Today’s News 26 August 2021 (Thursday)

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

B. NATIONAL HEADLINES Title Writer Newspaper Page No Rody VP bid if Sara runs for President A Romero P Star – 1 UNICEF worries for PH kids missing in- M Adonis PDI A1 – person classes

C. NATIONAL SECURITY Title Writer Newspaper Page Phl hits coercive use of militias, coast guard P Lee Brago P Star 1 1 in SCS 2 Pinoys fighting with Taliban? J Roson D Tribune A2

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

E. AFP RELATED Title Writer Newspaper Page 3 Hero’s burial L Jocson M Bulletin 8 Security beefed up in Maguindanao town M Bulletin 8 4 after foiled bombed try

F. CPP-NPA-NDF-LCM Title Writer Newspaper Page 5 Joma faces child trafficking raps E Macarian P Star 8 6 11 BIFF bandits, 2 NPA leaders surrender J Roson P Star 8 7 Military captures NPA camp in Masbate V Reyes Malaya A6

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

H. EDITORIAL-OPINION-COMMENTARY-SPECIAL Title Writer Newspaper Page 8 ‘Utang na loob’: A taboo in diplomacy H Cruz PDI A6

I. ONLINE NEWS Title Link NATIONAL NEWS Two Filipinos working for Doctors https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/two-filipinos- 9 Without Borders in Kabul now in working-for-doctors-without-borders-in-kabul- Tajikistan – DFA now-in-tajikistan-dfa/ Gunshots, tear gas surround OFWs as https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/gunshots-tear- 10 they flee Afghanistan gas-surround-ofws-as-they-flee-afghanistan/ Some OFWs remain in Afghanistan https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/26 11 despite Taliban takeover /2122650/some-ofws-remain-afghanistan- despite-taliban-takeover Climate change toll seen to hit $20 https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/25/clim 12 million a year ate-change-toll-seen-to-hit-20-million-a-year/ Philippines, First Country To Approve https://manilanews.ph/philippines-first-country- 13 Commercialization Of Golden Rice to-approve-commercialization-of-golden-rice/ PHL July BOP surplus up to $642M https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/25/phl- 14 from $8M july-bop-surplus-up-to-642m-from-8m/ PHL seeks $1.9-B China loans, 4 infra https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/25/phl- 15 projects under review seeks-1-9-b-china-loans-4-infra-projects- under-review/ UNICEF worries for PH kids missing in- https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478895/unicef- 16 person classes worries-for-ph-kids-missing-in-person-classes Virtual simultaneous quake drill for Q3 https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151532 17 set Sept. 9

PAGASA sees increasing likelihood https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/pagasa-sees- 18 that La Niña will reemerge by 4Q 2021 increasing-likelihood-that-la-nina-will- ( reemerge-by-4q-2021/ 2 or 3 cyclones likely in September https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/2-or-3-cyclones- 19 — PAGASA likely-in-september-pagasa/ NAVY NEWS Philippines hits coercive use of militias, https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/26 20 coast guard in South China Sea /2122664/philippines-hits-coercive-use-militias- coast-guard-south-china-sea After Reports Of Sewage Dumping, 88 https://manilanews.ph/after-reports-of-sewage- 21 Foreign Ships Move Out Of Philippine dumping-88-foreign-ships-move-out-of- EEZ philippine-eez-report/ ‘Duterte leaves shameful legacy of https://www.philstar.com/headlines2021/08/25/ 22 squandering arbitral award’ 2122452/duterte-leaves-shameful-legacy- squandering-arbitral-award PPA sets up anti-terror unit in https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/08/25/busin 23 Zamboanga ess/maritime/ppa-sets-up-anti-terror-unit-in- zamboanga/1812204 AFP RELATED DND monitoring events in Afghanistan https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151551 24 CA approves nominations of 3 senior https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio 25 AFP officers n/800846/ca-approves-nominations-of-3- senior-afp-officers/story/

DOJ to conduct preliminary https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/doj-to-conduct- 26 investigation on criminal raps vs CPP’s preliminary-investigation-on-criminal-raps-vs- Joma Sison, 3 ‘NPA members’ cpps-sison-3-npa-members/ CHR reiterates plea to SC: Nullify Anti- https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/chr-reiterates- 27 ‘ Terrorism Act’ plea-to-sc-nullify-anti-terrorism-act/ Senators decry proposed budget https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/25 28 increase for NTF-ELCAC in 2022 /2122574/senators-decry-proposed-budget- increase-ntf-elcac-2022 Gov't must justify NTF-ELCAC, https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/25/21/govt- 29 confidential funds sought for 2022: must-justify-ntf-elcac-confidential-funds- House panel chair sought-for-2022-house-panel-chair Bato rejects defunding of NTF-ELCAC https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/bato-rejects- 30 defunding-of-ntf-elcac/ Lorenzana: Lawmakers’ objections vs https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio 31 NTF-ELCAC funds seem ‘misplaced’ n/800839/lorenzana-lawmakers-objections-vs- ntf-elcac-funds-seem-misplaced/story/ AFP confers military awards on Hidilyn, https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151617 32 Eumir for Olympic feats Makabayan solons told to explain https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151579 33 objection to fund village dev't 21 gun salute rendered for Tausug https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/21-gun-salute- 34 crash hero rendered-for-tausug-crash-hero/ Security beefed up in Maguindanao https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/security-beefed- 35 town after foiled bomb try up-in-maguindanao-town-after-foiled-bomb-try/ 400 families flee Lanao border https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478857/400- 36 communities after clash between Army, families-flee-lanao-border-communities-after- local IS gunmen clash-between-army-local-is-gunmen PNP to help Cordillera’s tokhang vs https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478843/pnp- 37 leftists only within realm of human would-help-cordilleras-tokhang-vs-leftists-only- rights within-realm-of-human-rights PNP chief backs tokhang vs https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478875/pnp- 38 ‘ ’ communists chief-backs-tokhang-vs-reds INDO-PACIFIC NEWS The Mediterranean’s Compliance https://amti.csis.org/the-mediterraneans- 39 Committee: A Model for the South compliance-committee-a-model-for-the-south- China Sea? china-sea/ UN concerned about human rights in https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 40 Afghanistan 0825_11/ US lawmakers concerned US won’t https://www.news10.com/washington/washingt 41 meet looming Afghanistan deadline on-dc/lawmakers-concerned-us-wont-meet- looming-afghanistan-deadline/ Kamala Harris in Hanoi as Afghan https://globalnation.inquirer.net/198718/kamala 42 debacle rumbles -harris-in-hanoi-as-afghan-debacle-rumbles Kamala Harris offers Vietnam support https://globalnation.inquirer.net/198721/kamala 43 to counter Beijing in the South China -harris-offers-vietnam-support-to-counter- Sea beijing-in-the-south-china-sea Harris urges Vietnam to join US in https://apnews.com/article/health-pandemics- 44 opposing China ‘bullying’ coronavirus-pandemic-vietnam- 1fcaf1dbb2fc2a7e1259a02b3ed58b2b Harris criticizes China during Vietnam https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 45 visit 0825_22/ Possible 'Havana Syndrome' Incidents https://www.voanews.com/east-asia- 46 Probed in Harris Delay from Singapore pacific/possible-havana-syndrome-incidents- to Vietnam probed-harris-delay-singapore-vietnam Kamala Harris’s Asia Trip Can’t Fix https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/24/kamala- 47 Biden’s Troubled Indo-Pacific Strategy harris-singapore-vietnam-southeast-asia-trip- biden-indo-pacific-strategy/ What is the Indo-Pacific region and https://www.scmp.com/week- 48 why does the US keep using this term? asia/politics/article/3146363/what-indo-pacific- region-and-why-does-us-keep-using-term US, China accuse each other of https://globalnation.inquirer.net/198724/us- 49 ‘bullying’ nations china-accuse-each-other-of-bullying-nations China’s Wedge Strategy Towards the https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/chinas- 50 US-Vietnam Partnership wedge-strategy-towards-the-u-s-vietnam- partnership/ China accuses US of politicizing https://www.news10.com/news/international/ch 51 COVID-19 origins research ina-accuses-us-of-politicizing-covid-19-origins- research/ China Warns U.S. Should Expect https://www.newsweek.com/china-warns-us- 52 'Counterattack' if Coming COVID should-expect-counterattack-if-coming-covid- Origin Report Blames Nation origin-report-blames-nation-1622901 Xi, Putin stress strengthening https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1232 53 coordination on Afghanistan, against 454.shtml foreign interference in phone call China, Taliban hold their first dialogue https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de 54 in Kabul fence/china-taliban-hold-their-first-dialogue-in- kabul/articleshow/85623001.cms Xinjiang s Perfect Police State https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/geoffrey-cain- 55 ’ ‘ ’ on-xinjiangs-perfect-police-state/ China Could Prevent up to 4.5 Million https://www.newsweek.com/china-population- 56 Births in Xinjiang, Leading Researcher control-measures-prevent-births-xinjiang- Claims adrian-zenz-1622842 Two Jailed After Raid on Early Rain https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/church- 57 Church Meeting in China's Sichuan 08242021122734.html A Common Prosperity https://www.chinausfocus.com/focus/china- 58 this-week/ What is China’s common-prosperity https://www.scmp.com/economy/china- 59 strategy that dates back to the 1950s? economy/article/3146271/what-chinas- common-prosperity-strategy-calls-even Xi's leftward shift to a socialist China is https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/China- 60 for real up-close/Analysis-Xi-s-leftward-shift-to-a- socialist-China-is-for-real Primary pupils to study China’s new https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pupils-as- 61 Little Red Book young-as-six-to-study-little-red-book-of-xis- thoughts-plv7p32s6 Hong Kong to Censor Critical Movies https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/censor- 62 Under National Security Law 08242021151230.html Hong Kong police probe June 4 vigil https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Hong-Kong- 63 organizer for foreign collusion security-law/Hong-Kong-police-probe-June-4- vigil-organizer-for-foreign-collusion Hong Kong's former chief judge says https://www.reuters.com/world/asia- upholding rule of law not political pacific/exclusive-hong-kongs-former-chief- 64 judge-says-upholding-rule-law-not-political- 2021-08-25/ Japan’s gold medals are losing their https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dont-bite-on- 65 shine, say Chinese that-gold-medal-too-hard-olympic-winner-says- hers-seems-to-be-flaking-sz9nhs6jx In rare move, Japan prepares to offer https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International- 66 refuge to Afghans relations/Afghanistan-turmoil/In-rare-move- Japan-prepares-to-offer-refuge-to-Afghans Japan PM, ruling party executive to https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/japan- 67 hold talks on party leadership race pm-ruling-party-executive-hold-talks-party- leadership-race-2134321 Fukushima nuclear plant water to be https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/fukushi 68 released into the ocean via undersea ma-nuclear-plant-water-be-released-undersea- tunnel tunnel-n1277630 Emperor declares opening of Toyo https://the-japan- 69 Paralympic Games news.com/news/article/0007707994 S. Korea expresses 'strong regret' over https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021 70 Japan's Fukushima water release /08/356_314508.html move without consultations South Korea parliament set to pass law https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/south- 71 to curb 'fake news' korea-parliament-set-pass-law-curb-fake- news-2134941 SoKor public remains poles apart over http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=202 72 accepting Afghan refugees 10825000826 North Koreans Pressed to Donate https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/flood- 73 Labor, Cash For Flood Recovery Work recovery-08242021153827.html The View From Pyongyang: U.S. https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/us- 74 Withdrawal from Afghanistan withdrawal-afghanistan-view-pyongyang N. Korea to convene parliament as https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/n- 75 economic woes cause strain korea-convene-parliament-economic-woes- cause-strain-2021-08-25/ Vietnamese PM urges awareness of https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1232 76 ‘peaceful evolution’ at meeting with 394.shtml Chinese envoy ahead of Harris’ visit Vietnam says it will not side against https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 77 China, as US’ Kamala Harris visits article/3146273/vietnam-says-it-will-not-side- against-china-us-kamala-harris Will Vietnam heed US call for ‘strategic’ https://www.scmp.com/week- upgrade to bilateral ties? asia/politics/article/3146356/us-vp-harris- 78 seeks-strategic-upgrade-vietnam-ties-calls- pressure 79 Why Vietnam shuns the idea of being a https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/08/25/wh pawn in great power competition y-vietnam-shuns-the-idea-of-being-a-pawn-in- great-power-competition/ Thirty Youths Arrested in Yangon https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/raid 80 Raids After Myanmar Shadow Govt s-08242021194825.html Warns of ‘D-Day’ Operation 4 Years After Fleeing Myanmar, https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/life- 81 Rohingya Still Risk Death Seeking a 08242021175451.html Better Life Months After Coup, Myanmar https://www.csis.org/blogs/new-perspectives- 82 Accelerates Toward Surveillance State asia/months-after-coup-myanmar-accelerates- toward-surveillance-state Malaysia’s new PM and opposition https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast- 83 leaders agree to ease tensions asia/article/3146370/malaysias-new-pm-ismail- sabri-yaakob-and-opposition A Strategic Assessment From India: https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/202 Kabul s Chaos Makes Pakistan Look 1/08/25/a_strategic_assessment_from_india_k 84 ’ More Dangerous abuls_chaos_makes_pakistan_look_more_da ngerous_791540.html Russia Tells America s Friends: You re https://cepa.org/russia-tells-americas-friends- 85 ’ ’ All Alone Now youre-all-alone-now/ Russian says he swam to Japan, https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory 86 wants asylum /reports-russian-swam-japan-island-asylum- 79633392 Taliban urges US not to evacuate https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 87 skilled Afghans 0825_23/ 'Politics has absolutely no place' when https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/covid- 88 researching COVID-19 origins: WHO 19-origins-world-health-organization-chief- chief scientist scientist-conversation-2132621 The Whole World Needs Vaccines https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/24/delta- 89 Before a Worse Variant Than Delta variant-booster-shoots-covax-vaccines/ Arrives The waning of the Liberal Economic https://aspeniaonline.it/the-waning-of-the- 90 Consensus in the wake of the liberal-economic-consensus-in-the-wake-of- pandemic the-pandemic/ The Right Way To Structure Cyber https://warontherocks.com/2021/08/the-right- Diplomacy way-to-structure-cyber-diplomacy/

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DEFENSE NEWS India conducts joint naval exercise https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/a 92 with Philippines as it seeks to expand rticle/3146347/india-conducts-joint-naval- South China Sea role exercise-philippines-it-seeks Philippines hits coercive use of https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/26/ 93 militias, coast guard in South China 2122664/philippines-hits-coercive-use-militias- Sea coast-guard-south-china-sea After reports of sewage dumping, 88 https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/25/ 94 foreign ships move out of Philippine 2122560/after-reports-sewage-dumping-88- EEZ — report foreign-ships-move-out-philippine-eez-report August 2021: Good News For Spratly https://simularity.com/august-2021-good-news- Reef Health: Ships No Longer for-spratly-reef-health-ships-no-longer- 95 Anchored In Large Group As 70 Move anchored-in-large-group-as-70-move-out-of- Out Of Union Banks union-banks/ U.S. Military Donates Medical https://manilanews.ph/u-s-military-donates- 96 Supplies To Support Philippine medical-supplies-to-support-philippine-covid- COVID-19 Response 19-response/ Harris tells Vietnam US Navy will keep https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International- presence in South China Sea relations/Biden-s-Asia-policy/Harris-tells- 97 Vietnam-US-Navy-will-keep-presence-in-South- China-Sea Biden to tackle cybersecurity with https://apnews.com/article/business-apple-inc- 98 tech, finance leaders 00a31a944d465a93f1f1110a8e6d5a5c Cyberwar - Part One https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17654/cyber 99 war-part-one US Secret Service warned Capitol https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/25/secr 100 Police about violent threats 1 day et-service-warned-capitol-police-violent-threats- before Jan. 6 january-riot-506806 The US military is trying to weed out https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military- extremists, and special-ops vets say grapples-with-extremism-in-ranks-after-capitol- 101 all units have some 'more fringe' attack-2021-8 members America Must Stay the Course on Its https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/08/25/us 102 Air Tanker Acquisition Strategy -air-tanker-strategy/ The Pentagon s hyperfocus on https://spacenews.com/the-pentagons- 103 ’ hypersonic missile threat hyperfocus-on-hypersonic-missile-threat/ U.S. SPACECOM Attains Initial https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30294/U_S 104 Operational Capability __SPACECOM_Attains_Initial_Operational_Ca pability New SPACECOM Strategy Will Define https://breakingdefense.com/2021/08/new- 105 ‘Space Combat Power’ spacecom-strategy-will-define-space-combat- power/ Space Warfighting Analysis Center https://www.defensedaily.com/space- 106 Finishes Missile Warning Force warfighting-analysis-center-finishes-missile- Design warning-force-design-raymond-says/space/ Space Systems Command is more https://www.c4isrnet.com/smr/space- than a name change, says new competition/2021/08/25/space-systems- 107 commander command-is-more-than-a-name-change-says- new-commander/ Protecting GPS is the Space Force’s https://taskandpurpose.com/news/space-force- 108 most important job, according to their gps-satellite-protection/ new commercial Space Force’s next generation of https://www.c4isrnet.com/smr/space- missile warning satellites passes competition/2021/08/24/space-forces-next- 109 major design milestone generation-of-missile-warning-satellites-passes- major-design-milestone/ More work needed on space stability https://spacenews.com/more-work-needed-on- and security space-stability-and-security/ 110

NTSB 2020 Digest of Maritime https://news.usni.org/2021/08/25/ntsb-2020- 111 Accident Investigations digest-of-maritime-accident-investigations DOWNLOADABLE: Safer Seas Digest https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21048 112 Lessons Learned from Marine 801/safer-seas-digest-lessons-learned-from- Accident Investigations 2020 marine-accident-investigations-2020.pdf US Navy completes testing of littoral https://www.navytimes.com/digital-show- combat ship s minesweeper system dailies/navy-league/2021/08/24/us-navy- 113 ’ completes-testing-of-littoral-combat-ships- minesweeper-system/ Constellation: Meet the Navy s New https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/08/constellati 114 ’ Guided-Missile Frigate on-meet-the-navys-new-guided-missile-frigate/ USS America conducts cyclic flight http://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News/Display/Art 115 operations with HMS Queen Elizabeth icle/2745486/uss-america-conducts-cyclic- flight-operations-with-hms-queen-elizabeth US, Thai Military Complete 40th https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/08/25/us 116 Exercise Cobra Gold -thailand-military-exercise/ US to build military base in middle of https://www.pri.org/stories/2021-08-24/us- 117 Pacific Ocean building-military-base-middle-pacific-ocean- micronesian-residents-have Conflict with China not inevitable: US https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/conflict- 118 officials with-china-not-inevitable-us-officials-0 Biden must tell Beijing: 'War means https://thehill.com/opinion/international/569065- 119 instant independence for Taiwan' biden-must-tell-beijing-war-means-instant- independence-for-taiwan China to boost security, anti-terror http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0825/c90000- 120 cooperation with Pakistan 9887816.html China launches new communication https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-08-25/China- 121 technology experiment satellite launches-new-communication-technology- experiment-satellite-130v6qrfs6A/index.html China to study assembly mechanics of https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/12324 122 kilometer-level extra-large spacecraft 26.shtml Japan Snubs China Warnings to Invite https://www.newsweek.com/japan-snubs-china- 123 Taiwan for Swift Security Talks warnings-invite-taiwan-swift-security-talks- 1622921 Japan SDF hold joint drill with UK carrier strike group 124 (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/n ews/20210825_21/ UK carrier Queen Elizabeth holds https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International- 125 maiden drill with Japan's SDF relations/Indo-Pacific/UK-carrier-Queen- Elizabeth-holds-maiden-drill-with-Japan-s-SDF Japan’s New 30FFM Frigate For https://www.navalnews.com/naval- 「くまの」 news/2021/08/japans-new-30ffm-frigate-for- 126 JMSDF ‘Kumano’ Starts Sea Trials jmsdf-kumano- %e3%80%8c%e3%81%8f%e3%81%be%e3%8 1%ae%e3%80%8dstarts-sea-trials/ Japan: ‘Minimum deterrence’ https://the-japan- 127 unpersuasive as China builds up news.com/news/article/0007708213 nuclear capabilities Japan-Australia security ties deepen: https://www.9dashline.com/article/japan- 128 A response to China? australia-security-ties-deepen-a-response-to- china Party-to-party dialogue between https://www.aei.org/articles/party-to-party- 129 Taiwan and Japan points the way to dialogue-between-taiwan-and-japan-points-the- closer security ties way-to-closer-security-ties/ Taiwan's Cabinet tells military to https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/42761 130 adjust defense budget for new 98 helicopters SK-NK: Four reasons for an end of https://asiatimes.com/2021/08/four-reasons-for- 131 ‘ armistice’ declaration an-end-of-armistice-declaration/ Three Chinese sailors gunned down https://www.dailynk.com/english/three-chinese- 132 after landing on North Pyongan sailors-gunned-down-after-landing-north- Province island pyongan-province-island/ Double-Edged Sword: The https://www.rfa.org/english/commentaries/vietn 133 Securitization of COVID Response in am-covid-army-08242021145453.html Vietnam Indonesia hails ‘new era’ for U.S. ties, https://ipdefenseforum.com/2021/08/indonesia- 134 hosts biggest joint military drills hails-new-era-for-u-s-ties-hosts-biggest-joint- military-drills/ Indonesian navy seizes oil tanker https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ 135 wanted in Cambodia indonesian-navy-seizes-oil-tanker-wanted- cambodia-79634646 Australian Shipbuilder Incat Crowther https://www.navalnews.com/naval- 136 Patrol Boat For Thailand news/2021/08/australian-shipbuilder-incat- crowther-patrol-boat-for-thailand/ Australia needs a national space https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australia- 137 strategy needs-a-national-space-strategy/ How Much Will Australia’s New https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/08/how- 138 Attack-Class Submarines Costs? much-will-australias-new-attack-class- submarines-costs/ India fears Kashmir terrorism after https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International- 139 Taliban resurgence relations/Afghanistan-turmoil/India-fears- Kashmir-terrorism-after-Taliban-resurgence If India Goes to War with Pakistan, It https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/if-india- 140 Will Have to Fight China Too goes-war-pakistan-it-will-have-fight-china-too- 192393 Indian, Kazakh armies to hold 13-day https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/def 141 military exercise ence/indian-kazakh-armies-to-hold-13-day- military-exercise/articleshow/85621327.cms India's S-400 Operators Undergo https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30297/India 142 Phase 2 of Training _s_S_400_Operators_Undergo_Phase_2_of_T raining India To Import 70,000 New Ak-203 https://www.asiapacificdefensejournal.com/202 143 7.62mm Assault Rifles From Russia 1/08/india-to-import-70000-new-ak-203- 762mm.html Russian firm Aerosvet completes https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/nav installation of light-signaling systems al-news/naval-news- 144 on INS Vikrant archive/2021/august/10599-russian-firm- aerosvet-completes-installation-of-light- signaling-systems-on-ins-vikrant.html Trump's 'Super-Duper' Hypersonic https://www.newsweek.com/trump-super-duper- 145 Missiles Pose No Threat: Russia Arms hypersonic-missiles-no-threat-russia-1622916 Maker Russia Joint Naval Drills With Iran Still https://www.eurasiareview.com/25082021- 146 On Schedule russia-joint-naval-drills-with-iran-still-on- schedule/ SE Asian, Middle East Countries likely https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30295/SE_ First Customers of Kalibr Missile- Asian__Middle_East_Countries_likely_First_Cu 147 Armed Russian Corvettes stomers_of_Kalibr_Missile_Armed_Russian_Co rvettes#.YSZDZo4za00 Russia delays testing of Zircon https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/nav hypersonic missile to September al-news/naval-news- 148 archive/2021/august/10600-russia-delays- testing-of-zircon-hypersonic-missile-to- september.html The Late Twentieth-Century https://mwi.usma.edu/the-late-twentieth- 149 Profession: Ideas And Institutions For century-profession-ideas-and-institutions-for- The Nuclear Age the-nuclear-age/ Why the atomic bomb has an limit, https://defenceview.in/why-the-atomic-bomb- 150 while the hydrogen bomb can be has-an-upper-limit-while-the-hydrogen-bomb- infinite can-be-infinite/ Developing Basics for Future Urban https://wavellroom.com/2021/08/25/future- 151 Operations urban-operations-close-quarter-battle/ DOWNLOADABLE: Influence for hire. https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ad- 152 The Asia-Pacific’s online shadow aspi/2021-08/Influence%20for%20hire_3.pdf economy DOWNLOADABLE: Buying and https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ad- Selling Extremism aspi/2021- 153 08/Buying%20and%20selling%20extremism_v2 .pdf Shaping a Way Ahead for Maritime https://sldinfo.com/2021/08/an-update-from-the- Autonomous Systems august-2021-navy-league-exposition-shaping- 154 a-way-ahead-for-maritime-autonomous- systems/ DEFENSE/SECURITY AFGHANISTAN Johnson: G7 seeks Taliban https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210 155 evacuation assurance 825_13/ Specific threat' from ISIS-K outside https://www.hindustantimes.com/world- Kabul airport leaves US worried: news/specific-threat-from-isis-k-outside-kabul- 156 Report airport-leaves-us-worried-report- 101629905189164.html U.S. to prioritize troop evacuation in https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-prioritize- 157 last two days of Kabul operation troop-evacuation-last-two-days-kabul- operation-2021-08-25/ US vows to isolate Taliban if it https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3146 158 prevents evacuations from 401/us-vows-use-every-appropriate-tool- Afghanistan against-taliban-if-group-prevents Roughly 1,500 US citizens likely still in https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/world 159 Afghanistan – Blinken /800858/roughly-1-500-us-citizens-likely-still-in- afghanistan-blinken/story/ Republicans push Biden to back https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/a 160 Afghan resistance fighters: ‘The least ug/25/republicans-push-biden-back-afghan- we can do’ resistance-figh/ Biden’s claims that al-Qaeda is ‘gone’ https://www.aei.org/op-eds/bidens-claims-that- 161 in Afghanistan are delusional and al-qaeda-is-gone-in-afghanistan-are-delusional- dangerous and-dangerous/ 2 US lawmakers’ Kabul trip prompts https://apnews.com/article/business- 162 Biden administration fury evacuations-kabul-islamic-state-group- 9aa28ed934ac7a00e5982dafeab84c84 Two House members issue scathing https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/two 163 statement after secret trip to Kabul -house-members-secretly-travel-kabul-airport- airport amid-hurried-evacuations-n1277573 What Intelligence was there on https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/afghanist 164 Afghanistan? an/what-intelligence-was-there-on-afghanistan Fury, "disgust" in D.C. that thousands https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national- 165 of Afghans will be left behind security/fury-disgust-cia-pentagon-congress- thousands-afghans-will-be-left-n1277552 Pompeo’s Underwhelming Defense of https://www.nationalreview.com/221/08/pompe 166 the Trump–Taliban Agreement os-underwhelming-defense-of-the-trump- taliban-agreement/ The breathtaking lack of military https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/08/25/the 167 accountability in Afghanistan -breathtaking-lack-of-military-accountability-in- afghanistan Pentagon Says Nearly 22k Personnel https://www.eurasiareview.com/25082021- 168 Out Of Afghanistan In Last 24 Hours pentagon-says-nearly-22k-personnel-out-of- afghanistan-in-last-24-hours/ Why is Aug 31 the date for the US https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/united 169 pullout from Afghanistan? -states-afghanistan-pullout-aug-31-date- 2134266 Kabul Evacuee With Potential ISIS https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/08/k 170 Ties Detained at Qatar Base abul-evacuee-potential-isis-ties-detained-qatar- base/184811/ China blasts US over Afghanistan https://www.navytimes.com/news/pentagon- pullout, describes effective talks with congress/2021/08/25/china-blasts-us-over- 171 ‘ ’ Taliban afghanistan-pullout-describes-effective-talks- with-taliban/ Communication with Taliban open and https://www.hindustantimes.com/world- 172 effective: China news/communication-with-taliban-effective- smooth-china-101629889931278.html China may ‘gloat’ about Afghanistan https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/25/cornell- 173 now, but the Taliban’s rise comes with professor-on-afghanistan-us-withdrawal-taliban- problems impact-on-china.html Taliban say they won't allow Afghans https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/24/asia/kabul- 174 to leave country, reject evacuation airport-afghanistan-intl-hnk/index.html extension Uyghurs in Afghanistan Fear https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/afghan 175 Deportation to China or Persection istan-uyghurs-08242021175318.html Under The Taliban ( Taliban search house-to-house for https://asiapost.live/taliban-search-house-to- 176 women, girls for marriage, says house-for-women-girls-for-marriage-says- escaped journalist escaped-journalist/ Taliban take over some UN premises, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/taliban- 177 curb movement: UN report take-over-some-un-premises-curb-movement- un-report-2133761 Panjshir Valley Prepares to Push https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/panjshir- 178 Back the Taliban valley-prepares-to-push-back-the-taliban/ In Afghanistan, Taliban Advance on https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/afghanista 179 Panjshir Resistance n-taliban-advance-panjshir-resistance-192365 Taliban shows off 'special forces' in https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/def 180 propaganda blitz ence/taliban-shows-off-special-forces-in- propaganda-blitz/articleshow/85623702.cms The Taliban Talks a Lot About https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-taliban- a But How Much Does That talks-about-sharia-but-what-does-it- 181 Sharī‘ — Really Tell Us About How They Will explain/13511826 Govern? As thousands flee Afghanistan, some https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/pakist 182 refugees want to go back an-afghanistan-taliban-flee-refugees-2134996 ‘Not everyone is going to get out,’ UK https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/not- 183 DefSec Wallace admits everyone-is-going-to-get-out-of-afghanistan- ben-wallace-admits-t8sqkwzg9 Evacuees must get to Kabul s airport https://the-japan- 184 ’ on their own before Japan can help news.com/news/article/0007708247 Korea airlifts 391 Afghans to Incheon https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/08/2 5/national/diplomacy/Afghan-evacuees- 185 Afghanistan-Foreign- Ministry/20210825184800483.html SK: Military plane carrying Afghan https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210826000353 186 evacuees departs for S. Korea from 325?section=news Islamabad: foreign ministry Kabul airport gauntlet: Elation, relief https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fall-of- as NZ group reach friendly forces afghanistan-group-with-new-zealand-visas- 187 safe-at-kabul- airport/SSZHHZ2N5HDOBGYI5GBCPV3X64/ Afghan interpreters resettled in NZ https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/afghanistan-falls- fear Taliban revenge on family left interpreters-resettled-in-new-zealand-fear- 188 behind taliban-revenge-on-family-left- behind/DI6JOZNNPQT22XWX37TEWAEYPM/ Poland halts Afghan airlift over safety https://apnews.com/article/europe-poland- 189 as US deadline looms d395c4ffd6cc93072bc5d5d40e59fa34 Russian planes sent to Kabul to https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ 190 evacuate 500 latest-australia-evacuating-danger-79633009 Russia Fearmongering About Afghan https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/russia- 191 Refugees fearmongering-about-afghan-refugees/ The Afghanistan Withdrawal: Military https://www.eurasiareview.com/25082021-the- 192 And Defense Implications – Analysis afghanistan-withdrawal-military-and-defense- implications-analysis/ Training Error https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/training- 193 error/ The Day Afghanistan Died https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/08/the- 194 day-afghanistan-died/ After Triumph in Afghanistan, https://www.rusi.org/explore-our- 195 Foreboding for Pakistan research/publications/commentary/after- triumph-afghanistan-foreboding-pakistan Afghanistan holds lessons for https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the- 196 American power in Asia interpreter/afghanistan-holds-lessons- american-power-asia

COVID NEWS Virus infection rate down, still critical https://manilastandard.net/news/national/36332 197 0/virus-infection-rate-down-still-critical.html Planning for booster shots should start https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/26/ 198 now 2122641/concepcion-planning-booster-shots- should-start-now 362,700 more doses of Pfizer COVID- https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/362700-doses- 199 19 jab delivered of-pfizer-covid-19-jab-delivered-anew/ WHO backs vaccination of children at https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/8/26/WH 200 high-risk but says elderly still a priority O-backs-vaccinating-children-but-elderly-still-a- priority.html WHO not yet recommending COVID- https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/who-not-yet- 201 19 vaccine booster shots recommending-covid-19-vaccine-booster-shots/ COVID-19 won’t disappear soon, says https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio 202 WHO Western Pacific director n/800740/covid-19-won-t-disappear-soon-says- who-western-pacific-director/story/ Scientists on WHO team say time is https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/artic 203 running out to trace Covid-19 origins le/3146358/coronavirus-scientists-who-mission- china-say-time-running-out Vaccine protection wanes within 6 https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/world 204 months -phone app study /800808/vaccine-protection-wanes-within-6- months-phone-app-study/story/ Sinopharm is working on an updated https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/artic 205 Covid-19 vaccine for variants le/3146361/coronavirus-sinopharms-twin- approach-variants-aims-improved J&J says second-dose study supports https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/25/john 206 use of booster shots son-johnson-booster-shots-study-506864 What you need to know about the https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare- 207 coronavirus right now pharmaceuticals/what-you-need-know-about- coronavirus-right-now-2021-03-02/ Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020- 208 Across the World coronavirus-cases-world- map/?srnd=coronavirus 209 Covid map: Where are cases the https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105 highest? 210 Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid- vaccine-tracker-global- distribution/?srnd=premium-asia

J. OPINION/EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Title Link 211 A confusing statement https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/dut y-calls-by-florencio-fianza/363311/a-confusing- statement.html 212 ‘Utang na loob’: A taboo in diplomacy https://opinion.inquirer.net/143478/utang-na- loob-a-taboo-in-diplomacy 213 A legacy of far-reaching initiatives https://adrinstitute.org/2021/08/25/a-legacy-of- far-reaching-initiatives/ 214 Still going the distance https://manilastandard.net/opinion/editorial/363 315/still-going-the-distance.html

215 Hospitals in revolt https://opinion.inquirer.net/143491/hospitals-in- revolt 216 PH should improve geothermal https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/08/26/opinio competitiveness n/editorial/ph-should-improve-geothermal- competitiveness/1812329 217 Charting our future together: Australia- https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/08/26/2 Philippine relations 122678/charting-our-future-together-australia- philippine-relations 218 Abdicated https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/08/26/2 122694/abdicated 219 US withdrawal from Afghanistan spells https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentar end of China’s free ride on international y/china-free-rider-us-security-umbrella- security afghanistan-2132556 220 A year after deadly Galwan Valley https://www.scmp.com/week- clashes, India and China are struggling asia/opinion/article/3146318/year-after-deadly- to rebuild mutual trust galwan-valley-clashes-india-and-china-are 221 North Korea is far from the hermit https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentar kingdom you think it is y/north-korea-kim-jong-un-covid-cases-food- shortage-trade-sanction-china-2132416 222 America’s China policy is based on an https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article imaginary enemy /3146043/us-legislation-targeting-china- washington-wrestling-shadow-enemy 223 Governments immobilize us now http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=202 10823001010 224 Washington gets serious about the https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Washington- Mekong gets-serious-about-the-Mekong

Two Filipinos working for Doctors Without Borders in Kabul now in Tajikistan – DFA

Published August 25, 2021, 4:58 PM by Roy Mabasa Two Filipinos who are part of the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders were evacuated out of Kabul and are now in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.

This brings down the estimated number of Filipinos remaining in Afghanistan to 24.

Also on Wednesday, the DFA confirmed the arrival of 22 Filipinos from Afghanistan via Philippine Airlines flight PR 721 from London. The repatriates are currently undergoing the mandatory quarantine for arriving passengers.

Since the Taliban took over the Afghan capital on Aug. 15, 2021, a total of 185 Filipinos have managed to leave Kabul, mostly through foreign military and company-assisted flights.

Of the 24 remaining Filipinos, 10 have expressed their intent to remain in Afghanistan while the rest are still awaiting repatriation from their employers or through the Philippine government-arranged flights.

Earlier, a spokesman for the Taliban has reiterated that it will not agree to an extension of the Aug. 31 deadline to evacuate Afghans from Kabul airport as United States-led troops ramped up its operations to airlift thousands of Afghans who wanted to leave their country.

On the part of the Philippines, the DFA said they will continue to work towards the immediate evacuation of the remaining Filipinos in Afghanistan.

“The Philippine embassies and consulates-general across the globe continue to assist and closely monitor the status of Filipinos who have been evacuated from Kabul,” the DFA said.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/two-filipinos-working-for-doctors-without-borders-in-kabul-now-in-taji kistan-dfa/

Gunshots, tear gas surround OFWs as they flee Afghanistan

Published August 25, 2021, 1:37 PM by Jaleen Ramos Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Afghanistan shared how they evaded gunshots and tear gas to get to safer grounds after the Taliban overran the country.

Rio Fabe said his team immediately rushed to the airport after they were informed that they had to leave Afghanistan.

“Nagkaron na ng shutdown ng communication. So yun, ang signal — namatay na ang internet, na-isolate na ang Afghanistan. (There has been a communication shutdown. So that’s the signal — the internet was down, Afghanistan is already isolated). The military advised us to just pack our things, flown sa vehicle. and then move,” Fabe said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Wednesday, Aug. 25.

Fabe and his other Filipino workmates were allowed to board a German military plane, the report added.

“Sa labas ng Kabul, chaotic na. Abnormal na talaga ang traffic, maraming counterflow, mga tao nagmamadali lahat (Outside Kabul, it’s chaotic. The traffic is really abnormal, there is a lot of counterflow, people were all in a hurry),” he recalled.

Fabe, meanwhile, said he still has no plans of returning to the Philippines.

“We might as well stay na lang dito outside the Philippines para madali rin kaming maka-move in case (We might as well just stay here outside the Philippines so we can easily move in case),” he said.

Another OFW shared his and other 30 Filipinos’ story after walking seven kilometers to Kabul airport along with thousands of locals.

“Hindi maganda yung nangyari sa amin eh. Ang daming mga putukan at mga tear gas na nangyari (What happened to us was not good, there were many gunshots and tear gas),” he said.

