worth a fraction of that.

The black-market exchange rate for the currency as of Thursday is about 5,800 won per dollar according to the Osaka-based Asia Press outlet that specializes in North Korean news. The price of a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rice in North Korea was about 6,300 won ($1.08).

Sources told RFA’s Korean Service that the government discovered hundreds of counterfeit 5,000-won ($0.86) notes, the country’s largest denomination.

“Counterfeit bills copied by a computer printer have been discovered among local market merchants since the middle of last month and have been reported to the authorities,” a resident of the capital Pyongyang told RFA’s Korean Service.

“The central government ordered law enforcement agencies to regard making counterfeit bills as an anti-socialist crime against the government system and says strong measures should be taken against such crimes,” said the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

According to the source, the Pyongyang counterfeiting cases are among dozens of others nationwide.

“There are many cases of the counterfeit bills being used at marketplaces or at street food vendors during the late-night hours,” said the source. RFA reported in September that authorities arrested two people for using fake money in local markets. In one of those arrests, the counterfeiter made purchases with the fake bills from elderly merchants at nighttime, when the notes were harder to detect. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/money-07082021165348.html

SE Asia Games in Vietnam postponed

#Asia #Coronavirus Friday, July 9, 17:28

Organizers of the Southeast Asian Games set to begin in Vietnam in November have decided to postpone the event until next year in light of the spread of the coronavirus in the region.

The decision was made after the Olympic committees of the member states held an online meeting with the Games Federation.

The multi-sport event is held every two years and brings together athletes from 11 nations. On Thursday, Vietnam reported more than 1,300 new cases, the highest figure ever.

The city of Ho Chi Minh has imposed strict measures including a ban on non-essential outings.

The Vietnamese government aims to vaccinate half of the adult population by the end of the year. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210709_36/

Environmental Concerns, Rising Costs Plague China's Flagship Indonesian Project

The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway Project has worsened air quality, clogged canals, and damaged homes of people living along the 89-mile stretch of the future line.

2021-07-08 An ongoing China-backed high-speed railway project in Indonesia has worsened air quality, clogged canals, and damaged homes of many people who live along the 89- mile stretch of the future line, residents told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project’s cost has shot up as well – from an estimated U.S. $6 billion to as much as $7.9 billion, according to a government official. Some of those residents affected by the project said they had been threatened for airing their concerns, but a consortium of Chinese and Indonesian companies building the rail line denied any intimidation or environmental damage. The consortium noted it had appointed consultants to comply with construction regulations.

Sri Rama Aryadhana, who lives in a gated neighborhood in Bandung, said his house developed cracks because of the construction project.

“In November, they started piling and drilling, using heavy equipment. Since then, there has been damage not only to my house, but also other residents’ houses in this neighborhood,” Rama, 44, told BenarNews.

Residents’ attempts to hold a dialogue with the company had been unsuccessful, Rama said.

“At the beginning of the project, they even sent security forces, who said anyone who obstructed the project would be dealt with,” he said. Rama and his neighbors then complained to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), which has summoned the management of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), the consortium building the railway, to appear for questioning later this month.

Since construction began in 2017, the Jakarta-Bandung rail project, the country’s first high-speed rail, has been dogged by criticism about its impacts on surrounding areas, as well as concerns about rising costs.

Launched by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in 2016, the rail line is expected to shorten the travel time between the Indonesian capital and Bandung to 40 minutes from three hours, officials said. But it has seen cost overruns of as much as $1.9 billion, according to Deputy State-Owned Enterprises Minister Kartika Wirjoatmodjo. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/project-07082021175346.html

Families of Victims of Crackdown Call on ICC to Prosecute Myanmar Junta Leaders

The country’s shadow government plans to bring 200 cases as evidence of the need for a trial. 2021-07-08

\ Families of the victims of a brutal crackdown on anti-junta protests in Myanmar are calling on the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute those responsible for the death or dismemberment of their loved ones.

On Feb. 1, the military overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected government, claiming voter fraud had led to a landslide victory for Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party in the country’s November 2020 election. The junta has yet to provide evidence of its claims and has violently suppressed nationwide demonstrations calling for a return to civilian rule, killing nearly 900 people over the past five months. In recent days, the family members of those killed or maimed by junta soldiers have urged the ICC to hold the military’s leadership to account for its actions, which they say fall under the court’s jurisdiction according to its founding treaty, the Rome Statute.

Under the statute, the ICC can accept cases related to four main crimes—genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression. The actions by the junta would most likely fall under crimes against humanity—which include murder, rape, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, and torture as part of a large-scale attack against any civilian population. Before the ICC will investigate a case, the Office of the Prosecutor must determine whether there is sufficient evidence of crimes of sufficient gravity falling within the ICC’s jurisdiction, whether there are genuine national proceedings, and whether opening an investigation would serve the interests of justice and of the victims.

After gathering evidence and identifying a suspect, the prosecution requests that the ICC judges issue an arrest warrant or summons against a suspect and—based on summations presented by the prosecution, the Defense, and the Legal representative of victims—the judges decide if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG) is currently gathering evidence of crimes perpetrated by the junta that it plans to present to the ICC, although the country is not a signatory to the Rome Statute or a member of the court.

Speaking to RFA’s Myanmar Service, a family member of Kyaw Min Latt, who was shot dead by the military on March 27 in Tanintharyi region’s Dawei township, said the military should be prosecuted for the extrajudicial killings of innocent civilians. A video of the killing recorded on a nearby CCTV camera has since been widely circulated on social media.

“I’m calling for action … [the junta] would surely arrest me if I tried to take action myself,” the family member said. “They are killing us as easily as if they were shooting a chicken or a bird on the road.”

Htoo Myat Win, 13, was also killed on March 27 when a bullet fired by the military entered his home in Sagaing region’s Shwebo township. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/icc-07082021192301.html

Myanmar Junta Reportedly Arresting Dissidents’ Family Members By VOA News July 09, 2021 04:33 AM

YANGON, MYANMAR - Myanmar s post-coup ruling State Administration Council has, since the last week of February, been arresting family members of dissidents in an effort to pressure the dissidents’ to turn themselves in, according to dissidents, lawyers helping those charged, and an official of the opposition National Unity Government.

Family members of activists, politicians, and officials involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement, they say, have been arrested and imprisoned by SAC. Some, they say, were beaten and tortured by security forces for failing to provide information about dissidents who have evaded arrest.

"Arresting innocent family members is a coercive act. We strongly condemn this, Aung Myo Min, the NUG s human rights minister, who has spent three decades defending human rights, told VOA June 30. ” ’ VOA made repeated attempts to get a comment from the SAC for this report but was unable to do so.

SAC security forces began arresting dissidents family members during the last week of February, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. While there were only a few’ cases in February and March, according to the AAPP, more than 30 family members were arrested in April.

The AAPP said that as of June 22, at least 85 family members of dissidents have been arrested since the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar, with 29 released and 53 still in custody. The total includes 41 girls or women ages 2 to 75 years old.

Tin Htut Paing, a well-known activist in Yangon s working-class North Okkalapa township told VOA June 23 that his mother, Mi Ngal, both of whose sons are activists, was beaten and arrested by SAC forces’ May 2.

According to Tin Htut Paing, who has been evading arrest and is in hiding, he heard from his father that his mother had been sentenced to three years imprisonment under the country s legal code. ’ Although my mother had not committed’ any crime, was sentenced by the military court to a maximum sentence, he said. “ As North Okkalapa township is under ”military rule, no appeal can be lodged of the sentence handed down by the military court, he said. “ https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/myanmar-junta-reporte” dly-arresting-dissidents-family- members

Five-Year-Old Forced to Endure Stress Positions During Two-Week Detention by Myanmar’s Junta Su Htet Waing was arrested with her mother and sister when authorities failed to detain her activist father.

2021-07-08

\ A five-year-old girl whose father helped organize protests against Myanmar’s junta was forced to endure stress positions during more than two weeks in detention,

according to her father, making her what observers say was the country’s youngest known political prisoner under the military regime that seized power in February.

On June 13, security forces in Mandalay region raided the home of Soe Htay, a local activist who had led demonstrations in Mogok city against the junta following its Feb. 1 takeover of Myanmar’s democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government.

Soe Htay had already gone into hiding with his two sons, and when authorities failed to locate him, they arrested his wife Nan Kyi Kyi Khine and their daughters Theint Sandi Soe, a 17-year-old third-year law student, and Su Htet Waing, a five- year-old girl. Arresting relatives of wanted protesters has been a common practice.

The protests Soe Htay had organized in Mogok were part of a nationwide backlash against the military following its coup, which it said was necessary because the NLD’s landslide victory in the country’s November 2020 elections was the result of widespread voter fraud. Regime leaders have yet to produce any evidence of their claims, while soldiers have violently cracked down on the demonstrations.

According to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), the military has killed 898 people and arrested 5,127 in connection with the anti-junta protests. Of those, 2,269—including Su Htet Waing—were freed from prisons across the country as part of a general amnesty on June 30, although observers say the release was little more than a stunt by the military to gain international recognition. Soe Htay, who was reunited with Su Htet Waing and remains in hiding, recently told RFA’s Myanmar Service that his daughter was left “traumatized” because of the poor treatment she was subjected to during her 18 days in detention.

He said Su Htet Waing told him that she and others were regularly forced to assume the “ponzan” posture—a half-sitting, half-standing stress position—during roll call, and that she “hated the people” who ordered her to do it.

Su Htet Waing “knows nothing about politics” and had only called for the release of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with several other party officials shortly after the military takeover, Soe Htay said.

“She doesn’t understand the politics we were discussing,” the NLD member and leader of the Mogok Township Peace and Open Society told RFA.

Soe Htay said he recently learned from staff at the Mogok Prison that his older daughter is enduring “serious health problems” while she remains in detention. He

said that he has had no direct contact with his family members since the day of their arrest. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/stress-07082021183938.html

US must redouble efforts to stay ahead in innovation race with China 9 Jul 2021|Kapil Patil

The US Senate s approval of the pathbreaking United States Innovation and Competition Act on 8 June marked a new beginning in the simmering tech war between America and China. The bipartisan support’ given to the bill clearly reflects the growing anxiety among US policymakers about the rapid rise of China s innovation capabilities‘ and’ the prospect of losing American competitiveness in the years ahead. Beijing is fast closing the gap in several established technologies and aggressively’ pursuing self-reliance in various new and emerging technologies.