He said they were told that they had to leave Afghanistan in the next 45 minutes so they scrambled to go to Kabul airport but no flight was available to them.

He said their flight was finally arranged with the help of the Philippine Embassy in Pakistan.

The Philippine government started the mandatory evacuation of Filipinos in Afghanistan last Aug. 15.

As of Aug. 24, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said there are now 26 Filipinos remaining in Afghanistan, with 16 of them seeking help to leave the country.

The rest of the OFWs decided not to leave the country due to work-related reasons.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/gunshots-tear-gas-surround-ofws-as-they-flee-afghanistan/

Some OFWs remain in Afghanistan despite Taliban takeover

Mayen Jaymalin - The Philippine Star August 26, 2021 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, some overseas

Filipino workers (OFWs) in the tension-filled Islamic country are opting to stay in the hope of security and working conditions returning to normal. Filipino repatriate Elmer Presa told “The Chiefs” aired on Cignal TV’s One News Tuesday night that fellow OFWs in the private security firm he worked in are still in Afghanistan and encouraging him to come back.

“There are those who decided (to stay). From what we heard, there’s a transition government and (it is) allowing expatriates to work hand-in-hand with them (Taliban),” Presa said in English and Filipino.

Presa, a K9 deputy project manager in the private security company that is now working on the transition at the Taliban Aviation Center, escaped Afghanistan together with his American counterparts.

He said an Afghan friend in the company who worked well with Filipinos is now assigned at the airport and settling them into their old department. They are the ones encouraging him to return to get his old job back.

Working in Afghanistan for a decade, Presa noted how well Filipinos are treated by locals – even the Taliban – as he described Afghan culture as being quite similar to that of the Philippines.

However, Presa said that if he decides to return to Afghanistan, his only desire is to help in the rescue operations of other Filipinos.

He told The Chiefs how difficult it was to escape Afghanistan, enduring fear and hunger as he joined the group of Americans in walking for hours just to reach the international airport.

“Along the way, they (Taliban) are watching you while walking. So there was fear about what they planned to do,” he said.

At the airport, military planes were waiting to fly them out, with Presa’s group first landing in Qatar before flying to America. Aside from Qatar, other OFWs were flown to Germany and the United Kingdom from Afghanistan, he said. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/26/2122650/some-ofws-remain-afghanistan-despite-talib an-takeover

Climate change toll seen to hit $20 million a year BYCAI ORDINARIO AUGUST 25, 2021 3 MINUTE READ In Photo: In this video grab taken on Christmas eve, people stand in an area damaged by Tropical Storm Vinta (international code name Temblin) in Lanao del Norte. Thousands of villagers in the southern Philippines spent their Christmas morning in emergency shelters as the region dealt with the aftermath of one of the deadliest storms to hit the country in 2017.

THE Philippines may incur losses of over 5 percent of GDP annually, or the country’s annual infrastructure budget, due to climate change, according to the latest Asia Pacific Disaster Report 2021 released by the United Nations (UN).

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) report, launched on Wednesday, also noted that the Philippines’s annual average losses from rising temperatures and emissions could cost the country over $20 million a year.

“The string of record-breaking weather events show that we do not have the luxury of ‘waiting this out’: action must be taken now to address these risks,” Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mami Mizutori said.

“This includes increasing international funding for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, especially for countries graduating from the least-developed category,” she added.

The report said the poor in the Philippines are among the most vulnerable in Southeast Asia based on estimates using representative concentration pathways (RCPs).

The data showed that RCP 4.5 stands for moderate climate change scenarios while RCP 8.5 are severe climate change scenarios.

Under RCP 4.5, 15 percent of the country’s poorest could experience multihazard cascading risks due to climate change between 2020 and 2039.

The moderate climate change estimates also showed that the affected population is bound to increase to as much as 24 percent of the poorest Filipinos between 2040 and 2059.

In terms of RCP 8.5 or the severe climate change scenarios, 26 percent of the country’s poorest will be affected by multihazard cascading risks between 2020 and 2039. The number is seen to increase to 30 percent between 2040 and 2059.

“The poor populations at the greatest risk under RCP 8.5 live in: Bangladesh, India and Nepal in South and South-West Asia; Myanmar, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Philippines in Southeast Asia,” the report stated.

“The top 5 countries which are at the greatest increase in risk, between 2020 and 2040, are Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar and Cambodia,” it added.

The impact of climate change on natural and other biological hazards in the Philippines include more heatwaves which could increase death due to heatwaves by 1 percent.

The rising sea levels and excessive flooding in the country could increase by more than 50 million the number of Filipinos exposed to these risks.

The Unescap noted that in 2019 alone, over 19 million people were displaced by natural hazards in Asia and the Pacific, which accounted for around three-quarters of the global total.

The Asia-Pacific region had the four largest numbers of people displaced that year: India, 5.1 million people; Philippines, 4.1 million people; Bangladesh, 4.1 million people; and China, 4 million people.

“Notwithstanding the progress made by many countries in devising more robust systems of early warning and responsive protection—with far fewer people dying as a result of natural disasters—the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated that almost without exception, countries around the world are still ill-prepared to deal with multiple overlapping crises, which often cascade, with one triggering another,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations undersecretary-general and executive secretary of ESCAP. “Tropical cyclones, for example, can lead to floods, which lead to disease, which exacerbates poverty.”

The triple threat of disease, disaster and climate change is causing not only considerable human hardship but also significant economic losses. Currently, the annual average disaster-related losses are $780 billion.

This could nearly double, to around $1.4 trillion, in a worst-case climate scenario. Choosing a proactive strategy of adapting to natural and other biological hazards would be far more cost-effective at an annual cost of $270 billion.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/25/climate-change-toll-seen-to-hit-20-million-a-year/

Philippines, First Country to Approve Commercialization of Golden Rice

ByAquilino Managbanag AUG 25, 2021 After getting regulatory approval, Filipino farmers will be the first in the world to produce a type of rice fortified with nutrients to aid in the reduction of childhood malnutrition.

Golden Rice was developed by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to contain added levels of beta-carotene that the body converts into vitamin A. FREE EBOOKS - Filipino Writers - BEST FREE DOWNLOADS

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which impacts an estimated 190 million children globally, affects one out of every five children in the Philippines’ poorest neighborhoods. The disease is the leading cause of childhood blindness and a contributing factor in a compromised immune system. Dr. Jean Balié, Director General of IRRI, a CGIAR research institute, remarked, “This milestone places the Philippines at the worldwide vanguard in utilizing agriculture research to address challenges of malnutrition and related health consequences in a safe and sustainable way.” He said “The regulatory success of Golden Rice reflects DA-scientific PhilRice’s leadership and the Philippine biosafety regulatory system’s robustness.” Golden rice has been genetically modified to give up to 50% of a young child’s estimated average need (EAR) for vitamin A, the age group most vulnerable to VAD in the Philippines. http://manilanews.ph/philippines-first-country-to-approve-commercialization-of-golden-rice/

PHL July BOP surplus up to $642M from $8M BYBIANCA CUARESMA AUGUST 25, 2021 2 MINUTE READ A shopkeeper carries a sack of rice at a retail store in Las Piñas City. Despite a reduction in rice imports, the country is enjoying a stable supply of the staple, thanks to record-high palay harvest in the first half of the year.

THE country’s transactions with the rest of the world yielded dollar earnings for the country in July this year, contrasting the two-month dollar deficit in May and June, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Wednesday showed.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno told reporters that the country’s Balance of Payments (BOP) posted a surplus of $642 million in July this year, significantly higher than the $8-million surplus in the same month last year.

It is also a reversal of the BOP deficit of the country in the previous months. For the entire first seven months of 2021, the country’s BOP only hit a surplus in April and this July. All other months yielded dollar deficits for the country. The BOP is usually considered as an important economic indicator in an economy as it shows the level of earnings or expenses of the Philippines with its transactions with the world.

A surplus means that the country had more dollar earnings than its dollar expenditures during the period.

The BSP said the BOP surplus in July 2021 reflected mainly the national government’s (NG) net foreign currency deposits with the BSP and the BSP’s income from its investments abroad.

The surplus could have been larger, if not partly offset by the NG’s payments of its foreign currency debt obligations and the BSP’s net foreign exchange operations.

The BOP surplus in July reduced the cumulative BOP deficit in the first seven months of the year to $1.3 billion from a deficit of $1.94 billion in the first semester. The current year-to-date BOP level is a reversal from the $4.12-billion surplus recorded in the same period a year ago.

Earlier this year, the BSP said they expect the country’s BOP to hit a surplus of $7.1 billion by the end of 2021.

Despite optimism on the recovery of the country’s BOP, the BSP also earlier said the threat of resurgence of Covid-19 cases, the emergence of new projects overall BOP surplus to settle lower at $2.7 billion, driven mainly by the anticipated narrower current account surplus for the year.variants of the virus and the risk of slower-than-expected vaccine deployment amid supply issues could “cast a shadow” on the projected BOP recovery path.

For 2022, the BSP https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/25/phl-july-bop-surplus-up-to-642m-from-8m/

PHL seeks $1.9-B China loans, 4 infra projects under review BYBERNADETTE D. NICOLAS AUGUST 25, 2021 3 MINUTE READ 189 THE Philippines is seeking $1.9 billion in loans from China to fund its infrastructure projects.

Finance Undersecretary Mark Dennis Joven told reporters the Export-Import Bank of China is currently reviewing four infrastructure projects: three bridges in Metro Manila project; Davao-Samal bridge project; Mindanao flood control project, and the Subic-Clark Railway project.

“Moving forward, we have four projects under review by the China Exim [Export-Import Bank of China] with the amount of $1.9 billion, and we have around $4.6 billion worth of other projects, which are undergoing initial procurement,” said Joven, who heads the DOF’s International Finance Group.

Joven separately told the BusinessMirror that other projects under the initial procurement stage are financed by either the Export-Import Bank of China or the China International Development Cooperation Agency.

Last year, the government received a total of $620 million in Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans and grants from China.

However, China is only the country’s top sixth ODA partner in 2020 while Japan topped the list, according to Joven.

Despite admitting that they encountered difficulty getting approvals for the financial assistance from China, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III expressed satisfaction with what the country has so far received from them.

Given that the country has really just started dealing with China, the finance chief said they had anticipated there will be difficulties.

“First of all, the Chinese projects, once they get approved, they get implemented rather quickly. Okay. And you can see it in the bridge, bridges, etc. So are we happy with them? Yes we are happy because they are according to terms that are beneficial to us. We pay a very good interest rate. The terms are good, and the projects are okay,” Dominguez said.

“Since we were just really starting to deal with China, in a very massive way that our bureaucracies and procedures do not exactly match. So we did encounter some difficulties in getting approvals, and basically understanding each other,” he added.

While the country’s system is already “quite in tune” with the Japanese and to some extent with the American system and the European system, Dominguez pointed out the country’s system with China is “not exactly meshed yet.”

Nonetheless, Dominguez said the country’s loan agreements with China offer protection for “both sides.”

Joven agreed with Dominguez, saying the Export-Import Bank of China does not own the contractor and it will not finance a project that is not bankable.

“In the end, for our protection and for the protection of Chinese government, all the projects which are implemented should be bankable projects. Otherwise, [what will happen is], we will be paying for loans which you know for white elephant projects, which we don’t want and they don’t want too,” he said.

Unlike loans from Japan, Joven explained that procurement stage comes first before China disburses the loan.

Because of this, Joven said the Philippine government has “better control on the procurement process” when it secures loans from China.

“We don’t want to cut corners in the procurement of Chinese-funded projects, Hence, we must attend to them right away and if procurement is smoothed out, then we go to financing, so it gives us two levels of protection,” he said.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/25/phl-seeks-1-9-b-china-loans-4-infra-projects-under-review/

Unicef points out effects of missing in-person classes on Filipino kids

By: Ben O. de Vera, Meg Adonis - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:30 AM August 26, 2021

DROP BOX NOT FOR DROPOUTS A mother submits an enrollment form for her child at Juan Sumulong Elementary School in Antipolo City on Wednesday. A newschool year starts in the public education system on Sept. 13 but distance learning will likely remain the norm as the pandemic rages on and with vaccination numbers in the country still way below target. —GRIG C.MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is among only five countries in the world that have not resumed in-person classes since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared last year, and the prolonged closure has infringed on the right to learn of more than 27 million Filipino students, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said on Wednesday.

According to Unicef Philippines representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov, on average, schools globally were fully closed for 79 teaching days but schools in the Philippines have been closed for more than a year already.

“The associated consequences of school closures — learning loss, mental distress, missed vaccinations, and heightened risk of dropout, child labor, and child marriage — will be felt by many children, especially the youngest learners in critical development stages,” Dendevnorov said in a statement.

The four other countries yet to reopen schools are Bangladesh, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.

The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said a wider learning gap between rich and poor students as a result of the conduct of virtual classes was more worrisome than the trillion-peso losses from school closures.

Citing the Unicef report and that of the United Nations Development Program, Neda said “remote education may worsen inequality as some households have limited access to reliable internet and necessary devices.”

Remote learning Philippine schools stopped in-person classes shortly after the pandemic was declared in April 2020, and have been closed since.

On Wednesday at the hearing of the Senate committee on basic education, culture, and the arts, the Department of Education (DepEd) admitted that it had yet to present to President Rodrigo Duterte a proposal for limited in-person classes in 100 public schools.

The DepEd implemented remote learning in the school year 2020-2021 — and will continue to do so in the next school year that opens on Sept. 13 — but at least 1.1 million Filipino students remained out of school due to the demands of the new setup.

Recognizing that in-person classes ensured a higher quality of education than remote learning, the DepEd proposed the pilot implementation of classes in December 2020.

Duterte approved the proposal but changed his mind following the emergence of the UK COVID-19 variant. With the highly transmissible Delta variant, he reiterated that in-person classes would not resume.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478895/unicef-worries-for-ph-kids-missing-in-person -classes#ixzz74buTK6wn

Virtual simultaneous quake drill for Q3 set Sept. 9

By Priam Nepomuceno August 25, 2021, 9:48 am

MANILA – The third-quarter online national s.imultaneous earthquake drill has been set on September 9, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) announced Wednesday.

The ceremonial pressing of the button for the drill starts at 9 a.m., NDRRMC deputy spokesperson Mark Cashean Timbal said.

"We continue to hold (our) NSED online, complemented by webinars on disaster preparedness so that our people can continue getting prepared and stay safe despite this (coronavirus disease 2019 - Covid-19) pandemic," Timbal said.

The September drill will be the fifth virtual holding of the earthquake drill since it began in the third quarter last year.

"We are (also) holding three webinars that target various sectors, including the youth, urban poor, workers, MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises), etc. so that the discussion is custom-made to their needs and the circumstances," he added.

The event can be watched via livestream on the Civil Defense PH and NDRRMC Facebook pages where viewers can do the "duck, cover, and hold" gesture in their houses and offices once the ceremonial alarm sounds.

Evacuation drills and simulation scenarios are still suspended due to the pandemic.

The first-quarter quake drill was held on March 11 and the second-quarter drill, on June 10. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151532

PAGASA sees increasing likelihood that La Niña will reemerge by 4Q 2021

Published August 25, 2021, 6:15 PM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

There is now around 65 percent chance that the La Niña weather phenomenon will reemerge during the October-December 2021 period, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said during its climate outlook forum on Wednesday, Aug. 25.

A La Niña Watch is currently in effect as conditions are favorable for the development of La Niña conditions within the next six months.

PAGASA’s Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Ana Liza Solis said “La Niña is more likely to start in October-November-December season” with around 65 percent probability.

However, based on recent monitoring, Solis said that the cooling of the sea surface temperature may not persist long enough to constitute a full-blown La Niña event.

It can only be considered a full-blown La Niña event if it has satisfied a minimum of five consecutive three overlapping months with Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) values of -0.5°C or lower, she explained.

“‘Yung nakikita natin dalawang ONI season lang (We only see two ONI seasons), October-November-December and November-December-January, kaya sinasabi natin na (that’s why we are saying that) it is not [going] to persist long enough to constitute a La Niña event,” Solis said.

“Based on the definition of Climate Prediction Center and NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration], kapag nagkaroon ng at least dalawang consecutive ONI na merong cooling at nasa La Niña threshold tinatawag na nila itong (if there have been and at least two consecutive ONIs that have sustained cooling and are within the La Niña thresholds they consider it) La Niña conditions but not necessarily a full-blown La Niña,” she added.

Solis still advised the public to continue to monitor the possible development of La Niña.

“If there is a La Niña, it increases the likelihood of above-normal rainfall conditions na posible mag-cause ng flooding and heavy rainfall events, landslides sa highly vulnerable areas kaya (that could cause flooding and heavy rainfall events and landslides in highly vulnerable areas so) we need to monitor and watch out for further development,” she said.

“Kasi itong nakikita natin ay based on recent condition of what is happening in the tropical Pacific. So napaka-dynamic ng ating ocean-atmosphere interaction so we need to keep on monitoring (Because what we see is based on recent conditions of what is happening in the tropical Pacific. Our ocean-atmosphere interaction is very dynamic so we need to keep on monitoring),” she added.

If La Niña develops later this year, it will be a back-to-back event as the 2020-2021 La Niña only ended in June 2021.

Solis said a back-to-back La Niña episode is not unusual, noting that the last six episodes occurred back-to-back.

These were in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009; 2010-2011 and 2011-2012; and 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/pagasa-sees-increasing-likelihood-that-la-nina-will-r eemerge-by-4q-2021/

2 or 3 cyclones likely in September — PAGASA

Published August 25, 2021, 3:50 PM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

(PAGASA) The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) estimated that two or three tropical cyclones may enter or affect the country in September.

Based on the average cyclone frequency inside the country’s area of responsibility during the period 1948-2015, PAGASA Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Ana Liza Solis also estimates the following number of tropical cyclones that may enter or affect PAR–

October, 2 or 3; and November, 2 or 3.

Solis noted that most landfalling and disastrous tropical cyclones usually occur in September- November, based on climatological records.

“During the months of July, August, September, ‘yan ‘yung months na may maraming bagyo na nakaapekto sa bansa (these are the months where more tropical cyclones usually affect the country),” Solis said during PAGASA’s Climate Outlook Forum on Wednesday, Aug. 25.

“Mostly ‘yung crossing o disastrous tropical cyclones [naman] ay ‘yung pagdating ng September, October, November (On the other hand, the crossing or disastrous tropical cyclones mostly occur in September, October, and November),” she added.

Some of the most disastrous tropical cyclones that occurred between September and November in recent years were Ulysses (Vamco) in November 2020, Rolly (Goni) in October 2020, Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013, and Ondoy (Ketsana) in September 2009.

Based on PAGASA’s rainfall forecast, Solis said that most of the country will have generally near-normal rains except for above-normal rains over Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, by September.

By October, generally near-normal to above-normal rainfall conditions may prevail across the country.

By November, most parts of Luzon may have generally above-normal rainfall conditions, while mostly near normal rainfall is expected in Visayas and Mindanao.

Solis said that by December, rains will be generally near-normal over most parts of the country with patches of above-normal rainfall in the eastern section of Luzon, Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, and portions of Western Visayas.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/2-or-3-cyclones-likely-in-september-pagasa/

Philippines hits coercive use of militias, coast guard in South China Sea

Pia Lee-Brago - The Philippine Star August 26, 2021 | 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Australia have expressed serious concern over the “dangerous and coercive” use of coast guard vessels and maritime militias in the South China Sea and the continuing militarization of disputed features.

In a joint statement at the end of the 5th Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting on Monday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez and his counterpart Trade Minister Dan Tehan cited the significance of the ministerial meeting as a strategic dialogue to chart the direction and vision of bilateral relations under the framework of the 2015 Joint Declaration on the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries.

“The ministers and secretaries expressed serious concern about the continuing militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea, the dangerous and coercive use of coast guard vessels and maritime militias and efforts to disrupt other countries’ resource exploitation activities,” the statement read.

“They emphasized that the actions of a state’s coast guard, and its associated legal frameworks, must be consistent with international law,” it read.

The ministers and secretaries reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight and that all disputes should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United National Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They noted the fifth anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award and reaffirmed that it is final and legally binding on the parties to the dispute.

The ministers and secretaries also called for any Code of Conduct in the South China Sea “to be fully consistent with international law, in particular UNCLOS, not prejudice the interests of third parties or the rights of states under international law and support existing inclusive regional architecture.”

On July 23, 2020, Australia sent a note verbale to the United Nations rejecting China’s claims in the South China Sea. It stated, among others, that the “Australian Government… disputes China’s claim that it is not bound by the arbitral award… The Tribunal’s decision is final and binding on both parties to the dispute.”

The ministers and secretaries engaged in an exchange of views on a range of regional strategic issues, including maritime security, as they reaffirmed their shared aspiration for a maritime domain that is peaceful, stable and secure.

They noted the importance of ongoing cooperation on maritime security and welcomed new initiatives to expand cooperation on maritime issues, including the establishment of a Philippines-Australia Maritime Dialogue mechanism this year.

The ministers and secretaries agreed that the two nations would continue to work closely to implement their commitments to uphold human rights through dialogue and constructive engagement.

Particular reference was made to the 45th session of the Human Rights Council in October 2020 where Australia co-sponsored an Icelandic and Philippine joint resolution seeking technical assistance and capacity building for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines.

The Philippines also conveyed that the UN Joint Program on Human Rights had been finalized and launched in July 2021. The program aims to enhance the capacity of national institutions and strengthen the Philippines’ compliance with its international human rights obligations. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/26/2122664/philippines-hits-coercive- use-militias-coast-guard-south-china-sea

After reports of sewage dumping, 88 foreign ships move out of Philippine EEZ — report

ByAquilino Managbanag AUG 25, 2021 China, South China Sea, West Philippine Sea MANILA, Philippines — A total of 88 foreign ships, suspected to belong to Chinese maritime militia, have moved out of the Philippine exclusive economic zone, according to a report by a US-based geospatial and data analysis company. FREE READ - President Duterte's Action Thriller - Streets of Manila In its August 23 report, Simularity noted that there are 71 fewer ships in the Union Banks, 35 fewer ships near Pag-asa (Thitu) Island and 88 fewer ships in the Philippine EEZ overall since its July 12 report on raw sewage from anchored ships in the Spratly Islands. “Ships are no longer anchored together in large numbers. Reducing the amount of waste being dumped in any one place,” Simularity reported.

FREE EBOOKS - Filipino Writers - BEST FREE DOWNLOADS Between June 20 to July 12, the number of ships in the Philippine EEZ in the West Philippine Sea was at 234. This was before the raw sewage report was released. After the report, between August 1 to 18, the number of ships in the Philippine EEZ was at 146, Simularity said. The think tank noted that multiple ships have been anchored together in the Spratly Islands since 2019. “When ships that are anchored together dump waste, it is more concentrated in one place. Spreading out the ships helps dilute the ‘excess nutrients’, which helps the coral,” the report read.

Simularity added that it was not unusual to see more than 20 ships anchored together in the Union Banks, where Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef is located. https://manilanews.ph/after-reports-of-sewage-dumping-88-foreign-ships-move-out -of-philippine-eez-report/

‘Duterte leaves shameful legacy of squandering arbitral award’

Pia Lee-Brago - The Philippine Star August 25, 2021 | 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte will leave a “shameful legacy” of squandering the 2016 Arbitral Award in exchange for Chinese loans and investments which have barely materialized to this day, former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario said.

“If securing the Award became the centerpiece of foreign policy of the Aquino administration, the Award is the hallmark of shame for the Duterte administration, given President Duterte’s efforts to undermine it since the start of his term, to the prejudice of his countrymen,” Del Rosario said.

The country’s former top diplomat recalled that when the Award was rendered in 2016 at the start of Duterte’s term, there was already an order from Malacañang to “downplay” the Award for fear of displeasing China.

He described the “setting aside” of the Award as a “treasonous” policy of the Duterte administration.

“President Duterte has chosen China over Filipinos because he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping is protecting his presidency in the Philippines,” he stressed.

The Arbitral Award on the South China Sea rendered on July 12, 2016 by the Tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he said, is one of former president Benigno Aquino III’s greatest legacies to the nation.

Del Rosario noted that securing the Award had been the centerpiece of foreign policy during the Aquino administration, and the Award will continue to be a centerpiece of Philippine foreign and security policy for the next administrations.

“The South China Sea dispute is an intergenerational challenge that will affect the lives of Filipinos and our Southeast Asian neighbors for decades to come,” he said.

He urged Filipinos to be discerning in the 2022 elections in the choice of leaders, saying the leaders should have genuine love for the Philippines as the country needs to regain its ground in protecting the West Philippine Sea.

“In the coming 2022 elections, we must vote for leaders who will put Filipinos first before China, money and power,” Del Rosario said. “The Filipino people should reject candidates whose motives are corrupt and are running for purposes of self-aggrandizement.”

“Let us be vigilant against traitors in our midst. We know who you are and whom you have embraced with your undying love to the detriment of our country’s patrimony,” he added.

In his late-night address on May 5, Duterte said the arbitral decision on the South China Sea row that favored the Philippines is just a piece of paper that can be thrown in the wastebasket.

In July, China dismissed the landmark arbitral ruling that went against its expansive South China Sea claims as “nothing more than a piece of waste paper.”

Meanwhile, Vice President Leni Robredo has expressed disappointment over the government’s failure to capitalize on the arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.

In a virtual forum yesterday, Robredo said honoring the decision should go beyond lip service, stressing that invoking it would not mean that the country will go to war.

“For me that is a false binary,” she said, citing the case of Vietnam that continues to have good economic ties with China despite its strong stance against Chinese incursions.

The Vice President described the arbitration ruling as a weapon that the country could have used to engage with other countries in the region.

“That should have encouraged us to enter into multilateral agreements with our neighbors to strengthen our position against incursions… It was a missed opportunity,” she added in Filipino. – Janvic Mateo https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/25/2122452/duterte-leaves-shameful -legacy-squandering-arbitral-award

PPA sets up anti-terror unit in Zamboanga Read Next By Genivi Verdejo August 25, 2021

THE Philippine Ports Authority's Port Management Office in Zamboanga (PMO Zamboanga) has put in place a counter-terrorism unit to safeguard the people and the port facilities. PPA said an elite counter-terrorism unit is now part of PMO Zamboanga in its bid to guarantee safety and security in all its facilities, and most especially the sea-traveling public.

Several port police officers and coastguard personnel recently graduated from the 45-day Counter-Terrorism course which started last July 5. It aimed at strengthening the capabilities on counterterrorism, giving focus on port facilities.

The Counterterrorism Course consists of two phases, Basic and Advance, with 12 modules covering human rights and rules of engagement, basic life support, and tactical medicine, map and chart reading, weaponry, tactical communication, small unit tactics, close-quarter combat, visit board and seizure, VIP protection, bus assault, mission planning, and crisis management. The resource persons came from the Coast Guard Special Operations Group Southwestern Mindanao, Coast Guard Medical - South Western Mindanao, Coast Guard Regional Training Center Zamboanga, Bureau of Fire Protection - Special Rescue Force Region IX, and other training instructors from the Coast Guard and Course Director Port Police Station Commander– Jezrel Gesulgon. They shared their experiences and knowledge on the training.

In July, the PMO Zamboanga has augmented its firefighting capacities. The new firefighting asset has significantly improved the fire emergency response capability of the emergency team during land and sea fire emergencies.

PPA Head Office has given brand new specific purpose motor vehicles worth P9.9 million consists of one unit rescue boat with firefighting system and one unit fire rescue vehicle with firefighting system.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/08/25/business/maritime/ppa-sets-up-anti-terr or-unit-in-zamboanga/1812204

DND monitoring events in Afghanistan

By Priam Nepomuceno August 25, 2021, 2:41 pm

MANILA – Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said they are constantly monitoring events happening in Afghanistan which was earlier overrun and captured by the Taliban early this month.

"Ang mga nangyayari sa Afghanistan ay tinututukan natin, concerned tayo diyan dahil yun dalawang taong nagtatag ng Abu Sayyaf (in 1991) ay galing [at] nagtrain sa Afghanistan nung mga 1980s. Si Janjalani (Abdujarak Abukakar) at iyong kanyang kapatid [Khadaffy], nag-umpisa ng Abu Sayyaf. The threat ay nandiyan (We are monitoring the events happening in Afghanistan, we are concerned because the two people who established the Abu Sayyaf, both came and trained in Afghanistan in the 1980s. [Abdujarak Abukakar] Janjalani and his brother, started the Abu Sayyaf. The threat is there)," he said during an interview with SMNI News Channel Wednesday.

Lorenzana said he also asked US Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral John Aquilino during his meeting with the American military official on Monday whether there are substantial numbers of Southeast Asian fighters within the Taliban ranks in Afghanistan who can sneak in and return to Malaysia, Indonesia, and even the Philippines.

"Ang tingin namin ay walang Filipino nandun nagte- training sa Taliban, pero ang nakikita ko diyan baka meron Malaysians at Indonesians. Concerned tayo diyan, minamanmanan natin yun nangyayari. Eto namang ginagawa natin rito, nakikipagtulungan tayo sa Malaysia at Indonesia upang mapigilan ang pag-uwi ng probable terrorists at mapigilan sila sa kanilang lugar at hindi maglipat-lipat sa ibang bansa (We think that there are no Filipinos training with the Taliban, but there could be Malaysians and Indonesians. We are concerned about that and we are constantly monitoring the events. We are coordinating with Malaysia and Indonesia to stop the return of these probable terrorists so that they no longer go from country to country [and conduct attacks]," he added.

Asked if he is in favor of accepting Afghan refugees, the Defense chief said President Rodrigo R. Duterte is willing to accept "limited" number of refugees in the country.

"Sabi niya [Duterte], he is willing to accept limited [number], hindi naman lahat siguro ng Afghan na gustong tumakas ay tatangapin, pero nag-offer siya as President of the Republic that we are open to accept limited refugees from Afghanistan (The President said he is willing to accept limited Afghan refugees, but not all those fleeing Afghans will be accepted, but as President of the Republic we are open to accept limited [number of] refugees from Afghanistan)," he said. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151551

CA approves nominations of 3 senior AFP officers By HANA BORDEY, GMA News Published August 26, 2021 12:48am Updated August 26, 2021 9:26am

The bicameral commission confirmed the nominations of (from left, after Senate President Vicente Sotto III) Philippine Army Colonel Raul Villanueva to the rank of brigadier general, new Philippine Army chief Major General Andres Centino to the rank of lieutenant general, and Philippine Navy Captain Ruben Fajardo Jr. to the rank of commodore. Photo: Senate PRIB The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday approved the nominations of three senior officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The bicameral commission confirmed the nominations of new Philippine Army chief Major General Andres Centino to the rank of lieutenant general, Philippine Army Colonel Raul Villanueva to the rank of brigadier general, and Philippine Navy Captain Ruben Fajardo Jr. to the rank of commodore.

During the CA s Committee on National Defense s deliberation on Centino s appointment, former Philippine National Police chief and now Senator Ronald Dela Rosa asked’ the new Army chief to quantify’ and qualify the impact of’ the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to the government s anti-insurgency efforts. “ ”

Centino said’ the creation of the task force has hastened the government efforts to address insurgency. “ ” With the whole-of-government approach adopted by the NTF-ELCAC, he said, the AFP is now able to focus on their mandate to go after the communist rebels while other departments and agencies are in charge of helping the barangays in developing their respective areas.

Our soldiers acted as teachers in the far-flung areas, they acted as engineers, as doctors, as dentists, to provide the services that were very much wanting in the far-flung“ areas, which the other agencies could not provide at that time, he said.

”

But with the NTF- ll the other agents are actively participating and they were with the AFP personnel and the PNP, going to the most remote areas providing“ the neededELCAC… services. a The AFP, the Philippine Army, particularly, their valuable time and focus to perform their core mandate, doon na kami nakatutok sa trabaho naming habulin talaga ang armado [all of our time and attention are focused on going after the armed rebels], he said.

Dela Rosa further asked the new Army chief” of the possible repercussions should lawmakers defund the task force in 2022.

In my belief, the security situation in these areas is hinged on the absence of government services. So itong pondo na gagamitin [The funds that will be used] is“ [meant] to address the root causes of insurgency at kung hindi ito ma-address [and if these are not addressed], in the event that the projects will not be implemented, the root causes will remain, thereby, perhaps the problem will continue to exist, Centino said.

As the budget deliberations” are set to begin in Congress, senators as early as now have hinted at the possibility of cutting the task force s budget to fund other government programs that are needed amid the pandemic. ’ Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon had warned that the NTF-ELCAC s budget next year might be used in aid of election. ’ Malacañang earlier defended the task“ force s budget,” arguing that communist insurgency is needed to be addressed even during the current health crisis. — BM/RSJ, GMA News ’

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/800846/ca-approves-nominations-of-3-senior-afp-officers/sto ry/

DOJ to conduct preliminary investigation on criminal raps vs CPP’s Joma Sison, 3 ‘NPA members’

Published August 25, 2021, 2:36 PM by Jeffrey Damicog

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to conduct a preliminary investigation on the criminal complaint filed against Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison and three suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) for allegedly recruiting a teen-aged girl as a rebel fighter.

Two of the three suspected NPA members charged with Sison were also accused of sexually abusing the teen-aged girl.

The DOJ’s Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) confirmed on Wednesday, Aug. 25, that it received the complaint that was filed last Monday, Aug. 23, by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detention Group (PNP-CIDG).

The OPG said that case has “already been forwarded to SASP (Senior Assistant State Prosecutor) Lilian Doris Alejo, chairperson of the Anti-Trafficking Persons Task Force, for perusal and eventual assignment to a prosecutor or a panel of prosecutors for the conduct of preliminary investigation.”

It said that the complaint was filed before the PNP-CIDG by “a rebel returnee and former cadre of the CPP-NPA-NDF (CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front) who went by the aliases ‘Lady Miranda,’ ‘Ka Gab,’ ‘Ka Sheena,’ among others….”

Aside from Sison, named in the complaint were suspected NPA members Redsa Balatan, Rey Dela Pena and Joel Caliwliw.

“Lady Miranda” accused Sison and Balatan of having violated Section 4(i) of Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 “for recruiting a child to engage in armed activities.”

Sison and Balatan were also charged with violation of Section 10(a) of Republic Act No. 7610, the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, “for other acts of child abuse, cruelty or exploitation.”

Dela Pena and Caliwliw, on the other hand, were also charged with two counts and four counts, respectively, of rape in violation of Article 266-A of the Revised Penal Code (RPC).

The reported rape incidents “allegedly happened in March 2011 (Angeles, Pampanga), April 2016 (Nueva Vizcaya), June 2016 (Nueva Ecija), March 2018 (Nueva Ecija), and April 2018 (Pangasinan).”

PNP-CIDG director Maj. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro earlier revealed that “Lady Miranda” got “recruited at the age of 14 as a member of Anakbayan, a CTG (Communist Terrorist Group) front organization ….”

“She had received Radicalization Courses from Radicalization Centers,” said Ferro, quoting from the affidavit of the alleged victim.

“She then became a CTG Urban Operator, then eventually joined the Communist Terrorism (Red Area Operation) at the CARABALLO Guerrilla Front covering the areas of Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya and Pangasinan,” he said.

Sison is at The Netherlands, while Balatan, Dela Pena, and Caliwliw are detained, respectively, at the Nueva Ecija Provincial Jail, Caalibangbangan, Cabanatuan City; Bambang Police Station, Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya; and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Provincial Jail, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/doj-to-conduct-preliminary-investigation-on-criminal-raps-vs-cpps-sison-3-npa- members/

CHR reiterates plea to SC: ‘Nullify Anti-Terrorism Act’

Published August 25, 2021, 1:12 PM by Czarina Nicole Ong Ki

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has reiterated its plea to the Supreme Court (SC) for the nullification of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 that “violate international human rights principles.”

ATA, under Republic Act No. 11479, has been challenged in 37 petitions filed with the SC which conducted oral arguments.

Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo had said that the SC is expected to resolve the petitions before Dec. 31, 2021.

In pleading for the nullification of ATA, the CHR voiced its concern that the law may be misused to target dissenters, critics of the government, civil society organizations, human rights defenders, journalists, minority groups, labor activists, indigenous peoples, and members of the political opposition.

It pointed out several provisions in the law that violate human rights and freedoms of assembly and expression, and right to privacy, among other constitutionally-enshrined rights.

It its pleading filed with the SC, the CHR said it “expressed its views as to the unconstitutionality of the law and its non-conformity with international human rights principles.”

It said it stressed in its brief that the law violates the right to freedom of expression and opinion, the right to due process, and the right to presumption of innocence.

“For instance, by having a vague and unclear definition of terrorism, the law adversely affects the right to due process in that the people are not duly and precisely informed of the conduct to be avoided and the vague definition could encompass and implicate other protected human rights and fundamental freedoms,” it explained.

The CHR’s views on ATA were contained in its 123-page report entitled “Rights during a Pandemic: The 2020 Annual Report on the Human Rights Situation in the Philippines.”

The report was signed by CHR Chairperson Jose Luis Martin Gascon and Commissioners Karen Gomez-Dumpit, Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana, Leah Tanodra-Armamento, and Roberto Eugenio T. Cadiz.

In its report, the CHR recommended that the judiciary should “develop jurisprudence that is in accord with international human rights obligations and adopt the principles espoused in the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders” by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/chr-reiterates-plea-to-sc-nullify-anti-terrorism-act/

Senators decry proposed budget increase for NTF-ELCAC in 2022 Philstar.com August 25, 2021 | 5:21pm MANILA, Philippines — Three senators this week said they will oppose the Duterte administration's proposal to increase the budget of its controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict by P9 billion next year amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Sen. Nancy Binay on Wednesday questioned Malacañang's plan to allocate P28 billion to the NTF-ELCAC in 2022 even as it slashed the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine's proposed laboratory services budget by P170 million.

"At a time when we need a reliable and stable lead center in our fight against the pandemic, the [budget department] chooses to cut back RITM's budget. Year-in year-out, it always gets cut," she said in a statement written partially in Filipino. "Is it not the right thing to do to strengthen our public health institutions rather than to weaken them?"

“How can we level up if we are always shrinking the meager budget for health, testing and [COVID-19] response, but there are billions budgeted for red-tagging?"

Meanwhile, Sen. Risa Hontiveros told ANC's "Headstart" that NTF-ELCAC's proposed budget for 2022 is higher than the P20 billion budget proposed for the University of the Philippines system which includes the budget for the Philippine General Hospital, the country's largest public hospital.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who in June accurately predicted that Malacañang would seek a budget of P28 billion for the controversial task force for next year, said the proposed funds should either be deleted or redirected and used for cash aid. "Given our limited resources, we must prioritize ayuda over NTF-ELCAC," Drilon said in a statement released Tuesday. "We must cut funding for the security sector in favor of the social services sector."

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/25/2122574/senators-decry-proposed-budget-increase-ntf-elcac-2 022

Gov't must justify NTF-ELCAC, confidential funds sought for 2022: House panel chair RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

Posted at Aug 25 2021 03:39 PM

MANILA — The House of Representatives' appropriations panel chair wants the government to justify the P28.1 billion it allocated for the controversial anti-insurgency task force for 2022.

Budget panel chair ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Go Yap said they would need clarification as to why the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) should be granted the amount, despite calls for its abolition due to alleged harassment of government critics.

Yap also said they would seek justification for the P8.6 billion sought for intelligence and confidential expenses.

"Iyang mga question na 'yan siguro kaya po tayo magkakaroon ng deliberation... The agency should justify, kasi kung di nila maja-justify sa amin 'yung needs kung bakit ganiyan kalaki ang ELCAC and bakit ganiyan kalaki ang confidential fund, we will slash it and dadalhin kung saan namin nakikitang mas kailangan ng mga Pilipino," Yap said.

(Those questions may go through deliberations. The agency should justify why they need such a big amount, and we will slash it and send the funds where we see Filipinos need them more.)

Malacañang said on Tuesday terrorism defied the COVID-19 pandemic which is why they are asking for some P36 billion in intelligence, confidential, and counter-insurgency funds for next year.Yap expects intense scrutiny of the budget even as he allayed fears that it may be used by politicians seeking posts in 2022.

The budget hearings will begin Thursday as the House committee on public accounts and the Senate hold separate investigations into red flags raised by the Commission on Audit (COA) on how the COVID-19 funds were spent last year. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/25/21/govt-must-justify-ntf-elcac-confidential-funds-sought-for-2022-house -panel-chair

Bato rejects defunding of NTF-ELCAC

Published August 25, 2021, 12:50 PM by Mario Casayuran Senator Ronald ‘’Bato’’ dela Rosa on Wednesday, August 25, defended the continued funding for the government’s anti-insurgency program through the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Based on his personal experience in travelling in Eastern Mindanao, Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, said the multi-billion-peso program is a “success”.

Dela Rosa, chairman of the Senate public order and dangerous drugs committee, stressed this during a public hearing by the National Defense committee of the Commission on Appointments (CA) on the appointments of three ranking Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officers.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon had wanted the proposed 2022 P28.1 billion funding of NTF-ECAC be withdrawn and given to social services.

The current NTF-ELCAC budget is P19.2 billion.

Representative Luis A. Ferrer IV, chairman of the CA National Defense committee, supported Dela Rosa by appealing to his House of Representatives colleagues not to support moves to defund NTF-ELCAC.

Aside from running after insurgents, elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and PNP act as teachers, engineers, doctors and dentists in far-flung areas, Ferrer said. if there are reductions in the NTF-ELCAC funding, these should be funneled to other government agencies that would continue a whole of nation approach to the communist insurgency, Ferrer said.

Asked by Dela Rosa what would happen should NTF-ELCAC be defunded, Centino said the root causes would remain and the problems would continue to exist.

Meanwhile, the CA confirmed the appointment of Major General Andres C. Centino, Philippine Army (PA) commanding general, as Lieutenant General.

Centino is also the chairman of the NTF technical working group.

Also confirmed during the CA plenary session presided by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, concurrent CA chairman, were Navy Captain Ruben B. Fajardo as Commodore, and Colonel Raul P. Villsnueva as Brigadier General.

During the plenary session, the CA also approved the election of Senator Francis ‘’Kiko’’ Pangilinan as a CA member, vice Senator Risa Hontiveros, until June 30, 2022.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/bato-rejects-defunding-of-ntf-elcac/

Lorenzana: Lawmakers’ objections vs NTF-ELCAC funds seem ‘misplaced’ Published August 25, 2021 10:53pm Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday said that the criticisms by some lawmakers against the funding of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) are misplaced.

In a television interview, he pointed out that if these lawmakers are objecting to the funding of the anti-insurgency task force, they are also objecting to the development of some barangays.

Ang masasabi ko lang ay mukhang misplaced naman yung kanilang mga objection (I can only say that it seems their objection was misplaced), he said. “ He said that the funds of the NTF-ELCAC will go to the barangays that ”will be used for different projects

Lorenzana called on the lawmakers to explain their position considering that these projects will be stopped without the funding.

On Tuesday, senators questioned the proposed P28.1 billion budget for the NTF-ELCAC even as the country was struggling against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senator Nancy Binay pointed out that the budget of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) was slashed by 170 million.

"What's happening? Ang kalaban natin ay Covid. Mas importante ba ang ELCAC kaysa RITM? It does not make sense. Government seems to be removed from the realities on the ground," Binay said.

(The enemy is COVID. Is the ELCAC more important than the RITM?)

The proposed budget of the RITM was slashed to P223 million in 2022 from 2021's P393 million, while the budget for the NTF-ELCAC rose to P28.1 billion.

Also, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon proposed to cut the anti-insurgency funding to the social amelioration program.

resources, we must prioritize ayuda over NTF-ELCAC. We must cut funding for the“We security can remove sector this in itemfavor or of channel the social the services funds to sector, ayuda… he Given said. our limited

Malacañang had earlier justified the NTF-ELCAC's budget” , arguing that the insurgency needed to be addressed even during the current crisis. —Joviland Rita/NB, GMA News

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/800839/lorenzana-lawmakers-objections-vs-ntf-elcac-funds-s eem-misplaced/story/

AFP confers military awards on Hidilyn, Eumir for Olympic feats

By Priam Nepomuceno August 25, 2021, 6:53 pm

MILITARY AWARDS. Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz (right) and boxer Eumir Felix Marcial show their Olympic gold and bronze medals, respectively, and the military medals they received from the Armed Forces of the Philippines during the awarding rites at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Wednesday (Aug. 25, 2021). Diaz and Marcial are members of the Philippine Air Force with the ranks of Staff Sargent and Sargent, respectively. (Photo courtesy of AFP)

MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday conferred military awards on Olympic medalists and soldier-athletes, Air Force Staff Sgt. Hidilyn Diaz and Sgt. Eumir Felix Marcial during ceremonies held in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Diaz, the first Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo Olympics, received the Outstanding Achievement Medal with Second Bronze Anahaw Leaf for her triumphant performance in the women's weightlifting (55kg category) competition.

She also received a plaque of recognition, the Philippine flag and a simple token from the military leadership.

“What Staff Sgt. Diaz has done was to bring hope and inspiration to millions of our fellow Filipinos, who up until this day continue to battle against the deadly Covid-19 pandemic,” AFP deputy chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Erickson Gloria, who represented AFP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., during the recognition ceremony at the General Headquarters canopy area in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Faustino is now in self-isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) last Monday.

Marcial, a bronze medal winner in the men's boxing middleweight division, received the Chief of Staff, AFP Commendation Medal and Ribbon.

The military also acknowledged boxers Nesty Petecio and Carlo Paalam for winning silver medal in Tokyo.

“We hope that through this simple yet meaningful ceremony, we would be able to inspire our soldiers and civilian human resource, not only to be more active in sports, but also in the performance of their respective duties in protecting and securing the peace and stability of our country,” Gloria said.

The AFP has a program of direct enlistment that enables athletes to join its ranks.

This provides them access to training facilities as well as includes them in the AFP payroll for their regular salaries.

As of July year, there are a total of 128 military athletes and coaches who compete in various sport events. Of which, 23 are from the Philippine Army, 64 from the Philippine Air Force and 41 from the Philippine Navy. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151617

Solons told to explain objection to fund village dev't

By Priam Nepomuceno August 25, 2021, 3:27 pm

MANILA – Lawmakers have "misplaced" objections to the proposed PHP28.1 billion budget for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2022 which are intended to fund development projects in conflict-affected barangays, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Wednesday.

Lorenzana said the solons should explain the reason for their call to defund the anti-insurgency task force.

"Ang masasabi ko lang ay mukhang misplaced naman 'yung kanilang mga objection. Kung mag-object sila, then they are objecting development ng mga barangays na kailangang kailangan nating tulungan, so sila ay magpapaliwanag sa mga tao kung bakit nila gustong itigil 'yun (I can say that their objections are misplaced, if they are objecting, then they are objecting to the development of barangays that need help, they better explain that to the residents on why they want to stop their development)," he said in an interview with SMNI News Channel.

The Makabayan bloc in Congress and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon are among those calling to trim the proposed NTF-ELCAC budget.

Under the proposed 2022 national budget, the NTF-ELCAC’s Barangay Development Project (BDP) will rehabilitate around 1,406 barangays in conflict-hit areas located mostly in New People's Army (NPA) infested areas of Samar and Bicol Region.

Lorenzana called the proposal a "good one" and said that local government officials were in favor of the development projects in their communities.

"Kailangan ipaliwanag ng mga mambabatas na 'yan kung bakit nila gustong itigil 'yun (the lawmakers need to explain why they want it stopped). Are they against development, they do not want the barangays to prosper kaya gusto nilang matigil 'yung (that's why they want to stop) ELCAC fund," he added.

The BDP is the NTF-ELCAC hallmark program to bring government projects development projects in conflict-afflicted and geographically isolated villages that have been considered "cleared" from the influence of communist rebels.

The BDP aims to bring farm-to-market roads, classrooms, water and sanitation systems, health stations, and livelihood to these barangays.

The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151579

21 gun salute rendered for Tausug crash hero

Published August 25, 2021, 10:40 AM by Liza Abubakar-Jocson The remains of C-130 crash victim Cpl Gulam Hajirol Ismael was brought to his hometown in Barangay Kaumpang, Tapul Island last Saturday after his charred remains were identified by authorities in Zamboanga City last week.

A 21 gun salute was rendered in honor of Gulam, considered as a military hero, along with 52 people who perished in the crash.

Ismael’s father, Asiri, expressed relief upon seeing the body of his son laid to rest.

“Nagpapasalamat po kami at nakauwi na si Gulam. Nagpapasalamat din po kami na nabigyan ng ganitong karangalan ang aming anak,” said Asiri.

Gulam was serving as a soldier in Cagayan de Oro for the past eight years when he was re-assigned to the 11th Infantry Division.

He was 30 years old when he died in what was described as the worst military aircrash in the country in modern times.

“These people who signed up to dedicate their life to the Filipino people shall always be remembered. They shall keep us motivated and committed in accomplishing our mission,” said M/Gen. William Gonzales. Joint Task Force Sulu Commander.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/21-gun-salute-rendered-for-tausug-crash-hero/

Security beefed up in Maguindanao town after foiled bomb try

Published August 25, 2021, 8:29 AM by Philippine News Agency CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – More military-police checkpoints have been set up in Datu Blah Sinsuat (DAS) in this province after a foiled roadside bombing attempt by alleged saboteurs in the area Tuesday afternoon, August 24.

Alert soldiers and bomb experts of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division safely deactivated three hand grenades planted beside the highway in the coastal town, its spokesperson Lt. Col. John Paul Baldomar said Wednesday.

“Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the attempt,” Baldomar said.

In a separate interview, DAS Mayor Marshall Sinsuat said three fragmentation grenades were found beside the national highway in Barangay Pura at past 2 p.m.

“The police and military are still determining who could be behind the foiled grenade attack,” he said, adding that alert civilians tipped off the police and military about the explosives.

Following the incident, Sinsuat appealed to the residents to remain vigilant in helping authorities thwart attempts to disrupt peace.

“We have a peaceful town, please help us maintain this,” he said.

Sinsuat said it remained unclear as to who is being targeted by the bombing attempt, and the brains behind it.

Lt. Pasigan Abas, DAS police chief, said investigation on the incident is ongoing.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/security-beefed-up-in-maguindanao-town-after-foiled-bomb-try/

400 families flee Lanao border communities after clash between Army, local IS gunmen

By: Richel V. Umel - @inquirerdotnet

Inquirer Mindanao / 09:54 PM August 25, 202 ILIGAN CITY—Hundreds of families have fled their homes in the hinterlands of Lanao del Norte for fear of more clashes between government troops and local affiliates of the Islamic State (IS).

As of Tuesday, the Army has counted a total of 406 families or some 1,700 individuals coming from communities bordering the towns of Madalum town in Lanao del Sur, and Munai and Tangcal towns in Lanao del Norte.

The evacuees are currently staying in a multipurpose building of Barangay Bayabao and in a gym Barangay Tangcal Proper, and in the houses of relatives in other villages of Tangcal town, according to a report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The UNHCR noted that the municipal government had provided the displaced families with relief packs.

The evacuations started on August 21 after a clash between Army troops and local IS forces in the boundary of Madalum and Barangay Lindungan of Munai town at past 12 noon.

No one was reported hurt in the encounter but government troops discovered traces of blood in the position left by some 30 local IS gunmen, a military report said.

Soldiers also recovered and detonated an improvised bomb left by the terrorists.

The clash is the second time by local IS forces this year. Last January, they ambushed off-duty soldiers in Poona-Piagapo town, killing three Army troopers and a civilian.

A small band of local IS forces are thought to be on a holdout in the hinterlands bounding Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur since being driven out of Marawi City after a five-month siege in 2017.

Lt. Col. Julius Librada, commander of the 5th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, said pursuit operations against the IS gunmen are ongoing. He said they have also asked civilians in the area to report to authorities the entry of suspicious individuals into their communities.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478857/400-families-flee-lanao-border-communities-aft er-clash-between-army-local-is-gunmen#ixzz74c1MJIX1

PNP chief backs ‘tokhang’ vs communists

By: Dexter Cabalza - Reporter / @dexcabalzaINQ

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:02 AM August 26, 2021 PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — It took less than a day for Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar to change his tune from expressing concern to supporting the revived “tokhang”-style of weeding out leftists and communists in the Cordillera region.

In an updated statement on Tuesday night, Eleazar said the PNP “appreciates” the effort of the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) in implementing the “dumanun makitungtung” (Ilocano for visit and discuss) strategy.

“On the part of the PNP, we will provide assistance in a way that will strike a balance between our collective goal of defeating the [communist rebels] and our commitment to respect and uphold the basic human rights of every Filipino,” he added.

Eleazar ordered Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee, Cordillera police director, “to coordinate” with the RPOC to help in implementing this new tactic.

In an earlier statement, Eleazar cautioned the RPOC on its new policy, saying it might violate human rights.

“While I understand the genuine intention of the (RPOC), I believe that there are some gray areas in this campaign that may compromise the commitment of your [PNP] to respecting and upholding the human rights of every Filipino citizen,” he said.

His previous directive to Lee was “to explore other ways in dealing with communist insurgency in the region” in partnership with the RPOC.

The Inquirer tried to reach Eleazar on his turnabout, but he had yet to respond on Wednesday night.

House visits The RPOC is composed of heads of various government departments, offices and agencies in the region. It is chaired by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, while the regional police director serves as vice chair.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government on Monday said the Cordillera RPOC passed a resolution adopting the dumanun makitungtung strategy to known members of left-leaning organizations to help address the five-decadeslong armed struggle of communist rebels, led by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), its armed wing the New People’s Army (NPA), and its political arm, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

The Anti-Terror Council designated the CPP, NPA and NDFP as terror groups. However, mere affiliation to leftist organizations is not a crime, even under the anti-terror law.

The RPOC adopted the Cordillera Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Council (RLECC) Resolution No. 6, series of 2021, “enjoining the members of the law enforcement agencies together with the representatives of local government units, religious sector and [nongovernmental organizations] to conduct dumanun makitungtung strategy to known members of communist front organizations.”

Under the strategy, authorities would conduct house-to-house visits to those they perceive as members of communist organizations and persuade them to stop dealing with or supporting them. In March, the Cordillera RPOC junked Resolution No. 4 of the Cordillera RLECC, allowing the police to enforce the antidrug strategy tokhang against activists, government employees and media workers suspected of supporting left-leaning groups.

Tokhang, coined from the Visayan word “toktok” (knock) and “hangyo” (persuade), directs lawmen to seek out illegal drug traders and ask them to turn their backs on their criminal activities.

“Oplan Tokhang” was the other component of PNP’s “Oplan Double Barrel,” the blueprint of the Duterte administration’s war on illegal drugs. It aims for the surrender of small-time drug dealers, while “Oplan High-Value Target” goes for the “big fish” in the illicit trade.

‘Repackaged’ But the tactic has also been associated with the deaths of thousands of drug suspects, especially the poor, during police operations or by unidentified assassins which the United Nations Human Rights Council is investigating. In Baguio City, several groups condemned the new anticommunist strategy that would be enforced in the Cordillera. The Youth Act Now Against Tyranny (Yanat) Baguio-Benguet chapter said the campaign “stifles dissent and violates basic human rights.” Yanat is among the organizations that had been labeled as “communist front” by the Cordillera police.

The Cordillera chapter of Kabataan party list also assailed the plan, saying the latest RLECC resolution was a “merely repackaged” tokhang-like visitation of known left-leaning personalities, government workers and journalists.

“The new resolution … is but another addition to the series of Red-tagging attempts against progressive groups already done by police and other state forces,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday. It said the government should instead prioritize helping those affected by the pandemic.

—WITH A REPORT FROM KIMBERLIE QUITASOL https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478875/pnp-chief-backs-tokhang-vs-reds#ixzz74c1Zo uYL

PNP to help Cordillera’s tokhang vs leftists only within realm of human rights

By: Gabriel Pabico Lalu - Reporter / @GabrielLaluINQ

INQUIRER.net / 09:33 PM August 25, 2021 MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has assured that any assistance that would be given to the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council in their plans to counter the insurgency in the area would concern human rights.

This was the statement from PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar on Wednesday, in reaction to the so-called “Dumanun Makitunong” campaign wherein they would visit houses of members of leftist organizations to discuss issues with them.

Eleazar also said that they appreciate the efforts of the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council as they try to end the decades-long problem of communist insurgency in the country.

“The Philippine National Police appreciates the effort of the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council in coming up with new ideas to finally put an end to the decades-long communist insurgency problem in the country,” Eleazar said on Tuesday.

“On the part of the PNP, we will provide assistance in a way that will strike a balance between our collective goal of defeating the CPP-NPA-NDF and our commitment to respect and uphold the basic human rights of every Filipino,” he added.

If Dumanun Makitunong’s methods sound familiar, it was inspired by Oplan Tokhang, the police’s anti-drug campaign where officers would visit homes of people accused of being involved in the drug trade. Tokhang was derived from Visayan words “toktok” and “hangyo” meaning knock and plead.

Despite the good intentions behind Oplan Tokhang, the word has carried a negative connotation, prompting even Vice President Leni Robredo — back when she was chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee Against Illegal Drugs — to suggest that the project be junked.

Regarding Dumanun Makitunong, Eleazar said that he has already directed the Cordillera police’s regional director to coordinate with the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council.

“In fighting communist insurgency in the country, we in the PNP believe that we have to present better ideas that focus on winning back the trust and confidence of those who fell prey to this failed ideology,” Eleazar said.

“And we have been doing so through our aggressive support on information dissemination, community mobilization through police-community relations, and barangay development program,” he added.

Aside from the anti-drug campaign, one of the hallmarks of the current administration is its crackdown on the communist insurgency, despite both the government and communist rebels initially thought of being able to reach peace negotiations again.

But mistrust between the communist forces and President Rodrigo Duterte’s government led to even more heightened skirmishes and operations between the two sides, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478843/pnp-would-help-cordilleras-tokhang-vs-leftis ts-only-within-realm-of-human-rights#ixzz74c28ku8h

THE MEDITERRANEAN’S COMPLIANCE COMMITTEE: A MODEL FOR THE SOUTH CHINA SEA?

BY VU HAI DANG | AUGUST 25, 2021 AMTI UPDATE Negotiations on a code of conduct (COC) for the South China Sea have been stalled since 2019, mainly due to the outbreak of Covid-19 and the continuing challenges it presents to the region. However, even after the pandemic situation improves and negotiations can resume as normal, COC negotiators will still have to face many thorny issues including the geographic scope of the agreement, duty to cooperate, the role of third parties, and in particular, dispute settlement. However, there is one issue that has received insufficient attention but is critical to an effective COC: ensuring compliance. Due to the lack of a compliance mechanism, 2002’s Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea has been a toothless instrument which any party can accuse any other party of violating.

During COC negotiations, one suggestion made has been to establish a commission led by foreign ministers or their representatives to monitor its implementation. This is a viable model to ensure compliance, which has been used in other regional seas. This commentary introduces the Mediterranean’s Compliance Committee, established under the framework of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution, arguing that a similar model should be designed under the COC.

Background on the Mediterranean’s Compliance Mechanism

The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean, also known as the Barcelona Convention, is a regional treaty whose purpose is to prevent pollution and protect the marine environment in the Mediterranean Sea. The Barcelona Convention has 21 members, all of whom are coastal states to the Mediterranean. In 2008, a Compliance Committee was established under its framework to facilitate and promote compliance with the obligations under the Convention and its protocols.

The Compliance Committee consists of seven members elected by the contracting parties. The nominees are nationals of the contracting parties recognized for their competence in the matters dealt with by the Barcelona Convention and its protocols and in relevant scientific, technical, socio-economic, legal, or other fields. The Compliance Committee must meet at least once per year.

To fulfil its mission, the Compliance Committee receives information from four sources. First, the Secretariat of the Barcelona Convention can refer cases of non-compliance to the committee. Second, based on any relevant information that it receives, the committee may examine any difficulty that a contracting party encounters in the implementation of its commitments. Third, a party can submit information to the

committee about its own non-compliance. Finally, a party can submit information about the non-compliance of another party after it has consulted with that party but the matter has not been resolved.

After receiving information about a non-compliance case, the Compliance Committee may ask the allegedly non-complying party to provide further information and, with the consent of the party concerned, it may gather information on the territory of that party. The party concerned is entitled to participate in the discussions of the committee and present its observations. The committee shall make every effort to adopt its findings by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, the committee shall as a last resort adopt findings based on a three-fourths majority vote of the members.

The Compliance Committee’s main role is to provide advice and assistance to a non-complying party to achieve compliance. It can request and assist the party concerned to develop an action plan and invite that party to submit progress reports on its efforts to achieve compliance. It does not have the power to penalize the non-complying party. If the committee finds that it cannot handle a case of non-compliance, it will make recommendations to the Meeting of the Contracting Parties which can then adopt sanctions against serious, ongoing, or repeated non-compliance cases.

Advantages of the Mediterranean’s Compliance Committee Model

The establishment of a compliance committee such as in the Mediterranean has a few important advantages in the context of the South China Sea:

First, a compliance committee with renowned experts and specialists will add a level of specialization and technical expertise to the compliance process. This could help guarantee the authoritativeness, impartiality, and a certain level of independence of such a committee. If COC negotiators want to ensure a certain level of supervision over the committee, they may entrust a high-level political mechanism equivalent to the Barcelona Convention’s Meeting of the Contracting Parties with the power to decide on measures to be taken against a non-complying party.

Second, as stated above, the role of the Compliance Committee is not to penalize or publicly-shame a non-complying party but to help and assist this party to achieve compliance. The alleged non-complying party can take part in the deliberations of the committee and comment on its draft findings. The deliberations of the committee and information transmitted to it are kept confidential. In a region like the South China Sea where maritime issues are highly sensitive and where maintaining face is very important, all these guarantees could help encourage any non-complying party to cooperate to achieve compliance instead of becoming more defensive and denying its non-compliance.

Finally, the fact that a party can submit the non-compliance situation of another party to the committee could help resolve disputes between parties without having to use a

conventional dispute settlement means. As explained earlier, dispute settlement is currently a challenge in the COC negotiations: some countries insist on consultation and negotiations as the only dispute settlement means while others also want to make use of independent third parties. A compliance committee could help resolve disputes between relevant parties before having to go to an international court or tribunal. As such, it may offer a more amicable venue for parties to resolve their differences.

A compliance commission inspired by the Barcelona Convention could be established for the COC with adjustments for the unique aspects of the South China Sea. For instance, the membership of the COC’s compliance commission does not necessarily have to include experts of all 11 COC negotiating countries but must have all the “official” South China Sea claimants (China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam) as well as representatives from other relevant states. The supervision of the compliance commission could be entrusted to the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference+1 Meeting with China, with the power to adopt punitive measures in case of serious, persistent, or repeated non-compliance. Despite the traditional preference for consensus-building in the region, the compliance commission should be able to adopt measures based on a majority to avoid deadlock when consensus cannot be reached. The ASEAN Secretariat could serve as the secretariat to the compliance commission just as the Secretariat of the Barcelona Convention does. However, since China is not a member of ASEAN, to ensure equality, another option is a stand-alone joint secretariat comprising officials from both China and ASEAN member states. Finally, due to the sensitivity of issues relating to the South China Sea, all information relating to an on-going alleged non-compliance case must be kept confidential. However, to promote compliance of relevant parties, a procedure should be established to allow the publicizing of cases of repeated or persistent non-compliance.

In conclusion, a compliance commission inspired by that of the Mediterranean Sea’s Barcelona Convention with necessary adjustments for the South China Sea could be an effective mechanism to ensure compliance with the COC.

https://amti.csis.org/the-mediterraneans-compliance-committee-a-model-for-the-so uth-china-sea/

UN concerned about human rights in Afghanistan

The UN Human Rights Council has expressed grave concerns about the situation in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

The council held an emergency session on Tuesday.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said her office has "received credible reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law, and human rights abuses, taking place in many areas under effective Taliban control."

Bachelet noted, "A fundamental red line will be the Taliban's treatment of women and girls, and respect for their rights to liberty, freedom of movement, education, self-expression and employment, guided by international human rights norms."

The council adopted a resolution calling for "full respect for the human rights of all individuals, including women, children and persons belonging to ethnic, religious and other minority groups," in Afghanistan.

The resolution also stressed the need for prompt investigation into reports of all violations and abuses of human rights, and to hold those responsible to account. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210825_11/

Lawmakers concerned US won’t meet looming Afghanistan deadline WASHINGTON-DC by: Raquel Martin, Nexstar Media Wire

Posted: Aug 24, 2021 / 06:56 PM EDT / Updated: Aug 24, 2021 / 06:56 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) Democrats and Republicans alike voiced concern Tuesday the United States won t be able to evacuate every American citizen from Afghanistan by Aug. 31, the date American —troops are set to leave. ’ I don t think it s militarily possible, logistically possible, said Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich, following an intelligence briefing. Not to mention those SIVs, those special immigration “ ’ ’ hey were the support staff.” Understanding Afghanistan: The mission“ and what went wrong visas folks… the interpreters, t ” Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst, said her office has been working overtime to help nearly 500 Afghans escape so far. She said the U.S. needs to do more to get everyone out. The stories are harrowing, she said. Show that we re willing to take risks ourselves for those who risked themselves for us. “ ” “ The’ Pentagon insisted it is rapidly accelerating evacuations. In a 24-hour period,” officials said more than 21,000 people were transported out of Afghanistan by an international coalition. Biden says US-led evacuation from Kabul is accelerating

The Taliban has also put their foot down amid evacuations. They say U.S. troops must be out by Aug. 31 or there will be consequences.

At the moment, they are blocking Afghans from leaving the country. More from NEWS10  Mechanicville hears from parents on school reopening plan  US says 1,500 Americans may still await Kabul evacuation  Local boy s lemonade stand helps raise money for homeless veterans  Over 235k defective hoverboards sold at Walmart, Amazon.com recalled for battery issues ’  Florida woman survives COVID-19, discovers husband died at home

https://www.news10.com/washington/washington-dc/lawmakers-concerned-us-wont-meet-looming-af ghanistan-deadline/

Kamala Harris in Hanoi as Afghan debacle rumbles

Agence France-Presse / 01:57 PM August 25, 2021

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) waits to receive US Vice President Kamala Harris at the Government office in Hanoi on August 25, 2021.AFP

HANOI — Vice President Kamala Harris began a visit to Vietnam Wednesday to stress US commitment to Asia, a trip critics have slammed as tone-deaf given the parallels with the superpower’s evacuations from Saigon and Kabul.

Harris will meet the communist state’s president and prime minister in Hanoi, a day after accusing regional giant Beijing of intimidation in the disputed South China Sea. Her arrival was delayed due to what US officials called an “anomalous health incident” in Hanoi, an apparent reference to the so-called “Havana syndrome” which has afflicted US diplomats in several countries including China and Russia.

It is not clear what causes the syndrome and it has led to unproven allegations that Russians or others used sonic or other high-intensity electronic devices to physically harm US diplomats.

The visit, the first to Vietnam by a sitting US vice president, comes after a two-day stop in Singapore, where Harris took aim at China and sought to shore up US credibility in the wake of the Taliban’s stunning return to power.

But the Vietnam leg of the Asian tour has sparked criticism after the chaotic evacuation of Kabul prompted comparisons with the trauma of 1975 Saigon, when US helicopters ferried final evacuees from the embassy roof in the last days of the Vietnam War.

Harris is steering clear of Saigon — now named Ho Chi Minh City — and on Wednesday she will seek to shift the focus from the historical parallels and emphasize Washington’s commitment to Southeast Asia as it opens a regional branch of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Hanoi.

The United States has already donated five million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Vietnam.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/198718/kamala-harris-in-hanoi-as-afghan-debacle- rumbles#ixzz74c3xsxKz

Kamala Harris offers Vietnam support to counter Beijing in the South China Sea

Reuters / 03:10 PM August 25, 2021

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during a meeting at the Office of Government, in Hanoi, Vietnam, August, 25, 2021. REUTERS

HANOI — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met Vietnam’s top leaders on Wednesday, offering support in several key areas including the enhancement of its maritime security in an effort to counter Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea. Harris also offered more visits by U.S. warships during her talks with Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, according to a White House official who did not wish to be named.

Harris’s seven-day trip to Singapore and Vietnam is part of a broader U.S. strategy to woo allies that Washington hopes will help it challenge China’s growing security and economic influence in the region.

During the talks Harris offered Vietnam vaccines and aid to tackle COVID-19 and announced the launch of several programs to help combat climate change, said the White House official.

Speaking in Hanoi, Harris said there was a need to increase pressure on Beijing over its maritime claims.

“We need to find ways to pressure, raise the pressure…on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge, its bullying and excessive maritime claims,” said Harris during a meeting with the Vietnamese president.

It was the second time in two days Harris has attacked Beijing.

On Tuesday in Singapore, Harris accused Beijing of coercion and intimidation to back unlawful claims in parts of the disputed the South China Sea. China rejected her

comments, charging Washington with trying to drive a wedge between Beijing and its Southeast Asian neighbors.

China has established military outposts on artificial islands in the South China Sea, which is crossed by vital shipping lanes and contain gas fields and rich fishing grounds.

China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan lay claim to parts of the waters.

Over the last few years, tensions between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea have remained high and Vietnam has quietly endorsed the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy because it takes a hard line against China in the disputed waters.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/198721/kamala-harris-offers-vietnam-support-to-c ounter-beijing-in-the-south-china-sea#ixzz74c4Begwi

Harris urges Vietnam to join US in opposing China ‘bullying’ By ALEXANDRA JAFFEyesterday

HANOI (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris called on Vietnam to join the U.S. in challenging China’s “bullying” in the South China Sea, continuing her sharp rhetoric against Beijing as she met with Vietnamese leaders on Wednesday. “We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims,” she said in remarks at the opening of a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Harris also expressed support for sending an additional U.S. Coast Guard cutter to Vietnam to help defend its security interests in the disputed waterway, and pledged that the U.S. would “maintain a strong presence in the South China Sea” to challenge China. During remarks in Singapore on Tuesday, Harris said Beijing’s actions to press its territorial claims in the South China Sea amount to “coercion” and “intimidation.” https://apnews.com/article/health-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-vietnam-1fcaf 1dbb2fc2a7e1259a02b3ed58b2b

Harris criticizes China during Vietnam visit 16 hours ago

US Vice President Kamala Harris has underscored the need to pressure China on its actions in the South China Sea in a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Harris held talks with Phuc in Vietnam on Wednesday. She was in the country after visiting Singapore.

In the meeting, Phuc said Vietnam is contributing to peace and security in the region and the world, and that the United States is an important partner. He added Hanoi wants to enhance cooperation with Washington.

Harris raised the issue of China's territorial claims and increasing military activities in the South China Sea. She said, "We need to find ways to raise pressure on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims."

Vietnam has overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea.

The administration of US President Joe Biden attaches importance to the Indo-Pacific region to counter China's influence.

Observers see Harris' tour of Southeast Asia as aimed at keeping China in check by boosting ties in the region.

Vietnam apparently wants to strengthen relations with Washington to keep Beijing's moves in check. But it is also expected to watch and see if the Biden administration can curb China's activities.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210825_22/

Possible 'Havana Syndrome' Incidents Probed in Harris Delay from Singapore to Vietnam By Associated Press August 25, 2021 11:26 AM

HANOI - U.S. officials are continuing to investigate two possible cases of so-called Havana Syndrome health incidents that delayed Vice President Kamala Harris' trip from Singapore to Vietnam. The investigation was in its early stages and officials deemed it safe for Harris to make her scheduled stop in Vietnam, after initially hitting pause for a few hours on Tuesday. Havana Syndrome is the name for a rash of mysterious health incidents first reported by American diplomats and other government employees in the Cuban capital beginning in 2016. Harris on her trip is reassuring Asian allies after the tumultuous evacuation of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. U.S. officials had not yet confirmed the latest reported Havana Syndrome case, and it did not involve anyone traveling with Harris, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. In light of the reports, there was an assessment done of the safety of the vice president, and there was a decision made that she could continue travel along with her staff, Psaki said.“

There have been two separate cases” of unexplained health incidents reported by U.S. personnel in Vietnam within the past week, U.S. officials said. It was not immediately clear who was impacted by the syndrome, though officials said it was not someone who worked for the vice president or the White House, according to the officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation. On Wednesday, Harris appeared before U.S. diplomatic staff in Hanoi to sign a lease to a new embassy there. She didn't weigh in directly on the Havana Syndrome situation but expressed gratitude to those working for the U.S. across the globe. Here s my message to embassy staff: thank you. The people who work in our embassies around the world are extraordinary public servants who represent the“ best’ of what the United States believes itself to be and aspires to be, which is a good neighbor for our partners and our allies around the globe," she said.

On Wednesday Harris was highlighting the announcement that the U.S. will send 1 million additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Vietnam, bringing the total U.S. vaccine donation to that country to 6 million doses. The U.S. will also provide $23 million to help Vietnam expand distribution and access to vaccines, combat the pandemic and prepare for future disease threats. The Defense Department is also delivering 77 freezers to store vaccines throughout the country. Some of those impacted by Havana Syndrome report hearing a loud piercing sound and feeling intense pressure in the face. Pain, nausea, and dizziness sometimes follow. Similar, unexplained health ailments have since been reported by Americans serving in other countries, including Germany, Austria, Russia and China. A variety of theories have been floated to explain the incidents, including targeted microwaves or sonic attack, perhaps as part of an espionage or hacking effort. Particularly alarming are revelations of at least two possible incidents in the Washington area, including one case near the White House in November in which an official reported dizziness. Administration officials have speculated that Russia may be involved, a suggestion Moscow has denied. Congress has raised alarms over such incidents, finding rare bipartisan support in the House and Senate for continued government-wide investigation into the syndrome, response as well as support for American personnel receiving medical monitoring and treatment. The Biden administration is facing new pressure to resolve the mystery as the number of reported cases of possible attack has sharply grown. But scientists and government officials aren t yet certain about who might have been behind any attacks, if the symptoms could have been caused inadvertently by surveillance equipment or if’ the incidents were actually attacks.

— https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/possible-havana-syndrome-incidents-probed-harris-delay-s ingapore-vietnam

Kamala Harris’s Asia Trip Can’t Fix Biden’s Troubled Indo-Pacific Strategy Lacking a serious vision for the region, the administration is aiming low.

By Susannah Patton, a research fellow at the University of Sydney s United States Studies Centre, and Ashley Townshend, the director of the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the University’ of Sydney s United States Studies Centre. AUGUST 24, 2021, 12:35 PM ’

When the White House announced that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris would visit Singapore and Vietnam in August, Asia watchers scratched their heads. Sure, Washington has ground to make up in Southeast Asia. But of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, why return to two of the countries that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin already visited in July? The answer is simple: The Biden administration is playing it safe. This is not just to keep things easy for Harris, who has relatively little foreign-policy experience. The administration is aiming low because of underlying weaknesses in its approach to Asia, as we argue in a forthcoming United States Studies Centre report. For all the administration’s rhetoric about strategic competition with China, it has yet to present a serious Indo-Pacific policy—or its most important element, an effective economic strategy for the region. Had Harris visited countries other than the two U.S.-friendly stops prepared by Austin, Washington would have had to put much more on the table to secure a warm welcome. Singapore and Vietnam are safe options for a visit by an inexperienced vice president in a region fraught with potential pitfalls and challenges. Singapore is the only country in Southeast Asia that gives the United States reliable military access. Its leaders are the region’s savviest strategists, recognizing a U.S. military presence as necessary to preserve their own strategic autonomy and the broader regional balance. This makes Singapore eager to do what it can to enmesh the United States in the region. Since the 2016 election of President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, which put the traditional U.S.-Philippines alliance in a quandary, Vietnam has been the country in the region most willing to overtly defy China. In the South China Sea, Hanoi has seen Washington as an essential part of the strategic balance and its efforts to deter Beijing. While U.S.-Vietnamese military ties remain limited and the Vietnam War still casts its long shadow over the two countries’ relations, Hanoi’s deep distrust of Beijing creates a strong rationale for further expansion of U.S.-Vietnamese ties.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/24/kamala-harris-singapore-vietnam-southeast-asia-trip-biden-indo- pacific-strategy/

What is the Indo-Pacific region and why does the US keep using this term?