Amid Beijing s massive state-sponsored indigenous innovation drive, the bill marks the return of an interventionist industrial strategy aimed at overhauling the US manufacturing enterprise and ’ ‘ ’ ‘ ’ sustaining America s competitive advantages. It commits US policymakers to revive and reshore manufacturing and spend about US$200 billion on research and development and innovation over the next five years. ’In principle, the bill provides a roadmap for American industries to lead innovation in future technologies and signals America s leadership resolve to be in the innovation race for the long haul. ’ China s phenomenal rise in the global trade and technology arenas over the past two decades has coincided with a decline in America s domestic manufacturing capacity. Riding high on the wave of economic’ globalisation, China has not only built strong domestic production and innovation capabilities with significant external’ technological input, but also displayed dynamism in growing along the value chains. In emerging sectors such as cleantech, artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing and fintech, China s increasing innovation leadership has directly challenged the longstanding primacy of Euro-Atlantic firms. ’ What s more worrisome for global businesses, however, is the potential for Beijing s ambitious Made in China 2025 policies to overturn the very free-market principles that fuelled China’s rapid economic rise and to undermine their primacy through illicit means. China’ s state-led market economy model together with Beijing s coercive trade and technology-acquisition practices,’ such as theft of intellectual property, cyberespionage and arm-twisting of international’ firms to part with cutting-edge— technologies in return’ for market access has stirred much anxiety among governments and business leaders across the Western world. — Threatened by the reported loss of valuable American intellectual property, as pointed out in various US Trade Representative investigations, in 2019 the Trump administration slapped a slew of tariffs on Chinese goods that marked the beginning of a full-blown trade spat between China and the US. Although the two powers attempted to reach a breakthrough by signing the so-called phase 1 trade agreement in January 2020, the thaw didn t last long. Washington soon upped the ante against Beijing by restricting exports of critical technologies like semiconductor chips to China. ’ https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/us-must-redouble-efforts-to-stay-ahead-in-innovation-race-with- china/

The U.S. Grand Strategy Of Liberal Internationalism Is Dead

ByAndrew Latham Published 2 days ago That great power competition has returned is no longer in doubt. Just as the era of Cold War bipolarity gave way to the post-Cold War era of unipolarity, that era in turn has now given way to one of multipolarity. And with the advent of a more multipolar order, the factory settings of the modern international system have kicked in once again.

Whereas the period from 1990 to about 2010 was characterized by the historically anomalous circumstances of unipolarity and the dominance of a single set of (liberal) norms, rules and institutions, the period since then has been defined by the return of multipolarity; the emergence of a serious challenge to the liberal or rules-based order; and the continuing erosion of American military primacy. In short, over the past decade or so we have witnessed the resurfacing of what might be called the “deep structure” of international relations: a condition in which states, operating under conditions of anarchy, compete for power – and perhaps even dominance – in the diplomatic, military and economic domains.

Although it has yet to sink in, this new geopolitical reality has rendered the US grand strategy of liberal internationalism – first conceived in the 1940s, but only fully practicable since the end of the Cold War – effectively obsolete. That grand strategy, of course, had two main elements: upholding and defending the liberal international order (ends) and maintaining American primacy (means). The former entailed creating a dense network of US-led liberal institutions, advancing liberal-democratic norms, promoting liberal economic systems, and universalizing liberal conceptions of human rights. The latter involved maintaining a margin of hard- and soft-power superiority necessary to police and defend that liberal international order against all comers. https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/07/the-u-s-grand-strategy-of-liberal-internationalism-is-dead/

Despite Western Warnings, Russia Moves Closer to China

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 18 Issue: 108

By: Pavel Felgenhauer

July 8, 2021 07:23 PM Age: 5 days

The perception of China as a growing and global threat has become a bipartisan issue in Washington that more or less seamlessly persisted through the handover of power from the

previous presidential administration to the current one. Indeed, over the past several months, the United States government effectively managed to rally its allies in multiple corners of the world to recognize and stand up to the China challenge (see China Brief, March 25; see EDM, June 21, July 6). Russia in turn, is seen by Washington as an active troublemaker and a potentially deadly nuclear superpower—but one with a relatively small, stagnant economy that is incapable of mass-producing modern warships or any other industrial hardware at China’s level. Western diplomats and political leaders have been increasingly vocal in telling their Russian counterparts to be aware of the potential threat emanating from Beijing. With China’s outreach continuously expanding economically, technologically and militarily, while Russia languishes, the ostensible enhanced strategic partnership between the two Eurasian countries is increasingly lopsided. Their advice to Moscow: look out and distance itself from Beijing or Russia may end up a Chinese dependency or vassal, losing its coveted sovereignty, and maybe even territory, to a not-so-gentle master.

Attempts to teach Russians to understand the potential perils of being too close to China politically, geographically and militarily have been coming from US, European and Japanese officials and academics and, apparently, most recently from US President Joseph Biden himself during his June 16 summit with President Vladimir Putin in Geneva. This prodding raised concerns in Beijing. In an interview last month, reporters from the Global Times (a tabloid under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship People’s Daily) asked the Russian ambassador to China, Andrey Denisov, “Some analysts suggest the Biden administration may take measures to ease tensions with Russia in order to concentrate on dealing with China. Will this strategy alienate Russia from China and draw it closer to the US?” Denisov replied matter of factly: “It can’t happen. I think we’re smarter than what the Americans think” (Global Times, June 13). https://jamestown.org/program/despite-western-warnings-russia-moves-closer-to-china/

Russia Invests in Southeast Asia Intensifying ties with Asia is one of the ways Russia can bolster its global standing.

By Geopolitical Futures

July 9, 2021

This week, Russia’s foreign minister met with the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to discuss relations between Moscow and the group’s members. Since 1996, Russia has been a so-called dialogue partner of ASEAN, but over the past few years, their relationship has gained momentum.

Their ties initially developed as a result of changing geopolitical dynamics. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ASEAN countries saw Russia as less of a threat, in large part because Moscow was less focused on expanding its influence to all corners of the globe after the end of the Cold War. Relations between Russia and Southeast Asian nations have strengthened over the past few decades, especially on economic matters. This was and still is a mutually beneficial relationship; Southeast Asian countries benefit from their military-technical cooperation with Russia, while Moscow gets access to promising trade partners in Asia, as well as formal recognition of its position as an international player. For Moscow, these relationships will become only more important in the future. As it struggles to cope with U.S. and European sanctions, intensifying its ties with Asia is one of the ways it can remain relevant and bolster its global standing. https://geopoliticalfutures.com/russia-invests-in-southeast-asia/

Episode 19: Taiwan’s Place in the Indo-Pacific Veerle Nouwens

7 July 202149 Minute Listen

Long regarded as a potential Indo-Pacific flashpoint, what is Taipei’s view of the Indo-Pacific?

In this episode, Veerle and Dr Lee Che-chuan, Director of National Security and Decision-Making at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan, discuss Taipei’s view of the Indo-Pacific. From tense cross-strait relations and pressures on Taiwan’s national security, to synergies between Taipei’s New Southbound Policy and other Indo-Pacific strategies, Taipei seeks to carve a role for itself in working with partners on key areas of regional prosperity and stability. https://www.rusi.org/podcasts/bridging-the-oceans/episode-19-taiwans-place-indo-pacific

French company OCEA to launch a shipyard in the Philippines Naval News July 2021 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry POSTED ON FRIDAY, 09 JULY 2021 16:16

According to information published by Philippine News Agency on July 7, 2021, OCEA, a shipbuilding firm in northwest France, has expressed its intent to build a PHP1.5-billion shipyard in the country.

The company OCEA built the future BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), an 84m offshore patrol vessel for the Philippine Coast Guard.

The OPV is designed to carry out all maritime security and safety missions under the responsibility of the Coast Guard in the waters of the Philippine archipelago. It can conduct Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surveillance operations, smuggling and illegal immigration control, anti-piracy and anti- trafficking missions, search & rescue, natural resources and blue economy protection, anti-pollution activities, diving operations and sovereignty missions.

Powered by twin MTU 16V 4000 M73 diesel engines, Gabriela Silang has a contractual maximum speed of 22 kt and a range of 8,000 n miles at 12 kt.

The vessel can accommodate a crew of 40, with 26 additional spaces for mission-specific crew. It can also take up to 35 evacuees when accommodated in more austere conditions. With its core crew, the vessel has an endurance of five weeks. https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2021/10240-naval-news- july-2021-navy-forces-maritime-defense-industry/10416-french-company-ocea-to-launch-a-shipyard-in- the-philippines.html

The US Military Should Return to Vietnam

Recent conditions—and China’s provocative actions—have set the stage for a new relationship.

CHARLES K. DJOU and MATTHEW B. POWELL |

JULY 8, 2021

Fifty years ago, the New York Times and Washington Post published the “Pentagon Papers.” These documents revealed grave doubts about the intentions and motivations for America’s engagement in Vietnam. Still today, for many Americans, the country of Vietnam is a painful reminder of the Vietnam War, and many remain skeptical as to the benefits of a strengthened Vietnamese-American relationship.

However, as the memory of the war slips further into the past and new geopolitical concerns emerge, the United States should examine deepening ties with Vietnam and consider returning American forces there in the near future.

Many Americans are not aware of Vietnam’s history after the U.S. military withdrew from the country, 18 months after the publication of the Pentagon Papers. The fighting did not end with the removal of U.S. forces or the 1975 collapse of South Vietnam to communist control. Vietnam in 1979 fought China in yet another bloody and equally tragic war, and the repercussions of that war are much more profound in modern geopolitical relations today than U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

China has become a geopolitical rival to Vietnam’s interests. Starting in 2015, China has built and militarized several artificial islands in the South China Sea. These islands were not only built adjacent to Vietnam, but were constructed in territorial waters claimed by Vietnam. China’s increasing aggression and claims in the South China Sea threaten global commerce and American interests, as well as Vietnam’s security and sovereignty. https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/07/us-military-should-return-vietnam/183609/

Digital Design Revolution Key To All Domain Ops: Air & Space Officials Say

Digital "transformation" is "critical to being able to maintain our advantage over peer competitors," Kristen Baldwin, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for science, technology & engineering, says.