 Washington for decades referred to the vast stretch of territory between Australia and India as the Asia-Pacific but the ‘strategic lexicon’ shifted under Trump

 Yet the Biden administration continues to define the region as Indo-Pacific, in line with the US foreign policy response to China’s growing influence

Maria Siow Published: 7:30am, 26 Aug, 2021 Why you can trust SCMP

During US Vice-President Kamala Harris’ major foreign policy speech in Singapore on August 24, she delivered a sharp rebuke to China for its incursions in the South China Sea, warning that Beijing’s actions constitute “coercion” and “intimidation”.

Affirming that Washington would support its allies in the region against Beijing’s advances, Harris also laid out the Biden administration’s vision for the region, saying the US would “stand united with our allies and our partners in Southeast Asia in defence of a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

The repeated reference to Indo-Pacific , a policy frame promoted by the Trump administration, reflects the Biden administration’s continued outreach to the region and the way US foreign policy has been recast by China s expanding influence“ . ” https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3146363/what-indo-pacific-region-and-why-does-us- ’ keep-using-term

US, China accuse each other of ‘bullying’ nations

03:18 PM August 25, 2021 HANOI — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday again charged China with bullying its Southeast Asian neighbors, the second time in two days she has attacked Beijing during a regional visit aimed at countering China’s growing influence. Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese state media accused Harris of seeking to drive a wedge between China and Southeast Asian nations with comments in Singapore that Beijing used coercion and intimidation to back its unlawful South China Sea claims.

Speaking in Hanoi on Wednesday, Harris said there was a need to increase pressure on Beijing over its maritime claims.

“We need to find ways to pressure, raise the pressure…on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge, its bullying and excessive maritime claims,” said Harris during a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan, lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, which is crossed by vital shipping lanes and contains gas fields and rich fishing grounds. China has established military outposts on artificial islands in the South China Sea and objects to foreign warships sailing through what it claims is its sovereign waters.

The U.S. Navy regularly conducts “freedom of navigation” operations through the disputed waters, which China objects to, saying they do not help promote peace or stability.

In 2016, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against China’s claim, but Beijing has rejected the ruling.

“While pointing a finger at China and accusing it of ‘coercion’ and ‘intimidation’, Harris willfully ignored her own hypocrisy in attempting to coerce and intimidate regional countries to join Washington in its scheme to contain China,” the state run China Daily said in an editorial responding to Harris’s comments in Singapore.

Harris’s Singapore speech was a baseless attack on China, the editorial said. “It seems that the United States’ only commitment to Southeast Asia is its dedicated efforts to drive a wedge between the Southeast Asian nations and China,” it added.

In Hanoi, Harris met with Vietnam’s top leaders and offered support in several key areas, including the enhancement of its maritime security and more U.S. Navy ship visits to Vietnam.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/198724/us-china-accuse-each-other-of-bullying-natio ns#ixzz74c6req1b

China’s Wedge Strategy Towards the US-Vietnam Partnership Through a variety of measures, Beijing is seeking to reinforce Vietnam’s neutrality in the competition between the superpowers. By Khang Vu

August 25, 2021 U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is undertaking her first trip to Southeast Asia this week, during which she will visit two important U.S. partners, Singapore and Vietnam. Much has been said about how Harris’ trip will boost the Biden administration’s image in Southeast Asia, but there has been little written about China’s responses to the U.S. initiatives. This is an unfortunate miss given that China is the main target of the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. How it responds to those initiatives will therefore be an important determinant of whether U.S. attempts to woo these Southeast Asian partners are successful. One of the partners that the United States is courting is Vietnam, whose ties with Washington have tremendously improved over the past two decades. From a broader perspective, Beijing has opposed the U.S. alliance system in Asia and sought to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its Asian allies, including Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea. China seeks to weaken that alliance system by de-aligning these allies, turning them into neutrals in order to prevent the U.S.-led containment that it fears. Most notable is Beijing’s political and economic attacks on the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), which are aimed at preventing these countries from reaching a consensus on the Chinese threat. Vietnam falls into a different category of Chinese wedge strategy, in which China seeks to reinforce Vietnamese neutrality, instead of de-aligning it, since Vietnam is not a formal U.S. ally. Hanoi considers itself a neutral country under its “four noes” policy, of “no military alliance, no affiliation with one country to counteract the other, no foreign military base in the Vietnamese territory to act against other countries, and no force or threatening to use force in international relations.” Such a policy is rooted in Hanoi’s search for a balance between ideological values and national security interests, which stipulates that Vietnam only allies with states that share both. Vietnam is officially neutral between the United States and China, since it only shares security interests with the former and ideological values with the latter (as well as strong economic ties to both.) China understands Vietnam’s delicate balancing act and seeks to reinforce Vietnam’s neutrality in two ways. First, it seeks to tone down the security discord between the two countries to reduce the U.S.-Vietnam convergence on security matters. China thus wants Vietnam to stick to its “four-noes” policy. Second, it emphasizes the shared ideological values between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) and stoke Hanoi’s fear of a U.S.-backed “color revolution,” in a bid to keep Vietnam away from the U.S. camp. An examination of what Chinese media and scholars have said in the past year demonstrates the deliberate nature of this strategy. First, China seeks to present maritime and territorial disputes as a small issue in the generally positive China-Vietnam relations. A Global Times contributor wrote on the occasion of Chinese

State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe’s visit to Vietnam in April, “the divergences between Beijing and Hanoi on the South China Sea are merely a minor factor in their overall bilateral ties. Judging from narratives made by top officials of both China and Vietnam, maintaining friendship and cooperation between the two countries is the mainstream.” https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/chinas-wedge-strategy-towards-the-u-s-vietnam-partnership/

Geoffrey Cain on Xinjiang’s ‘Perfect Police State’

“Every person in Xinjiang is documented down to their genetic makeup, the sound of their voice, and whether they enter their homes through the front door or the back.” By Sebastian Strangio

August 24, 2021

In “The Perfect Police State: An Undercover Odyssey Into China’s Terrifying Surveillance Dystopia of the Future” (Public Affairs, 2021), American journalist Geoffrey Cain examines the reality of daily life in China’s Xinjiang region. Based on dozens of interviews with Uyghur exiles, the book illuminates how the Chinese government has pioneered a series of law enforcement and surveillance techniques, including data-enabled “preventive policing,” which have funneled hundreds of thousands into “re-education camps” and brought the region close to the reality depicted in George Orwell’s “1984.” Cain spoke with The Diplomat’s Sebastian Strangio about the genesis of the Chinese government’s “slow, sinister erasure” of Uyghur culture, the complicity of Western tech firms, and the texture of daily life under the Party’s unblinking eye. As your book reveals, the ethnic minorities of Xinjiang refer to the region’s regime of pervasive surveillance as “the situation.” What does “the situation” mean in practical terms for the average Uyghur or Kazakh? How and where does this system intersect with people’s everyday routines? When Uyghurs and Kazakhs say “the situation,” they’re using a euphemism and codeword for all the surveillance that envelopes their daily lives. You can live your entire life in Xinjiang under the watch of the state. Of course, other regimes have attempted this before. But what makes life in Xinjiang so foreboding is that the police have seized on new advances in artificial intelligence, deep neural networks, facial and voice recognition, and biometric data collection to establish the all-seeing eye. Every person in Xinjiang is documented down to their genetic makeup, the sound of their voice, and whether they enter their homes through the front door or the back. https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/geoffrey-cain-on-xinjiangs-perfect-police-state/

Two Jailed After Raid on Early Rain Church Meeting in China's Sichuan Police raid a gathering at the home of a church member, taking several minors and adults to a nearby police station for questioning.

By Qiao Long and Lau Siu Fung 2021-08-24 Police in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan detained several minors and jailed two members of the Early Rain Covenant Church following a police raid on a gathering in the provincial capital, Chengdu, RFA has learned. Meeting host Dai Zhichao and church member He Shan were sentenced to 14 days' administrative detention, a sentence that can be handed down by a police-run committee without the need for a trial, following a Sunday raid by state security police and officials from the municipal religious affairs bureau, a local Protestant church member surnamed Li said. "At around 11 a.m. on Aug. 22, during the Sunday meeting of the Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church, the [group] was illegally assaulted by the police from the Mengchaiwan police station in Chenghua district," Li said. "More than a dozen children were taken away." Video clips of the raid seen by RFA showed police breaking into Dai's home without showing a search warrant. "Dai Zhichao's arm has been injured and his phone taken from him," one church member says while filming the incident. "They dragged us out of the door and took us away." In the clip, a police officer is heard to say: "Someone reported an illegal gathering taking place here." An Early Rain member who declined to be named said around a dozen police officers broke up the meeting, "A group of brothers and sisters had gathered at a brother's house, and the police came, saying that they had received reports from the public that there was an illegal assembly taking place," the church member said. "The brothers and sisters opened the door and asked the police to show a search warrant, or they wouldn't let them enter," they said. "But the police were very rude,

and forced their way in through the door, and took everyone's details, including the children's."

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/church-08242021122734.html

Graveyard of Empires Afghanistan is now back in the hands of the Taliban. China shares a narrow land border with the embattled nation at the edge of Xinjiang province, and last month met with a Taliban delegation in Tianjin - the same city where high ranking officials recently met with U.S. representatives. China is likely weary that the sudden changes within their neighbor may spill over into western China. Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticized not only the U.S.'s exit strategy, but also called out America's foreign policy of importing cultural and social institutions into Afghanistan. With that, former State Department official and Afghanistan scholar at New York University, Barnett R. Rubin, anticipates that China is trying to distance themselves from the "American initiative." And while America sits in the world's hot seat, China is also focusing its attention elsewhere. The same day that Chinese state media ran a story calling the U.S. "weak and unreliable," their military ran a series of drills near Taiwan under the pretext of resisting interference from outside forces. In doing so, China has raised concerns among some international observers that they are considering a military confrontation with Taiwan, with an assumed deficiency in commitment from the U.S. military. Read more in, "As U.S. Prepares Exit from Afghanistan, China Seeks to Establish Stability and Secure Investments," by Sampson Oppedisano.

https://www.chinausfocus.com/focus/china-this-week/

What is China’s common-prosperity strategy that calls for an even distribution of wealth?

 Notion of common prosperity dates back to the 1950s and Mao Zedong, before fellow former leader Deng Xiaoping repeatedly mentioned the idea in the 1980s

 President Xi Jinping’s rhetoric on common prosperity, which calls for the people to share in the opportunity to be wealthy, has surged this year Andrew Mullen What is common prosperity? At an economic leadership meeting in August, Chinese leaders agreed that China must pursue a goal of “common prosperity” – where citizens share in the opportunity to be wealthy – as the main objective for the next stage of its development, while stressing the need to maintain an airtight economy that allows for that smoothing out of wealth.

According to the meeting notes, common prosperity was described as a means to “properly deal with the relationship between efficiency and fairness”.

The catchphrase refers to affluence shared by everyone both in material and cultural terms, not the prosperity for just a few nor an absolute equal distribution, and should be advanced step by step, the meeting notes explained.

Common prosperity is central to promoting well-being as China strives to achieve its second centenary goal of fully building a modern socialist country. https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3146271/what-chinas-common-prosperity -strategy-calls-even

Analysis: Xi's leftward shift to a socialist China is for real Purge of ally in power base Zhejiang Province sends shudders across country KATSUJI NAKAZAWA, Nikkei senior staff writerAUGUST 26, 2021 04:00 JST

Katsuji Nakazawa is a Tokyo-based senior staff writer and editorial writer at Nikkei. He spent seven years in China as a correspondent and later as China bureau chief. He is the 2014 recipient of the Vaughn-Ueda International Journalist prize for international reporting. https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/China-up-close/Analysis-Xi-s-leftward-shift-to-a-socialist-C hina-is-for-real

Pupils as young as six to study ‘Little Red Book’ of Xi’s thoughts Didi Tang Beijing

Wednesday August 25 2021, 5.00pm BST, The Times In the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, it was the musings of Chairman Mao in his Little Red Book that spurred the people towards communist utopia — and helped root out those who had strayed from the path.

In modern China it is the turn of President Xi, whose collection of “new-era thoughts” are to become part of textbooks used by children as young as six, in an effort to sow the “seeds to love the party, to love the nation and to love socialism”. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pupils-as-young-as-six-to-study-little-red-book-of-xis-thoughts- plv7p32s6

Hong Kong to Censor Critical Movies Under National Security Law The city's government tables a legislative amendment that will likely ban the screening of films with content deemed 'subversive'.

By Emily Chan and Gigi Lee 2021-08-24 The Hong Kong government on Tuesday tabled a legislative amendment that will add new requirements to current guidelines for the board of film censors, requiring them to prevent films from being screened if they contain scenes, ideas, or images critical of the authorities. The amendment is aimed at "ensuring more effective fulfilment of the duty to safeguard national security ... as well as preventing and suppressing acts or activities that may endanger national security," the government said in a statement on its website. The amendment is highly likely to be voted through by the Legislative Council (LegCo), which has been devoid of any genuine political opposition since the mass resignation and mass arrests of dozens of former lawmakers and democracy activists for "subversion." If passed, the amended law will require censors to "consider whether the exhibition of a film would be contrary to the interests of national security." Since the national security law was imposed on Hong Kong by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from July 1, 2020, mainland Chinese state security police have set up headquarters in the city. The newly constituted national security police have since then launched a city-wide crackdown on dissent, public criticism, and political opposition in the form of opposition lawmakers, pro-democracy, media and protesters who use the now-banned slogans of the 2019 protest movement. The amendment also empowers the city's chief secretary to revoke approvals issued by the Hong Kong Film Censorship Authority before the law was enacted, ensuring that older films with content deemed problematic by the government will no longer be allowed to be screened in the city. Censors will also be given the power to raid screenings of films in any location in Hong Kong, search the venue, and stop screenings that are found to contravene the proposed new rules.

The maximum penalty for screening films without approval will be raised to three years' imprisonment. "The main reference is the national security law ... for instances, acts or activities which might endorse, support, glorify, encourage and incite such activities that might endanger national security," Edward Yau, Hong Kong's commerce secretary, told reporters on Tuesday. On July 30, 2021, a court in Hong Kong handed down a nine-year jail term to motorcyclist Tong Ying-kit for "terrorism" and inciting "secession" after he flew a banned slogan from his bike during a street protest. The slogan from the 2019 protest movement -- "Free Hong Kong, revolution now!" -- was found by the court to be an incitement to secession.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/censor-08242021151230.html

China Could Prevent up to 4.5 Million Births in Xinjiang, Leading Researcher Claims

BY JOHN FENG ON 8/25/21 AT 10:09 AM EDT

WORLD CHINAXINJIANGUYGHUR China could prevent the births of up to 4.5 million Uyghurs and members of other minority ethnic groups in the next two decades through extensive population control measures in Xinjiang, a leading researcher has found. In a study published in the academic journal Central Asian Survey, U.S.-based German researcher Adrian Zenz cites Chinese officials and government-affiliated reports to describe Beijing's plan to "optimize" the composition of residents living in the country's northwestern region. Zenz, whose work led China to sanction him and others in March, told Newsweek that world governments must do more to address China's continued application of draconian policies against its majority Muslim population in Xinjiang.

"It is critical that Beijing doesn't just get away with these abuses," said Zenz. https://www.newsweek.com/china-population-control-measures-prevent-births-xinjiang-adrian-zen z-1622842

Hong Kong police probe June 4 vigil organizer for foreign collusion

Officials demand data on ties to US groups, funding and membership

Chow Hang-tung, center, pictured here in June, told Nikkei Asia on Aug. 25 that allegations of collusion with foreign forces were "absurd." (Photo by Kenji Kawase) KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei Asia chief business news correspondentAugust 25, 2021 23:04 JST

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong police are investigating the pro-democracy group that organizes the city's annual commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown for suspected collusion with foreign groups.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Hong-Kong-security-law/Hong-Kong-police-probe-June-4-vigil-o rganizer-for-foreign-collusion

Japan’s Olympic gold medals are losing their shine, say Chinese competitors Didi Tang

Wednesday August 25 2021, 9.00am BST, The Times At the Beijing Olympics, victorious athletes walked away not with just any old medal — for the first time in Games history quality gold plate was inlaid with jade to symbolise the Chinese virtues of nobility, strength and honour.

The Chinese, however, are less than impressed with the efforts of Japan, who this year awarded medals made from recycled electronic devices, including phones. According to pictures from one Olympian, the medals are already disintegrating.

Zhu Xueying, 23, the women’s trampoline champion at the Tokyo Games, took to Chinese social media to show material apparently “flaking” off her prize. She said she had noticed what appeared to be a smudge on the medal but found she could not rub it off. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dont-bite-on-that-gold-medal-too-hard-olympic-wi nner-says-hers-seems-to-be-flaking-sz9nhs6jx

In rare move, Japan prepares to offer refuge to Afghans

Hundreds who worked at embassy and aid group could qualify for resettlement

A C-2 transporter leaves the Air Self-Defense Force's Iruma Air Base on Aug. 23 to evacuate Japanese nationals and Afghan staffers from Afghanistan. (Photo by Koji Uema)

YUKI NAKAMURA, Nikkei staff writerAugust 26, 2021 00:19 JST

TOKYO -- Japan has begun preparations to take in Afghans who worked for its embassy and aid organization, an unusual opening of doors to war refugees amid mounting concerns of Taliban retribution against locals who worked with foreign governments. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Afghanistan-turmoil/In-rare-mo ve-Japan-prepares-to-offer-refuge-to-Afghans

Japan PM, ruling party executive to hold talks on party leadership race

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and ruling party heavyweight Toshihiro Nikai were set to meet on Wednesday (Aug 25) to discuss the timing and the format of a party leadership vote, officials involved in the talks said.

Nikai, an influential member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has said he backs the re-appointment of Suga as party head, a position ensuring Suga would remain prime minister and lead the party in the looming general election.

Japan's largest newspaper the Yomiuri daily said on Wednesday that in addition to Nikai's faction, the leadership of four other main groups in the LDP also favoured Suga for the top job, although younger, more vulnerable MPs opposed the unpopular premier.

Suga took office last September after Shinzo Abe quit citing ill health, and his term expires at the end of next month. The premier's ratings have fallen below 30 per cent as Japan battles its worst wave of COVID-19 infections, and some in the party want to replace him before the general election.

Suga has repeatedly said he would run in the leadership contest for another term, though a former foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, is likely to challenge him in the vote, which is expected to take place on Sep 29.

LDP members of parliament and grassroots party members are expected to be eligible to vote in the poll.

There had been speculation that Suga may aim to first call a general election, win a majority of seats, then use the victory to help him win another term as party leader.

But Kyodo news agency, citing unnamed sources, said late on Tuesday Suga was not planning to dissolve the lower house of parliament, a key step for calling a snap election, before the party leadership vote.

Nikai has said Wednesday's talks would be about "the future of the party and the country". Party officials said the talks were set to start at 11am (2am GMT) at the LDP's headquarters in central Tokyo.

Nikai played a major role in ensuring Suga's victory in the previous LDP leadership race last year.

Suga was scheduled to hold a news conference at 9pm (12pm GMT) on the expansion of the COVID-19 state of emergency to eight more prefectures, including the northern island of Hokkaido, as infections show no sign of slowing. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/japan-pm-ruling-party-executive-hold-talks-pa rty-leadership-race-2134321

Fukushima nuclear plant water to be released into the ocean via undersea tunnel Japanese officials have said the ocean release is the most realistic option for disposing the radiocative water.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in April. Kyodo News / AP file Aug. 26, 2021, 1:14 AM CST / Source: Associated Press By The Associated Press

TOKYO — The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said Wednesday it plans to build an undersea tunnel so that massive amounts of treated but still radioactive water can be released into the ocean less than a mile away from the plant to avoid interference with local fishing.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said it hopes to start releasing the water in spring 2023. TEPCO says hundreds of storage tanks at the plant need to be removed to make room for facilities necessary for the plant's decommissioning.

An official in charge of the water discharge project, Junichi Matsumoto, said TEPCO will construct the undersea tunnel by drilling through bedrock in the seabed near its No. 5 reactor, which survived the meltdowns at the plant, to minimize possible underground contamination or leakage of radioactive ground water into the tunnel. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/fukushima-nuclear-plant-water-be-released-un dersea-tunnel-n1277630

Emperor declares opening of Tokyo Paralympic Games The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Emperor proclaims the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Tuesday. 3:08 pm, August 25, 2021 The Yomiuri ShimbunThe Emperor, who is the honorary patron of the Tokyo Paralympic Games, proclaimed the opening of the Games at the opening ceremony at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Tuesday.

“I declare open the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games,” the Emperor said.

According to the Imperial Household Agency, the International Paralympic Committee’s handbook says the Paralympic Games shall be proclaimed open by the head of state of the host country attending the opening ceremony. The wording for the declaration is also formalized by the IPC, although it does not include the word “celebrating” as in the Olympic Games’ opening declaration.

The Emperor Emeritus attended the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games when he was the crown prince, and the Emperor attended the opening ceremony for the 1998 Nagano Winter Paralympic Games, also as the crown prince. This time, the Emperor serves as the honorary patron of both the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games as a reflection of the unity of the events.

The Empress did not attend the ceremony because the novel coronavirus pandemic forced a reduction in the number of attendees.

Ahead of the ceremony, the Emperor met IPC President Andrew Parsons and several other IPC members at the Imperial Palace.

“It is my sincere hope that these Games should be an impetus for progress to be made in building a society in which all of us, regardless of disabilities, can live together while placing greater importance than ever before on respecting and caring for one another,” the Emperor said to the visitors. https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0007707994

S. Korea expresses 'strong regret' over Japan's Fukushima water release move without consultations

Posted : 2021-08-25 20:45 Updated : 2021-08-25 23:00

South Korea on Wednesday expressed strong regret over Japan's move to release contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant without consultations with neighbors, following new reports of an undersea tunnel construction plan to release radioactive water from the plant.

The government convened a vice-ministerial interagency meeting in response to news reports that the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., the operator of the Fukushima plant, was planning to construct an approximately 1 kilometer-long undersea tunnel to release radioactive water from the suspended power plant into the sea.

Koo Yoon-cheol, head of the office of government policy coordination who chaired the meeting, stated that Seoul "expresses strong regret over (Tokyo) unilaterally pursuing its plan without any prior consultations or seeking consent from our government."

He stressed that Japan was "pushing ahead" with specific administrative procedures regarding the Fukushima water release plan despite problems raised by South Korea and the international community.

Koo added that it would be advisable for Japan to "immediately halt" its plan to release radioactive water into sea and "consult and communicate sufficiently beforehand" with neighboring countries.

He also stated that South Korea will continue to work with the international community for the safety of its people and closely monitor and review future measures by Tokyo regarding the Fukushima water release plan.

An estimated 1.25 million tons of such water are in temporary storage at the Fukushima nuclear plant on the east coast of Japan, which was devastated by a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in March 2011. (Yonhap)

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/08/356_314508.html

South Korea parliament set to pass law to curb 'fake news'

25 Aug 2021 03:38PM(Updated: 25 Aug 2021 03:38PM) SEOUL South Korea's ruling party is set to revise a media law to rein in "fake news" by giving courts the power to award much bigger damages but opponents said it would discourage reporters from delving into the shady dealings of the powerful.

South Korea is home to a thriving news industry, ranking relatively high on world media freedom tables but it has struggled with the spread of misinformation and cyber bullying in recent years.

The amendment to the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies allows the courts to order damages up to five times bigger than they can now for publication of false or fabricated reports ruled to have infringed on a plaintiff's rights or caused "emotional distress".

"The damage and ripple effect caused by wrong media reports is large and broad in scale, inflicting irreparable harm to individuals," the Democratic Party said in a statement.

The law would also require media outlets, including internet news service providers, to issue corrections for erroneous or fabricated news that manifest "intention" or "gross negligence". https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/south-korea-parliament-set-pass-law-curb-fak e-news-2134941

Public remains poles apart over accepting Afghan refugees Some say support necessary based on humanitarian grounds; others emphasize struggling Koreans should come first

By Kan Hyeong-woo

Published : Aug 25, 2021 - 17:02 Updated : Aug 25, 2021 - 17:06 A public debate over whether Korea should accept Afghan refugees continues to heat up with the government granting special stay permits for Afghans here while airlifting nationals who worked for Korea in the war-torn country.

Since the Taliban took control of Kabul earlier this month, opinions are split over whether Korea should help Afghan nationals.

A national petition against the idea of taking in Afghan refugees posted on the presidential website of Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday has gained over 18,000 signatures so far.

“Afghans showed no willingness to put in any efforts. They just abandoned their own country as soon as the US pulled its troops,” the petitioner wrote.

“Right now, Korea is having extreme difficulties with a poor economy and the prolonged coronavirus pandemic. There are more than enough of our own people who are struggling. We aren’t even solving their problems. If we accept refugees, who would pay for the money for them?”

The petitioner also voiced concerns over potential cultural conflicts, saying that Afghans, most of whom are Muslims, would be unable to coexist with Koreans due to religious reasons.

Another national petition, on the other hand, gave reasons as to why Korea should open up its borders for Afghan refugees.

“Korea signed the (UN) Refugee Convention. In terms of economic conditions such as GDP, it is a country that has capabilities to accept refugees. Above all, it is a humanitarian duty to help people who are politically and culturally persecuted in their home country,” the petition read.

“Korea has been criticized for being passive in recognizing refugees. Now we should show responsibility by actively accepting refugees in accordance with international standards and agreements.”

The petition in favor of taking in Afghan refugees only received around 900 signatures as of noon Wednesday.

According to an online survey conducted by local weekly paper MoneyS, about three-quarters of the respondents said the country should not take in Afghan refugees in consideration of several aspects. About 11 percent said they should be accepted on humanitarian grounds. Another 11 percent said the decision should be made after consulting the public to reach social consensus.

In regards to a news report about the Justice Ministry’s announcement on granting special stay permits for 434 Afghans residing in Korea, opinions in online communities were mixed again.

One commenter said it was a good decision and the measure would benefit everyone in the long term, adding that those who would receive help are in desperate need.

But another, who posted on a related news article on Naver, wrote that the reason for the opposition was not because they were asylum seekers, but rather because of their religious backgrounds.

As far as the government’s decision to bring in some 380 Afghans who worked for Korea in Afghanistan via military airplanes is concerned, the majority of the public appeared in favor of the mission.

“We were in an extreme hardship, but we’ve made it this far with the help from the world. Please do not criticize the least humanitarian measures,” one online comment read.

“I hope we can open up our minds and give a warm hug to those who are having the most difficult times of their lives.”

At a time when countries’ abilities to extend help across borders is growing, another said, it is important to create a perception for people that Korea takes responsibility for those who cooperate with Korea.

By Kan Hyeong-woo ([email protected])

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210825000826

North Koreans Pressed to Donate Labor, Cash For Flood Recovery Work Authorities tell factories and citizens to provide building materials and perform manual labor.

2021-08-24 Factories and residents in North Korea are chafing at new orders to help fund and build new houses for people on the country’s east coast whose homes were destroyed in floods early this month, sources in the region told RFA. North Korean state television reported that 5,000 people were evacuated as floods damaged about 1,000 homes. The rains were heaviest in the coastal provinces of North and South Hamgyong, causing widespread power outages, inundating some buildings up to their roofs, and washing away roads and farmland. The disaster hit North Korea as it struggles with food shortages and economic fallout from the closure in January 2020 of the border with China to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which added to the pinch of longstanding international sanctions aimed at halting its nuclear program.

North Korea’s hard-pressed people are routinely called on donate labor, money, and food to national projects or for disaster recovery, and the task is made harder by a constant lack of material and basic equipment.

“Military and party officials come to each organization and the neighborhood watch units to propagandize that everyone should donate money or help, even a little bit, for their neighbors,” said a resident of South Hamgyong province, describing the mobilization in Kumya county.

“Small organizations with a small number of people have to donate funds and gasoline to the provincial party for construction,” he said. “All households in the town are also tasked with donating 20 stones, five buckets of small pebbles, 20 buckets of sand, and nails,” the source, who declined to be named in order to speak freely, told RFA’s Korean Service on Aug. 20. Although the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and the provincial government said they would furnish basic materials and supplies necessary to build the houses, so far they have provided only cement, the source said. To procure wood, officials have ordered factories and companies to cut down trees in a few cubic meters of forestland and use the wood for construction material, the source said.

The factories must send workers to the forest to fell the trees and then process the wood by themselves, while local residents also must pitch in to help with the recovery efforts, he added.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/flood-recovery-08242021153827.html

U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan: The View From Pyongyang

Robert Collins

As the world watches the precipitous and poorly planned efforts of the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, America’s allies cannot help but to wonder how these unfolding historical events will impact their individual alliances with the U.S. Elements of the Republic of Korea (ROK – South Korea) are no different. Today, the ROK print and broadcast media is full of questions and doubt, as well as ROK politicians who view compromise with North Korea as the primary route to unification of the Korean peninsula.

For North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, the view from Pyongyang has definitely improved from the Kim regime’s perspective of splitting the ROK-US Alliance. The Kim regime has had few opportunities as significant as America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan to manipulate the ROK into doubting, even distrusting, its alliance with the U.S. Allied efforts at peace on the peninsula or any expectation that North Korea will accept new conditions in peace negotiations are now demonstrably crippled.

Consequently, it would be foolish to not believe that Kim Jong-un has called secretive meetings of the Korean Workers’ Party (KW) Politburo and the Central Military Committee to review the situation and its impact on the Korean Peninsula. It would be even more foolish to believe that Kim Jong-un has not ordered the KWP Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD), the United Front Department (UFD), the Korean People’s Army (KPA), the General Political Bureau (GPB), and any other institution to urgently establish new plans that would take advantage of the ROK doubt in its alliance with the U.S., regardless of how significant or insignificant that doubt may be. This would be applicable to both pre-crisis and mid-crisis.

North Korea’s frontline of propaganda, political agitation, misinformation, disinformation, and target audience manipulation is the KWP PAD. The PAD has many informational tasks and manipulates many themes and messages, while influencing ROK public opinion is just one of them. However, among external information operations, the ROK public is the main target. This effort is led by the PAD Overseas Propaganda Bureau. Some PAD sub-elements focus on counterintelligence propaganda, KWP policy propaganda and war-readiness propaganda, most of which targets the North Korean population. The Kim regime’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is in direct support of these efforts domestically.

The UFD commands a cyber department that promotes false propaganda targeting the ROK public for the purpose of causing socio-political confrontation within the general public, the ROK government administration, and ROK politicians. It has established a

dedicated cyber department that conducts psychological warfare against the ROK through 140 internet websites with servers in 19 overseas countries, including “Uriminjokkiri (Among Our People)” and “Kuguk Chonson (Save the Country Front).” The mission of these 140 websites is to organize cyber tactics to create “revolution in the ROK” which lead to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the South. In coordination with the PAD, two primary UFD organizations that focus on the ROK are the 101st Liaison Center and the 26th Liaison Center.

The 101st Liaison Center, located in front of the Pyongyang Medical College in Yonhwa-1-dong, Chung-gu, Pyongyang. It is responsible for producing fabrications, falsehoods, and distortions – in other words, disinformation – about all three of the North’s Supreme Leader – Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un. The 101st Liaison Center employs 30 experts on South Korean society and culture. They produce novels, poems, and songs proclaiming the glory of the North’s Supreme Leader and distribute them through the KPA Reconnaissance General Bureau’s (RGB) 225th intelligence unit.

The 26th Liaison Center produces videos focusing on admiration for the Supreme Leader, emphasizing that the Supreme Leader is the pivot point of Korean unification. The 26th’s products are particularly designed to shape ROK college students and their efforts at anti-government activities. The 26th operates the Voice of Salvation broadcast system that targets the ROK public. Redefining these efforts to support doubt in the reliability of the U.S. commitment would be an easy transition. The 26th, which also works with the 225th, is located next to Kim Il-sung University gymnasium in Yonghung-dong, Taesong-guyok, Pyongyang.

The PAD and the RGB collaborate to infiltrate the ROK with anti-ROK government and anti-U.S. propaganda. The RGB’s 225th Intelligence Unit is North Korea’s primary infiltration element targeting the ROK and other countries. In collaboration with the Liaison Centers, the 225th carries the products of the 101st and the 26th into the ROK. Targeting ROK confidence in its alliance with the U.S. would be a primary effort of the 225th‘s infiltration assets.

The GPB is responsible for all political activity within the KPA. Moreover, it also commands the Enemy Operations Department, otherwise known as the 563rd Unit. The 563rd falls under the operational control of the KWP UFD during peacetime. It conducts clandestine operations against ROK soldiers, as well as kidnapping, propaganda broadcasts along the DMZ, and distributing leaflets and other printed materials. In wartime, it conducts operations against populations in territories occupied by the KPA, assesses reactionaries, and seeks out KPA supporters. The 563rd Unit’s criticality grows the greater any crisis becomes.

Finally, but most importantly, Kim Jong-un has most likely ordered the operational planning section of the KPA General Staff to coordinate the above efforts with new military plans that would target ROK trust in the alliance, particularly during any road to war and defense conditions elevations during crisis. These operations will also likely be

incorporated into efforts to debilitate ROK confidence in its alliance with the U.S. during the alliance’s primary spring and summer command post exercises.

All these regime organizations will operate in high gear, given the catastrophic efforts of U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan. Providing vision for these efforts is China’s efforts to undermine U.S. support for Taiwan and Taiwanese confidence in their relationship with the U.S. The Kim regime will no doubt be on the lookout for newly learned tactics and strategies devised and implemented by the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army.

Kim regime efforts to weaken the ROK-U.S. Alliance will continue to advance and develop over the coming months and will take learning points from every development of the United States’ clumsy withdrawal from Afghanistan. Most importantly, it will use this development to propagandize the superior leadership of Kim Jong-un over that of the United States

https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/us-withdrawal-afghanistan-view-pyongyang

Vietnamese PM urges awareness of peaceful evolution at meeting with Chinese envoy ahead of Harris visit ‘

By Global Times’ Published: Aug 25, 2021 02:27 PM

’ Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said developing the Vietnam-China relations is a strategic choice and a top priority of Vietnam's foreign policy, during his meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo on Tuesday.

The meeting was held before US Vice President Kamala Harris started her visit Vietnam, who has accused China of coercion and intimidation in the South China Sea amid her roadshow in Singapore. “ ” “ ” Chinh stressed during the meeting with Ambassador Xiong the importance of the communication between Vietnam and China, noting the two countries will deepen inter-Party, foreign affairs, national defense, and public security cooperation, and guard against "peaceful evolution" of hostile forces and their attempts to sow discord between the two countries, according to the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam.

Analysts said the message is clear before the visit of US vice president, that Hanoi will not allow the China-Vietnam relations to suffer because of Harris visit.

The meeting also came on the heel of China s vaccine aid to Vietnam’ on Monday, which was urgently needed in the country. Chinh extended Vietnam's gratitude toward China, emphasizing that Vietnam opposes politicizing’ either the pandemic or the virus origins-tracing issue.

Xiong said China and Vietnam share the same political system, shared ideals and beliefs and similar development paths, and constitute a community with a shared future of strategic significance.

Describing the bilateral ties as a top priority, Chinh said a healthy and stable development of Vietnam-China relations plays a decisive role in advancing stability and development in the region.

Chinh said that Vietnam is ready to make joint efforts with China to implement the high-level consensus, continue to strengthen high-level exchanges in a flexible way and constantly consolidate political mutual trust.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1232394.shtml

Why Vietnam shuns the idea of being a pawn in great power competition

In her trip today, Vice President Kamala Harris again raised the specter of China ‘bullying’ and hopes for a strategic relationship. AUGUST 25, 2021 Written by Ben Jones It is clear from Vice President Kamala Harris’s trip to Vietnam today and to the region that the United States is trying to shore up its allies in its great power challenge to China. The question is whether these allies are willing to play along. Armed with vaccines and a desire to upgrade the two countries’ relationship to a “strategic partnership,” the vice president was precluded earlier on Tuesday by a Chinese envoy who was also bearing vaccines. The competition over Vietnam is on. Harris, following up on a speech she made in Singapore earlier in the week, made it clear in remarks to officials in Hanoi that China and security was front and center on the administration’s minds: “We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims,” said Harris. But like other countries in the region, Vietnam is struggling to find a balance between its interests in improving the Washington-Hanoi relationship and its own path to security and prosperity among its neighbors, and in particular, with China. Improved ties between the United States and Vietnam did not happen overnight. But despite only normalizing relations in 1995, the countries have found much common ground. While Vietnam is likely to continue to be a crucial partner as Washington focuses greater attention on the region, it will not abandon its core foreign policy values of independence and self-reliance. U.S. military cooperation with Vietnam will have inherent limitations. The Vietnamese have no desire to rely on the United States or any other country to provide for their own security. The United States will have to continue to put diplomacy and economic ties at the forefront of its relationship with Hanoi. Few Americans have any familiarity with Vietnamese history before or after America’s ill-fated war there. The conflict with the United States is not absent from Vietnam’s memory, but the country has endured centuries of intervention and subjugation at the hands of regional and global powers. Various Chinese dynasties, dating as far back as the Western Han dynasty in the second century BC, sought to control the people of Vietnam for centuries with varying levels of success. France consolidated its control over Indochina in the late 19th century before the Japanese Empire arrived in 1940. French colonial rule returned after World War II only to come to a violent end in 1954, setting the stage for an ever-growing American presence. The Paris Peace Accords marked the ostensible end of America’s war in 1973, and South Vietnam fell two years later. The

Vietnamese had little time to rest. China invaded from the north in 1979 in response to Vietnamese actions against the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, which was then backed by Beijing. Vietnam withstood this incursion as well. The Khmer Rouge was removed from power, and China eventually withdrew its troops from Vietnam.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/08/25/why-vietnam-shuns-the-idea-of-being-a-p awn-in-great-power-competition/

4 Years After Fleeing Myanmar, Rohingya Still Risk Death Seeking a Better Life The Rohingya still say they want to return to their homes in Myanmar, but the prospects for their repatriation appear as slim as ever.