By THERESA HITCHENS on July 09, 2021 at 2:50 PM Digital design/engineering is central to the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. Raytheon I&S image. WASHINGTON: Digital transformation is allowing each uniformed service to determine whether new weapon systems can integrate smoothly into joint operations‘ a foundational’ requirement for implementing DoD s Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) strategy, say senior Air— and Space Force officials. ’ From DoD s top-level perspective, all your systems have to play together, Mike Roberts, director of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO)’ said yesterday. All the“ data has to be able to be pushed around and,” and digital engineering allows you to make sure that happens. “

Roberts was” speaking with Air Force Chief Architect Preston Dunlap; William Bailey, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for acquisition integration; Kristen Baldwin,— Air Force deputy assistant secretary for science, technology & engineering to the Potomac Officers Club seminar on digital acquisition. — https://breakingdefense.com/2021/07/digital-design-revolution-key-to-all-domain-ops-air-space- officials-say/

US gives glimpse of new B-21 bomber amid China, Russia ‘threats’

 Air Force releases artist rendering of the warplane, saying it is designed to be ‘effective as the threat environment evolves’  Its development could have been accelerated by the PLA’s H-20 project, according to defence analyst

The US Air Force has released a new image and details of its next-generation B-21 Raider stealth bomber, which defence experts say is apparently part of efforts to counter threats posed by

China and Russia’s military modernisations.

While the artist rendering does not give away much of the design, the air force said in a statement on Tuesday that it would be part of America’s “nuclear triad” of options to strike by air, ground or submarine.

“The built-in feature of open systems architecture on the B-21 makes the bomber effective as the threat environment evolves,” Randall Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said in the statement. “This aircraft design approach sets the nation on the right path to ensuring America’s enduring air power capability.”

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3140384/us-gives-glimpse-new-b-21-bomber- amid-china-russia-threats

Bath Iron Works seeks assurances of more Naval destroyer orders

ByEd Adamczyk

July 9 (UPI) -- Shipyards could suffer if the U.S. Navy does not order additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was told this week.

Hicks visited Bath Iron Works in Maine, a General Dynamics subsidiary founded in 1884 whose primary customer is the U.S. Navy, and the Naval Sea Systems Command's Portsmouth, N.H., Naval Shipyard, to discuss a decrease in orders for Navy destroyers, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The trips were part of an assessment Hicks conducted this week of modernization and innovation efforts at several Pentagon installations.

In its 2022 budget, the Navy asked Congress to fund construction of only one destroyer, down from two requested in 2021, although last week the House Appropriations Committee returned the second ship to the military budget. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2021/07/09/biw-bathironworks-destroyer/4261625858352/

America ARG-31st MEU team implements waterborne ambulance during exercise By Lt. John Stevens, USS America Public Affairs OKINAWA, Japan –

During a recent light armored reconnaissance raid exercise on Okinawa, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) employed a medical evacuation tactic not commonly used since World War II.

With elements of their Shock Trauma Platoon, or STP, combined with Marine field medical training and tactics, Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 7 came up with a way to evacuate casualties from a ground conflict and provide en-route care via waterborne ambulance.

“We knew it was going to take a while to get casualties from the mountain, to the coast, and then to the ship,” said Cmdr. Hamilton Tilley, Amphibious Task Force surgeon.

“And we knew, if it was going to take three or four hours and they were bleeding, we were probably going to lose them.”

Marine forces were on the ground conducting a simulated raid on enemy-held positions. As part of the exercise, casualties were imminent. According to Tilley, those casualties are typically evacuated by aircraft to the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), where they can receive resuscitative medical care until they can be sent to a Role III facility – a fully staffed hospital in friendly territory – for longer-term rehabilitation.

But residual storms from Typhoon Champi affected air evacuation (AIREVAC), so the team needed a backup plan to get injured Marines from a mountain battlefield to a casualty collection point (CCP) on the beach six miles away, then to Germantown several miles offshore, and keep them alive the whole way.

“We needed a persistent medical capability that could provide treatment and casualty holding for up to seventy-two hours until the weather situation allowed us to transfer to the FST on America,” said Lt. Derek Witkowski, a medical planner with the 31st MEU.

Tilley said this “chain of survival” depends on lifesaving care on the battlefield, starting with Tactical Combat Casualty Care, or TCCC (Marine Corps field first aid doctrine) and Valkyrie (a live, person- to-person field blood transfusion) to get patients to the CCP.

“TCCC and Valkyrie is how we’re saving people in the field,” said Tilley, “and that en-route care is how we’re sending people on the transport back to the ship.” Given Germantown’s capabilities, Tilley’s team knew the waterborne leg of the journey could involve amphibious craft, or even an 11-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat (RIB).

“We were going to need a resuscitative team on the ground somehow,” said Tilley, who voiced concerns to Capt. Greg Baker, commodore of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11. “The commodore said, ‘see if we can use an LCU, see if we can use a RIB.’ So that’s what we did.”

https://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News/Display/Article/2688204/america-arg-31st-meu-team- implements-waterborne-ambulance-during-exercise/

Aegis Ashore Too Limited For Guam: Former INDO-PACOM Head

By HARRY HARRISon July 09, 2021 at 8:53 AM . The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is reportedly finishing its study of command and control architecture options to best defend Guam, the farthest outpost of our homeland. This new C2 system must have three features: an open architecture, the ability to bring different services radars and interceptors together, and disaggregation. ’ Since leaving Indo-PACOM to pursue other adventures, I ve watched as Adm. Phil Davidson, my successor, not only picked up where I left off, but has raised the bar in significant ways. He rightly characterized’ Guam as part of the homeland and the most important forward operating facility in the Pacific. He called for a $27 billion Pacific Deterrence Initiative to enable the up-gunning of missile defenses of Guam. Not only is Guam where America s day begins, it could be“ the first target in an attack ” against the “rest of the United” States from Hawaii to the West Coast to the“ Eastern Seaboard.’ ” – The problem set is complex: build a persistent missile defense capability across a 360-degree threat axis against hypersonic glide vehicles, maneuvering and non-maneuvering ballistic missiles, and air-breathing cruise missiles. https://breakingdefense.com/2021/07/aegis-ashore-too-limited-for-guam-former-indo-pacom/

China tested underwater drones in Taiwan Strait 11 years ago Unmanned underwater vehicles can recognize and attack enemy submarines

By Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

2021/07/09 19:03

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – China tested unmanned underwater drones that can recognize and attack underwater submarines in the Taiwan Strait more than a decade ago, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported Thursday (July 8).

The tests came to light after researchers from Harbin Engineering University, China’s main submarine research institute, published a paper on the topic last week. The timing of the publication was believed to be linked to recent comments by the United States and Japan about the possibility of military intervention in the case of a Chinese attack against Taiwan.

While the researchers did not provide details about the location of the 2010 tests, a map seemed to indicate they took place in the Taiwan Strait, off the coast of Fujian Province, the SCMP reported.

The drones worked independently of humans and could locate submarines, use artificial intelligence to determine their identity, and launch torpedoes to destroy them. They could also be planted on the sea floor and activate many years later during times of war, according to the report.

During the test, the drone fired an unloaded torpedo which hit a mock submarine, the Chinese researchers said. Eventually, the unmanned vehicles could also work together in packs to attack enemy vessels. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4244419

China seeking ‘exotic nukes,’ warns US diplomat New weapon systems could disrupt 'global strategic stability' says ambassador Wood in Geneva

By DAVE MAKICHUKJULY 9, 2021 Print

A J-10 fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Southern Theater Command takes off for a round-the- clock flight training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wu Gaoming)

The world is at risk of a “devastating arms race,” says a US ambassador.

And he’s pointing the finger directly at Beijing, which he says might soon obtain “exotic nukes” such as underwater drones and nuclear powered missiles, DW.com and Associated Press reported.

According to Robert Wood, the US ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Robert Wood, China is seriously “looking at” developing advanced nuclear weapons system that could disrupt “global strategic stability.”

Wood also said satellite images showing China building 119 new silos in the north west of the country similar to those which house its current nuclear weapons were “of great concern.”

China is looking to raise the stakes by upgrading its nuclear arsenal with the latest technology so their weapons could hit US targets, Wood says. https://asiatimes.com/2021/07/china-seeking-exotic-nukes-warns-us-diplomat/

China Upgrading Fifth-Gen Fighter Capabilities 7/9/2021 By Jon Harper

Chengdu J-20

Wiki Commons photo via user Alert5

Experts say U.S. fifth-generation fighter aircraft — the stealthy F-22 and F-35 — remain the best in the world. However, China is upgrading its J-20 “Mighty Dragon” to try to close the gap.

The J-20A, developed by Chengdu Aerospace Corp., is the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s heavy twin-engine, single seat, low observability, multi-role jet that made its first flight in 2011.

“The PLA’s planned fielding of a fifth-generation fighter force will bolster its air-to- air capability,” the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said in its most recent annual report to Congress, “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China: 2020.”

The aircraft has high maneuverability, stealth characteristics, an internal weapons bay, advanced avionics and sensors providing enhanced situational awareness, advanced radar tracking and targeting capabilities, and integrated electronic warfare systems, the study said.

Justin Bronk, a research fellow for airpower and technology at the United Kingdom- based Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, said the J-20 is the “centerpiece” of the PLAAF’s modernization push.

Its combination of passive sensors, active electronically scanned array radar, low- observability features, range on internal fuel, and long-range missiles make the J-20 “a qualitatively greater threat than any previous non-Western combat aircraft,” he said in a RUSI report published last year, “Russian and Chinese Combat Air Trends: Current Capabilities and Future Threat Outlook.”

The aircraft leverages technology designs stolen from the United States through industrial espionage, analysts have noted.

“The design incorporates many features which have been copied from the F-22 and F- 35, including nose cone shaping, the electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) under the nose, and the side-mounted [diverterless supersonic inlet] intakes,” the RUSI report said. https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/7/9/china-upgrading--fifth-gen-fighter- capabilities

Taiwan to produce new armour-piercing ammunition for direct-fire support variant of Cloud Leopard by J Michael Cole & Samuel Cranny-Evans

The 202nd Arsenal munition factory under Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) Armaments Bureau has been awarded a NTD14.02 million (USD498,000) contract to produce armour-piercing rounds for a new direct-fire support variant of the 8×8 Cloud Leopard armoured vehicle.

The factory will produce 105 mm armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot tracers (APFSDS-T) for the 209th Arsenal: the developer of the direct-fire support variant, which will be equipped with 105 mm gun mounted in a turret as part of the ‘Cheetah Project'. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/taiwan-to-produce-new-armour-piercing- ammunition-for-direct-fire-support-variant-of-cloud-leopard

South Korea’s Intelligence Agency Confirms North Korean Cyberattacks

An NIS briefing contained new information on North Korea’s cyberattacks, as well as political developments.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Thursday told the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee that South Korean companies and public institutions had been damaged by cyberattacks from

North Korea.

Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the Intelligence Committee and legislator for the main opposition party, said that the NIS has taken measures to control the damage among companies and public institutions. The

North’s attempted cyberattacks on the public sector decreased by 4 percent while its cyberattacks on the private sector increased by 13 percent from last year’s figures, Ha said.

The major public institutions affected by North Korean hacking were related to national security. The

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute was exposed to hacking attacks by North Korea for 12 days; the institute first reported the damage on June 1. According to Ha, the NIS said that the “most sensitive information” was not affected, but it did not give a definition of what constituted sensitive information to lawmakers.

The North has in the past engaged in cyberattacks targeting private companies to extort money or gain access to sensitive information. The NIS said it is sharing information with other companies in the pharmaceutical, bio, and defense industries to help them to react to a cyberattack promptly.

Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, told

The Diplomat that the North’s recent cyberattacks aimed to acquire sensitive technology and information and test South Korean vulnerabilities for future attacks. https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/south-koreas-intelligence-agency-confirms-north-korean- cyberattacks/

Indian Air Force Orders Akash Missiles

 Our Bureau  07:30 AM, July 9, 2021  5063

Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) signed a contract worth INR 499 crore ($67 million) to provide Akash missiles to the Indian Air Force (IAF). “BDL signed a contract worth of INR 499 Crore for manufacture & supply of Akash Missiles to IAF,” Siddharth Mishra, Chairman & Managing Director of BDL, tweeted Thursday. A formal contract was signed by the Indian Ministry of Defence and BDL on July 8. Akash is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by BDL. Surveillance and Fire control radar, tactical control and command center and missile launcher are developed by Bharat Electronics (BEL), Tata Power Strategic Engineering

Division and Larsen & Toubro. Akash can target aircraft up to 50-80 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m. The system provides air defense missile coverage for an area of 2,000 km². It can neutralize aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles as well as ballistic missiles. An Akash battery comprises a single Rajendra 3D passive electronically scanned array radar and four self-propelled Launchers (3 Akash SAMs each), all of which are interlinked. Each battery can track up to 64 targets and attack up to 12 of them. The missile has a 60 kg high-explosive, pre-fragmented warhead with a proximity fuse. The Akash system is fully mobile and capable of protecting a moving convoy of vehicles. https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29986/Indian_Air_Force_Orders_Akash_Missiles#.YO51z-gzZPY

New pictures released of the Pakistan Navy first type 054A/P frigate Naval News July 2021 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry POSTED ON FRIDAY, 09 JULY 2021 09:51

According to a tweet published by Loongnaval on July 8, 2021, new pictures of the Pakistan Navy's first type 054A/P frigate released. The frigate was launch in August 2020 by the Chinese Shipyard Hudong Zhonghua.

Type 054A/P frigate for the Pakistan Navy (Picture source: Twitter account of Loongnaval)

The Type 054A/P is an export and improved version of the Chinese-made Type 054 multi-role frigate which entered service with the Chinese Navy in 2007. It is a development of the Type 054 frigate, using the same hull but with improved sensors and weapons.

The Type 054A is a Chinese-made multi-role frigate manufactured by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard and Huangpu Shipyard. The first ship entered service with the Chinese navy in 2007.

The Type 054A is 140 meters long with a displacement of 4,000 tonnes full load. The ship has a range of over 4,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 18 knots.

The Type 054A is powered by a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) propulsion system including four Shaanxi 16 PA6 STC diesel, each developing 5700 kW. The ship can reach a top speed of 27 knots with an estimated cruising range of 8,025 nautical miles (14,862 km). The ship has a crew of 165 people.

Type 054A Frigates are fitted with 32 VLS (Vertical Launch System) cells for HQ-16 surface to air missiles, 8x YJ-83 (export designation C-803) anti-ship missiles, a H/PJ-26 76mm main gun, two H/PJ12 seven-barreled 30mm CIWS guns (for frigates 1 to 16 in the series) or H/PJ11 eleven- barreled 30mm CIWS for new vessels starting with Huanggang (hull number 577) the seventeenth ship of the class. Two triple YU-7 torpedo launchers and anti-submarine rocket launchers are fitted for ASW warfare. https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2021/10240-naval-news- july-2021-navy-forces-maritime-defense-industry/10411-new-pictures-released-of-the-pakistan-navy- first-type-054a-p-frigate.html

Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class HMAS Perth back in the water Naval News July 2021 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry POSTED ON FRIDAY, 09 JULY 2021 10:51

According to information published by the Australian Department of Defense on July 2, 2021, Anzac- class frigate HMAS Perth was back in the water after upgrades. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

She was lowered out of the dry dock at the Australian Marine Complex at Henderson, Western Australia, after completion of upgrades to her radar capabilities, communications systems and crew- habitable areas, which are a major part of the Anzac Midlife Capability Assurance Program.

Commanding Officer Perth Commander Anthony Nagle said the complexity of the manoeuvres to get her back in the water required precise coordination.

With the motto ‘Fight and Flourish’, the long-range frigate is capable of air defence, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction, and is home-ported at Garden Island, Rockingham, Western Australia.

HMAS Perth (FFH 157) is an Anzac-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The last ship of the class to be completed, she was built by Tenix Defence and commissioned into the RAN in 2006.

The Anzacs are based on Blohm + Voss' MEKO 200 PN (or Vasco da Gama class) frigates, modified to meet Australian and New Zealand specifications and maximise the use of locally built equipment.

Each frigate has a 3,600-tonne (3,500-long-ton; 4,000-short-ton) full load displacement. The ships are 109 metres (358 ft) long at the waterline, and 118 metres (387 ft) long overall, with a beam of 14.8 metres (49 ft), and a full load draught of 4.35 metres (14.3 ft). A Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion machinery layout is used, with a single, 30,172-horsepower (22,499 kW) General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbine and two 8,840-horsepower (6,590 kW) MTU 12V1163 TB83 diesel engines driving the ship's two controllable-pitch propellers.

Maximum speed is 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph), and maximum range is over 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph); about 50% greater than other MEKO 200 designs. https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2021/10240-naval-news- july-2021-navy-forces-maritime-defense-industry/10412-royal-australian-navy-anzac-class-hmas-perth- back-in-the-water.html

Russian firm Starts Testing Parachute System to Air Drop Heavy Armored Vehicles

 Our Bureau  12:32 PM, July 9, 2021  4153

Russia’s Technodinamika Group has started conducting preliminary trials of a parachute system meant to airdrop heavy armored vehicles - including the Typhoon vehicle weighing 18 tonnes – with personnsel inside. "We are carrying out a piece of very important experimental design work dubbed Parachute. It is intended to airdrop large-size hardware, first of all, the Typhoon-VDV [airborne infantry fighting] vehicle weighing 18 tonnes. The same platform will be used to airdrop the Tigr vehicle weighing 9 tonnes. Both vehicles, which are designed for airborne force mobility, will be airdropped with the platform developed as part of the Parachute R&D work," Technodinamika CEO Igor Nasenkov was quoted as saying by Russian state media. The newly developed payload platform with the parachute system was airdropped with a weight of 9 tonnes and subsequently with a mass of 11 tonnes. The airdropping tests will eventually increase the payloads to 18 tonnes, Nasenkov said. The Russian Airborne Forces are scheduled to receive air-dropped version of the 4×4 K4386 Typhoon-VDV armored vehicles starting 2021. The Typhoon-VDV armored vehicle features a 4x4 wheel configuration, composite ceramic armor protection, and reduced unladen weight. It can be outfitted with a Kord

large-caliber machine-gun, a remotely controlled weapon station with an automatic 30- mm cannon and a PKTM machine gun. Typhoon-VDV is powered by a 350-horsepower engine and an automatic transmission, capable of accelerating this vehicle to 100kmph. https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29991/Russian_firm_Starts_Testing_Parachute_System_to_Air_D rop_Heavy_Armored_Vehicles#.YO52bugzZPY

Assassination suspects behind killing of president Jovenel Moise arrested inside island’s Taiwanese embassy

 Haitian police find 11 men believed to have been involved in the killing of president Jovenel Moise  Haiti is one of 15 countries to recognise Taipei, whose embassy statement said it gave permission for police to enter

A group of men believed to have been part of the hit squad that killed Haitian president

Jovenel Moise were arrested after they broke into and hid inside Taiwan s embassy on the Caribbean island.

Eleven men suspected of being involved in the assassination were arrested’ on Thursday after the Taiwanese embassy gave permission to the police to enter the premises, according to a statement published on the embassy’s website on Friday.

“Taiwan, as a responsible member of the international community, and a long-time loyal friend and credible partner of the Republic of Haiti, immediately agreed to and authorised the Haitian police to conduct a search to seek justice and ascertain the truth behind the incident as soon as possible,” the statement read.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3140437/haiti-assassination-suspects-arrested- inside-taiwanese-embassy

How to Stop Political Division from Eroding Military-Academic Relations Four ideas.

RIKKI H. SARGENT, SHANNON HOUCK and LUCIAN GIDEON CONWAY |

JULY 8, 2021

Much has been written about how our political polarization undermines U.S. national security by enabling adversaries’ influence operations, but the divide among us also hinders fruitful collaboration between academics and the Defense Department. This worries us because the need for diverse, multispecialty teams has never been higher.

Although expressly apolitical, academia is largely left-leaning and the military is largely right-leaning, and these ideological leanings are intensifying. From 1989 to 2016, the liberal-to-conservative faculty ratio doubled, from 2.3 to 5. The self-identifying liberal shift leveled off in more recent years as polarization increased. But the discrepancy remains. A meta-study on political party identification released just before President Joe Biden’s inauguration found 48 percent of academic professors registered as Democrat, whereas only 6 percent registered as Republican.