2021-08-24

An exhausted Rohingya woman touches the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh, Sept. 11, 2017.

Reuters At least eight Rohingya children drowned in the Bay of Bengal last week – casualties of a desperate people’s desire to get away from the Bangladeshi camps where they’ve been confined since fleeing Myanmar four years ago. They were among three dozen souls aboard a small boat that capsized in bad weather on Aug. 14 off Bhashan Char island, leaving 26 dead or missing, and providing a bleak reminder of the plight of one million Rohingya who languish in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Three-quarters of them fled a 2017 Myanmar military crackdown, whose grim anniversary falls on Wednesday. Bashir Ahmad was one of 12 people rescued by local fishermen from the capsized boat. He and ten family members had risked their lives to get away from the remote camp on Bhashan Char, where nearly 19,000 Rohingya have been shifted since December, with the promise of better conditions than in the sprawling camps of Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh. "My wife and my four children are still missing,” Bashir told BenarNews. “We came here [Bhashan Char] with the hope for a better life, but we were deprived of it.” Authorities have given up the search for the survivors. The boat deaths in the Bay of Bengal came ahead of what Syed Ullah, leader of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, calls “a black day for Rohingya people.”

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/life-08242021175451.html

Months After Coup, Myanmar Accelerates Toward Surveillance State August 24, 2021

By Estey Chen

Norwegian corporation Telenor, one of the four main telecoms providers in Myanmar, announced on July 8 its $105 million sale to M1 Group, a Lebanese investment firm. The low selling price surprised observers given Telenor Myanmar’s “implied enterprise value of approximately $600 million,” but the company cited challenges with “people security” and regulatory compliance in Myanmar. Telenor’s hasty exit reflects the hostile operating environment for businesses of all scales, a drastic shift since the early 2010s when firms eagerly rushed in to stake a claim in the country’s opening market. More alarmingly, the junta’s interventions in the telecommunications sector are symptomatic of its broader efforts to undermine human rights and civil liberties in Myanmar.

Nationwide interruptions to Myanmar’s telecommunications sector began on February 1, after Senior General Min Aung Hlaing overthrew the democratically elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Though the Myanmar government began imposing temporary internet blackouts in Rakhine state in June 2019, the February 2021 internet outages, which aimed to suppress pro-democracy protests, were the first on a nationwide scale. For nearly three months, the junta maintained a nightly ban on fixed-line and fiber internet services, shut down mobile and wireless broadband networks, and restricted access to popular social media platforms. Telenor, for example, regularly updated its website during the first two weeks of February with statements responding to the unpredictable network outages imposed by the junta. Seeking to offer some semblance of transparency in an otherwise opaque operating environment, Telenor detailed the orders it received from the junta, which included temporarily blocking access to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram within five days of the coup. Likewise, a senior official at MPT, the first telecommunications firm in Myanmar, reported to Frontier Myanmar that the junta had ordered the company to block its 20 million-plus customers from accessing “hundreds of thousands of IP addresses” over the course of several weeks.

These interventions exacerbated existing instability across Myanmar’s finance and e-commerce sectors. Pandemic-induced movement restrictions before the coup had already slowed wholesale and retail business activity, which prompted 38 percent of Myanmar firms to move to online platforms, according to the World Bank. This resulted in a “73 percent increase in e-commerce payments” year-on-year, the same World Bank report added. However, without reliable internet access, businesses dependent on the internet could not facilitate financial transactions or access computing services critical to the functioning of their operations, like Amazon Web Services.

Political instability after the coup further destabilized Myanmar’s internal banking

infrastructure. A May 2021 joint survey conducted by 10 foreign chambers of commerce reported that nearly 50 percent of Western companies surveyed experienced between 50 to 75 percent reductions in business activity in Myanmar and 12 percent of Western companies had ceased all their activities amid the political crisis. Meanwhile, 68 percent of Myanmar companies surveyed reduced their business activity and 4 percent terminated their activities entirely. Cognizant of the reverberating effects of the internet outages, Myanmar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications lifted the nighttime internet ban in April and distributed to internet service providers and telecommunications firms a whitelist of over 750 permitted web services and 450 domains. Over 300 business and productivity-related applications, such as Microsoft Office and Google Suite applications, made the cut, as well as over 60 entertainment and gaming sites, 20 delivery services, and 10 educational sites. Online and mobile banking services also resumed, with over 50 firms among those approved.

However, Telenor’s fire sale in July is evidence that the whitelist failed to make Myanmar a more hospitable business landscape as the junta intended. Rather, the whitelist precipitated the further deterioration of human rights under military rule as the junta’s demands have grown bolder over time. For example, before Telenor’s exit, the junta began pressuring the firm to implement phone intercept technology, which Telenor was uncomfortable doing, according to Human Rights Watch. Human rights groups have suggested that corruption charges filed in 2019 against M1 Group’s founder indicate that the investment firm does not share Telenor’s support for freedom of expression and that M1 Group may readily enable the junta to surveil political opposition without hesitation.

Pro-democracy activists have raised concerns that the conditions of Telenor’s sale to M1 Group endanger anti-junta protestors. On July 27, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations submitted a formal complaint to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) alleging that Telenor’s withdrawal failed to meet the OECD’s “standards of responsible disengagement.” The complaint, filed on behalf of 474 Myanmar-based civil society organizations, asserts that in Telenor’s haste to sell all its operations, the company did not “conduct appropriate risk-based due diligence” or “meaningfully” consult relevant stakeholders, such as those participating in filing the complaint. On August 12, a group of 45 human rights groups expressed similar concerns in public letters addressed to Telenor’s board chair and Norway’s prime minister and king (the Norwegian government is the majority shareholder in Telenor). Other civil liberties groups worry about the security of call data records for Telenor’s 18 million customers, which M1 group will inherit. Though Telenor clarified in a later statement that call data records do not “contain any information on content” of communications, civil society organizations contend that the location data and phone numbers listed within call records are enough to compromise the safety of activists hiding from the military.

These disruptions in the telecommunications sector, combined with the junta’s use of military-grade surveillance technology, point to Myanmar’s acceleration toward a surveillance state. The junta has already suspended provisions in the 2017 Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens, thereby allowing the military to search and

seize peoples’ belongings and intercept phone call data without warrants. Facebook and Twitter remain blocked unless accessed through a Virtual Private Network, and while social networking sites like WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Instagram are whitelisted, the junta’s omnipresence and disproportionate use of force is conditioning people to censor themselves online.

Despite all these developments, few corporations have so far pulled out of the country. Still, Telenor’s sale follows recent efforts by international corporations to distance themselves from Myanmar’s junta. This trend will accelerate in the coming months if the humanitarian crisis worsens and the reputational, financial, and security costs of maintaining operations in Myanmar begin to outweigh the benefits.

https://www.csis.org/blogs/new-perspectives-asia/months-after-coup-myanmar-accele rates-toward-surveillance-state

Malaysia’s new PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob and opposition leaders agree to find common ground

 A joint statement said the meeting focused on handling the Covid-19 pandemic, saving lives and reviving the economy

 Anwar Ibrahim said it was a ‘good beginning’ and he felt positive about working with the new government to heal the nation

Bloomberg

Malaysia’s new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and opposition leaders pledged on Wednesday to find “common ground” to tackle a coronavirus outbreak and boost the economy, seeking to ease long-running political turbulence.

The meeting, which lasted over an hour at the premier s office, was focused on how best to handle the Covid-19 crisis, save lives and revive the economy, according to a joint statement signed by Ismail and the three ’ leaders of the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition:

Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng and Mohamad Sabu.

Anwar said the meeting left him feeling positive about working with the new government to heal the nation that has seen three changes of administration since 2018.

This was a good beginning for us to present more effective ways to manage Covid, and pro-people programmes focused toward the problems of the poor and unemployed, Anwar told reporters in Putrajaya“ after the meeting. ” Malaysia has been under a nationwide lockdown since June to fight the outbreak, forcing the closure of many businesses and affecting the livelihoods of millions. On Wednesday it reported 22,642 new coronavirus cases and 265 new deaths. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3146370/malaysias-new-pm-i smail-sabri-yaakob-and-opposition

A Strategic Assessment From India: Kabul’s Chaos Makes Pakistan Look More Dangerous The hasty U.S. troop withdrawal in Afghanistan is more than a quick win for the Taliban: It’s a serious loss of regional stability, kindling for terrorism, and fuel for Pakistani ambitions.

Concerns about Pakistan extend beyond rival India, which has historic and cultural ties to Afghanistan and invested heavily in infrastructure projects there. Bruce Riedel, who helped the Obama administration synthesize policy on Afghanistan in 2009, noted in April that U.S. President Joe Biden had yet to engage with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan. Biden’s mistake, he said, comes after the U.S. president inherited “a terrible deal from Trump’s feckless negotiators.”

The lapse, Riedel warned, would eventually make Pakistani generals “more hubristic and dangerous than ever.” Pakistan, he predicted, “is a winner again in Afghanistan.”

This week’s distressing visuals put a face on some who didn’t win. Images of Afghans desperately trying to board U.S. military transport planes in Kabul were as poignant as those that chronicled the fall of Saigon in 1975. Female students worried about their schooling future. Afghan women feared “dark days,” France 24 reported.How did Pakistan’s Khan respond to the Taliban sweeping into Kabul? “Afghanistan has broken the shackles of slavery,” he declared.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2021/08/25/a_strategic_assessment_from_i ndia_kabuls_chaos_makes_pakistan_look_more_dangerous_791540.html

Russia Tells America s Friends: You re All Alone Now ’ ’

August 25, 2021

Russia, like authoritarians the world over, wanted America’s friends to take away one message from the U.S. debacle in Afghanistan: No one will save you. Was the deposed pro-American regime in Kabul saved by being a major non-NATO ally? asked Nikolai Patrushev, head of Russia s National Security Council, in an interview last“ week. A similar situation awaits supporters of the American faction in Ukraine. ” ’ Patrushev “was one of few government officials to make that claim outright. Rather, state” media and its allies crafted for Russian audiences the image of a world already turned against the West. As part of Russia s long-standing strategy of supporting a wide-ranging and disparate assortment of independent media entities, state media outlets amplified their chosen message from pieces published’ by Ukrainians, Georgians, and Americans, portraying carefully selected articles as representative of the countries as a whole. To audiences at home, the Russian message was that democracies have lost trust in the West.

According to Russian state media, even the United States itself recognizes the hollowness of the major non-NATO (MNNA) ally designation something that countries like Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova aspire to but have not achieved. That was the interpretation of an article by Nikolas Gvosdev, a professor at the— U.S. Naval War College, published in the American magazine National Interest. The magazine s publisher is a host on Russian state television and was named in the 2019 Mueller Report as a link between Russia and the Trump campaign. Watching events in Kabul, Gvosdev’ wrote, a government in Kyiv, or Tbilisi, or Chisinau would wonder whether getting even non-NATO status would bring much benefit. “ ” “

Although much” of the article focused on the need for the United States to apply the ally label more judiciously, this paraphrasing to emphasize U.S. post-Afghan timorousness was what was highlighted by state newswires TASS and RIA Novosti, leading TV channels TV 5, NTV, and REN TV, and top newspapers Izvestiya and Moskovsky Komsomolets, among dozens more, all government-owned or allied. The headline in Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russia s most-read newspaper, summed up the Russian portrayal: In the United States, it is said that Ukraine is under threat due to the situation in Afghanistan. ’ “ ”

In Ukraine, Russia relied on Igor Guzhva, a pro-Russian local journalist. In a popular post, he wrote that the fall of Kabul meant, you cannot trust the Americans, that the Americans will throw in the towel, and that there is no hope for the Americans. He suggested Ukraine abandon its main “geopolitical business in the past seven” “years creating problems for Russia. Guzhva” s piece“ showed up in newswire RIA Novosti” , state television TV360, state radio Vesti“ , and newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, among— many others. Ukraine reconsiders Russian” provocation’ after American flight from Afghanistan, was a standard headline. “ ” https://cepa.org/russia-tells-americas-friends-youre-all-alone-now/

Russian says he swam to Japan, wants asylum Reports and officials say a Russian man from a Russian-held island claimed by both Tokyo and Moscow is seeking asylum after being found in a wetsuit on Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

25 August 2021, 21:09 TOKYO -- A Russian man from a Russian-held island claimed by both Tokyo and Moscow is seeking asylum after being found in a wetsuit on Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido, media reports and officials said Wednesday.

The man was found in the town of Shibetsu on the coast of Hokkaido across from Kunashiri island, one of four Russian-held islands claimed by both countries, Japanese media said. He said he swam about 20 kilometers (12 miles) to Hokkaido to seek asylum, the reports said.

The man was wearing a wetsuit when he was found by a local resident last Thursday, the reports said. The regional immigration office in Sapporo said Wednesday that he is being interviewed by immigration officials following an initial investigation by police to determine whether he is eligible for a temporary landing permit or refugee status, or is subject to repatriation.

The immigration office declined to provide his identity and other details, including how he arrived in Hokkaido.

In a Facebook statement earlier this week, the Russian Embassy in Japan sought an explanation from Japanese authorities of the status of the man, whom it identified as V.-F.V. Nokarde.

Japan claims the four islands, which it calls the Northern Territories. The Soviet Union seized them in the final days of World War II, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their war hostilities.

Decades of diplomatic efforts to negotiate a settlement haven’t produced any tangible results.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/reports-russian-swam-japan-island-as ylum-79633392

Taliban urges US not to evacuate skilled Afghans

A Taliban spokesperson has called on the United States to stop encouraging Afghans to leave the country, saying Afghanistan needs experts, such as doctors and engineers.

Zabihullah Mujahid made the remark at a news conference on Tuesday.

He said the Taliban are trying to reduce the number of people swarming the airport in Kabul.

He assured Afghans that they can return home and live peacefully.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210825_23/

'Politics has absolutely no place' when researching COVID-19 origins: WHO chief scientist

WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan with CNA's Lin Xueling on "In Conversation" Aug 23, 2021 Bryan Kwa

Lin Xueling @LinXuelingCNA 25 Aug 2021 09:20AM(Updated: 25 Aug 2021 09:20AM) SINGAPORE: The World Health Organization (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan has called for a depoliticalised, evidence-based global scientific effort to understand the origins of the COVID-19 virus and the steps needed to prevent a future pandemic.

Dr Swaminathan made the call amid an ongoing political blame-game in global power rivalry centered around China, the country where the virus was first detected in the city of Wuhan.

I think politics has absolutely no place in this because the science behind this is going to be important for all of us, regardless of which country we live“ in, said Dr Swaminathan in an exclusive interview with CNA on Monday (Aug 23). ” Her comments come after WHO expert Peter Ben Embarek, who led an international mission to China in February this year, said that Chinese researchers had pressured his team against linking the origins of the pandemic to a research laboratory in Wuhan. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/covid-19-origins-world-health-organization-c hief-scientist-conversation-2132621

The Whole World Needs Vaccines Before a Worse Variant Than Delta Arrives The United States has to put global health first unless it wants a new disaster.

By Eric A. Friedman and Lawrence O. Gostin

AUGUST 24, 2021, 3:22 PM

Not long ago in the United States, COVID-19 cases were plummeting, vaccine rates were soaring, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued “mask-off” guidance for the vaccinated. July 4 was supposed to be “Freedom Day.” Not so fast. The seven-day daily average of COVID-19 cases has spiked to 150,000 and is rising fast, and the CDC has said vaccinated individuals with breakthrough infections have high viral loads capable of efficient transmission. Science gave us the tools to end the COVID-19 pandemic, but we have been poor stewards, from vaccine hesitancy to states banning mask and vaccination mandates. Americans expected a one-way path to herd immunity and a return to normal. Instead, they face an exponentially worsening delta variant-driven spike, with many months of restrictions on the way. Yet without forceful action, an even worse prospect looms: variants that partially or fully evade our best vaccines.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/24/delta-variant-booster-shoots-covax-vaccines/

The waning of the Liberal Economic Consensus in the wake of the pandemic

By Thomas Duesterberg On Aug 24, 2021

Vulnerabilities in crucial supply chains in the US, Europe and East Asia came into sharp relief during the Covid-19 pandemic. Given that many of the gaps in medical supplies could only be filled—in the acute phase of the crisis—by China also underscored larger and systemic dependencies on Chinese suppliers which had been unfolding for decades. The growing recognition that such vulnerabilities were in large part the result of a long-term Chinese ambition to displace Transatlantic and East Asian technology and primary material industries, and to achieve a large measure of self-sufficiency, has broadened concern regarding the impact of what can be described as a Chinese strategy of “decoupling” from the West.

A worker at a steel mill in Tangshan, China One important result of these developments is a growing political effort, especially in the Transatlantic sphere, to question the neo-liberal consensus of recent decades, which favored the economic efficiencies of dispersed, or globalized, supply chains over concerns related to self-sufficiency and local production. One set of initiatives is to revive efforts to deploy national industrial policies and public-private partnerships (with the public as senior partner) to reduce such vulnerabilities related not only to health and defense-related security, but also to the development of technologies of the future deemed important to longer term prosperity and economic security.

In the United States perceived threats to national security have been in the past met largely by various forms of public-private partnerships. One early example is the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), formed in the wake of the “Sputnik Moment” at the height of the Cold War. COMSAT facilitated joint research by competing private firms. It also benefitted from limited government financial and regulatory support to the venture and resulted in shared technology to promote the domestic growth of this industry after the late 1950s.

Similarly, when Japanese industry (with aid from its government) threatened the leadership of US integrated circuit and specialized semiconductor producers at the dawn of the Internet Age, a similar research consortium, SEMATECH, was established in 1987.The joint research structure was (and remains today) open to non-American firms. It contributed to the revival of the US semiconductor industry by performing basic research on production materials and techniques, with the resulting intellectual property open to all participants.

In response to the acute crisis of the pandemic, the US Federal government worked with the dynamic US pharmaceutical industry by offering purchase agreements and financial assistance to ramp up production. The result is of course well known. Pfizer partnered with a German biotech leader and targeted early production in Europe as well.

The hybrid public-private model in the US is being expanded in the Biden era by massive efforts (with significant bipartisan support) to help not only industries related to security of health care supplies but to a much broader (and at this point ill-defined) set of industries threatened by the Chinese mercantilist juggernaut. Biden domestic policy adviser Brian Deese in a speech recently stated baldly: “Strategic public investments to shelter and grow champion industries is a reality of the 21st century economy.”

The US semiconductor industry is likely to see over $50 billion in direct support for building leading-edge fabrication plants, as well as expanded, Washington funded basic research in technologies and materials required for future advances in this sector. The electric and autonomous vehicle sectors are targeted for Federal help in the form of tax rebates, building of new infrastructure, and battery technology development. The crucial rare earths industry is benefitting from regulatory and financial support for both mining and processing phases of production. This effort is following in many respects the SEMATECH precedent in encouraging joint research and international cooperation. Australian firms have received Federal support for perfecting rare earths processing technology. The rationale for such efforts is straightforward: China now has leverage over Western countries in this critical sector due to overwhelming dominance in both mining and processing, and has demonstrated its willingness to use this leverage in the past.

One additional area of intensified US Federal investment in critical technology is in 5G systems, and early research on 6G. Support is being made available for virtualized and Open RAN (radio access networks) systems which could provide cost-effective and more flexible alternatives to Chinese giants Huawei and ZTE. European and East Asian participation in 5G public-private partnerships has been welcomed.

In Europe the European Commission recently announced a public-private “Semiconductor Alliance” to stimulate investment in fabrication and other parts of the supply chain in a sector in which the EU has fallen well behind American and Asian leaders. Intel is also courting European support for expanding production in this sector, which could target less sophisticated chips for industrial applications in the important auto sector, but also look to those for higher-end applications such as artificial intelligence and computing. Additionally, the Commission, but more importantly German and Italian (and British) telecom operators, have indicated interest and modest financial support for development of Open RAN systems.

In a broader perspective the post-Covid environment has spurred in Europe a growing interest in supporting national champions in numerous technology and materials sectors. The European Recovery Fund envisions significant support for research and development in targeted industries where the continent is dependent on Chinese (in some cases US or East Asian) suppliers. The European response does not represent as radical a change in direction as that of the US, as experiments with national industrial policies have long been a feature of governance. What is perhaps more significant is the move toward more direction and funding at the EU level.

One can also observe that, after several decades of moving away from central government-led industrial policy, which had been deemed a major contributor to the long stagnation in the economy after 1991, Japanese leaders are encouraging the return of

supply chains to national territory or at least away from China. The Suga government is exploring cooperation with like-minded allies in key technologies such as semiconductors, batteries, 5G networks and rare earths production, but also more support for developing indigenous industry.

Whether these developed economy efforts are centrally led and financed industrial policies or hybrid, yet targeted, public-private partnerships, they do represent a clear step away from the widely-agreed neoliberal economic synthesis characteristic of the period from the 1980s at least through the first decade of the 21st century. It is also clear that a growing recognition of the long-term Chinese strategy to achieve self-reliance in a “dual circulation” economy has been a powerful incentive to pursue these new initiatives in the West and East Asia.

Chinese direct investment in both the US and Europe fell by over 75% and 45% respectively after 2016, and Chinese funding for the BRI (Belt&Road Initiative) fell from $75 billion in 2016 to $4 billion in 2019, numbers which corroborate Chinese efforts to become more self-reliant. It is unclear if the new political trade off favoring more domestic autonomy over Pareto-optimal efficiency in a globalized world will prove to be a wise choice.

Policymakers in the Transatlantic and East Asian sphere should at a minimum reflect on the unhappy history of autarchic economic policy in the 1930s and the mixed success of industrial policies in Japan more recently and on failed industrial policies such as the Concorde and Minitel in Europe and solar and electric truck experiments in the US. A better strategy would be to emphasize cooperation among traditional allies and treat resilience as a shared responsibility. https://aspeniaonline.it/the-waning-of-the-liberal-economic-consensus-in-the-wake-of -the-pandemic/

THE RIGHT WAY TO STRUCTURE CYBER DIPLOMACY NATALIE THOMPSON AND LAURA BATE AUGUST 25, 2021 COMMENTARY

The modern State Department was forged in an era of global transformation. In the 1930s, the department had fewer than 2,000 personnel and, as one historian emphasized, it was a “placid” place that was comfortable with “lethargic diplomacy.” World War II revolutionized the department, which readily transformed itself to handle the demands of planning a new international order. Between 1940 and 1945, the department’s domestic staff levels tripled and its budget doubled. Today, the State Department is once again confronting the challenge of how to organize itself to cope with new international challenges — not those of wartime, but ones created by rapid technological change. There are ongoing conversations about how the department should handle cyberspace policy, as well as concerns about emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, next generation telecommunications, hypersonics, biotechnology, space capabilities, autonomous vehicles, and many others. As Ferial Ara Saeed recently emphasized, the department is not structured in a way that makes sense for addressing these matters. She is not alone in having this view, and others have also offered ideas for reform. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s proposal for a Bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies focused too narrowly on security, as Saeed correctly diagnoses. As an alternative, she proposes consolidating all technology policy issues under a new under secretary, who would report to the deputy secretary of state for management and resources. The State Department should be restructured so that it can conduct effective cyber diplomacy, but establishing one bureau for all things technology-related is not the way to proceed. Conceptually, the core challenges for cyberspace policy are different from those related to emerging technology issues, and creating one all-encompassing bureau would generate multiple practical problems. Instead, the department should establish a Bureau of International Cyberspace Policy, as proposed in the Cyber Diplomacy Act. Consolidating cyberspace policy issues in a single bureau would provide greater coherence to overarching priorities and day-to-day diplomatic activities. Emerging technology issues should remain the responsibility of the appropriate existing bureaus. If they are provided with greater resourcing and if appropriate connective tissue is created, those bureaus will have greater flexibility in crafting individualized strategies for a very diverse array of technologies. At the same time, the department would be able to prioritize and adopt a strategic approach to technology diplomacy.

https://warontherocks.com/2021/08/the-right-way-to-structure-cyber-diplomacy/

India conducts joint naval exercise with Philippines as it seeks to expand South China Sea role

India has carried out a naval drill with the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea as it seeks to step up its presence in the regionamid its growing rivalry with China.

The guided missile destroyer INS Ranvijay and guided missile corvette INS Kora joined the Philippine frigate BRP Antonio Luna for Monday s exercise, officials told the Indian broadcaster NDTV.

The exercises included several operational’ manoeuvres and the participating ships of both navies were satisfied with the consolidation of interoperability achieved through this operational interaction at sea, Commander Vivek Madhwal,“ from the Indian navy, said. ”

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3146347/india-conducts-joint-naval-exerci se-philippines-it-seeks

Philippines hits coercive use of militias, coast guard in South China Sea

Pia Lee-Brago - The Philippine Star

August 26, 2021 | 12:00am

In a joint statement at the end of the 5th Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting on Monday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez and his counterpart Trade Minister Dan Tehan cited the significance of the ministerial meeting as a strategic dialogue to chart the direction and vision of bilateral relations under the framework of the 2015 Joint Declaration on the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries.

Google Earth, File MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Australia have expressed serious concern over the “dangerous and coercive” use of coast guard vessels and maritime militias in the South China Sea and the continuing militarization of disputed features.

In a joint statement at the end of the 5th Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting on Monday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez and his counterpart Trade Minister Dan Tehan cited the significance of the ministerial meeting as a strategic dialogue to chart the direction and vision of bilateral relations under the framework of the 2015 Joint Declaration on the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries.

“The ministers and secretaries expressed serious concern about the continuing militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea, the dangerous and coercive use of coast guard vessels and maritime militias and efforts to disrupt other countries’ resource exploitation activities,” the statement read.

“They emphasized that the actions of a state’s coast guard, and its associated legal frameworks, must be consistent with international law,” it read.

The ministers and secretaries reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight and that all disputes should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United National Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They noted the fifth anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award and reaffirmed that it is final and legally binding on the parties to the dispute.

The ministers and secretaries also called for any Code of Conduct in the South China Sea “to be fully consistent with international law, in particular UNCLOS, not prejudice the interests of third parties or the rights of states under international law and support existing inclusive regional architecture.”

On July 23, 2020, Australia sent a note verbale to the United Nations rejecting China’s claims in the South China Sea. It stated, among others, that the “Australian Government… disputes China’s claim that it is not bound by the arbitral award… The Tribunal’s decision is final and binding on both parties to the dispute.”

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/26/2122664/philippines-hits-coercive-use-militias-c oast-guard-south-china-sea

After reports of sewage dumping, 88 foreign ships move out of Philippine EEZ — report Patricia Lourdes Viray - Philstar.com

August 25, 2021 | 3:29pm

Satellite images show the number of anchored ships in the Union Banks, within Philippine exclusive economic zone, decreased from April to August.

Simularity via European Space Agency MANILA, Philippines — A total of 88 foreign ships, suspected to belong to Chinese maritime militia, have moved out of the Philippine exclusive economic zone, according to a report by a US-based geospatial and data analysis company.

In its August 23 report, Simularity noted that there are 71 fewer ships in the Union Banks, 35 fewer ships near Pag-asa (Thitu) Island and 88 fewer ships in the Philippine EEZ overall since its July 12 report on raw sewage from anchored ships in the Spratly Islands.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/25/2122560/after-reports-sewage-dumping-88-forei gn-ships-move-out-philippine-eez-report

U.S. Military Donates Medical Supplies to Support Philippine COVID-19 Response U.S. military personnel with Indo-Pacific Command’s Civil Military Support Element – Philippines deliver ICU beds to the staff from the Cagayan Valley Medical Center.

FREE READ - President Duterte's Action Thriller - Streets of Manila

U.S. military personnel with Indo-Pacific Command’s Civil Military Support Element – Philippines deliver ICU beds to the staff from the Cagayan Valley Medical Center.

Manila, August 25, 2021 — On August 18, U.S. military service members in Luzon delivered intensive care unit (ICU) beds, valued at over Php83,000 ($1,660), to Cagayan Valley Medical Center in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan to assist local partners battling COVID-19. The donation, provided by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, was part of a larger donation that provides ICU beds, and essential protective equipment, to the Department of Health (DOH) for rapid distribution to support medical facilities in COVID-19 high risk areas across the country. Cagayan Valley Medical Center is the primary center for severe COVID cases in the local area, currently operating at full capacity. Additional ICU beds andprotective equipment, such as disposable gloves, goggles, face shields, disinfectant spray and other items to support frontline workers, will be delivered in coordination with Philippine partners in the coming months. These donations will help support the critical care capacity in rural provinces across Mindanao and Luzon. “This generous donation came at a very critical time in our fight against COVID-19,” said Cagayan Valley Medical Center Chief Dr. Glenn Mathew Baggao. “The U.S. civil military support element members that helped facilitate this donation worked tirelessly to get us the equipment that we needed to help our patients and help mitigate further spread of COVID-19 in the local area.”

https://manilanews.ph/u-s-military-donates-medical-supplies-to-support-philippine-covid-19-res ponse/

Harris tells Vietnam US Navy will keep presence in South China Sea VP says Washington will donate another 1m vaccine doses, countering Beijing

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, left, discussed Indo-Pacific security concerns during her meeting Aug. 25 with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/pool/AFP) TOMOYA ONISHI, Nikkei staff writerAugust 26, 2021 01:40 JST

HANOI -- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris began her visit to Vietnam on Wednesday by pledging Washington would continue to keep a robust footprint in the South China Sea and would donate 1 million more vaccine doses.

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https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Biden-s-Asia-policy/Harris-tells-Vietnam- US-Navy-will-keep-presence-in-South-China-Sea

Tech companies pledge billions in cybersecurity investments By ERIC TUCKERAugust 26, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of the country’s leading technology companies have committed to investing billions of dollars to strengthen cybersecurity defenses and to train skilled workers, the White House announced Wednesday following President Joe Biden’s private meeting with top executives. The Washington gathering was held during a relentless stretch of ransomware attacks that have targeted critical infrastructure and major corporations, as well as other illicit cyber operations that U.S. authorities have linked to foreign hackers. The Biden administration has been urging the private sector to do its part to protect against those increasingly sophisticated attacks. In public remarks before the meeting, Biden referred to cybersecurity as a “core national security challenge” for the U.S. ADVERTISEMENT

“The reality is most of our critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, and the federal government can’t meet this challenge alone,” Biden said. “I’ve invited you all here today because you have the power, the capacity and the responsibility, I believe, to raise the bar on cybersecurity.” After the meeting, the White House announced that Google had committed to invest $10 billion in cybersecurity over the next five years, money aimed at helping secure the software supply chain and expand zero-trust programs. The Biden administration has looked for ways to safeguard the government’s supply chain following a massive Russian government cyberespionage

campaign that exploited vulnerabilities and gave hackers access to the networks of U.S. government agencies and private companies. Microsoft, meanwhile, said it would invest $20 billion in cybersecurity over the next five years and make available $150 million in technical services to help local governments upgrade their defenses. IBM plans to train 150,000 people in cybersecurity over three years, Apple said it would develop a new program to help strengthen the technology supply chain, and Amazon said it would offer to the public the same security awareness training it gives to employees. Top executives of each of those companies were invited to Wednesday’s meeting, as were financial industry executives and representatives from the energy, education and insurance sectors. A government initiative that at first supported the cybersecurity defenses of electric utilities has now been expanded to focus on natural gas pipelines, the White House said Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/business-apple-inc-00a31a944d465a93f1f1110a8e6d5a5c

Secret Service warned Capitol Police about violent threats 1 day before Jan. 6 The documents shed further light on the intelligence failures by the Capitol Police in the days before the riot.

Rioters clash with police and security forces on Jan. 6, 2021. | Brent Stirton/Getty Images By BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN and NICHOLAS WU 08/25/2021 04:30 AM EDT

Just a day before the Jan. 6 riot, the Secret Service warned the U.S. Capitol Police that their officers could face violence at the hands of supporters of former President Donald Trump, according to new documents reviewed by POLITICO.

The Secret Service’s emails shed light on intelligence lapses by the Capitol Police previously highlighted by both the department’s inspector general and a bipartisan report by Senate committees. Since then, the Hill's law enforcement agency has pledged reform and said it has made changes to ensure the effective sharing of intelligence.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/25/secret-service-warned-capitol-police-violent-threats-j anuary-riot-506806

America Must Stay the Course on Its Air Tanker Acquisition Strategy

Boeing's KC-46 is the world s best tanker, and launching a competition for a new tanker would be unnecessarily expensive. ’ GEORGE LANDRITH

A KC-46 refuels the B-2 for the first time during developmental flight test over Edwards AFB and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in April 2019. Photo: Christian Turner/US Air Force

Over a decade ago, the Department of Defense (DoD) began replacing its aging fleet of tankers that had been in service since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. While fighter jets and bombers seem to grab the headlines and the interests of youngsters building models, the truth is that without a tanker to perform mid-air refueling of aircraft, the reach of both the bombers and the fighter jets are cut dramatically. Simply put, air tankers allow America’s warfighters to stay in the air and on target longer and without making extra trips back to the home base to refuel. The US Air Force now has 47 new, high-tech tankers and more are on the way as military planners believe we will need around 480 in total to meet America’s current defensive needs.

These tankers, known as the KC-46, are more fuel-efficient and more capable of distributing and delivering fuel to every single aircraft in our arsenal than any other tanker on the planet. That means they are better for the American taxpayer, the environment, and the warfighter.

Someday, far into the future, America will need to replace what after many decades will be an aging fleet of KC-46s, but for now it is the world’s most capable and robust air tanker.

Despite that fact, some are now surprisingly calling for a redesign or to end the program in favor of a foreign-built tanker, such as the EADS/Airbus plane. Doing this will simply raise costs for little in return.

This is especially true because as the KC-46 rolls off the assembly line, as is easy to include new technology upgrades along the way as they become available and needed. To launch a brand-new competition for a new tanker in the near future would be unnecessarily expensive. If the DoD decided to go in a different direction, it would also increase their costs, require new training, new spare parts, and new maintenance protocols.

In short, spending time and money to develop a new, unproven tanker, provides virtually no benefit, but is sure to cost the taxpayer billions. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/08/25/us-air-tanker-strategy/

The Pentagon’s hyperfocus on hypersonic missile threat by Sandra Erwin — August 25, 2021

L3Harris, which has won Missile Defense Agency and Space Development Agency contracts within the last year to produce missile-tracking satellites, outlines a “threat elimination chain” in this graphic.

COLORADO SPRINGS — The deployment of sensor satellites in low Earth orbit to fill blind spots in the U.S. missile defense system is finally moving from the drawing board to actual space hardware. U.S. defense officials worry that China and Russia are developing increasingly sophisticated hypersonic missiles that launch into space and glide back into the atmosphere on erratic trajectories.

“I would like to have overhead sensors that see everything, characterize everything that goes on on this planet from a missile perspective, all the time, everywhere,” Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten said at an industry conference earlier this month. The Pentagon concluded that only sensors in low orbits can spot these threats accurately and early enough to shoot down. Existing early warning satellites in geostationary orbit have infrared sensors that detect the heat signatures of ballistic missile launches but hypersonic weapons are dimmer and harder to see from such high altitudes.

The Defense Department’s 2019 Missile Defense Review called for investments in space sensors in low Earth orbit Projects are under way at the Space Development Agency (SDA) and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA).

SDA is developing a constellation of satellites with wide-field-of-view sensors designed to work together in a network to detect and track targets. MDA is pursuing another set of sensors under the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) program. These are satellites with medium-field-of-view sensors that will identify the precise location of an incoming missile and send that data to a command center so an interceptor can be launched. SDA and MDA said a combination of wide- and medium-field-of-view sensors is needed to track and maintain custody of hypersonic missiles. The plan is for both agencies’ satellites to be part of DoD’s larger sensor infrastructure. Several companies have already won MDA and SDA contracts for satellites, sensors and systems integration. Winners so far include Parsons, L3Harris, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX. Parsons in June won a $2.2 billion, seven-year contract from MDA for engineering, technical analysis and modeling of layered missile defense systems.

“One of the big efforts there is going to be the hypersonic layer,” Parsons CEO Carey Smith told SpaceNews.

The company will help MDA figure out “how do you detect and track hypersonics in space, and not just hypersonics but also advanced cruise missiles,” said Smith. This is a growing priority for DoD, she said. “There’s nothing that exists right now” to counter the threat of hypersonic weapons. DoD wants a space layer in LEO to detect and track both hypersonics and advanced cruise missiles, Smith added. “We are supporting MDA in basically architecting what that would look like.” L3Harris has contracts for hypersonic tracking satellites with both SDA and MDA. In October, it won a $193.5 million SDAcontract to produce four missile-tracking satellites with wide-field-of-view sensors. In January, MDA awarded L3Harris a $121 million contract to produce a medium-field-of-view sensor satellite for the HBTSS program. Edward Zoiss, president of L3Harris Space and Airborne Systems, said the company is adapting infrared sensing technologies developed for weather satellites. “We had to create the algorithms and the necessary techniques to migrate weather sensors and hardware over to the missile defense mission,” Zoiss said. https://spacenews.com/the-pentagons-hyperfocus-on-hypersonic-missile-threat/

U.S. SPACECOM Attains Initial Operational Capability

Representative image. The U.S. Space Command officially declared initial operational capability on August 24, five days short of its second year launch date anniversary. Army Gen. James H. Dickinson said at the U.S. Space Foundation's 36th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that Spacecom is on the path to meeting full operational capability in the near future. Now, Spacecom can expand its structural, functional and organizational gains made since its establishment. "It's where we can credibly claim to be organized and effective for employing our enduring, no-fail supporting functions to the joint force,"he said. Dickinson stressed the important role allies and partners play in Spacecom's mission and that of the entire department. Spacecom has more than 100 data sharing agreements with allies, inter-governmental teammates and commercial partners, he said. These agreements exchange information, enhance space domain awareness, increase the safety of spaceflight operations, and lay the foundation for future collaboration in space operations. The general added that Spacecom has established command and control capabilities, and has participated in 24 tier-one war games and exercises, which are governmental-wide events to test the United States' collective response to real world contingencies. "Our participation helps test and refine space warfighting command and control relationships," he said. Today, threats from China and Russia are even more pronounced than they were when Spacecom was established, he said. The value of Spacecom to protect and defend U.S. and allied interests in space is even more significant. "One of our most important sources of American strength is free and open access to the benefits of space-based capabilities," he said. "Free and open access requires a peaceful domain. That's why U.S. Space Command's fundamental objective is to deter a conflict in space. And if deterrence fails, we will defeat aggression, through delivering space combat power for the joint and combined

force. … So having reached IOC, we're even more capable now of doing all of that.”