There is no good polling of the military’s political leanings. In the most recent Military Times survey of its readers, often considered the next-best thing to a statistically accurate sample, favorability toward Trump fell among active duty troops by August 2020—long before Trump’s post-election disputes, the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and recent right-wing criticism of military leaders’ initiatives on race and extremism—but there was still a pronounced discrepancy: 40 percent identified as Republican or Libertarian versus just 16 percent as Democrat. It is opposite to that of professors. https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/07/how-stop-political-division-eroding-military-academic- relations/183588/

Why America could lose its next war

By: Col. Mark Gunzinger (ret.) 4 days ago

70 The U.S. Department of Defense loves a good buzz phrase: capability over capacity, making the tough choices, taking risk now to reduce future risk. The DoD has used all three to rationalize a fiscal 2022 budget that shrinks the U.S. military’s size in the hope that new technologies will eventually lead to new acquisitions. The truth is the proposed budget is the latest in a series of funding requests that have fallen short of what the DoD needs to rebuild for the future.

The result of 30 years of “building down to build up” is a military that lacks the capacity to fight a single peer aggressor plus defend the U.S. homeland and deter nuclear attacks. Since defense leaders seem reluctant to be forthright and sound the alarm, Congress must step in.

Take the case of the Air Force. According to the 2018 National Defense Strategy, defeating a peer adversary’s invasion of a U.S. ally or friend is the most stressing requirement for sizing our military. Preventing a Chinese seizure of Taiwan or a Russian invasion of the Baltic states will require U.S. forces that can launch large-scale precision strikes and otherwise go on the offensive within hours. Only air power — bombers, fifth- generation fighters and other air combat systems — can respond over global ranges in time to do this.

Yet, 66 percent of the Air Force’s bombers have been sent to the boneyard since the Cold War, and its fighter force is less than half the size of the force that defeated Iraq’s military in 1991. For context, the Air Force’s 140 B-1s, B-2s and B-52s — its smallest

bomber force ever — may be able to generate 30 strike sorties per day. B-52 bombers alone flew an average of 50 sorties per day during Operation Desert Storm.

The lack of an immediate, overwhelming response to such an invasion would have a devastating impact on the United States. Failing to prevent China from seizing Taiwan or completing its dominance over the South China Sea would risk demoting the United States to a second-tier military power in the Western Pacific. Similarly, a successful Russian invasion of the Baltics could fracture NATO — a long-term goal of President Vladimir Putin’s regime. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2021/07/09/why-america-could-lose-its-next- war/

Russian Media Misrepresents US Anti-Terrorism Strategy to Justify Repressions in Russia

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 18 Issue: 109

By: Kseniya Kirillova

July 9, 2021 04:43 PM Age: 4 days

Russian propaganda has been actively discussing the United States’ National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism, released by the White House on June 15. Russian outlets claim that now “anyone in America can be labeled a terrorist,” including, purportedly, ordinary people who oppose the government, the current administration, capitalism or globalism (YouTube, June 25). Kremlin-connected media is also promoting the narrative that “the doctrine will be used by the White House to persecute political opponents, in particular supporters of ex-president Donald Trump” (RT, June 16).

This disinformation campaign follows a traditional propaganda playbook long utilized by Moscow (see Hot Issue, August 13, 2014), whereby individual words are taken out of context and given a meaning completely divergent from what was intended in the original document. In fact, the fundamental difference between the Russian and US approaches to countering domestic terrorism

and violent extremism is that the United States—unlike Russia (see EDM, November 25, 2014, March 21, 2017, August 1, 2017)—has no legal concept of “extremist views” that would, in and of themselves, entail criminal punishment. In the US, criminal charges can be lodged only for specific acts of violence or proven intent to commit violence. Therefore, the Strategy, while listing the most frequent motives for committing terrorist acts, does not distinguish between deliberately destructive and benign motives, which, in a moderate form, can be acceptable and legitimate (Whitehouse.gov, June 15). So, for example, US law enforcement monitors not ordinary people opposed to abortion but radical groups intent on blowing up abortion clinics and killing doctors to protect unborn babies. It was in this context that the document mentions negative attitudes toward globalism, capitalism and other subjects. https://jamestown.org/program/russian-media-misrepresents-us-anti-terrorism-strategy-to-justify- repressions-in-russia/

Move Like a Shark, Vanish Like a Squid

The Navy Must Invest in Biomimetics to Sustain Dominance on the High Seas.

By Matthew F. Calabria July 2021

Biomimetics—the study of the structure of biological substances to synthesize similar products by artificial mechanisms that mimic natural ones—is an old concept.1 For centuries, humans have sought to move and act like complex animal lifeforms. One even can find biomimetics in ancient Greek lore, as when Aphrodite and her son Eros slipped by the hydralike Typhon by disguising themselves and moving as fish. Literature and myth aside, though, in preindustrial society the mariner’s dream of biomimicry was unattainable. Oaken, sail-powered ships and steel-plated dreadnoughts, for instance, were slow-moving, unbendable, and coarse. They did not and could not replicate the stability of a sea turtle’s fin or the slipperiness of a dolphin’s skin to glide through seawater. Until now. Physicists, engineers, computer scientists, and technologists can emulate animal biomechanics in physical experiments more closely than ever before. Building on eons of knowledge, the scientific community has commingled artificial machines, textiles, chemical compounds, and assorted alloys into recreating natural phenomena in the Information Age. In one recent example, a team of scientists and engineers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scattered networks of highly ordered synthetic, protein-like polymers onto a flat surface, replicating bone formation and healing found in

nature. Numerous other laboratories have achieved similar feats, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Biomimetic Robotics Laboratory, which recreated animal motion and physiological traits in robots. In the coming years, biomimetics will be game-changing for national security, despite not yet receiving the same attention as other emerging technologies, such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), or distributed cloud computing. To stay ahead of its competitors, therefore, the U.S. Navy must no longer confine ideas of a biomimetic fleet to science fiction. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2021/july/move-shark-vanish-squid

The Centre of Gravity: A bridge between maritime and air environments by Andre MohammedJuly 9, 2021

Experimental Feature: Audio Read Version Can strategy be universally applied in multiple theaters of war? Can we apply similar strategies in both maritime and air environments? Consider the use of a “Center of Gravity”, canonised by the 18th century Prussian General and military strategist, Carl Von Clausewitz and its potential application to land warfare along with “Concentration of force”, a well-known principle of war.

We shall build on the applicability of these terms within both maritime and air environments in searching for a cohesive strategic thought that permeates time and environment. We will consider maritime thought through the thinking of Alfred Thayer Mahan, the 19th century naval officer and historian and move forward into the 20th century through the lens of the air power theorist USAF (Ret.) Col. John A. Warden III. Through this essay, we shall discover that the concept of concentration of effort onto the enemy’s center of gravity formed the basis of these three theorists’ postulations on achieving strategic effect.

Colin Gray postulated a general theory of strategy linking action and policy1. Just as Clausewitzian theory posits concentration of effort onto a center of gravity, two key military theorists were also in concurrence. Alfred Thayer Mahan and Col. John A. Warden advocated for concentrated effort onto the enemy’s center of gravity in achieving strategic effect in maritime and air environments respectively. Mahan, within the 19th century’s maritime environment, supported a ‘war on commerce’ and Warden advocated concentrating force onto enemy leadership using air power.

They both, however, differed from each other and from Clausewitz on the nature of the center of gravity. Nevertheless, Mahan and Warden, argued the importance of concentration of military force onto a single decisive point. These two key theorists, in trying to achieve economy of force, bridged the gap between action and policy through use of force. Their thinking lends support to Gray’s idea of a general theory of strategy in different environments. https://wavellroom.com/2021/07/09/centre-of-gravity-a-bridge-between-maritime-and-air- environments/ Russia delivers 132,200 doses of Sputnik V jabs to PH

Published July 10, 2021, 12:18 AM by Martin Sadongdong After encountering some delays, Russian vaccine manufacturer Gamaleya Research Institute was finally able to transport 132,200 doses of Sputnik V vaccines to the country late Friday night, July 9.

The shipment of the anti-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines was flown into the country via Qatar Airways flight QR 928 around 10:30 p.m. at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City.

The vaccines were procured by the national government from Russia.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, welcomed the shipment of Sputnik V vaccines along with Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Marat Pavlov.

According to Galvez, the shipment was composed of 82,200 doses that will be used for first dose inoculation (component I), while the remaining 50,000 doses will be used for second dose vaccination (component II).

The vaccines were supposed to be delivered last Wednesday but it did not push through due to logistics issues.

Another 37,800 doses of Sputnik V jabs will arrive on Saturday night to complete the 170,000 doses that were allocated by Russia to the Philippines for the month of July.

The Sputnik V delivery was the third shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in the country since Thursday, July 8.

Earlier Friday, a total of 2.028 million doses of AstraZeneca jabs arrived in Manila as donation via the COVAX facility.

It was on Thursday night when the Japanese government’s donation of 1,124,100 AstraZeneca vials arrived in the country–the first vaccine delivery for the month.

The total number of vaccines delivered to the country rose to 20,739,770 doses with the latest Sputnik V shipment. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/10/russia-delivers-132200-doses-of-sputnik-v-jabs-to-ph/

Sinovac vaccine ‘effective’ against COVID-19 — DOH

Published July 9, 2021, 7:07 PM by Analou de Vera The Department of Health (DOH) said that the Sinovac vaccine can provide protection for people against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“Itong Sinovac vaccine na ito ay nakapagpalabas ng real world study nga and it’s saying that it’s effective against hospitalization, severe COVID-19, against deaths (This Sinovac vaccine has produced a real world study and it’s saying that it’s effective against hospitalization, severe COVID-19, and deaths),” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Friday, July 9.

Vergeire made the statement as concerns on the efficacy of the Sinovac vaccine were raised again after Singapore excluded in its COVID-19 vaccine tally those who took the China- made vaccine.

However, this move of Singapore should not be interpreted as “no vote confidence” on the said vaccine.

“Ang sinasabi ng Singapore, mag-aantay sila ng datos galing sa manufacturers ng Sinovac, but they did not say na ayaw nila kasi hindi nakakapagpakita ng magandang proteksyon sa kanilang kababayan (Singapore said they will wait for data from Sinovac manufacturers, but

they did not say that they do not want it because it cannot show good protection to their citizens),” said Vergeire.

Vergeire also said that the World Health Organization (WHO) already granted the Sinovac vaccine an emergency use listing.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/sinovac-vaccine-effective-against-covid-19-doh/

How does the delta variant dodge the immune system? Scientists find clues.  Medical workers tend to a patient infected with the coronavirus at the intensive care unit of a hospital in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday. | AFP-JIJI  BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI  THE NEW YORK TIMES  SHARE  Jul 9, 2021 The delta variant of the coronavirus can evade antibodies that target certain parts of the virus, according to a new study published Thursday in Nature. The findings provide an explanation for diminished effectiveness of the vaccines against delta, compared with other variants.

The variant, first identified in India, is believed to be about 60% more contagious than alpha, the version of the virus that thrashed Britain and much of Europe earlier this year, and perhaps twice as contagious as the original coronavirus. The delta variant is now driving outbreaks among unvaccinated populations in countries like Malaysia, Portugal, Indonesia and Australia.

Delta is now the dominant variant in the United States. Infections in the country had plateaued at their lowest levels since early in the pandemic, though the numbers may be rising. Still, hospitalizations and deaths related to the virus have continued a steep

plunge. That is partly because of relatively high vaccination rates: 48% of Americans are fully vaccinated and 55% have received at least one dose.

But the new study found that delta was barely sensitive to one dose of vaccine, confirming previous research that suggested that the variant can partly evade the immune system — although to a lesser degree than beta, the variant first identified in South Africa. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/09/world/delta-immune-system/

EU regulator finds link between heart inflammation and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines

A healthcare worker prepares a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination in Los Angeles, California, US on Jan 7, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

09 Jul 2021 08:06PM(Updated: 09 Jul 2021 08:17PM) Europe's drug regulator has found a possible link between rare heart inflammation and COVID- 19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, and advised people with a history of a rare blood disorder to avoid getting J&J's coronavirus shot.

Heart conditions myocarditis and pericarditis must be listed as possible side effects of the two mRNA vaccines, the safety committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday (Jul 9).

Such cases primarily occurred within 14 days from vaccination, more often after the second dose and in younger adult men, the EMA said. This is in line with findings from US health officials last month.

The EMA panel also recommended that people who have a history of capillary leak syndrome (CLS) must not be vaccinated with J&J's single-shot vaccine. The watchdog in June asked CLS to be added as a side effect from AstraZeneca's shot. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/covid-19-eu-regulator-link-heart-inflammation-mrna- vaccines-15188148

Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine less effective against Gamma variant: Study

A health worker administers Sinovac's CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine to a man inside his house in Anama, Amazonas state, Brazil, Apr 1, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Bruno Kelly)

09 Jul 2021 07:18AM(Updated: 09 Jul 2021 07:27AM) PARIS: Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine, a key tool in Brazil's fight against the disease, is less effective against the Gamma variant first detected in the virus-ravaged South American country, a study said on Friday (Jul 9).

Researchers found that antibodies generated by the vaccine work less well against the variant than a previous coronavirus strain, while Gamma may also be able to re-infect people who had previously had the virus.

Gamma's capacity to evade these immune system responses even in immunised people suggest "the virus can potentially circulate in vaccinated individuals - even in areas with high vaccination rates", the study authors said in a press release.

In the small study, researchers at the University of Campinas in Brazil exposed both Gamma and a previous strain of the virus to antibodies in blood plasma from 53 vaccinated people and 21 people who had been previously infected with the virus.

In the vaccinated group, 18 people had received just one dose of CoronaVac - one of the main vaccines in Brazil's coronavirus response - while 20 had recently received a second jab and a further 15 had been vaccinated as part of the Sinovac clinical trial in August 2020. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/sinovac-covid-19-vaccine-less-effective-against- gamma-variant-15184826

US shipping COVID-19 vaccines to Indonesia, Bhutan, Nepal

FILE PHOTO: Men sit at a resting area after getting vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the government started a campaign to vaccinate elderly people above 65 years old, in Lalitpur, Nepal March 7, 2021. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

09 Jul 2021 08:49PM(Updated: 10 Jul 2021 12:59AM) WASHINGTON: The United States is shipping 3 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Indonesia, with another 1.5 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine heading to Nepal and 500,000 Moderna doses to Bhutan, a White House official said on Friday (Jul 9).

The shipments are part of the Biden administration's pledge to share an initial batch of 80 million U.S.-made vaccines globally amid concern about the wide disparity in vaccination rates between advanced and developing countries.

Last week, the administration announced plans to ship 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech to Malaysia.

The shipment to Indonesia is part of 4 million doses promised last week and is one of the largest U.S. shipments of donated vaccines thus far. The remaining 1 million doses will be shipped soon, the official said, adding that the United States was also moving forward with plans to boost assistance to Indonesia's broader COVID-19 response. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/us-shipping-millions-doses-covid-19-vaccines-bhutan- nepal-15187962

Lockdowns, Scramble For More Vaccines as Southeast Asian States Fight COVID-19 Surge

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam are all battling spikes in cases.

2021-07-08 The number of COVID-19 infections is on the rise across continental Southeast Asia, with Vietnamese officials on Thursday imposing lockdowns and other restrictions in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus amid a spike in confirmed cases.

On Thursday, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health reported a total of 23,385 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 314 new ones, and 105 deaths, including three new ones, since announcing its first virus case in January 2020.

Most of the cases are in Ho Chi Minh City, followed by the northern provinces of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh, as well as Binh Duong province in the south.

The People’s Committee in Ho Chi Minh City, the equivalent of city hall in Vietnam’s largest city, announced the imposition of social-distancing measures and the suspension of food take-out services, street lottery ticket sales, traditional and motorbike taxi services, and passenger transportation, including some daily flights, for 15 days starting on Saturday, according to state-run media.

Municipal officials have asked residents to stay at home and only go outside for essential trips such as buying food and medicine or getting emergency care. Delivery services for essential goods are allowed.

The city’s department of trade and industry has been ordered to carry out a market stabilization program to ensure the sufficient provision of goods with stable prices for locals, state media reports said.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/vaccine-scramble-07082021182032.html

Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak Across the World Updated: July 14, 2021, 12:21 PM GMT+8

  Brazil 2,548 91,069 N/A N/A

U.K. 1,967 79,626 3,381.6 2.5

U.S. 1,840 102,689 1,436.0 2.8

France 1,651 87,012 N/A 6.0

 Germany 1,137 46,634 811.5 8.0

Russia 1,001 40,595 1,071.2 8.1

India 313 23,565 330.9 0.5

Japan 119 6,555 129.5 13.1

Mainland China 3 66 N/A 4.3

Testing data as of July 13, 2021, 8:20 PM GMT+8 Sources: OECD for number of hospital beds (2016 for the U.S., 2017 for other countries), government agencies and the COVID Tracking Project via Our World in Data for testing data (various recent dates) (reported in the past 45 days) and the U.S. Census Bureau for population figures (2019).

The world is bracing for a new wave of Covid-19 infections, as the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 185 million people and killed more than 4.0 million globally since late January 2020. Efforts many countries took to stamp out the pneumonia-like illness led to entire nations enforcing lockdowns, widespread halts of international travel, mass layoffs and battered financial markets. Recent attempts to revive social life and financial activities have resulted in another surge in cases and hospitalizations, though new drugs and improved care may help more people who get seriously ill survive.

01002003004005001 yrDays since 100 confirmed cases1001,00010,000100,0001,000,00010,000,00030,000,000CasesMainland ChinaFranceU.K.Hong KongU.S.AustraliaBrazilIndiaRussiaTaiwanNew Zealand Note: JHU CSSE reporting began on January 22, 2020, when mainland China had already surpassed 500 cases. Source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering

187,755,245 Confirmed cases worldwide 4,048,124 Deaths worldwide Jurisdictions with cases confirmed as of July 14, 2021, 12:21 PM GMT+8 1–99

100–999

1,000–9,999

10,000–99,999

100,000–999,999

1,000,000–9,999,999

10 million or more Where deaths have occurred Deaths Cases U.S. 607,771 33,914,880 Brazil 535,838 19,151,993 India 410,784 30,907,282 Mexico 235,277 2,604,711 Peru 194,488 2,081,557 Russia 142,102 5,762,211 U.K. 128,747 5,210,472 Italy 127,808 4,273,693 Colombia 113,335 4,530,610 France 111,597 5,882,945 Argentina 99,640 4,682,960 Germany 91,295 3,745,312 Iran 86,207 3,417,029 Spain 81,033 4,015,084 Poland 75,173 2,880,959 Show more  Note: Totals for Denmark, France, the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S. include overseas territories and other dependencies. Cases and deaths for cruise ships have been separated in accordance with JHU CSSE data. has continued to shift throughout the year, from China, then Europe, then the U.S., and now to developing countries like Brazil. Cases globally surpassed 10 million in late June, but ever since infections have been multiplying faster. The U.S. and India have the most infections, accounting for more than a third of all cases combined.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-coronavirus-cases-world-map/?srnd=coronavirus

Covid map: Coronavirus cases, deaths, vaccinations by country

By The Visual and Data Journalism Team BBC News

Published 1 day ago Covid-19 is continuing to spread around the world, with more than 185 million confirmed cases and four million deaths across nearly 200 countries.

The US, India and Brazil have seen the highest number of confirmed cases, followed by France, Russia, Turkey and the UK. Very few places have been left untouched.

Source: Johns Hopkins University, national public health agencies

Figures last updated 12 July 2021, 09:34 BST

In the table below, countries can be reordered by deaths, death rate and total cases. In the coloured bars on the right-hand side, countries in which cases have risen to more than 10,000 per day are those with black bars on the relevant date. Show more

This information is regularly updated but may not reflect the latest totals for each country.

** The past data for new cases is a three day rolling average. Due to revisions in the number of cases, an average cannot be calculated for this date.

Source: Johns Hopkins University, national public health agencies and UN population data Figures last updated: 12 July 2021, 09:34 BST

Confirmed cases have been rising steeply since the middle of last year, but the true extent of the first outbreaks in 2020 is unclear because testing was not then widely available.

The 100 millionth Covid case was recorded at the end of January - about a year after the first officially diagnosed case of the virus. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105 More Than 3.46 Billion Shots Given: Covid-19 Tracker In the U.S., 335 million doses have been administered

Updated: July 14, 2021, 2:45 AM GMT+8

The biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway. More than 3.46 billion doses have been administered across 180 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 29.5 million doses a day.