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30294/U_S__SPACECOM_Attains_Initial_Operational_Ca pability#.YSmmuugzbIU

Protecting GPS is the Space Force’s most important job, according to their new commercial

"Space is hard."

BY DAVID ROZA | PUBLISHED AUG 25, 2021 8:03 AM  SPACE FORCE

 NEWS

Senior Master Sgt. Lance Thibault, United States Space Command senior enlisted leader, listens to a United Launch Alliance mission brief at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., April 20, 2021. USSPACECOM senior enlisted leaders visited CCSFS, the primary launch site for the U.S. Space Force's

Eastern Range with three launch pads currently active. (U.S. Space Force photo by Airman 1st Class Thomas Sjoberg).

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 Why is the Space Force mission so important? Well, in a nutshell, because it protects the GPS that lets your phone tell you that you missed your exit on the way to that new fish taco joint. At least, that was the go-to response given by two guardians in a new recruiting commercial for the service that aired on Tuesday.

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“I think it’s important because we use it in everyday life, for example the GPS that we use every day,” said Space Force intelligence officer Capt. Pierre Jones in the new commercial, where he and another guardian were asked why the Space Force mission is so important.

“The most important thing that the Space Force supports, from the perspective of a civilian, is the fact that we have GPS,” said Capt. Natalia Pinto, a space operations officer. “That is something that is leveraged by an individual, companies, banks, all sorts of financial institutions. So from the outside looking in, that’s probably the most important thing that we rely on.”

Pinto’s right: the 24 satellites which make up the Global Positioning System are responsible for everything from finding your way to the restaurant to keeping your power running to making sure the ATM works when you need more cash to pay for all those fish tacos. Oh, GPS also probably helped the fishermen who harvested those fish bring their haul back to port; and it also might have helped the farmer who grew the corn that the tortillas were made out of figure out where to plant her crops.

While it’s hard to estimate the exact cost of a GPS disruption in terms of dollars and cents, it has been widely reported that a glitch of just a few millionths or hundred-thousandths of a second can throw off bank payments, stock markets, telecommunications networks, electrical power grids and countless other essential aspects of our daily lives. “Placing an economic value on GPS has become nearly as impossible as pegging the value of other utilities,” writes Greg Milner in his book Pinpoint: How GPS is Changing Technology, Culture, and Our Minds. “How much money do electricity and telephones generate? How much is oxygen worth to the human respiratory system?” So yeah, as silly as it sounds, there is a lot of vested interest in making sure those humble GPS satellites keep humming. But protecting them is hard work. In fact, the interviews with the guardians came towards the end of a new commercial called “Space is Hard,” which the service unveiled during the 36th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The first part of the commercial featured Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond saying why outer space is a lot more challenging these days than it used to be.

“It used to be all we had to worry about was astrophysics, Kepler’s law, gamma rays, solar flares, rocket science, black holes and the theory of relativity,” Raymond said amidst a montage of cool space pictures. That list of issues sounds complicated enough, “but now we also have to track about 30,000 objects orbiting at over 17,500 miles per hour,” Raymond said.

“And our entire way of life depends on us to protect our satellites from attack, day and night,” the general added. “So yeah, space is hard.”

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/space-force-gps-satellite-protection/

Space Force, Lockheed are ready to start making the nation’s new satellites to watch for missiles By Nathan Strout Wednesday, Aug 25

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket lifts off May 18 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying the U.S. Space Force's SBIRS GEO-5 satellite into orbit. (United Launch Alliance)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The U.S. Space Force’s next generation of missile warning satellites has passed a major design milestone, clearing the way for fabrication and integration to begin. The Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared program is the successor to the Space Based Infrared System, which currently operates as the military’s premier missile warning satellite constellation. Next Gen OPIR will be made up of five satellites: three in geostationary orbit (Next Gen OPIR GEO) and another two in highly elliptical orbits for polar coverage. The first satellite is set to launch in 2025. On Aug. 24 during the 2021 Space Symposium trade show, the Space Force announced that the Next Gen OPIR GEO satellites had successfully completed critical design review, which validates the design’s maturity and opens the fabrication, integration and testing phase. Preliminary design review was completed in 2019. A systemwide critical review for Next Gen OPIR GEO is expected this fall. “With this successful CDR, we remain on schedule to launch the first GEO satellite in 2025,” Col. Brian Denaro, program executive officer for space development and director of Space Systems Command’s Space Development Corps, said in a statement. “As the backbone of our nation’s assured missile warning capability, we are leveraging streamlined acquisition authorities on the Next Gen OPIR program to prototype solutions rapidly, using available

industry capabilities and mature technology, to ensure that we can deliver advanced capabilities to the warfighter at operationally relevant speeds.” The Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin $2.9 billion in 2018 for design work, while the Space Force issued another $4.9 billion to begin manufacturing. The news comes shortly after two critical sensor payloads passed their own critical design reviews. Lockheed Martin has subcontracted to two teams to build the infrared sensor for the first three Next Gen OPIR GEO satellites. Raytheon Technologies and a team made up of Ball Aerospace and Northrop Grumman will provide one payload each to go on one of those satellites. Lockheed Martin will select one provider to supply a third sensor for the final GEO satellites.

https://www.c4isrnet.com/smr/space-competition/2021/08/24/space-forces-next-generation-of-mi ssile-warning-satellites-passes-major-design-milestone/

More work needed on space stability and security by Debra Werner — August 25, 2021

John Hill, who is performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, spoke Aug. 24 at the 36th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

COLORADO SPRINGS – In the last year, the Defense Department has made progress in responding to the current era of strategic competition, John Hill, who is performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, said Aug. 24 at the 36th Space Symposium here. More work remains to be done, however, with commercial and international government partners to increase stability and security in the space domain and to “reduce the potential for miscalculations,” Hill said. The U.S. Space Force and Space Development Agency are fielding resilient and assured space capabilities and working to counter hostile space activity. The Space Force also is developing “the doctrinal foundations of military space power and the associated expertise and culture,” Hill said. In addition, U.S. government agencies are integrating space into national, joint and combined military operations.

“Here, the establishment of the U.S. Space Command as a unified combatant command is particularly important to our ability to plan, exercise and execute joint and combined space operations across the spectrum of competition and conflict in concert with operations across all domains and in coordination with the other combatant commanders,” Hill said. Hill lauded U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson for helping the Space Command reach initial operational capability. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a memo in July directing Defense Department to follow five tenets of responsible behavior for space operations.

“These five tenets, which are based on long standing practices as well as existing U.S. commitments, are strictly limited to the activities of the Department of Defense,” Hill said. “In no way are we trying to impose our will and our ideas upon other nations or other space operators. But we recognize that as one of the world’s most experienced and largest space operators and as a military organization, we have a special responsibility to articulate what we mean by responsible behavior and to reflect that in our actual practice.” It’s important to establish norms of behavior because the Defense Department seeks “to ensure that the domain remains secure, safe, sustainable and accessible,” Hill said. The tenets are part of a broader U.S. government effort to work with international spacecraft operators “to establish multilateral guidelines, such as those regarding debris mitigation and the long-term sustainability of outer space activities,” Hill said. “As we continue to contribute our ideas and learn from other international space operators, we intend to build on these five tenets to identify more specific behaviors that guide our operations, and that can serve as a point of reference to help other space operators form their understanding of responsible behavior and space.”

https://spacenews.com/more-work-needed-on-space-stability-and-security/

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Main navigation (Sticky) Home » Documents » NTSB 2020 Digest of Maritime Accident Investigations NTSB 2020 Digest of Maritime Accident Investigations

August 25, 2021 10:14 AM The following is the National Transportation Safety Board recently released Safer Seas Digest 2020 that summarizes major maritime accidents and lessons learned including the 2017 collision of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) off Japan and the collision of then-under construction USS Delbert Black (DDG-119). From the report The 42 marine accidents included in Safer Seas Digest 2020 involved contact with fixed objects, sinkings, collisions, fires, explosions, floodings, groundings, and capsizings. The vessels involved ranged from the small dive boat Conception, on which the loss of life nevertheless rivaled the worst maritime disasters of recent years, to a US Navy destroyer the second such investigation completed in the last 2 years. The accidents recounted here resulted in numerous injuries, significant— property damage, and worst of all, the loss of crewmembers and passengers. In the fire aboard the Conception alone, 34 lost their lives. This year also saw the conclusion of the investigation of the collision that took 11 lives aboard the Fitzgerald. These tragedies remind us that whether we are serving in the nation s armed forces, scuba diving for recreation, fishing on a trawler, or keeping commodities flowing on tankers and freighters, we are all reliant on the’ safety measures that must be in place before we step aboard. The NTSB investigates the voyages that go wrong to ensure that future voyages go right, and, drawing from the findings of these accident investigations, we recommend safety improvements to prevent recurrences. It is up to the marine industry and its regulators in the U.S. Coast Guard to act on these recommendations and lessons learned to improve marine safety. The safety issues examined in the 2020 edition of Safer Seas include:

 Navigating through bridges

 Standard operating procedures

 Smoke detection

 Voyage planning and dynamic risk assessment

 Effective communication

 Operating in high-water/high-current conditions

 Lithium-ion battery hazards

 Crew training

 Vessel speed

 Storage of flammable or combustible materials

 Closing ventilation inlets during a fire

 Effective hull inspection and maintenance

 Inspection of control linkages

 Fatigue This digest is organized around NTSB investigations that closed in 2020. They represent a snapshot within the ongoing cycle of accidents, NTSB investigations, and safety improvements that ensures that lessons learned result in changes. The Coast Guard is integral to the NTSB s marine investigations. Our relationship is an outstanding example of government collaboration focused on saving lives and improving safety.’ Every accident presented in this report was supported in a variety of ways by the men and women of the Coast Guard, and my sincerest thanks go out to every one of them who assisted us this year. The Coast Guard units that worked with the NTSB in these accidents are listed on page 104. With every investigation we learn new safety lessons to prevent or mitigate future losses, but only when marine stakeholders at all levels of the industry apply these lessons. I hope that Safer Seas Digest 2020 provides the marine industry with essential information to better understand the safety issues confronting it.

https://news.usni.org/2021/08/25/ntsb-2020-digest-of-maritime-accident-investigations

US Navy completes testing of littoral combat ship’s minesweeper system By Megan Eckstein Wednesday, Aug 25

The Unmanned Influence Sweep System, which includes Textron's mine countermeasures unmanned surface vehicle towing a minesweeper, has completed initial operational test and evaluation and is nearing fielding. (Courtesy of Textron)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy has completed the initial operational test and evaluation of its Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) program, bringing a key element of the littoral combat ship’s mine countermeasures mission package closer to final approval and fielding. The UISS system is a Textron-made mine countermeasures unmanned surface vessel (MCM USV) towing a minesweeper. The system works by sending the unmanned vehicle into a potential mine field — with the manned LCS or other host ship at a safe distance — and using the USV to “mow the lawn” up and down the area of interest, with the influence sweep setting off any magnetic, acoustic, or magnetic/acoustic combination mines in the area. The sweep system is among the original requirements for the LCS mine countermeasures mission package, even as the mission package overall has seen several changes over the past decade of development and testing. The Navy announced Aug. 24 it conducted at-sea testing aboard LCS Manchester off the coast of California in May and June. The test event included both “end-to-end minesweeping missions versus Navy Instrumented Threat Targets (NAVITTARs) and demonstrated UISS supportability and integration with the LCS seaframe,” according to a Naval Sea Systems Command statement.. https://www.navytimes.com/digital-show-dailies/navy-league/2021/08/24/us-navy-completes-tes ting-of-littoral-combat-ships-minesweeper-system/

UNCATEGORIZED Constellation: Meet The Navy’s New Guided-Missile Frigate

An artist rendering of the U.S. Navy guided-missile frigate FFG(X). The new small surface combatant will have multi-mission capability to conduct air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, electronic warfare, and information operations. The design is based on the FREMM multipurpose frigate. A contract for ten ships was awarded to Marinette Marine Corporation, Wisconsin (USA), on 30 April 2020. The United States Navy would like to procure a total of 20 Constellation-class frigates. Here’s what we know. Sponsored Content

Frigates Unlike destroyers or cruisers, which are designed from the outset to operate in high-threat maritime environments, frigates are designed to operate in lower-threat environments. And while there is a great deal of overlap between the type of missions that cruisers, frigates, and destroyers can perform, frigates are generally less heavily armed with less capable radar systems and a smaller weapon loadout. This is not to say that frigates are not useful; frigates can provide navies with a more economical solution for low-threat tasks. Pairing less-capable but more cost-effective frigates with cruisers and destroyers has been called a high-low mix and a solution for providing navies with a platform to conduct peacetime operations and combat missions. Sponsored Content

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Rising From the Desert: Luxury Living Near California’s Joshua TreeMansion Global To that end, frigates can undertake humanitarian aid and disaster relief and anti-piracy operations and escort or training/engagement missions with allied countries while able to keep pace with more capable naval ships and conduct anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine ops, and air defense operations.

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/08/constellation-meet-the-navys-new-guided-missile-frigate/

US, Thai Military Complete 40th Exercise Cobra Gold

HERCULES REYES AUGUST 25, 2021 LESS THAN A MINUTE

The United States Army, in collaboration with the Royal Thailand Armed Forces, announced the completion of this year’s Exercise Cobra Gold, which marked the 40th iteration of the annual Indo-Pacific military exercise. This year’s training, held from August 3 to 13 in Thailand, was a mixture of in-person and virtual exercises. A total of seven countries took part in the training, most from Asia. Other nations from the region also attended as observers. Cobra Gold 21 deputy multinational force commander US Army Brig. Gen. Patrick Ellis called the maneuvers an opportunity for the US Army to be with friends, share experiences, and “further strengthen our bonds as military professionals.” “These bonds run especially deep between the Royal Thai and US Armed Forces. During the past 40 years, Cobra Gold has served as a cornerstone of the Thai-US alliance,” Gen. Ellis added. The Cobra Gold Exercises Cobra Gold is one of the longest-running joint military maneuvers in the world and is held every year in Thailand.

The first Cobra Gold took place in 1982 to improve coordination between US and Thai forces. Currently, seven nations participate annually with ten observers in attendance. Results of the maneuvers have been seen in natural disasters, where a coordinated military response is needed. Examples include the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Tōhoku tsunami of 2011, and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/08/25/us-thailand-military-exercise/

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Conflict with China not inevitable: US officials

FACEBOOKWHATSAPPTWITTER SINGAPORE - Senior United States officials stressed during a panel discussion on Tuesday (Aug 24) that US-China conflict is not inevitable, and the US' intent is not to ask countries to choose sides.

The discussion followed a speech in which US Vice-President Kamala Harris said China continues to "coerce" and "intimidate" over its claims to the South China Sea.

She also said the US will work with longstanding institutions like Asean and new "results-oriented" groups like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) - a strategic dialogue among the US, Japan, Australia and India.

On US-China tensions, Mr Kin Moy, a senior official at the US State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said they come down to foundational principles about how the US engages with the world, such as ensuring a rules-based international order and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The US will compete when it should, and cooperate when it can, he said.

"We are at that point now where the relationship (with China) is mature to a certain extent, where we're finding there are more areas of competition, and there are going to be times when it is adversarial.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/conflict-with-china-not-inevitable-us-officials-0

The US is building a military base in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Micronesian residents have questions.

The base is seen as another component of the Biden administration’s continued effort to increase its footprint in Oceania. The World August 24, 2021 · 12:30 PM EDT By Ashley Westerman

Listen to the story. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's plane makes its landing approach on Pohnpei International Airport in Kolonia, Federated States of Micronesia, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. Credit: Jonathan Ernst/AP/Pool Photo

The United States is slated to get a new military base — this time in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Last month, during high-level talks in Honolulu, the US Indo-Pacific Command and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) agreed to build a new base in the island nation, an archipelago of more than 600 islands strewn across the Western Pacific, some 3,700 miles from Hawaii.

The move is seen as another component of the Biden administration’s continued effort to increase its footprint in Oceania. However, details about the base, so far, are scarce, causing anxiety for some FSM citizens who are worried about disruptions to their way of life, and wary about the idea of American military expansion in the region. Related: The pandemic wiped out tourism on Pacific island nations

Sam Illesugam, 41, has lots of questions about the new military base: How big? What kind of base?

“All of those questions are still very much up in the air for us,” Illesugam told The World. Illesugam, who now lives and works in the US territory of Guam, still has siblings and other family back in Yap, one of the Federated States of Micronesia’s four states. “Any time there is a sudden change to the land, you affect our identity as Native islanders..." Sam Illesugam, from Yap, Micronesia, currently living in Guam

“Any time there is a sudden change to the land, you affect our identity as Native islanders,” he said. “This will alter the social landscape of our islands. Our islands are very, very small. Any type of changes to our lifestyle will greatly affect us.” Illesugam is also uneasy with the idea of an increased US military presence in the Pacific. Ongoing land disputes on Guam and heightened tensions with locals over the heavy US military presence on Okinawa have put him and others “on alert.”

https://www.pri.org/stories/2021-08-24/us-building-military-base-middle-pacific-ocean-micrones ian-residents-have

Biden must tell Beijing: 'War means instant independence for Taiwan' BY JOSEPH BOSCO, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 08/24/21 10:00 AM EDT 413 THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL

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© Getty Images The people of Afghanistan are bearing the escalating brunt of inhuman Taliban rule after President Biden s abandonment of the country. However exasperated many Americans felt about the prolonged U.S. stay in Afghanistan, they do not like what Biden has done and’ said about it, and his approval ratings have justifiably fallen.

For its part, China mocks Biden personally and the United States generally as weak and untrustworthy. Driving its disdain home, it has issued a brazen new challenge, threatening military action against Taiwan if Washington merely allows President Tsai Ing-wen to participate in a remote democracy conference planned for December.

Biden announced in February that he will convene a Summit for Democracyto bring together heads of state, civil society, philanthropy and the private sector, serving as an opportunity for world leaders to listen to one another and to their citizens.“

Taiwan s” unofficial ambassador in Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, told administration officials that Taiwan would like to participate. She said she received’ very positive feedback.

At a House“ Foreign Affairs Committee” meeting in March, Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken if he was committed to inviting

Taiwan, and he responded, I m absolutely committed to working on it. I share your view that Taiwan is a strong democracy, a very strong technological power and a country that can contribute“ ’ to the world and not just its own people.

That glowing” commitment has been put in doubt now by a) the disastrous retreat from Afghanistan, and b) China s dire warnings against Taiwanese involvement.

Hu Xijin, editor of Beijing s propaganda’ outlet Global Times, warned last week that Tsai s participation would gravely violate China s red lines on Taiwan and would present’ a historic opportunity for Chinese fighter jets to fly over the island.’ That would be a blatant“ violation of ”Taiwan’ s sovereign airspace, and Taiwan s military“ would be justified in firing warning shots. ” ’ ’ Hu, known for fiery rhetoric unrestrained by Beijing, anticipated that possibility: If the Taiwan military dares to open fire on the PLA fighters, the large number of missiles aimed at Taiwan s military targets from the mainland and our bomber fleets“ will make a decisive answer and write history. ’ ”

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/569065-biden-must-tell-beijing-war-means-instant-inde pendence-for-taiwan

China launches new communication technology experiment satellite

CGTN

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A communication technology experiment satellite is launched by a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province, August 24, 2021. /CFP

China successfully launched a new communication technology experiment satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday.

The satellite was launched at 11:41 p.m. by a Long March-3B carrier rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully.

This launch was the 386th mission for the Long March series carrier rockets, following the launch of three experimental satellites four hours earlier from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

The Long March-3B carrier rocket is over 56 meters long and weighs 456 tonnes. It was developed by a division under China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The new rocket boasts improved efficiency, engine reliability and payload capacity.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-08-25/China-launches-new-communication-technology-experi ment-satellite-130v6qrfs6A/index.html

SDF hold joint drill with UK carrier strike group

Wednesday, Aug. 25, 16:31

Japan's Self-Defense Forces have held a joint exercise in the Pacific with a carrier strike group led by Britain's state-of-the-art aircraft carrier the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The group, joined by a US destroyer and a Dutch frigate, has been deployed in the Indian and Pacific oceans since May.

Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense forces held the exercise with the group south of Okinawa on Tuesday. The drill was shown to media.

US and British F-35 stealth fighters took off from the Queen Elizabeth's ski ramp-like flight deck one after another.

Later, British helicopters and US Osprey transport aircraft landed on the Japanese destroyer Ise, in what is called cross-deck training.

The British government stressed its commitment to the Indo-Pacific region in a report released in March on its review of national security and foreign policies for the next decade.

The joint drill was aimed at underscoring multilateral partnership, mindful of China's growing presence in the East and South China seas.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210825_21/

Party-to-party dialogue between Taiwan and Japan points the way to closer security ties

Global Taiwan Institute

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE POLICYASIA

Michael Mazza August 25, 2021

Back in February, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) announced the formation of a “Taiwan project team” to explore how Japan could more deeply engage in contributing to security in the Taiwan Strait. Now, that team is transitioning from brainstorming to the action phase of this project. Last week, the Japan Times reported that the LDP and Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will hold security talks in the coming weeks. Sources told the Japan Times that those consultations “are being regarded as the ruling party version of ‘two-plus-two’ security dialogue between governments.” The news of these forthcoming talks follows closely on the heels of Japan’s annual defense white paper—which for the first time explicitly raised concerns about security developments surrounding Taiwan—and of the first US-Japan-Taiwan trilateral strategy forum, which was held amongst legislators in July. Internationalization of security in the Taiwan Strait, it seems, is proceeding apace. Upgrading party-to-party talks in this way is a creative means to deepen bilateral engagement without running afoul of Tokyo s One-China Policy —which is broadly similar to Washington’s own, but which has generally led to a Japanese approach that is more cautious than that of the United States. What’ “is more, party talks” have the potential to be particularly effective due to the nature of the parliamentary and pseudo-parliamentary systems in Japan and Taiwan, respectively. Party officials tasked with foreign and defense affairs in Japan and Taiwan are more likely to have experience working in relevant government ministries than is the case for party counterparts in the United States.

This intraparty dialogue will be important for three reasons: 1) practical outcomes, 2) providing a model for others, and 3) opening a path for future engagement. Practical Outcomes There is much room for growth in Japan-Taiwan security relations, but the ruling parties need not shoot for the stars in this inaugural dialogue. Indeed, immediate outcomes may be limited by the lack of government participation. Assuming, however, that both parties have been offered guidance by their respective governments, there is some low-hanging fruit that they might seek to pick. First, the delegations should agree to look into opening each country’s military academy to applicants or exchange students. This should be relatively non-controversial. Future Taiwanese officers have attended US service academies for the last two decades, without significant blowback from Beijing for either Taipei or Washington. Such exchanges may not have a near-term effect on security, but there are benefits over the long-term. Parochially, the Japanese and Taiwanese militaries benefit when officers have had diverse educational and training experiences. Such officers may turn out to be more effective leaders and better problem solvers, more readily able to handle a diverse array of challenges. More pertinent to the question of Japan-Taiwan security cooperation, however, is the potential effect that mutual education exchanges could have on their respective militaries’ capacity to cooperate one day in the future. Exchange students will develop both personal relationships and an understanding of how their counterparts think and operate. Exchanges may also create constituencies within each military—and within security establishments more broadly, as some officers retire and take on civilian roles—for closer bilateral cooperation. Second, the LDP and DPP should discuss cooperation on countering malign influence. Indeed, they might consider launching a new intra-party initiative, absent direct government involvement, that could nonetheless have broader positive effects within each society. As GTI Executive Director Russell Hsiao has noted, the US Defense Intelligence Agency’s 2019 report on Chinese military power noted China’s use of “political warfare” against Taiwan and Japan. In his survey of CCP influence operations in Japan, Hsiao identified a number of united front-related organizations operating in the country and highlighted political factions susceptible to “elite capture” both within and outside the LDP coalition. Taiwan, for its part, has ample experience with CCP influence operations, including during recent election cycles. Ongoing party-to-party exchanges regarding their experiences with influence operations—with a focus on sharing observed methods and effective counters—could better equip both the LDP and DPP as they face down political warfare going forward. Third, and perhaps more controversially, the LDP and DPP should commit to urging their respective governments to pursue intelligence sharing—in particular with regard to monitoring the waters of, and skies above, the East China Sea and areas surrounding Taiwan. This may ultimately be tricky to accomplish, given Japan’s “One-China Policy” and concerns in both capitals over Chinese reprisals. The practice of Japanese-South Korean information sharing that preceded the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), however, may provide a useful model. Before the GSOMIA was agreed, Seoul and Tokyo shared intelligence with each other using the United States as a middleman. A similar arrangement should be within the realm of the possible for Tokyo

and Taipei as well. The forthcoming party dialogue offers an opportunity to begin that discussion. A Model for Others These talks should provide a paradigm for other countries seeking to invest more deeply in ties with Taiwan. If there are positive outcomes, if the United States openly supports the effort, and if PRC backlash is manageable, there is little reason others cannot follow suit. Australia and India, which both have parliamentary systems, should find this model of engagement attractive, as should a number of European countries looking to contribute to security in the Taiwan Strait. Exchanges on countering political warfare may be good places to start, as they can proceed even without eventual government involvement. Moreover, because malign CCP influence is increasingly seen as something approaching a universal problem, there may be an opportunity to grow bilateral party-to-party dialogues into multilateral efforts. Thinking creatively over the long-term, the DPP, the KMT, and international parties engaged in dialogue with them might consider whether the creation of a non-governmental, party-funded political warfare intelligence “fusion center” is a feasible goal. Participating parties could share observed CCP tactics (details on politically sensitive cases could be omitted) and effective defensive approaches with such a center, creating a database for all to draw on and learn from. The LDP-DPP talks are a creative way to build a foundation for better, more developed security ties. The dialogue will, with any luck, serve as a model for others and open the door to other creative solutions to lessen Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation. Future Bilateral Engagement Although party-to-party dialogues cannot replace government-to-government talks, they can be a valuable complement. Hopefully, Japanese and Taiwanese government and party officials view the upcoming meeting as something on which to build more robust bilateral engagement. Indeed, if the dialogue goes well and both sides view it as a sustainable model going forward, it should pave the way for official engagements that still maintain an unofficial veneer. Beijing itself, of course, set a precedent for such contacts. In November 2015, Xi Jinping and Taiwan’s then-President Ma Ying-jeou met in Singapore, the first time that the political leaders of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China had met. They did not, however, meet as government leaders. Referring to each other as “mister,” neither recognized the other’s role as a head of state. It was Xi, then, who opened the door to all manner of possible foreign engagement for Taiwan. Taiwan’s foreign partners have yet to walk through that door, but perhaps they one day will. If Xi could meet with Ma without recognizing Taiwan’s statehood and if members of the LDP and DPP can meet to discuss security matters, there’s little reason that senior party leaders—say, Yoshihida Suga and Tsai Ing-wen—cannot engage directly with one another. Even if that remains a bridge too far for now, there are other approaches Japan and Taiwan might consider. For example, once President Tsai again begins traveling for meetings with diplomatic allies, perhaps she could transit Japan as she makes her roundabout way to the South Pacific or to the Americas. Transits through the United States have long been a staple of overseas travel for Taiwanese presidents, providing opportunities for them to meet with legislators and administration officials, to advance

economic relations, and to gather with overseas Taiwanese communities. Similar opportunities abound in Japan, if only Tokyo and Taipei can seize them. The main point: The forthcoming LDP-DPP intraparty security dialogue will be important for three reasons: 1) practical outcomes, 2) providing a model for others, and 3) opening a path for future engagement. Tags:

https://www.aei.org/articles/party-to-party-dialogue-between-taiwan-and-japan-points-the-way-t o-closer-security-ties/

Four reasons for an ‘end of armistice’ declaration The most direct way to 'end the Korean War' is to resume talks that broke down in 1954

By MARK TOKOLAAUGUST 25, 2021 Print

This picture taken on July 26, 2020, and released by the Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center, top) attending a ceremony to confer commemorative pistols to officers of the DPRK armed forces on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire, at the headquarters of the Party Central Committee in Pyongyang. Photo: AFP / KCNA Via KNS

The idea of an “end of war” declaration for the Korean Peninsula has received a lot of attention lately. The notion is that it would jump-start diplomacy with North Korea. The fact that the Korean War never ended, according to proponents, is an impediment to engagement with Pyongyang. Isn’t it time to declare the war over?

There has, however, already been a definitive end-of-war declaration, subscribed to by all the belligerents. They signed an armistice agreement on July 27, 1953, putting an end to the Korean War.

Armistices traditionally are the way wars end. An armistice ended the Napoleonic Wars and an armistice ended World War I. An armistice is an agreement by military commanders to cease hostilities. Armistices are then followed by peace talks to deal with the root causes of the conflict.

The armistice ending the Napoleonic Wars was followed by the Congress of Vienna. The armistice ending World War I was followed by the Versailles Treaty. Why is the armistice situation on the Korean Peninsula unresolved?

It is not well known that an international diplomatic conference was indeed held to follow up on the Korean Armistice. A diplomatic conference took place in Geneva from April to June 1954, bringing together the United States, South Korea, the United Nations Command countries, the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea.

The conference generally succeeded in resolving the issues of withdrawal of foreign forces from Korea, elections to be held throughout the peninsula, and the creation of a constituent assembly to pave the way for a unified government.

The Geneva talks broke down over the issue of international supervision of the implementation of the agreement. The Western allies insisted on United Nations supervision, the USSR, China and North Korea on neutral nations’ supervision.

Because talks never resumed, the Korean Peninsula remains today in a state of armistice, not a state of war.

The question, therefore, is not whether there should be an end-of-war declaration, but whether there should be an end-of-armistice declaration.

The text of the Korean Armistice is not an obstacle to diplomacy. Article IV of the Armistice calls for political negotiations to achieve a peaceful settlement. It is worth noting that Article IV was included at the initiative of China and North Korea.

There are four differing arguments for declaring an end to the Korean Armistice.

Armistice violated

Such violations demonstrate that the Korean Peninsula is in a de facto state of war rather than a state of armistice.

After the 2010 sinking of the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, among other incidents, it could be concluded that hostilities had resumed.

North Korea has often declared that it is no longer bound by the Armistice because of hostile acts by South Korea and the United States, but afterward invoked Armistice provisions, indicating that it still considers it in force.

Both sides have repeatedly broken the Armistice provisions prohibiting the introduction of new weapons on to the peninsula. The Armistice could be termed a failure and no longer in force.

https://asiatimes.com/2021/08/four-reasons-for-an-end-of-armistice-declaration/

Three Chinese sailors gunned down after landing on North Pyongan Province island

The military unit issued the kill order before informing their superiors of the situation and receiving orders about what to do

By Seulkee Jang - 2021.08.25 3:25pm

In late July, North Korean authorities killed the crew of a Chinese fishing boat that illegally entered North Korean waters due to a typhoon. North Korea and China have begun investigations, with both sides worried that the incident could cause fissures in the relationship.

According to a Daily NK source in China on Monday, a Chinese fishing boat that left the port of Zhuanghe, Liaoning Province, headed toward the waters off North Pyongan Province around July 25 to catch crabs.

The boat in question was a motorboat that Chinese fishermen often use when fishing in waters off the west coast of North Korea to avoid detection by North Korean patrol boats.

However, around the time the boat arrived in North Korean waters, Typhoon In-Fa—the sixth typhoon of the year—was making its way northward along eastern China, and strong winds began blowing in the area of Liaoning Province and North and South Pyongan provinces. Even before the boat began fishing operations, it was driven by the wind to an island in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province.

The waters near Cholsan County are home to several islands such as Ga-do and Daehwa-do, but Daily NK has yet to learn exactly which island the crew landed on.

Given that the crew of the boat landed on North Korean territory, North Korean patrol boats apparently failed to detect the boat out at sea and issue a warning for it to leave the area.

North Korean soldiers discovered the Chinese only after they had landed on the island. Not long after the discovery, they killed the three Chinese sailors who had gotten off the boat.

North Korean fishing boats on the water near Wonsan, Kangwon Province. / Image: Daily NK The source said the military unit issued the kill order before informing their superiors of the situation and receiving orders about what to do.

In late August of last year, the Ministry of Social Security issued an order calling on troops to fire without warning upon anyone or anything entering a buffer zone extending one to two kilometers from North Korea’s “border blockade line.”

While North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed regret after North Korean forces killed a South Korean civil servant in the waters near Soyeonpyeongdo in September of last year, the formation commander and boat captain of the West Sea Fleet’s Eighth Flotilla—the unit directly involved in the incident—received military commendations.

North Korean soldiers involved in this latest incident involving the Chinese sailors may have killed the foreigners in the hope of receiving similar commendations.

Since North Korea’s Tongchang-ri missile launch site—the Sohae Satellite Launching Station—is located in Cholsan County, security in the area is especially tight against outside intruders.

Belatedly learning of the incident, Chinese authorities have launched their own investigation, though they are avoiding public mention of it.

The incident has reportedly led Chinese authorities to delay the issuing of permits to Chinese fishing boats to operate in West Sea waters until September.

They had initially planned to issue the permits from August.

Daily NK has yet to learn which agreements were made or what kind of opinions were exchanged between North Korean and China over the matter. However, the two sides may have made some sort of agreement or pledge to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

Moreover, with North Korea and China growing ever closer amid conflict between China and the US and the US and North Korea, Pyongyang and Beijing are likely to remain silent over the incident to preserve bilateral friendship.

https://www.dailynk.com/english/three-chinese-sailors-gunned-down-after-landing-north-pyonga n-province-island/

Indonesia hails ‘new era’ for U.S. ties, hosts biggest joint military drills IPDForum August 24, 2021 Top Stories 0 Comment

Reuters

Indonesia s foreign minister said in early August 2021 that her nation had entered a new era of bilateral relations with the United States, as the countries armed forces launched ’ “ their biggest joint training exercise ever. ” ’ Speaking from Washington after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other officials, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi welcomed more U.S. engagement in the region and expressed high hopes for closer ties with the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

As a democratic country and Southeast Asia s largest economy, a strong strategic partnership with Indonesia will provide significant added value for U.S. engagement in the “ ’ region, Marsudi said at a news conference.

The strategic” partnership spanned trade, investment, security and public health, she said, with the U.S. announcing in early August that it would donate an additional U.S. $30 million “ ” in COVID-19 assistance to purchase oxygen and medical supplies and to boost Indonesia s vaccine rollout. ’ Indonesia has been battling a surge in coronavirus infections since July, recording more than 3.5 million cases and 100,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The U.S. has been seeking to bolster its position in the Indo-Pacific region to counter the rising influence of the People s Republic of China, and Marsudi s visit to Washington coincided with Garuda Shield 2021, the countries largest bilateral military exercise. ’ ’ (Pictured: Indonesian and United States Soldiers conduct field training at Baturaja Training ’ Area, Indonesia, during the bilateral Garuda Shield 21 exercise in August 2021.)

Indonesian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Andika Perkasa and U.S. Army Gen. Charles A. Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, said that they hoped the exercise, which ran from August 4-14 in Indonesia, would boost military capabilities and bilateral relations, according to a statement by the Indonesian Armed Forces.

Garuda Shield 2021 involved about 850 Indonesian Soldiers and 1,000 U.S. Soldiers and sought to enhance interoperability capabilities through training and cultural exchange, according to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

https://ipdefenseforum.com/2021/08/indonesia-hails-new-era-for-u-s-ties-hosts-biggest-joint-mili tary-drills/

Indonesian navy seizes oil tanker wanted in Cambodia Indonesia’s navy says it has seized an oil tanker that was wanted by Cambodian authorities on suspicion of stealing nearly 300,000 barrels of crude oil By EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press

25 August 2021, 19:36

• 1 min read

00:0000:00 3:09

On Location: August 27, 2021

Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia's navy said Wednesday that it seized an oil tanker that was wanted by Cambodian authorities on suspicion of stealing nearly 300,000 barrels of crude oil.

The Bahamas-flagged tanker MT Strovolos was detained in waters off Indonesia's Riau islands in late July, the navy said in a statement. The captain and 18 other crew members — made up of Bangladeshi, Indian and Myanmar nationals — were also detained.

After they were detained, the crew members were sent to quarantine before their case was processed by investigators, the navy said.

The captain of the tanker, a Bangladesh national, is suspected of anchoring in Indonesian territory without permission and faces up to one year in prison and maximum fine of 200 million rupiah ($13,900) if found guilty.

When it was seized, the tanker had about 298,000 barrels of oil on board, the statement said.

Indonesian authorities In January seized an Iranian-flagged tanker and a Panamanian-flagged tanker on suspicion of illegally transferring oil in Indonesian waters. They were released after a four-month detention.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indonesian-navy-seizes-oil-tanker-wanted-camb odia-79634646

Australian Shipbuilder Incat Crowther Patrol Boat For Thailand

Incat Crowther is pleased to announce that construction is well underway on a 42m Patrol Vessel for operation in Thailand.

Xavier Vavasseur 25 Aug 2021 Incat Crowther press release The vessel is being built by Seacrest Marine and has been developed as a solution to a strict set of mission requirements for use in patrol, rescue and enforcement activities within Thai domestic waters.

The vessel will be the eighth Incat Crowther vessel to be built by Seacrest Marine and will accommodate 16 crew and 6 officers below decks with a fourteen-day autonomy.