In the U.S., 335 million doses have been given so far. In the last week, an average of 532,556 doses per day were administered.

World Map of Vaccinations More than 3.46 billion doses have been administered—enough to fully vaccinate 22.6% of the global population

 no dat a01102030% of population covered Note: “Population covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Data gathered from government agencies, public statements, Bloomberg interviews and the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University.

Enough doses have now been administered to fully vaccinate 22.6% of the global population—but the distribution has been lopsided. Countries and regions with the highest incomes are getting vaccinated more than 30 times faster than those with the lowest.

Note: Vaccine access calculations account for the number of doses needed for full protection; some vaccines require a two-dose regimen while others require just a single dose. Countries and regions are ordered by GDP per capita (PPP). When will life return to normal?

While the best vaccines are thought to be 95% effective, it takes a coordinated campaign to stop a pandemic. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious-disease official in the U.S., has said that vaccinating 70% to 85% of the U.S. population would enable a return to normalcy.

On a global scale, that’s a daunting level of vaccination. At the current pace of 29.5 million a day, it would take another year to achieve a high level of global immunity. The rate, however, is steadily increasing, and new vaccines by additional manufacturers are coming to market.

The Path to Immunity Around the World In the U.S., the latest vaccination rate is 532,556 doses per day, on average. At this pace, it will take another 9 months to cover 75% of the population. Note: Immunity calculations take into account the number of doses required and the current rate of administration for each vaccine type. The “daily rate estimate” is a seven-day trailing average; interpolation is used for jurisdictions with infrequent updates. *Coverage may exceed 100% in some places, as shots may be administered to non-residents. Data are from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker. Are we bending the curve yet?

Israel was first to show that vaccinations were having a nationwide effect. The country has led the world in vaccinations, and by February more than 84% of people ages 70 and older had received two doses. Severe covid cases and deaths declined rapidly. A separate analysis in the U.K. showed similar results.

It’s now a life-and-death contest between vaccine and virus. New strains threaten renewed outbreaks. In the early stages of a campaign, the effect of vaccinations are often

outweighed by other factors of transmissibility: virus mutations, seasonality, effectiveness of mask use and social distancing. In time, higher vaccination rates should limit the Covid-19 burden around the world. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/?srnd=premium-asia

Air mishaps SENTINEL - Ramon T. Tulfo (The Philippine Star ) - July 10, 2021 - 12:00am The crash of a C-130 cargo and troop transport plane of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) seems to give credence to the old belief that air mishaps come in a group of two or three over a short period.

Consider:

• The latest tragedy to hit the PAF killed 47 military personnel and three civilians on the ground.

• On June 23, 2021, an S-70 Black Hawk utility helicopter crashed in Tarlac during night-flight training exercises, killing six people on board.

• On April 27, 2021, a pilot was killed, while three others were injured, when an Air Force MD520MG helicopter crashed in Getafe, Bohol.

• On Jan. 16, 2021, a PAF helicopter crashed in Bukidnon, killing all people on board.

The PAF has surpassed the “rule of three.”

The Philippines has a penchant for overdoing things, even when it comes to air tragedies!

Last year, two PAF helicopters crashed.

• On July 23, 2020, four military personnel were killed when a UH-1D helicopter crashed while taking off at the Cauayan Air Station in Isabela.

• On Sept. 16, 2020, four soldiers died when an S76 Sikorsky chopper crashed in Lantawan, Basilan.

Two tragedies in 2020!

But the years 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016 were “the good years” for the Philippine Air Force, with only one tragedy for each year.

• A North American Rockwell OV-10 fixed-wing aircraft crashed on May 24, 2019, while about to land at Sangley Air Base in Cavite; two pilots survived because they ejected in time.

• On Nov. 28, 2018, a PAF Sokol helicopter crash-landed at the Crow Valley in Tarlac, injuring crew members and passengers, including a party-list congressman.

• On May 4, 2017, three Air Force personnel were killed when their UH-1D chopper crashed in Barangay Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal.

https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/07/10/2111426/air-mishaps

The C-47 plane crash LODESTAR - Danton Remoto (The Philippine Star ) - July 10, 2021 - 12:00am The recent crash of a C-130 plane in Mindanao triggered memories of a similar plane crash in my childhood spent in Basa Air Base, Pampanga.

That morning, I saw a strange paleness in Papa’s face when he came out of his room. He said he was in a hurry, then walked quickly to Mama. They talked briefly, in hushed tones, and then I think I heard Mama stifle a sob.

After breakfast, Papa cleared his throat. When I looked at his eyes, I knew something was wrong.

He said, “A C-47 plane crashed outside the air base an hour ago. I heard it from the commissary. The passengers are now being evacuated to the hospital.”

When I looked at Mama, she seemed to wilt in her uniform. Her shoulders were hunched and her eyes lined with red. Papa stood up and turned his face away. In a bitter voice he said, “That C-47 plane should have been thrown to the junk ages ago!”

Sweat began to break on my back, even if it was a cool morning. I ran after Papa who was already out of the house.

As I sat behind Papa in the motorcycle, I felt the morning like a cold knife against my skin. It was already March, but the wind gusting from the Zambales mountain range made the mornings still shivery. The sun was still rising, balancing itself on the mountains. And the rest of the Military Air Base was still asleep. https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/07/10/2111430/c-47-plane-crash

Cebu reclamation project in many ways a mess By Mauro Gia Samonte

July 10, 2021

360

JUDGE Allan Francisco Garciano of the Mandaue City Regional Trial Court Branch 83 has issued a status quo ante order, requiring Mayor Joannes Pepito Alegado not to close the shipyards in La Consolacion, Cebu before December 31. With that order, the judge brought a lull in the stormy controversy that has wracked the local government unit the minute it

approved the project called Seafront City in Barangay Tayud in the locality. The project involves the reclamation of more than 235.80 hectares of a coastal area that has been home to a thriving shipyard industry, servicing the anchoring, maintenance and repair needs of ships in the Visayan region and Northern Mindanao. The industry has been the lifeblood of the village's some 25,000 residents.

With the order, the judge has put to rest, albeit in a temporary manner, a number of controversial issues that have attended the approval of the project. Foremost among such issues are the facts that the project proponent, La Consolacion Seafront Development Corp. (LCSDC), is Luzon-based and its starting capital is a measly P10 million.

Moreover, it is said that La Consolacion Mayor Alegado failed to produce standard documents normally required of such endeavors, like the project proposal of LCSDC and other attachments; the proposed joint venture agreement of the municipality with LCSDC; the notice of award; and the proposed ordinance of the municipality relative to the project approval. It is beyond us to determine why the mayor failed to do so but it certainly should be obvious that you don't approve such a gargantuan project as a Seafront City without those basic requirements being satisfied first. https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/10/opinion/columns/cebu-reclamation-project-in-many-ways-a- mess/1806444

Commentary: Why Kissinger's secret China visit still matters 50 years later (Xinhua) 13:18, July 09, 2021 BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Fifty years ago, then U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger undertook a secret mission to Beijing, which helped lay the groundwork for U.S. President Richard Nixon's ice-breaking China visit and the eventual normalization of relations between the two long- estranged countries.

Fifty years later, the relationship between the world's top two economies now stands at another critical juncture because of an increasingly agitated Washington.

For the common interests of both countries and the wider global community, it is imperative to look back at history and digest the important revelations of the world-changing move half a century ago and the development of China- U.S. ties in the following decades.

Kissinger's trip to China was code-named "Marco Polo," meaning the mission was as unknown and unpredictable as the Italian merchant and explorer's adventure to the mysterious oriental land in the 13th century. Before the visit, Beijing and Washington had neither diplomatic ties nor economic interactions with each other, while a "Red China" scare and anti-communism sentiments dominated America's politics.

When then Chinese and U.S. leaders chose to break the barriers and reopen the door for exchanges at the height of the Cold War, they looked farther than their living time and thought with a global vision.

As Kissinger, who later served as U.S. secretary of state, observed in his book "On China," when China and the United States started to restore relations, the most significant contribution made by the leaders of that time was their willingness to raise their sight beyond the immediate issues of the day.

In the Cold War era, there were indeed geopolitical and strategic considerations in the rapprochement of China-U.S. ties, but the development of China-U.S. relations also showed that China and the United States, with quite different ideologies, cultures and political systems, are capable of living together in peace and engaging in win-win cooperation as long as they have the will to act in the shared interests of both countries and their people.

The historic achievements the two countries have scored during the past five decades are convincing evidence that their win-win cooperation has not only brought huge benefits to both sides but also contributed significantly to global peace, stability and prosperity. From an almost negligible 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in the late 1970s, their bilateral trade soared incredibly to roughly 600 billion dollars last year in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the combined gross domestic product of the two major world players accounts for over 40 percent of the global economy.

China and the United States have also jointly dealt with various pressing global challenges, such as the 2008 global financial crisis, the Ebola outbreak in Africa, climate change and terrorism.

However, it is worrying to see that in recent years the zero-sum Cold War thinking has begun to prevail in Washington and a bunch of Washington politicians are poisoning China-U.S. relations. http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0709/c90000-9870206.html

Why the US-China contest will be fought in the heartlands of America

 The US demonises China, but underestimates the real competition: the winner will be the society that takes better care of its bottom 50 per cent  Biden s priority should be to jump-start the American economy by cooperating with other strong and dynamic economies, including China ’ The demonisation of China has gained momentum in the American body politic. Not a day goes by without some major figure warning about the China threat. In April, a 281-page bill entitled “Strategic Competition Act of 2021” was tabled in the US Congress. All this cacophony would give the casual observer the impression that the

United States is not underestimating the China threat – but, actually, it is.

The real danger of this demonisation is that it leads even thoughtful Americans to believe that an open society such as the US has many natural advantages over a closed, autocratic system such as China’s. By framing it in this way, Americans cannot even conceive of the possibility of losing out to China, meaning they are seriously underestimating the challenge they face.

Having recently experienced the most painful century in their history – the century of humiliation unleashed on China by Western and Japanese forces – the Chinese believe that the American assault was the last effort by a Western power to keep China down and prevent it from occupying its rightful place in the world. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3140522/why-us-china-contest-will-be-fought- heartlands-america

Commentary: UMNO’s withdrawal of support shows Malaysia’s political establishment is losing the plot Malaysians may remember this tussle between UMNO and Bersatu as one where the political establishment lost its ability to put the country above political, even personal interests, says James Chin.