The main deck will house crew and officer messes, galley and stores, laundry, captain’s cabin and arms stores with a full walkaround deck. The aft deck has a deck crane and a fast rescue vessel for at-sea boarding activities.

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The upper deck houses a radio room and ship’s office. Deck mounted armaments are located around the exterior decks, a well as a fire-fighting monitor.

Powered by three MTU 16V2000 M86 main engines driving fixed-pitch propellers, the vessel will have a top speed of over 34 knots. Low draft was a key requirement, which has been addressed by the incorporation of Incat Crowther’s highly efficient propeller tunnels.

The vessel is scheduled for sea trials later this year.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/08/australian-shipbuilder-incat-crowther-patrol-bo at-for-thailand/

Australia needs a national space strategy

25 Aug 2021|Malcolm Davis

In a development that could significantly increase Australia s ability to carry out military operations in space, the government has launched a search for options for ground-based electronic warfare capabilities. Defence Minister Peter Dutton’ says the capability will seek to detect and deter attempts to interfere with, or attack, our use of the space domain .

This‘ comes just a few months after the announcement that a space command will be’ established within the Australian Defence Force. A space domain review is due to be completed by the end of 2021. ‘ ’

The decision to pursue a space electronic warfare capability study is timely. The government s 2020 force structure plan identified space control as a key requirement for the ADF s ability to use space as an operational environment. It highlighted the requirement’ for effective space domain awareness,‘ and recognised’ that: ’ Defence will need capabilities that directly contribute to war fighting outcomes in the space domain using terrestrial and/or space- options to enhance ADF space control through capabilities to counter emerging space threats to Australia s free use of the spacebased domain systems and … that [including] assure our … thecontinued development access ofto space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. ’ The electronic warfare study begins the process of adding capability to that policy statement. Such a capability wouldn t be a traditional anti-satellite weapon, as tested by China, Russia and, more recently, India, which physically destroys its target, creating a cloud of space debris. Instead, it is a ’ soft kill system, which would enable the ADF to generate scalable and reversible effects against a target without physically destroying it. ‘ ’ The US deploys a counter communications system designed to jam and deny enemy satellite communications. It s likely that the new study will suggest a similar capability for the ADF. Acquisition‘ of the US system for the ADF could’ provide one component of an Australian capability. ’ A space electronic warfare system would rely heavily on a clear ability to monitor activities by hostile powers in orbit. Australia hosts a US C-band radar system and space surveillance telescope at Exmouth in Western Australia, and under another study is looking at how it can use ground- or space-based commercial systems.

For a space electronic warfare capability on the ground to be effective, it must have timely awareness of emerging threats in orbit.

These studies will allow the defence organisation to take its first steps towards space control while adhering to international norms for responsible behaviour in space. ‘ The first’ focus of this new Australian capability is to ensure we have access to sovereign space-based communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It s also about deterring emerging threats posed by the counterspace capabilities of China and Russia. ’

Being able to respond when a threat emerges is critical. The ability to identify and track a potential adversary s satellite and determine if it poses a threat to our satellites is essentially meaningless if we can t then stop it from carrying out an attack. ’ The space electronic warfare system’ is but a first step to be able to do more than simply monitor an attack in progress.

So, what s the next step? Co-orbital anti-satellite weapons deployed by an adversary are one challenge. We also face the prospect that an adversary could directly, or via non-state proxies, launch’ a cyberattack against our satellites, or the ground station controlling them. China has already demonstrated ground-based laser-dazzling of satellites and has dedicated facilities in the desert near the city of Yumen in the Gansu region close to newly detected missile silos. — More innovative counterspace threats are on the horizon. Russia has demonstrated a matryoshka satellite, which may look like a regular civilian satellite but can contain smaller satellites that could carry out rendezvous and proximity operations against other craft.‘ And the ’grey zone in orbit opens up all sorts of challenges, as a recent report by the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, Defense against the dark arts in space, suggested.‘ ’

The studies now underway need to consider how Australia should respond if counterspace capabilities proliferate, and if legal constraints on weaponising space, most of which were written in the 1960s, fail to keep pace with rapidly evolving threats.

Defence must look beyond a purely ground-based system, be it for space domain awareness or counterspace. Having a presence in orbit for space surveillance, and for defensive soft-kill space capabilities, needs to be discussed in terms of providing an ability to respond to threats and to protect our other space capabilities. The potential for developing such a capability alongside the US, and perhaps other allies, such as the UK or maybe Japan, needs to be considered.

India fears Kashmir terrorism after Taliban resurgence Militant group's victory seen as chance for Pakistan to expand influence

India ramped up security in Kashmir after the February 2019 air strikes. © Reuters

MOYURU BABA, Nikkei staff writerAugust 26, 2021 00:56 JST

NEW DELHI -- The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has raised alarm in India that terrorist groups will rise up to threaten Kashmir, where New Delhi is locked in a decadeslong territorial dispute with neighbor Pakistan. To continue reading, subscribe today

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australia-needs-a-national-space-strategy/

India's S-400 Operators Undergo Phase 2 of Training

Russian S-400 anti-air missile defense system Indian specialists are currently undergoing second phase of training in the operation of the S-400 system. A group of around 100 Indian Army personnel were sent to Russia in the last week of January to begin training on how to operate them. "The first part of the training took place, the second part of the training is underway, so everything is according to plan," Alexander Mikheev, head of Rosoboronexport, said on Russian MoD-owned Zvezda TV channel Wednesday. The first batch of S-400s for India is at the final stage of production. Deliveries will begin as planned in the fourth quarter of 2021. The second phase of training appears to involve new Indian operators. "As for the training, the first group of Indian specialists completed the training. The second group is undergoing training. I would not talk about the number of people but it is a sufficient number for the Indian armed forces to effectively operate our equipment. I would like to say that the results shown by the first group of Indian specialists after the training were very high. I would like to note the [high] level of training of Indian specialists," Almaz-Antey, Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy CEO of Almaz-Antey said during the Army 2021 International Military-Technical Forum. Dzirkaln also confirmed that Russia will commence delivery of the systems by the end of this year. India ordered S-400 air defense systems for $5.43 billion (INR 40,000 crore) in October 2018. During the U.S. Embassy’s conference on Aero India, Don Heflin, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, said India may not be spared from CAATSA sanctions for buying Russian equipment.

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30297/India_s_S_400_Operators_Undergo_Phase_2_of_Tra ining#.YSrRg-gzbIU

Russian firm Aerosvet completes installation of light-signaling systems on INS Vikrant Naval News August 2021 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry POSTED ON WEDNESDAY, 25 AUGUST 2021 11:15 According to information published by Top War on August 24, 2021, the Russian firm Aerosvet completed the installation of light-signaling systems in the first half of August on the Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

INS Vikrant aircraft carrier (Picture source: Twitter account of Indian Navy)

The INS Vikrant aircraft carrier was designed by the Directorate of Naval Design of the Indian Navy and the first warship to be built by Cochin Shipyard. She was floated out of its dry dock on 29 December 2011 and was launched on 12 August 2013.

The INS Vikrant has a length of 262 m, a wide of 62 m, and a displacement of 39,000 tons and she features a STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) configuration with a ski-jump.

INS Vikrant is able to carry 36 to 40 fixed-wing aircraft including 26 fighter aircraft Mikoyan MiG-29K and 10 helicopters including Kamov Ka-31, Westland Sea King, and HAL Dhruv, a utility helicopter designed and developed by the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The armament of the INS Vikrant includes four Otobreda 76 mm (3 in) dual-purpose naval guns, 2x32 VLS (Vertical launching System) Barak 1 & Barak 8 surface-to-air missile launchers and Russian-made AK-630 CIWS (Close-In Weapon Systems) based on a six-barreled 30 mm rotary cannon.

The INS Vikrant is powered by four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines and two Elecon COGAG gearbox. She can reach a top speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) with a maximum cruising range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi). This aircraft carrier has a crew of 1,645 sailors including 196 officers. https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2021/august/10599 -russian-firm-aerosvet-completes-installation-of-light-signaling-systems-on-ins-vikrant.html

Russia Joint Naval Drills With Iran Still On Schedule August 25, 2021 Tasnim News Agency 0 Comments By Tasnim News Agency A top Russian Navy commander said tall of the naval exercises planned to be held jointly with the Iranian forces will take place on schedule.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the diving competitions of the International Army Games 2021 in southeastern Iran on Tuesday, Deputy Commander in Chief of the Russian Navy Vladimir Lvovich Kasatonov highlighted the close coordination and constant contacts with the Iranian Navy.

He said Russia and Iran will stage all of the joint naval exercises that have been planned.

The vice-admiral also noted that the diving competitions in Iran send the message of peace and are aimed at strengthening the peaceful forces for rescue and relief operations in international waters.

Yesterday, Russia’s ambassador to Tehran unveiled plans for joint naval drills of Iran, Russia and China in the Persian Gulf in late 2021 and early 2022.

“The main aim is to practice actions on ensuring international shipping safety, and combating sea pirates,” the ambassador added.

https://www.eurasiareview.com/25082021-russia-joint-naval-drills-with-iran-still-on-schedule/

SE Asian, Middle East Countries likely First Customers of Kalibr Missile-Armed Russian Corvettes Project 22800 Karakurt-class Corvette Countries from Southeast Asia and the Middle East are negotiating with Russia on the purchase of warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles. “Currently, technical consultations and pre-contract negotiations are underway with a number of countries of Southeast Asia and the Middle East for the supply of Project 22800E Karakurt-class corvettes,” Alexander Mikheev told Interfax at the ongoing Army 2021 forum. Mikheev stated that the Kalibr missile system is compatible on many modern Russian ships promoted by Rosoboronexport to the foreign market, including Project 22356 and Project 636 vessels. Karakurt-class corvettes have an endurance of 15 days. They are a cheap alternative for larger Admiral Grigorovich class frigates. Ships of the class have a stealth shaped superstructure with an integrated mast carrying four phased array radar panels. The primary armament consists of Kalibr cruise missiles or P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship missiles carried in eight UKSK VLS cells in the rear part of the superstructure, behind the bridge. The corvettes built for the Russian Navy will be equipped with a 76.2 mm AK-176MA automatic dual-purpose gun, a modernized version of the AK-176. Future vessels of this class are likely to be equipped with Pantsir-M missile systems.

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30295/SE_Asian__Middle_East_Countries_likely_First_Cu stomers_of_Kalibr_Missile_Armed_Russian_Corvettes#.YSrTKOgzbIV

THE LATE TWENTIETH-CENTURY PROFESSION: IDEAS AND INSTITUTIONS FOR THE NUCLEAR AGE Maj. Gen. Mick Ryan | 08.25.21

Author s note: This is the fourth in a series of articles about the profession of arms. Over the series, I will chart the modern development of our profession in the nineteenth and ’ twentieth centuries, examining that development through the lens of four themes that have driven and influenced it: events, technology, ideas, and institutions. I will then examine how change in the strategic environment will drive continued evolution in the profession of arms. Importantly, I will propose areas where we, as members of this profession, must lead change and ensure our military institutions remain effective at every level into the twenty-first century. — — You can also read the previous article in the series here.

The Cold War strategic competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, and massive build up in the number of deployed nuclear weapons, drove changes in how members of the profession of arms thought about large-scale wars, and how they interacted with national leaders and policymakers. Major interstate war now held the potential to result in conflagrations that could extinguish human civilization. Many civilian and military leaders in the early post World War II era hoped or believed that new and advanced technologies would deter large-scale conflicts and deliver enduring strategic –

advantages. However, the examples of protracted and indecisive war in Korea and the American experience in Vietnam disabused many of these utopians of the idea that technology would be the silver bullet against surprise challenges and the scourge of high-intensity wars. As Williamson Murray and MacGregor Knox write in The Dynamics of Military Revolution, 1300 2050, this was an old affliction. They describe how Clausewitz had utter contempt for those of his contemporaries who suffered from similar delusions. . . . – “ No technological marvels can alter war s unpredictable nature as a paradoxical trinity composed of primordial violence, politics and chance. ’ ‘ ’ New technologies (examined in this series previous article) demanded new ideas to realize ‘ ’ ” their potential. New institutions would also be required to wield high-tech weapon ’ systems, to protect against the enemy use of these same weapons, and to train and educate military personnel. New ideas and institutions went hand in hand. For example, new approaches to strategy required new institutions such as the National Security Council to coordinate US strategy. The evolution of joint operations was as much about joint headquarters and staff as it was about theories of joint integration. Flawed initially, these institutions evolved over time to better integrate policy and better formulate strategy. The aim of this article, therefore, is to explore the new ideas and new institutions that emerged to maximize the impact of new technologies, and deal with Cold War events, in the decades after World War II. While a series of different theories and structures emerged over the decades between the 1950s and the turn of the century, four stand above all others: new theories about strategy and their accompanying institutions; the ongoing development of join concepts and organizations; the idea of revolutions in military affairs; and developments in the theory of military professionalism, including civil-military relations.

https://mwi.usma.edu/the-late-twentieth-century-profession-ideas-and-institutions-for-the-nuclea r-age/

Developing Basics for Future Urban Operations by Dave WimbushAugust 25, 2021

Experimental Feature: Audio Read Version

The British Army has a long history of conducting urban operations (UO) and adapting to the unique challenges the urban environment poses. The Army has continued to adapt in spite of a focus on less urbanised counter-insurgency in Afghanistan. This is evidenced by the release of new editions of urban doctrine in 2009 and 2016 which drew on lessons from conflicts around the world. This article highlights why getting the basics of close quarter battle training and doctrine right is so important. It sets out the context of urban operations highlighting the critical importance of low-level skills and shows why they will be decisive in the urban environment. It then explores how land forces can modernise and standardise close quarter battle training by presenting an initiative to up-skill the force.

Doctrinal context The British Army currently does not have an effective conduit for translating UO doctrine into effective tactical training. Nor is the Army completely set on exactly which doctrine to follow. This problem is particularly noticeable with close quarters battle (CQB) doctrine and there have been multiple publications offering different methods:

. In 2011, a document called Pamphlet 3 – Operations in Built Up Areas (OBUA)was released featuring more advanced CQB tactics than the Army’s standard of the time . In 2016, the Urban Tactical Handbook was published featuring tactics replicated from the Royal Marine CQB Instructors pamphlet . Also in 2016, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment began to disseminate tactics notes for subterranean warfare heavily featuring CQB tactics for clearing tunnels and underground spaces . In 2020, the British Army’s Infantry Battle School (IBS) published “slate cards” to support their Urban Operations Instructor Course (UOIC). These feature tactics that are different from that of the Urban Tactical Handbookand OBUA pamphlet . Finally, there is the legacy of the Afghanistan-specific compound clearing drills Whilst this shows the British Army is committed to learning it presents an incoherent approach to urban operations.

It must be noted that when discussing “close quarters battle”, this term refers to the skills of fighting in close proximity to the enemy within complex terrain. This may be inside a building, in an alleyway, along a street, etc. This is about the conduct of infantry fighting in urban terrain and more than simply room clearance.

https://wavellroom.com/2021/08/25/future-urban-operations-close-quarter-battle/

An Update from the August 2021 Navy League Exposition: Shaping a Way Ahead for Maritime Autonomous Systems 08/25/2021

By Jack Rowley

At the highest levels of U.S. intelligence and military policy documents, there is universal agreement that the United States remains at war, even after the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have wound down.

As the cost of capital platforms especially ships and aircraft continues to rise, the Department of Defense is increasingly looking to procure comparatively inexpensive unmanned systems as important— assets to supplement the Joint— Force.

As the United States builds a force structure to contend with high-end threats, one of the key technologies embraced are unmanned systems.

Both the DoD and the DoN envision a future force with large numbers of unmanned systems complementing manned platforms.

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have spurred the development of unmanned air vehicles and unmanned ground vehicles to meet urgent operational needs. As a result, the lion s share of previous years DoD funding for unmanned systems has gone to air and ground systems, while funding for unmanned maritime systems (unmanned surface vehicles and unmanned ’ underwater vehicles) has lagged.

However, this balance is shifting, as increasingly, warfighters recognize the need for unmanned maritime systems in the fight against high-end adversaries, as well as against nations to whom these adversaries export their weapons systems.

Like their air and ground counterparts, these unmanned maritime systems are valued because of their ability to reduce the risk to human life in high threat areas, to deliver persistent surveillance over areas of interest, and to provide options to warfighters that derive from the inherent advantages of unmanned technologies.

The U.S. DoD Commitment to Unmanned Systems The U.S. Department of Defense s vision for unmanned systems is to integrate these assets into the Joint Force. Because unmanned systems are used by all the military services, the DoD publishes a roadmap to provide’ an overarching vision for the military s use of unmanned systems. ’ An article published in Inside the Navy soon after the new roadmap s release noted, The Defense Department s new 30-year unmanned systems plan the first update of the roadmap in four years aims to chart a three-decade guide for the rapidly developing’ field of“ unmanned systems technology. ’ — — ” https://sldinfo.com/2021/08/an-update-from-the-august-2021-navy-league-exposition-shaping-a- way-ahead-for-maritime-autonomous-systems/

Johnson: G7 seeks Taliban evacuation assurance

 #W or l d

Wednesday, Aug. 25, 12:00

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says G7 countries will urge the Taliban to guarantee safe passage of people wishing to leave Afghanistan.

Johnson posted a video message on Twitter following an emergency virtual meeting of G7 leaders on Tuesday. He said, "The No.1 condition we're setting as G7 is that they've got to guarantee right the way through, through August 31 and beyond, safe passage for those who want to come out."

The United States has set an August 31 deadline for withdrawing its troops.

Britain has so far evacuated 9,000 people from Afghanistan.

Johnson said the situation at the international airport in the capital Kabul is not getting any better, hinting at difficulties for evacuations.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has suggested that the country may not be able to evacuate its citizens and Afghan nationals who worked for Germany by the US withdrawal deadline.

He told a German media that even if the deadline were extended by a few days, it would not be enough to complete evacuations sought by Germany and the US.

Maas said Germany is working with the US and Britain to ensure that it is still possible to fly civilians out of Kabul airport after the deadline. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210825_13/

Roughly 1,500 US citizens likely still in Afghanistan - Blinken By SIMON LEWIS, HUMEYRA PAMUK, Reuters Published August 26, 2021 6:45am US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference that Washington has so far evacuated 4,500 US citizens and their families as President Joe Biden's deadline of Aug. 31 to withdraw US troops is just days away. WASHINGTON - There are still about 1,500 US citizens in Afghanistan and the US government is working to either contact them or has already given them instructions on how to get to Kabul airport, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

advertisement Blinken said at a news conference that Washington has so far evacuated 4,500 US citizens and their families as President Joe Biden's deadline of Aug. 31 to withdraw US troops is just days away.

When the US evacuation effort began, there were as many as 6,000 American citizens in Afghanistan who wanted to leave, based on a US analysis, Blinken said.

He said officials had been in direct contact with 500 of those remaining in the past 24 hours and provided specific instructions on how to get to Kabul airport safely.

"For the remaining roughly 1,000 contacts that we had, who may be Americans seeking to leave Afghanistan, we're aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day, through multiple channels of communication," Blinken said. The figures do not include green card holders - those authorized to live and work in the United States.

Biden's administration has for days struggled to provide a specific figure for both the number of Americans evacuated so far and those who are still in Afghanistan. Blinken, while providing the figures, cautioned they may change by the hour.

"From this list of approximately 1,000, we believe the number of Americans actively seeking assistance to leave Afghanistan is lower, likely significantly lower," he said.

He also said 45 percent to 46 percent of the more than 82,000 people who have so far been evacuated have been women and children.

Western countries rushed to evacuate people from Afghanistan as the Taliban swiftly took over the country. Many Afghans who helped US-led coalition forces may have to be left behind to an uncertain fate under the Islamist militant group.

Blinken also stressed that there was no deadline on the effort to help people who want to leave Afghanistan, both Americans and others, and that Washington would use every diplomatic and economic assistance tool to ensure those who want to leave can do so even after Aug. 31.

But he did not elaborate on how exactly Washington would help people leave without the presence of US military on the ground.

In the 10 days since the Taliban swept into Kabul, the United States and its allies have mounted one of the biggest air evacuations on record, bringing out more than 88,000 people, including 19,000 in the last 24 hours.

The US military says planes are taking off the equivalent of every 39 minutes.

Although the airlift is due to last until Tuesday, the United States military said it will shift its focus in the final two days from assisting fleeing civilians to evacuating troops.

The Pentagon does not expect US military involvement beyond Aug. 31, spokesman John Kirby said.

"I think what Secretary Blinken was talking about was the kind of support and assistance that we give to Americans around the world who want to leave where they are and get help coming home ... I wouldn't anticipate that there will be a military role in that sort of assistance." -- Reuters https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/world/800858/roughly-1-500-us-citizens-likely-still-in -afghanistan-blinken/story/

U.S. to prioritize troop evacuation in last two days of Kabul operation By Idrees Ali and David Brunnstrom

U.S. Marines provide assistance at an Evacuation Control Checkpoint (ECC) during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, August 22, 2021. Picture taken August 22, 2021. U.S. Marine Corps/Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/Handout via REUTERS. WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. military will continue evacuating people from Kabul airport until an Aug. 31 deadline if needed, but will prioritize the removal of U.S. troops and military equipment on the last couple of days, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-prioritize-troop-evacuation-last-two-days-kabul-operation- 2021-08-25/

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Republicans push Biden to back Afghan resistance fighters: ‘The least we can do’

In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, a U.S. Air Force Airman guides evacuees aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. ... more >

By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times - Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Republican lawmakers on Wednesday put new pressure on President Bidento actively support Afghan resistance fighters who have promised to never surrender to the Islamist Taliban. With some regional analysts stressing that the well-organized movement should not be taken lightly as a threat to outright Taliban rule, prominent GOP figures say the Biden administration owes it to Afghanistan to do whatever it can to help the fledgling resistance army, headquartered north of Kabul in the naturally fortified Panjshir valley. The new push on Mr. Biden comes as the administration frantically tries to evacuate as many Americans and Afghan allies as possible before the president’s self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline, which he has refused to adjust despite real doubt that the mission can be completed by then. Critics say the U.S. withdrawal plan has been a disaster, but if Mr. Bideninsists on sticking with it, the U.S. must at least offer concrete help to the Afghan resistance. “We should have never withdrawn from Afghanistan in the first place, and our decision to do so has handed control of the country over to the Taliban,” Rep. Liz Cheney, Wyoming Republican, said in a statement to The Washington Times. “While the best thing for America’s interests would have

been maintaining a ground force in the country to conduct counterterrorism operations and support the legitimate Afghan government, the least we can do now is support the resistance effort in any and all ways as they combat the Taliban’s treacherous regime.” https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/aug/25/republicans-push-biden-back-afghan-resist ance-figh/

On Afghanistan, Biden sounds increasingly like ‘Baghdad Bob’

The Washington Post

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE POLICYPOLITICS AND PUBLIC OPINIONASIADEFENSEEXECUTIVE BRANCHINTELLIGENCEMIDDLE EASTTERRORISM

Marc A. Thiessen @marcthiessen August 25, 2021

Remember “Baghdad Bob,” the Iraqi information minister who, as US forces entered the capital, insisted that there were no Americans in Baghdad? That’s what President Biden is beginning to sound like with his delusional insistence that no Americans were having trouble getting to the Kabul airport, no allies were calling into question the United States’ credibility, and that the United States had no interest in Afghanistan because al-Qaeda was “gone.” Yet on Fox News Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed al-Qaeda’s Afghan presence as nothing more than “remnants” posing no serious danger to the homeland. It’s not the first time he’s minimized a terrorist threat, only to be proved disastrously wrong. In December 2011, there were only about 700 Islamic State remnants in Iraq when Biden presided over the disastrous US withdrawal there — but by 2014, a CIA analysis found that the Islamic State had grown to as many as 31,500 fighters.“ Yet Blinken” — who was then serving as deputy national security adviser — continued to underestimate the danger these terrorists posed. In an August 2014 interview, he insisted that the Islamic State’s “focus is not on attacking the US homeland or attacking our interests here in the United States or abroad. It’s focused intently on trying to create a caliphate now in Iraq.” Soon after he spoke those words, the Islamic State and those inspired by it launched a wave of attacks on the West — including January 2015 attacks on the Charlie Hebdo

magazine offices and a Jewish deli in Paris; November 2015 attacks on a night club, soccer stadium and restaurants in Paris that killed 130 people; March 2016 bombings of the Brussels airport and subway station; and a July 2016 attack in Nice in which an Islamic State terrorist drove a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, killing 84 people. According to CNN, by July 2016, the Islamic State had carried out 143 attacks in 29 countries that killed more than 2,000 people. It was only after the group began to attack the West that the Obama administration finally sent US forces back to Iraq to deal with the debacle it created. Now, Biden and Blinken are underestimating the terrorist threat once again. But this time, the disaster they created in Afghanistan will be far more difficult to clean up. In Iraq, we left behind a friendly government and bases to which US forces could return to from which to take on the terrorists. In Afghanistan, the Taliban is in full control, and we have no bases to which we can return when the terrorist danger inevitably reemerges. Other terrorist hotspots — such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Somalia — have coastlines that allow us to project power from the sea. But Afghanistan is a landlocked country, surrounded by hostile states. The only viable routes in are over either Iranian or Pakistani airspace. We face not only a challenge of distance, but of topography — as the forbidding Hindu Kush mountains provide the perfect cover for terrorists. “We’re talking about the problem of finding terrorist needles in 15,000-foot haystacks, which was hard to do even when we had troops in country,” explains Fred Kagan, director of the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project. Even if we somehow manage to obtain intelligence on an al-Qaeda target and overflight permission, we’ll have to hope and pray that the target will still be there by the time our planes take off from bases in the Persian Gulf or a distant aircraft carrier. And without nearby bases, we have limited capability to extract American pilots if a mission goes wrong. In other words, Biden’s claim that we have an “over the horizon” capability to combat an al-Qaeda resurgence is a joke. It took more than seven years for the United States to drive the Islamic State from the caliphate Biden handed them in 2011. Now, Biden has handed the global jihadist movement a new radical Islamic emirate in Afghanistan to replace it. https://www.aei.org/op-eds/bidens-claims-that-al-qaeda-is-gone-in-afghanistan-are-delusional-an d-dangerous/

Two House members secretly traveled to Kabul airport amid hurried evacuations

Peter Meijer and Seth Moulton, who are both veterans, said in a joint statement that the trip was needed to conduct oversight of the effort there. TAP TO UNMUTE Aug. 25, 2021, 9:15 AM +08 / Updated Aug. 25, 2021, 10:56 PM +08 By Ginger Gibson and Rebecca Shabad

WASHINGTON — Two House members issued a scathing statement Tuesday after they took a secret trip to the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, saying "Washington should be ashamed" about the effort to evacuate Americans and allies.

Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Peter Meijer, R-Mich., said they traveled to Kabul, the capital, on Tuesday as part of an effort to persuade President Joe Biden to extend the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw U.S. troops, which would effectively end the effort to evacuate Americans and others who helped the U.S. over two decades of war.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/two-house-members-secretly-travel-kabul-airport-a mid-hurried-evacuations-n1277573

Fury and disgust at CIA, Pentagon, in Congress that thousands of Afghans will be left behind

Evacuations are likely to slow greatly by Friday to give U.S. troops time to withdraw. That's not enough time to evacuate all the Afghans who helped the U.S. TAP TO UNMUTE Aug. 25, 2021, 4:31 AM +08 By Ken Dilanian, Courtney Kube, Julia Ainsley and Abigail Williams

WASHINGTON — With President Joe Biden intending to stick to the Aug. 31 deadlinefor U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan, it's becoming clear that thousands of the Afghans who helped the U.S. won't be evacuated, a scenario that has engendered deep frustration inside U.S. national security agencies.

"People are furious and disgusted," said a former U.S. intelligence official who declined to be quoted by name. A defense official said he grew nauseated as he considered how many Afghan allies would be left behind.

At the CIA, "officers feel a real sense of obligation, moral obligation and personal obligation" to the Afghans they supported and trained, said former CIA Director John Brennan, an NBC News national security consultant.

But the precarious situation for U.S. troops on the ground left Biden with no good options to extend their presence, military officials said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/fury-disgust-cia-pentagon-congress-thousan ds-afghans-will-be-left-n1277552

Pompeo’s Underwhelming Defense of the Trump–Taliban Agreement By ANDREW C. MCCARTHY

  August 25, 2021 6:30 AM

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Then-secretary of state Mike Pompeo arrives for a meeting with the Taliban s peace negotiation team amid talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Doha, Qatar, November 21, 2020. (Patrick Semansky/Pool via Reuters) ’ The best spin Pompeo can now put on it is that a reelected Trump would have abandoned it.

NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLEUP until things recently turned into a five-alarm debacle in Afghanistan, former president Donald Trump’s major criticism was that his successor wasn’t getting out of Afghanistan fast enough. He derided President Biden for extending the withdrawal deadline. Put aside that the total U.S. pullout, under any circumstances, would have eviscerated the counter-terrorism mission that continues to be essential — namely, denying anti-American jihadists sanctuary from and operational partnership with the host regime. As we now see, the May 1 date, on which Trump agreed in a formal February 2020 agreement with the Taliban, would have been even more reckless than …

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/08/pompeos-underwhelming-defense-of-the-trump-taliba n-agreement/

The breathtaking lack of official accountability in Afghanistan

Billions of dollars of US materiel is now in the Taliban’s hands; but which leader will be taken to task for it, or for anything? AUGUST 25, 2021 Written by Will Bardenwerper

“This is effing ridiculous,” we grumbled to each other as we eased our sedan onto the Autobahn. I was a newly minted 2nd lieutenant, accompanied by an enlisted squad leader, team leader, and rifleman from my platoon. My company commander had just ordered us to drive 200 miles from our base near Frankfurt, Germany back to the Hohenfels Training area to retrieve a small piece of a Javelin Missile Simulation Round the young rifleman had lost during a recent training exercise. An experienced non-commissioned officer assigned to evaluate our performance had told me the missing item was cheap and easily replaced; together we concluded that it was not worth halting our training exercise to organize a search party to retrieve it. Days later, after the battalion redeployed back to our home station, my company commander learned of this missing item. Summoning the four of us to the arms room, he laid into us as we stood at attention — a humiliating experience — before ordering us to drive back across the country at our own expense to “find” the missing piece of plastic. The training area at Hohenfels is 163 square miles; the object we were looking for, the size of a shoebox. Presumably, the mission was intended to reinforce the importance of accountability, which, in the combat arms world, is sacrosanct. Lost weapons (or personnel) can cost lives. Such accountability is not limited to the individual soldier who loses something, but extends to his or her leader, who is considered responsible for everything the platoon does or fails to do.

“It’s not my fault, someone else screwed up,” is never a satisfactory excuse. Now consider Afghanistan where an absolute lack of accountability is on embarrassing display to the world. While the time had come to leave, with our ineptly planned withdrawal we have abandoned Afghans who risked their lives to be our allies. Receiving less attention than this disaster, but also revealing an utter lack of senior leader accountability, is our surrendering a modern weapons arsenal to the Taliban. Reuters reported that according to recent intelligence estimates, “the Taliban are believed to control more than 2,000 armored vehicles, including U.S. Humvees, and up to 40 aircraft.” Amazingly, some of this equipment was delivered just weeks ago, meaning that we were flying in millions in military hardware while we probably should have been considering whether to remove what was already there, as embassy officials were already warning of the potential dissolution of Afghan security forces. “Between 2002 and 2017, the United States gave the Afghan military an estimated $28 billion in weaponry, including guns, rockets, night-vision goggles and even small drones for intelligence gathering,” according to the same report.

We will likely never know how much of the military hardware delivered to Afghanistan has been lost nor, for that matter, why so much of it was even necessary to defeat an enemy often armed with little more than small arms. We should instead have been laser-focused on helping create a legitimate government that soldiers would fight for with the same determination the Taliban has shown. As we now see — and many had long predicted — no amount of arms or training could make up for the fact that for 20 years Afghan soldiers were being asked to fight for a corrupt kleptocracy.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/08/25/the-breathtaking-lack-of-military-accountability-in-a fghanistan/

Pentagon Says Nearly 22k Personnel Out Of Afghanistan In Last 24 Hours August 25, 2021 DoD News 0 Comments

By DoD News By C. Todd Lopez

Using U.S. C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules aircraft along with coalition and partner airlift, about 21,600 personnel have been evacuated from Afghanistan in the last 24 hours, said the Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, who said the numbers are the best since evacuation operations started.

An increase in flight operations has resulted in one aircraft now leaving Hamid Karzai International Airport about every 45 minutes. About 58,000 American citizens, civilian allies, Afghan special immigrant visa applicants and other vulnerable Afghans have been taken out of harm’s way since August 14, Army Maj. Gen. William D. “Hank” Taylor said during a briefing Tuesday at the Pentagon.

“I want to reiterate that we’re able to achieve this level of increased departures because of U.S. military personnel and our partner’s work around-the-clock to conduct this highly important mission, including airport security and flight operations,” Taylor said. Those aircraft are now taking evacuees to one of the 14 intermediary locations in Europe and the Persian Gulf region. Additional intermediary locations in Germany, Spain and Italy are being considered as well.

“This allows us to expedite movement out of Kabul and gives us flexibility from these intermediate staging bases,” Taylor said. “We are appreciative of the support in this global effort from our allies and partners. We remain focused on the mission of bringing as many people home as we can, as quickly as we can.” In the United States, four U.S. military installations, including Fort Lee, Virginia; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort McCoy, Wisconsin; and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, are now playing host to evacuees from Afghanistan.

In the past 24 hours, Taylor said, four flights landed at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, with more than 1,000 passengers. “These passengers and their families will go to one of the four military installations, designated as processing locations,” Taylor said. “All this progress stems from the teamwork and professionalism — especially of our interagency partners here in the States. We know more hard work remains and that our personnel in Afghanistan remain vigilant, and we share the sense of urgency in this effort.” While many Afghan citizens hope to leave Afghanistan and start a new life elsewhere, there are also many Americans still in Afghanistan who want to leave. Already, several thousand have been evacuated, Kirby said, and continuing that mission remains a priority for the department, said Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby.

“We continue to make progress every day in getting Americans, as well as SIV applicants and vulnerable Afghans out,” Kirby said. “We … remain committed to getting any and all Americans that want to leave — to get them out.”

Kirby said with recent increases in capacity and the flow, the department has the ability to get that mission done by the end of the month.

https://www.eurasiareview.com/25082021-pentagon-says-nearly-22k-personnel-out-of-afghanist an-in-last-24-hours/

Why is Aug 31 the date for the US pullout from Afghanistan?

A US Air Force Airman guides evacuees aboard a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug 24, 2021. (Photo: Senior Airman Taylor Crul/US Air Force via AP) 25 Aug 2021 01:59PM (Updated: 25 Aug 2021 02:01PM) BookmarkShare

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said Tuesday (Aug 24) that he aims to have all US forces out of Afghanistan by Aug 31, ending a massive two-week airlift from the country at the risk of leaving potential evacuees behind.

HOW WAS AUG 31 SET? Former president Donald Trump set an agreement with the Taliban insurgents in February 2020 that all US forces would withdraw from Afghanistan by May 1 this year.

Biden ordered a review when he came into office in January. On Apr 14 he announced a four-month postponement of Trump's deadline, saying US and NATO troops "will be out of Afghanistan before we mark the 20th anniversary of that heinous attack on Sep 11."

The focus was to evacuate the remaining 2,500 US troops, several thousand NATO soldiers, and some 16,000 civilian contractors who remained in the country.

Critics said the conjunction of the US pullout and commemorations of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack might not look good.

In early July, Biden set an earlier, more precise final day.

"Our military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on Aug 31," he said. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/united-states-afghanistan-pullout-aug-31-date-2134266

China blasts US over Afghanistan pullout, describes ‘effective’ talks with Taliban By Associated Press Wednesday, Aug 25

A US soldier shoots in the air with his pistol while standing guard behind barbed wire as Afghans sit on a roadside near the military part of the airport in Kabul on August 20, 2021, hoping to flee from the country after the Taliban's military takeover of Afghanistan. (Photo by Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)

BEIJING — China says it has established an “open and effective communication and consultation with the Afghan Taliban,” following a meeting between representatives of the group and Beijing’s ambassador to Kabul. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin gave no details about the Tuesday meeting between the deputy head of the Taliban’s political office, Abdul Salam Hanafi and Ambassador Wang Yu. But he said China considered Kabul to be an “important platform and channel for both sides to discuss important matters of all kinds.” China hosted a delegation led by senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar for talks last month, prior to the group’s lightning sweep to power in Kabul. China has kept its embassy in the city open and says it has no plans for a wholesale evacuation of its citizens in Afghanistan, while relentlessly criticizing the U.S. over the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2021/08/25/china-blasts-us-over-afghanist an-pullout-describes-effective-talks-with-taliban/

Taliban say they won't allow Afghans to leave country, reject evacuation extension By Nick Paton Walsh, Brad Lendon, Sheena McKenzie and Ivana Kottasová, CNN Updated 0338 GMT (1138 HKT) August 25, 2021

Are you working for the Taliban?: CNN asks Kabul mayor (CNN)The Taliban said Tuesday that they were "not allowing the evacuation of Afghans anymore" and warned that the US must stick to next week's deadline to pull out, as a frantic Western evacuation operation at Kabul airport picked up pace.