Composite pictures of Zahid Hamidi and Muyhiddin Yassin. (Photos: Agencies) By James Chin

09 Jul 2021 06:02AM(Updated: 09 Jul 2021 06:10AM) HOBART: At 1am on Thursday (Jul 8), UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi gave a press conference in which he confidently announced that UMNO was withdrawing from the Perikatan

Nasional (PN) government and called on Muhyiddin Yassin to resign. He also urged for an interim government to be formed to see out the pandemic. The press conference came right after other fresh developments that day. On Wednesday afternoon, Muhyiddin suddenly announced that Defence Minister Ismail Sabri will be appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein appointed Senior Minister.

The announcement unequivocally established UMNO as the second most powerful party in government.

Yet, this was apparently done suddenly, without any notification to the UMNO leadership according to UMNO Supreme Council member Ahmad Puad in a later interview with Free Malaysia Today.

Puad was speaking to journalists just before the UMNO Supreme Council met that evening leading up to Zahid’s press conference. According to Puad, many members had thought the promotions were a disingenuous move on Muhyiddin’s part to sway UMNO from defecting or even drive a wedge between the party members. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/malaysia-politics-umno-pn-muhyiddin-cabinet- zahid-ismail-covid-15180368

[Djoomart Otorbaev] After Afghanistan falls

By Korea Herald

Published : Jul 9, 2021 - 05:30 Updated : Jul 9, 2021 - 05:30

On July 2, the US military handed over control of the vast Bagram Air Base to the Afghan government. US troops and their NATO allies are now on track to leave

Afghanistan by mid-July, well ahead of US President Joe Biden’s Sept. 11, 2021, withdrawal deadline.

According to a new analysis by researchers at Brown University, America’s two- decade war in Afghanistan cost it nearly $2.3 trillion. Now, Afghanistan’s neighbors -- Pakistan, Iran, China, India and Central Asia -- are wondering just how much it will cost them to maintain security after the United States is gone.

In late June, the US intelligence community concluded that the Afghan government could collapse within six months of the US withdrawal -- a stark downward revision of its earlier, more optimistic assessment. As the Taliban has swept through northern Afghanistan, capturing dozens of districts and major cities, Afghan security forces have often surrendered without a fight. According to a June report from the United Nations Afghanistan Sanctions Monitoring Team, the Taliban now exercises direct control over more than half of the country’s regional administrative centers, and controls up to 70 percent of the territory outside urban areas. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210707001044

A Blueprint for Getting Out of the Middle East While maintaining the offshore capacity to act if truly necessary, the U.S. should encourage regional parties to develop their own security system. JULY 8, 2021 • COMMENTARY By Doug Bandow This article appeared on The American Conservative on July 8, 2021.

America’s presence in Afghanistan is set to finally end. Despite desperate attempts by the bipartisan war lobby to extend Washington’s role, President Joe Biden appears determined to bring 20 years of costly effort and tragic failure to a close.

However, he shouldn’t stop there. The U.S. should remove its military forces from the Middle East. The arguments of decades past for their presence have expired. The artificial balance of power created by the U.S. has resulted in both moral and military hazards. America’s foreign policy should finally change to reflect new circumstances.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared that the U.S. would go to war in the Middle East, a policy which his successors tragically followed. Biden was part of that militaristic consensus, serving in his second Senate term when Carter was president.

Now, however, Biden has an opportunity to set a new course. He should permanently downgrade the region’s importance and halt the disastrous era of “endless war.” Afghanistan should be only the start. The U.S. is fighting Iranian backed militias in Iraq for no good reason. As well as sanctioning and illegally occupying much of Syria, also against America’s interests. Worse, the administration is continuing to aid Saudi‐ Arabia in some degree in Yemen. And more. https://www.cato.org/commentary/blueprint-getting-out-middle-east

Commentary: West should learn to value Hong Kong as it is under national security law (Xinhua) 10:54, July 09, 2021

- Nobody cares more about the future of Hong Kong than the central government in Beijing and people of China. After all, Hong Kong is a part of China.

- In order to secure a better future for Hong Kong, a full and accurate implementation of the national security law is both crucial and necessary.

BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- More than a year after the National Security Law for Hong Kong came into force, the city has emerged from the shadows of social unrest to embrace long-term peace and prosperity.

Such good news would normally be welcomed, unless of course you're the West.

A brand-new chapter of good governance has been opened in Hong Kong: The city has regained stability, with international capital continuously flowing in and foreign companies showing more confidence in its business environment. Furthermore, the city's residents are more confident in the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy.

The facts speak for themselves. In the first quarter, crime in Hong Kong was down roughly 10 percent compared to the same period last year, and the economy got off to a good start with year-on-year GDP growth of 7.9 percent. Finance performed even better than the economy, with about 50 billion U.S. dollars flowing to the banking system by the end of last year.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0709/c90000-9870169.html

World watches as Japan tries to manage games amid COVID-19

 BY KOJI WADA  CONTRIBUTING WRITE  SHARE  Jul 9, 2021

As the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics near, athletes, coaches and staff are starting to arrive in Japan amid still strong concerns about the risk of COVID-19 infections spreading during the sporting events.

In Japan, some municipalities are seeing a supply crunch of vaccines as vaccination rollout speeds up. Cases of new infection, meanwhile, are declining in some major cities but in the past few weeks, Tokyo is beginning to see a rebound.

The government announced Thursday that the capital will be under a state of emergency from Monday through Aug. 22, two days before the Paralympics will kick off. But it’s entirely possible for another wave to arrive before the opening ceremony, and the cooperation of the public is crucial in preventing that from happening.

In other parts of the world, namely South America and Africa, COVID-19 is spreading. There are still many countries and regions where vaccination rates continue to be low and the mindset against the coronavirus varies depending on the situation in each country.

Therefore, measures put in place by organizers may look good on paper. But they are bound to be hard to implement in practice.

For one, infections could occur among athletes, coaches, staff, volunteers and spectators. When they do, the degree of punishment the International Olympic Committee hands down to violators could trigger diplomatic issues. It would be unfortunate for an athlete to lose their chance at winning a gold medal because they infected someone or became infected by a teammate. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/07/09/commentary/japan-commentary/world-watch- tokyo-olympics-amid-covid-19/

Ransomware attacks will end, but not anytime soon  Hackers will eventually "overfish” the pool of ransomware victims. At some point there will be so many attacks that most institutions will have no choice but to respond. | AFP-JIII  BY TYLER COWEN  BLOOMBERG

The latest cyberattack, apparently emanating from Russia again, has hit at least 20 software firms affecting at least 1,000 businesses.

It follows a cyberattack that left parts of the U.S. without adequate gasoline supplies for several days and one on the Irish public health system. There are undoubtedly many more attacks that go unreported, if only because the victims do not wish to advertise their willingness to pay ransom.

And so the obvious question arises: How is all this supposed to stop? For an answer, it’s useful to apply some game theory.

The scalability of the internet can be a major virtue. But it also makes it easier for vices to proliferate. There are now the equivalent of venture capital markets to help fund ransomware attacks.

Consider street crime, for example. There is a natural limit to it if only because most people have better options than to pursue such a life, and many who do so are simply not good at it and get caught. What’s more, street crime is constrained by the need for physical presence; you can only commit so many carjackings in a month.

In the cyber realm, these constraints do not apply. In low-wage, low-trust countries, such as Russia, you can just hire more hackers to pull off more attacks. Even if the perpetrators can be identified, Russia doesn’t seem so eager to help U.S. law enforcement. Other havens for cybercriminals could emerge.

More aggressive regulation of cryptocurrency markets could make ransom payment more difficult, but the hackers could always resort to anonymized cryptocurrencies.

Some have proposed that paying ransoms should be made illegal. That might be hard to enforce, and it is really wise to penalize businesses that seek to restore services to their customers? Criminalization might also incentivize hackers to create ever more destructive attacks in an effort to get the ransom spigot turned back on.

At least under the status quo, hackers have some incentive to seek out relatively quiet attacks that will yield a ransom but not wreak too much havoc or attract too much attention.

What about military drone attacks on ransomware terrorists? It might be an option if they are in a relatively weak country, but that is hardly likely with Russia. U.S. President Joe Biden already is trying to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to help stop the attacks, but there is little guarantee this approach will yield dividends. Putin seems happy to see the U.S. squirm, and the government has not been able to rein in many of his other misdeeds. A laissez-faire attitude toward the hackers doesn’t cost him money and he has a degree of plausible deniability.

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https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/07/07/commentary/world-commentary/ransomware- attacks-will-end/

China Is the First Crack in the Covid Recovery

Beijing s surprise easing measure signals the global upswing may not be as robust as anticipated. By Daniel’ Moss July 9, 2021, 11:25 PM GMT+8

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg Daniel Moss is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian economies. Previously he was executive editor of Bloomberg News for global economics, and has led teams in Asia, Europe and North America. China is the first noticeable crack in the Covid-19 recovery. The only major economy to show any growth at all last year, the country is now taking steps to ease monetary policy just when the Federal Reserve is beginning to lay the groundwork to taper asset purchases. A significant slowing of its expansion might give other commercial— powers pause about the robustness of the global upswing, and a taste of how hard it may be to meaningfully withdraw stimulus.

Late Friday, the People's Bank of China cut its reserve requirement for most banks by half a percentage point. The move, which will unleash about 1 trillion yuan ($154 billion) of long-term liquidity, was flagged by Beijing earlier this week, but surprised economists with the speed of its arrival. Officials may be signaling that economic growth data for the second quarter, due for release next week, will be soft. The shift by the PBOC is jarring because China spent months conveying the idea that it was comfortable trimming not adding support for the economy. With the worst of the pandemic shock seemingly behind them, policy makers could return to one of their principle worries— before Covi— d-19 struck: bolstering financial stability and discouraging firms from taking on too much debt. For all the concerns about market upheaval when the Fed eventually starts dialing back quantitative easing, it looked for a while Beijing had already started down that path. Friday s reserve cut suggests China is the one pivoting in a dovish, not hawkish, direction. ’ — https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-07-09/china-s-rate-cut-foreshadows-a-weaker- than-expected-economy?srnd=premium-asia