The announcement came as US President Joe Biden made clear he aims to stick with his August 31 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan -- as long as the Taliban does not disrupt ongoing evacuation operations or airport access. Top American allies have already called for an extension in order to fly more people out. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told a press conference Tuesday that while foreign nationals could continue traveling to the airport, the huge crowds of Afghans that have gathered there in recent days should return home and would not face reprisals from the country's new rulers. "The road, which goes to the airport, is blocked. Afghans cannot take that road to go to the airport, but foreign nationals are allowed to take that road to the airport," Mujahid said. "We are not allowing the evacuation of Afghans anymore and we are not happy with it either," he added. The doctors and academics of Afghanistan "should not leave this country, they should work in their own specialist areas," Mujahid added. "They should not go to other countries, to those Western countries." Asked about the statement from the Taliban, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that should not impact Afghans who were prioritized by the US to leave the country. "No. That is not how you should read it," Psaki said. "Our expectation, which we have also conveyed to the Taliban, is that they should be able to get to the airport," she later added. Many of those fleeing the country since the Taliban took over have been educated people, especially women. The last time the Taliban ruled, women were banned from working and forbidden to attend schools and universities. Mujahid also gave reassurances that foreign embassies and aid agencies would remain open. But experts remain dubious of such pledges amid reports of human rights abuses and concerns that the situation will deteriorate further once most of the international community leaves the country. G7 leaders were meeting Tuesday in the first such international forum since the Taliban toppled the internationally-backed Afghan government more than a week ago. They have called on the Taliban to guarantee safe passage for all those wishing to leave Afghanistan after August 31, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday, describing this as the G7's "number one condition" for the Taliban.

"The number one condition we are setting as G7 is that they've got to guarantee right the way through -- through August 31 and beyond -- safe passage for those who want to come out," Johnson said after the virtual meeting of G7 leaders.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/24/asia/kabul-airport-afghanistan-intl-hnk/index.html

Taliban search house-to-house for women, girls for marriage, says escaped journalist

Image Source : AP

Taliban search house-to-house for women, girls for marriage, says escaped journalist

In a moving report a journalist, who escaped from Afghanistan, has described how life has taken a 180-degree turn for Afghan women after the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban.

Hollie McKay, writing in The Dallas Morning News said that after the takeover of Kabul last week, the Taliban have been going house-to-house in the country, looking for women and girls over 15 for marriage.

McKay said that though she was able to leave Mazar-e-Sharif, her Afghan friends who remain behind are gripped by the fear of the unknown that awaits them.

“I thought of how hard women had fought for their freedoms in this country, only to have them cleaved away with a click of the insurgency finger,” said McKay.

McKay wrote about a 14-year-old girl whom she had met at a displacement hub on the periphery of Kabul earlier that week. The girl had run for her life from the fighting in Kunduz and just wanted an education and to one day become a doctor.

She also wrote about another Afghan woman Fariha Easer, who she met many years earlier. Fariha, who used to be the voice of embattled Afghan women and roamed the volatile country to bring the stories of Afghan women to light and to be a potent force for change, broke into a million pieces after the Taliban takeover.

ALSO READ: Afghanistan stares at uncertain future after Taliban takeover: How the world can help “My friends on the outside are begging me to leave my country,” Fariha said. “But how can I, when my sisters are suffering?”, reported The Dallas Morning News.

“But pain and invisibility are not all these incredibly brave activist fears. She told me the Taliban have been going house-to-house, looking for women and girls over 15 for marriage. A

month ago, insurgent members arrived on the doorstep of her friend’s home in Badakhshan, which fell to the group several months ago, looking for young brides. Fariha told me the story she heard from her friend,” said McKay.

“They were saying that they are the saviours, the guards of Islam, the liberators of the West,” Fariha said in a tiny but firm voice. “They asked one father to give over his daughters as wives. They said one of the Taliban is a mullah, and they must make an engagement for him.” https://asiapost.live/taliban-search-house-to-house-for-women-girls-for-marriage-says-escaped-j ournalist/

Taliban take over some UN premises, curb movement: UN report

FILE PHOTO: The United Nations logo is seen on a window in an empty hallway at United Nations headquarters during the 75th annual U.N. General Assembly high-level debate in New York, U.S., September 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Segar 25 Aug 2021 04:32PM (Updated: 25 Aug 2021 04:52PM)

BookmarkShare NEW YORK: Taliban fighters have taken over some UN compounds in Afghanistan, searching and ransacking offices and in one case demanding the guards provide meals for a commander and his men, according to an internal UN report seen by Reuters.

"We have also been advised by the Taliban to remain in our compound 'for our safety' which equates to 'ask permission before thinking about leaving'," the Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS) wrote in the Aug 21 risk assessment report. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/taliban-take-over-some-un-premises-curb-movement-un- report-2133761

In Afghanistan, Taliban Advance on Panjshir Resistance

The Taliban remains in control of the areas surrounding Panjshir Valley and appears to have retaken three villages near the entrance to it.

by Trevor Filseth L

Thirty-three of Afghanistan’s thirty-four provinces fell to the Taliban over the span of two weeks in early August. The extremist group has since consolidated its control over Kabul, the nation’s capital, and the area around it. The sole area that has resisted Taliban encroachment has been the province of Panjshir, located in a valley at the foot of the Hindu Kush mountains. The region’s leader Ahmad Massoud, has repudiated the group and called for an open and democratic system within Afghanistan.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/afghanistan-taliban-advance-panjshir-resistance-192365

As thousands flee Afghanistan, some refugees want to go back

As thousands flee Afghanistan to escape Taliban rule, some refugees are trying to get back into their homeland. 25 Aug 2021 04:10PM (Updated: 25 Aug 2021 04:10PM) BookmarkShare CHAMAN, Pakistan: From trucks stuffed with carpets, bedding, clothes and even goats, around 200 Afghan refugees look beyond the horizon toward Spin Boldak in their country's south, waiting to return home from Pakistan.

Dreading another period of harsh rule after the Taliban's rapid takeover following the US troop withdrawal, thousands have been desperately trying to flee Afghanistan, with chaotic images emerging from the Kabul airport.

ADVERTISEMENT But some families want to repatriate to their homeland, saying the Taliban will bring stability to the war-torn nation.

"We emigrated from Afghanistan during bombing and hardships, when Muslims were in trouble, now, praise be to Allah, the situation is normal, so we are returning to Afghanistan," Molavi Shaib told AFP while waiting at the border.

Related: Why is Aug 31 the date for the US pullout from Afghanistan? Divided by a 10-foot-deep trench filled with barbed wire, the mountainous boundary separating Spin Boldak from Chaman in Pakistan's southwest sees thousands crossing the trade route every day.

As scores try to escape Taliban rule, Pakistan has ramped up security at the border, making the process more stringent.

"People want to return but they are not allowed to cross, we request the Pakistani government to allow us to cross the border because there's no war, and peace has been established," Muhammad Nabi said.

"We have our household with women and kids waiting - we want them to cross the border."

Pakistan has housed over two million Afghan refugees since the first wave of war broke out in Afghanistan over 40 years ago, with numbers fluctuating based on the conflict's intensity, but the country has said it is not in a position to take in any more.

Displaced Afghans have long complained about feeling unwelcome with little access to employment and citizenship rights.

Many have become pawns in a diplomatic blame-game between the countries, which have accused each other of aiding militant groups.

Islamabad has long been seen as protecting the Taliban and could be one of the few governments with close ties to the new regime in Kabul. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/pakistan-afghanistan-taliban-flee-refugees-2134996

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Kabul explosions: 12 US soldiers among 60 dead at airport after Isis attack warning Multiple casualties including US soldiers reported after intelligence warning of terror attack Play Video

Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent | Larisa Brown, Defence Editor

Thursday August 26 2021, 5.00pm BST, The Times

A suicide bomber detonated explosives among crowds thronged outside Kabul Airport, killing at least 60 people, including eleven US marines and a navy medic.

The explosion, which has also left 140 people wounded, came after multiple warnings of an imminent attack by the Islamic State-Khorosan (Isis-K), the Afghan branch of Isis, on crowds of desperate Afghans trying to escape the country.

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The Pentagon confirmed two separate explosions, including the initial one at Abbey Gate, which it said was “the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US and civilian casualties”.

The Pentagon confirmed the attack, saying it appeared to be the work of a suicide bomber possibly aided by armed fighters

Sources on the ground say there were “many bodies” at the blast site.

John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman said “we can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/taliban-kill-afghans-waiting-to-be-evacuated-from-kabul-airp ort-t8sqkwzg9 C

Korea airlifts 391 Afghans to Incheon

Afghans who have worked for the Korean government and their family members wait in line to board a South Korean Air Force transport plane at the Kabul airport Tuesday, local time. Some 390 evacuees are set to arrive at Incheon International Airport Thursday. [FOREIGN MINISTRY]

Three Korean military planes are airlifting some 390 Afghans out of the war-torn country, Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday, to come to Korea.

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon said in a briefing Wednesday that these Afghans, who worked for Seoul's embassy or on Korean government humanitarian aid projects over the years, will arrive at Incheon International Airport Thursday.

The Korean Air Force aircraft were flown to Pakistan and Afghanistan Monday to bring back Afghans who supported Korean government activities in Afghanistan and their relatives, Seoul's Foreign Ministry initially confirmed Tuesday evening.

The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday morning there were around 380 Afghans bound for Korea, and later updated the figure to 391 evacuees from 76 households. This includes around 100 children, of which three are babies born this month.

This is the first time the Korean government has decided to accept foreigners from a conflict zone on a large scale and relocate them to Korea for humanitarian reasons.

The ministry said that as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated, many people appealed to the Korean embassy for assistance to fly to Korea, raising concerns over their personal safety and possible retaliations from the Taliban against U.S. allies.

The evacuees include medical professionals, IT experts, interpreters and other local staff who have worked for many years at the Korean Embassy in Afghanistan, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), the now shuttered Korean Hospital in Bagram, the Korean Vocational Training Center and a provincial reconstruction team in Charikar. Their spouses, children and parents are included on the list.

The Korean government initially considered transporting the Afghan evacuees on foreign chartered planes, but decided to deploy military transport planes after the situation in Kabul deteriorated.

In turn, the government set up a task force and planned the evacuation of the Afghans to Korea as fast as they could, dubbing it "Operation Miracle."

A KC-330 multi-role aerial tanker and two Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft arrived in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad Monday. The KC-330 tanker remained on standby in Islamabad, while the C-130Js began transporting the Afghans out of Kabul to Islamabad Tuesday. They were set to depart for Incheon airport Wednesday.

The flight from Islamabad to Incheon by a KC-330 multirole aerial tanker takes around 11 hours, while C-130J aircraft take around 17 hours because they need to be refueled.

Around 60 to 70 personnel, including military and medical staff, were deployed for the evacuation operation, said a Seoul Defense Ministry official. Noting that over a fourth of the evacuees are children under five, the aircraft were equipped with baby formula, bottles and other necessities for toddlers.

The Korean embassy was temporarily closed on Aug. 15 after Taliban forces swept into Kabul and all Korean diplomats and staff were evacuated to Qatar by Aug. 17. However, Korean diplomatic staff returned to Kabul Sunday to help support the operation, coordinating with allied countries like the United States to secure transportation routes.

A major hurdle for the evacuees were Taliban checkpoints on the way to Kabul airport. Some 40 of the Afghan evacuees lived outside the capital area. The Korean embassy, in cooperation with friendly countries, helped the evacuees reach their flights through six buses chartered at the last minute.

Choi stressed that the Afghan evacuees "are not refugees, but come to Korea as people of special merit."

He added, "Our government decided to welcome them to our country taking into consideration our moral responsibility amid a grave situation facing colleagues who have worked with us, our responsibility as a member of the international community and our global status as a leading nation upholding human rights, as well as the fact that other countries in a similar situation have also been transporting the Afghans."

The final number of evacuees was fewer than the 427 Afghans that had signed up to fly to Korea. A Foreign Ministry official confirmed Wednesday that 36 people ultimately chose to stay in Afghanistan or evacuate to another country.

This came as U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the United States is on track to keep an Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

After the Afghans arrive in Korea, they will be tested for Covid-19 and isolated for two weeks at the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, North Chungcheong, following Covid-19 quarantine measures. They are expected to continue to be temporarily housed at the institute's Leadership Campus for at least six weeks, according to the Jincheon County Office.

They will arrive on short-term permits, which will later be extended to longer-term visas, said Seoul officials. The Foreign Ministry and Justice Ministry plan to provide further support and guidance should they wish to settle in Korea, or move to another country. Granting permanent residency could be one option for those who choose to remain in Korea.

Seoul officials said that background checks have already been conducted on the evacuees prior to their flights to Korea, and that their identities have been confirmed as they have worked with Koreans for years, some up to a decade.

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/08/25/national/diplomacy/Afghan-evacuees-Afghanis tan-Foreign-Ministry/20210825184800483.html

Fall of Afghanistan: Group with New Zealand visas safe at Kabul airport

Video shows a group of anti-Taliban resistance fighters gathering at the tomb of famed guerilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. Video / AP

By: Kurt Bayer

NZ Herald reporter based in Christchurch [email protected]@KurtBayerNZME

They negotiated armed Taliban checkpoints, dodged beatings, fled gunfights and stampedes, crossed sewage-filled canals, and waited for hours under a baking sun, but last night more desperate Afghans with New Zealand visas managed to flee chaotic Kabul. An elderly woman in a wheelchair was among a small group finally ushered inside the razor wire and iron gate perimeter security at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport by soldiers in the early hours of this morning (NZ time). The Herald understands at least five New Zealand visa holders managed to get through the chaotic and deadly scenes outside the airport, which is being controlled by the Taliban, after hours of negotiations and waiting. The ones who did will now be processed and looked after by a team of 19 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel at an evacuation centre inside the airport before being putting on a military plane out of the country, probably at some point today. A spokesman for the Afghan Association of New Zealand said last night's efforts to get the group out were a major relief. "We still have more to go. The next week will be even more chaotic," he said.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fall-of-afghanistan-group-with-new-zealand-visas-safe-at-kabul-a irport/SSZHHZ2N5HDOBGYI5GBCPV3X64/

Afghanistan falls: Interpreters resettled in New Zealand fear Taliban revenge on family left behind

25 Aug, 2021 12:00 PM4 minutes to read

Video shows a group of anti-Taliban resistance fighters gathering at the tomb of famed guerilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. Video / AP

By: Kurt Bayer

NZ Herald reporter based in Christchurch [email protected]@KurtBayerNZME

A group of Afghan interpreters who served with Kiwi troops and resettled in New Zealand after their tours of duty are now worried their family members left behind will be killed in Taliban revenge attacks. New Zealand has resettled 44 former Afghan interpreters and employees, along with 96 immediate family members since 2012-14. But all of those interpreters have family remaining in Afghanistan, says Raza Khadim, spokesman of the Afghan Veteran Interpreters Association. And now the country has fallen back into the hands of the hard-line Taliban organisation, there are desperate fears their lives are in imminent danger.

ADVERTISEMENT https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/afghanistan-falls-interpreters-resettled-in-new-zealand-fear-taliba n-revenge-on-family-left-behind/DI6JOZNNPQT22XWX37TEWAEYPM/

The Afghanistan Withdrawal: Military And Defense Implications – Analysis August 25, 2021 CRS 0 Comments By CRS By Kathleen J. McInnis and Andrew Feickert*

After a rapid Taliban campaign to capture cities and territories formerly controlled by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA), on August 15, 2021, the Taliban took Kabul and the President of GIRoA, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country.

Information regarding the situation on the ground in Afghanistan and U.S. troop numbers is fluid and should be treated with caution. This Insight, which may be updated as circumstances warrant, is intended to assist Congress as it considers the military and defense implications of the withdrawal while events unfold.

Current Military Footprint and Mission Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) was initiated on July 17, 2021, to support relocation flights for Afghan nationals and their families eligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). On August 12, 2021, in light of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Ghani the United States would begin reducing its civilian footprint in Kabul, and would accelerate Special Immigration Visa (SIV) flights previously undertaken as part of OAR. The rapid collapse of GIRoAand subsequent Taliban takeover of Kabul has, to many observers, underscored that plans to evacuate U.S. personnel and Afghan partners needed to be accelerated.

In support of OAR and U.S. withdrawal operations, the Department of Defense (DOD) has announced that at least the following actions will, or have been, taken:

. Three infantry battalions two Marine Corps, one U.S. Army would deploy to Hamid Karzai International Airport. . A joint U.S. Army/Air Force— support element of around 1,000— personnel would be sent to Qatar, and possibly to Afghanistan (or to other areas where the Afghans will be processed), to facilitate the processing of SIV applicants. . Two battalions of the 82nd Airborne Division would be deployed to Afghanistan. It was previously announced that one of these battalions would be sent to Kuwait as a quick reaction force. The deployment of a second battalion was announced on August 16, 2021. DOD officials have further noted:

. As of August 17, 2021, approximately 4,000 troops had arrived in Kabul as part of the surge of support for OAR and withdrawal operations. . Between 650 and 1,000 U.S. troops were already on the ground conducting withdrawal operations. . As in all cases, U.S. service members have the right to self-defense if attacked.

. DOD still plans to complete the ongoing troop drawdown in Afghanistan by the end of August 2021. Questions and Considerations The rapid collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Force (ANDSF), as well as GIRoAitself, has challenged some of the central premises of post-September 11, 2001, national security policies and raised questions about local and regional Afghan security dynamics that are currently being debated by scholars and practitioners and that Congress may explore in its own deliberations. These include the following:

What were U.S. military options? The Trump Administration concluded a withdrawal deal with the Taliban in February 2020, stipulating that U.S. forces would withdraw from Afghanistan by May 31, 2021, in return for some counterterrorism assurances from the Taliban. The Biden Administration chose to delay the withdrawal date to August 31, 2021. Some observers contend that the Biden Administration could have chosen to ignore the agreement and retained a small footprint in the country comprising several thousand troops in order to facilitate a better peace agreement. According to this view, the costs of retaining such a force would have been minimal compared with the security risks associated with Afghanistan’s collapse.

https://www.eurasiareview.com/25082021-the-afghanistan-withdrawal-military-and-defense-imp lications-analysis/

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After Triumph in Afghanistan, Foreboding for Pakistan Tim Willasey-Wilsey

25 August 20215 Minute Read

Main Image Credit Supporters of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement pictured during a protest in Karachi, Pakistan in January 2020. Courtesy of Reuters/Alamy Stock Photo

Pakistan will spend many years regretting its success in Afghanistan. A genuinely inclusive government in Kabul would have been a far better outcome for all concerned. One of the inevitable consequences of the Afghan fiasco of recent days has been a deluge of gleeful WhatsApp messages from friends in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Let’s be fair. The same euphoria and hubris gripped Washington in the days after the final Soviet BTR-80 Armoured Personnel Carrier crossed the Amu Darya (Oxus) river on 15 February 1989. The West had successfully sponsored mujahideen forces to inflict a defeat on a superpower. The ironies are legion. Another reason not to be too harsh on Pakistan for our Afghan defeat is that the West came between Pakistan and its longstanding national interest to keep Indian influence out of Afghanistan. Why did UK ministers and diplomats think they could sweet-talk a country away from a core national strategy; and one which had been so similar to British imperial policy up until only 75 years ago? That British policy had been intended to keep Russia (and later Germany) out of Afghanistan. The ‘Forward Policy’ (which was heatedly debated throughout the 19th century) argued that it was better to defend British India in Afghanistan than in India itself. For that reason, Afghanistan has become one of those countries (Poland and Yemen are others) where powers offshore their conflicts. However, more thoughtful Pakistani officers fear the consequences of this triumph. They remember the humiliation of 1971 and the loss of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Some spent two years in Indian prison camps. A consequence of the war was not only a burning desire for revenge against India but also the notion that the army was now the champion of Pakistan’s territorial integrity. Pashtunistan The first worry is that the Pashtuns of the Afghan Taliban will, after a few years in power, find common cause with their Pashtun kinsmen in Pakistan. There is no formal frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan; only the Durand Line imposed by the British in 1893 without Afghan agreement. Even a moderate Pashtun, Hamid Karzai, used to say that the Afghan border should be at Attock Bridge on the Indus River. Such

an idea, if ever implemented, would remove a very sizable chunk of Pakistan including the city of Peshawar. There are plenty of Pakistani Pashtuns who would prefer the whole of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province) to be part of a wider Pashtunistan. Now, Pashtuns make up between 26% and 33% of the population of Balochistan and nearly 25% of the huge and vital commercial city of Karachi. Militancy A connected but separate concern is that the same sort of militancy which has swept through Afghanistan could be attractive in Pakistan. There are plenty of rural and urban Pakistanis who look at the Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore elites in much the same way as rural Afghans viewed the kleptocrats in Kabul. The VIP culture – with children educated abroad, large houses with servants and, in some cases, a taste for Scotch – is shared by both elites. There are politicians in Pakistan who openly espouse the idea of ditching what they regard as an imported quasi-colonial ‘Western democracy’ in favour of something more consistent with local culture and the Islamic faith. Even the Westernised Prime Minister Imran Khan has spoken of Afghans having ‘broken the shackles of slavery’ and earlier describedOsama bin Laden as a martyr. This is frightening for a middle class that remembers all too well the assassination of the governor of Punjab in 2011 and the huge crowds that emerged to acclaim his killer. It is ironic that the new softer image of Talibanism which Pakistan has helped present in recent months, however spurious, actually represents a bigger threat to Pakistan than the brutal, medievalist movement of the 1990s. The Pakistani army itself, although splendidly smart and reminiscent of the British Army of yesteryear, is no longer the Westernised organisation which was still visible even in the 1990s. It is increasingly austere and, although not exactly Islamist, is critical of civilian politicians, press freedoms and the West in general. https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/after-triumph-afghanistan-f oreboding-pakistan

Afghanistan holds lessons for American power in Asia SAM ROGGEVEEN The US will one day ask the same question about its presence in Asia that it did of Afghanistan: is it still worth it?

Should America’s partners in Asia conclude, based on the US military’s ungainly and humiliating retreat from Kabul, that the United States will be a less reliable security partner from now on? (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Published 25 Aug 2021 14:00 0 Comments

 Asia

 Afghanistan

 Afghanistan War Follow @SamRoggeveen

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 Has America’s ignominious withdrawal from Afghanistan damaged its credibility? The scenes of chaos and panic at Kabul International Airport have certainly reinforced the sense that the United States had lost control of the situation in Afghanistan. The events of the 10 days since the Taliban takeover of the capital have also led many around the world to question America’s basic competence as a great military power, not to mention its resolve to maintain that status.

Should Australia and other American partners in Asia interpret the Afghanistan withdrawal that way? Should they conclude, based on the US military’s ungainly and humiliating retreat from Kabul, that America will be a less reliable security partner from now on?

On its face that argument seems weak. The US was in Afghanistan for 20 years and suffered almost 2,500 military deaths. That is no small commitment. Surely America’s allies and partners in Asia will weigh that evidence more highly than the drama of the withdrawal.

What should worry America’s friends and allies in Asia, including in Australia, is not that the Afghanistan withdrawal shows America to be feckless or weak, but that it shows America is capable of correcting a mistake. Granted, it took far too long, but what the world witnessed in Kabul last week was the final belated embodiment of a realisation which Barack Obama and Donald Trump had also come to, but which they failed to act upon: that America’s commitment to Afghanistan was no longer in its interests. America’s Asian partners need to think deeply about whether the same logic applies to the US presence in Asia.

The Afghanistan withdrawal does show that the US will only go so far to protect interests that it no longer considers vital. The prevailing wisdom in Australia and among foreign policy elites in Washington is that the US will remain committed to its allies and to maintaining its place atop the regional security order. But as I have argued, Australia should question American resolve in Asia because the job of meeting the China challenge is too big and the stakes are too small.

The job is too big because the US has never faced an adversary of China’s economic and military size. To take on China, the US would need to gear up for a multi-generational, whole-of-government contest that would make the struggle against the Soviets look easy by comparison.

The reason the US won’t do this is because the stakes are too small. Despite China’s immense size, it is no threat to America’s core security interests. The US is surrounded by friendly neighbours to the north and south, and vast oceans to the east and west. It has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and the world’s largest military. Moreover, China is surrounded by other great powers that will constrain its ambitions. China, therefore, is no threat to American territory or its way of life. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/afghanistan-holds-lessons-american-power-asia

Virus infection rate down, still critical posted August 26, 2021 at 12:50 am by Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta, Rio N. Araja, Jun David

The reproduction number of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila has gone down to 1.53 but is still in “critical range,” OCTA Research’s latest monitoring report released Wednesday said.

OCTA said several local government units in the National Capital Region had decreasing reproduction numbers as well as growth rates.

“The reproduction in the NCR decreased to 1.53 (with an error range of ±0.05). Several LGUs in the NCR had decreasing reproduction numbers and growth rates,” OCTA said.

This is lower compared to Metro Manila’s reproduction number, which refers to the average number of secondary infections by each infected individual, of 1.78 on August 18.

The Philippines logged on Wednesday 13,573 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 1,883,088, as all laboratories were operational, but seven labs were not able to submit their data on time, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.

Yesterday was the 15th straight day with more than 10,000 new cases.

In related developments:

* The virus that causes COVID-19 will not go away soon, the regional director of the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific office said Wednesday amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

* Heart doctors of the Philippine Heart Association urged people to have themselves vaccinated against COVID-19, especially those with heart problems and similar ailments.

* Vice President Leni Robredo is under quarantine again after one of her staff tested positive for COVID.

* Sen. Nancy Binay said she is currently under quarantine after her mom, former Makati Mayor Dr. Elenita Binay, tested positive for COVID-19.

* Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan announced on Facebook that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

* Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso was discharged from the Sta. Ana Hospital on Wednesday after 10 days of confinement due to COVID-19.

OCTA said Navotas has a 1.4 reproduction number, while Pasay, Malabon, Manila, Quezon City, Makati, and Las Piñas have reproduction numbers below 1.5 and growth rates below 20percent.

Five LGUs had reproduction numbers higher than 1.7, according to the OCTA: Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, Mandaluyong, and Caloocan.

https://manilastandard.net/news/national/363320/virus-infection-rate-down-still-critical.html

Concepcion: Planning for booster shots should start now

Louella Desiderio - The Philippine Star

August 26, 2021 | 12:00am

A health worker inoculates a resident with a dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine inside a Catholic church turned into a vaccination centre in Manila on May 21, 2021.

AFP / Ted Aljibe MANILA, Philippines — Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said the government and private sector should start preparing for booster shots now to ensure that these are available when needed.

Addressing the Kapihan sa Manila Bay virtual media forum yesterday, Concepcion said that while AstraZeneca is not taking orders now, it is asking his group to plan out booster shots.

“The national government, private sector and LGUs (local government units) have to plan now these booster shots. We cannot take these booster shots before the recommended timeframe. But we have to think forward and study how many booster shots we will need so we are not left behind,” he said.

The private sector led by Concepcion and some LGUs purchased coronavirus vaccines from AstraZeneca through Go Negosyo’s A Dose of Hope initiative.

This was made possible through a tripartite agreement entered into by the private sector with the national government and AstraZeneca.

“AstraZeneca has a lifespan of about one year, efficacy of one year. So, we will need booster shots middle of the year,” Concepcion said.

“Before we bring in boosters, we have to vaccinate all people who want to be vaccinated. But we have to start discussing boosters because we cannot be late,” he said.

Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated that it is not yet recommending booster shots against COVID-19.

WHO-Western Pacific Region Office coordinator for essential medicines and health technologies Socorro Escalante said studies are still being undertaken to determine if those vaccinated against COVID-19 should receive booster doses.

Concepcion, meanwhile, emphasized that his proposed bubble for the vaccinated is not discriminatory.

“When I talked to (former) chief justice Art Panganiban, he said ‘no, it is not’ because we are under an emergency situation at this point in time,” said Concepcion, who has pushed for limited access to commercial establishments like malls and restaurants in favor of those fully vaccinated. – Sheila Crisostomo

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/26/2122641/concepcion-planning-booster-shots-sho uld-start-now

WHO backs vaccination of children at high-risk but says elderly still a priority By CNN Philippines Staff Published Aug 26, 2021 4:44:09 AM

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 26) — The World Health Organization is recommending vaccinating children with comorbidities living in areas with increased COVID-19 cases.

“WHO is recommending to countries that where children have comorbidities, and if these children are in places where there’s ongoing community transmission and formation of clusters, then children could be vaccinated,” WHO Essential Medicines and Health Technologies coordinator Dr. Socorro Escalante said in a briefing Wednesday.

She pointed out that while children are less likely to suffer from COVID-19 infection, there is still a small risk of severe illness and complication.

Despite this, the elderly – a vulnerable age group – should still be prioritized in the vaccination program, Escalante noted.

ADVERTISEMENT “We still need to put that in the context of prioritizing the elderly who are more vulnerable to severe disease,” she said.

As the country records more children catching COVID-19, vaccine experts already rejected the call to start immunizing the said age group due to unstable supply of coronavirus shots and the lack of efficacy and safety data.

The government also said it is prioritizing the inoculation of the most vulnerable, which include medical workers, senior citizens, and people with comorbidities.

Currently, the Food and Drug Administration has been reviewing requests of vaccine manufacturers to amend their emergency authorization in the Philippines to include children.

ADVERTISEMENT So far, only Pfizer COVID-19 shots have been approved for use on minors that are 12 to 15 years old.

China-made Sinovac’s application to cover persons 3 to 17 years old has not yet been approved by the regulator due to lack of data.

Vaccine experts are expected to decide by next week on the request to expand the coverage of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine to include those aged 12 years old and above.

Latest data show that the government has already fully vaccinated more than 13 million Filipinos. This is still a long way from its target of immunizing 70 million individuals to achieve herd immunity.

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/8/26/WHO-backs-vaccinating-children-but-elderly-still-a- priority.html

COVID-19 won’t disappear soon, says WHO Western Pacific director By JULIA MARI ORNEDO, GMA News Published August 25, 2021 1:11pm The virus that causes COVID-19 will not go away soon, the regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) s Western Pacific office said Wednesday amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. ’ advertisement Dr. Takeshi Kasai described the Delta variant as a real threat which is testing the capacity of even the strongest public health systems in our regions. “ Even with all our best efforts, it now seems clear that, globally, the” virus will not disappear. At least, not in the near future, he told a news conference. “ Kasai noted that the Delta variant has led ”to a faster clustering of COVID-19 cases within households.

The WHO official stressed that the best way to live with the virus is through vaccination and other similar preventive efforts, including responding to upticks in cases with targeted measures. “ ”

Meanwhile, Kasai“ also said” the Philippines is one of the countries in the region facing this surge driven partially by the Delta variant. “ We know lockdown” alone cannot really reduce the transmission down and so it is very important to identify and know where the infections are occurring and suppress“ that, he said.

Kasai also acknowledged” government efforts to increase the country s healthcare capacity and the high vaccination rates among health workers and the elderly. ’ What is important is actually not just beds but to make sure there [are] doctors and nurses and also there is sufficient equipment and also support to those working“ very hard, he said.

”

The Philippines has tallied over 1.8 million COVID-19 cases with more than 1.7 million recoveries and 32,264 deaths as of August 24.

The capital region of Metro Manila and Laguna province will be under the second-strictest lockdown classification (modified enhanced community quarantine) until August 31 in a bid to stem the spread of the Delta variant.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that under MECQ, indoor, al fresco dine-in services are prohibited.

Personal care services including beauty salons, beauty parlors, barbershops and nail spas are not allowed in the metropolis, Laguna and Bataan, he added.

Likewise, religious gatherings are limited to virtual activities. — RSJ, GMA News

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/800740/covid-19-won-t-disappear-soon-says-w ho-western-pacific-director/story/

WHO not yet recommending COVID-19 vaccine booster shots

Published August 25, 2021, 3:36 PM by Analou de Vera

COVID-19 vaccines (Keith Bacongco/MANILA BULLETIN File Photo) The World Health Organization (WHO) said that it is not yet recommending the use of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine booster doses.

WHO Coordinator for Essential Medicines and Health Technologies Dr. Socorro Escalante said that further studies are still currently being conducted about booster doses.

“At this point in time, we really do not have sufficient evidence to say that we need these booster doses now,” said Escalante during a virtual forum on Wednesday, Aug. 25.

“We are also really urging that the introduction of booster doses should be firmly evidence-driven and targeted to the population groups in greatest need,” she added.

With the limited supply of vaccines globally, the prioritization framework should still be followed, said Escalante.

“The focus should be ensuring that countries use limited vaccine supply to fully vaccinate people with first and second doses, especially the priority groups, or who are most at risk of infection,” she said.

“Within the context of the very constrained global supply, our priority will be for countries to ensure that the vaccines that are available to them are used to cover the priority groups including the healthcare workers, the elderly, and the vulnerable,” she added.

The WHO, meanwhile, will continue to cooperate with experts and scientists with regards to booster doses, said Escalante.

“Indeed, there have been a lot of discussions on whether or not booster doses will be provided to individuals who have already been vaccinated and there are initiatives or studies that are already being undertaken to determine the need of booster doses,” she said.

“[The] WHO will continue to work with scientists and experts around the world to continue with these studies,” she added.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/who-not-yet-recommending-covid-19-vaccine-booster-shots/

Coronavirus: Sinopharm is working on an updated vaccine for variants

Drug maker Sinopharmsays it is developing an updated version of its Covid-19 vaccine

to protect against the Delta and Beta variants, and that clinical trials of a booster shot are under way.In a statement, Zhang Yuntao, vice-president of Sinopharm unit China National Biotec Group (CNBG), said the company was working on inactivated vaccines for the strains and data was being provided to the drug regulator.

The highly transmissible Delta variant was first identified in India and has become the dominant strain in many countries, while Beta was first detected in South Africa and has been found to be more resistant to current vaccines . https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3146361/coronavirus-sinopharms-twin-approa ch-variants-aims-improved?module=perpetual_scroll&pgtype=article&campaign=3146361

J&J says second-dose study supports use of booster shots The findings come as the Biden administration is firming up plans to roll out booster shots to adults in late September.

A health care worker at a drive-thru site setup administers a Covid-19 vaccine in Miami. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images By LAUREN MORELLO 08/25/2021 07:40 AM EDT

Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday that giving a booster shot of its vaccine produced a sharp increase in antibodies against the coronavirus.

The findings, which the company said it would submit to the Food and Drug Administration, come as the Biden administration is firming up plans to roll out booster shots to adults in late September. Those plans have so far focused on shots from Moderna and Pfizer, in large part because federal regulators said they were waiting for the results of J&J's booster study. But the company is now positioning itself to join in the federal booster plan. Roughly 14 million people in the U.S. have received the J&J shot. “We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination,” said Mathai Mammen, global head of research and development at J&J's Janssen subsidiary.

The company said that clinical trials found a booster shot of its one-dose vaccine increased Covid-19 antibodies ninefold one month after vaccination, compared to the levels seen one month after the first shot. J&J said this was true for people 18-55 as well as those over 65, who received a lower booster dose.

J&J has submitted two papers describing the results to an online archive, but the analyses have not yet undergone peer review. Findings released this month from a South African study of nearly 480,000 health care workers found J&J's single-shot regimen was strongly protective against the Delta variant, cutting the risk of hospitalization by 71 percent and of death by 96 percent.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/25/johnson-johnson-booster-shots-study-506864

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now Reuters

Aug 27 (Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: U.S. COVID-19 tests again in short supply as infections soar, schools reopen U.S. companies are scrambling to boost production of coronavirus tests increasingly in short supply as COVID-19 cases soar and schools and employers revive surveillance programs that will require tens of millions of tests, according to industry executives and state health officials. read more Test manufacturers in recent months scaled back production of rapid COVID-19 tests, which can produce results on-site in minutes, as well as test kits that are sent to laboratories for analysis. Now, with the Delta variant pushing U.S. COVID-19 cases well above 100,000 per day, test makers are working to quickly reverse course. Contaminant in Moderna vaccines suspected to be metallic particles, NHK says A contaminant found in a batch of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccines delivered to Japan is believed to be a metallic particle, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported, citing sources at the health ministry. NHK, in a report published late on Thursday, cited ministry sources as saying the particle reacted to magnets and was therefore suspected to be a metal. Moderna has described it as "particulate matter" that did not pose a safety or efficacy issue. Spanish pharma company Rovi, which bottles Moderna vaccines for markets other than the United States, said the contamination could be due to a manufacturing issue in a production line and that it was conducting an investigation. read more Biden shedding support from independent voters as Delta variant spreads, polling shows President Joe Biden is shedding support from independents, a crucial voting bloc that helped Democrats win the White House and Congress last year, as a resurgence of COVID-19 cases slows the country's return to normal from the pandemic, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows. The pandemic has surged anew in the United States, especially in populous Republican-led states such as Florida and Texas that have resisted new restrictions to hamper the spread of the Delta variant of the virus. read more Mexican researchers say they have created a mask that neutralizes COVID-19 Researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) have created a mask using silver and copper nanolayers that neutralizes

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the university said in its official gazette on Thursday. UNAM said that if the viral concentration was high, the virus disappeared by more than 80% in about eight hours and if the viral load was low, in two hours none of the virus RNA was detected. read more

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/what-you-need-know-about-coron avirus-right-now-2021-03-02/

More Than 5.17 Billion Shots Given: Covid-19 Tracker In the U.S., 367 million doses have been administered Updated: August 28, 2021, 4:34 AM GMT+8

Vaccine Tracker  Global  U.S.  U.S. Vaccine Demographics  FAQ  Covid-19 Tracker The biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway. More than 5.17 billiondoses have been administered across 183 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 39.6 million doses a day. In the U.S., 367 million doses have been given so far. In the last week, an average of 886,314 doses per day were administered. World Map of Vaccinations More than 5.17 billion doses have been administered—enough to fully vaccinate 33.6% of the global population

 no data05153060%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. Bloomberg Travel Tracker  Find out where in the world you are free to travel—and which destinations are still sealed off. . . Enough doses have now been administered to fully vaccinate 33.6% of the global population—but the distribution has been lopsided. Countries and regions with the highest incomes are getting vaccinated more than 20 times faster than those with the lowest. Uneven Access to Vaccines Least wealthy

       Most wealthy

The least wealthy 52 places have 2.9% of the vaccinations… Vaccines India Mainland China U.S.

 Hover for more comparisons Population India Mainland China

…but 20.5% of the world's population 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 highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death, it takes a coordinated campaign to stop a pandemic. Infectious-disease experts say 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 39.6 million a day, the goal of high levels of global immunity remains a long way off. Manufacturing capacity, however, is steadily increasing, and new vaccines by additional manufacturers are coming to market. The Path to Immunity Around the World Globally, the latest vaccination rate is 39,615,949 doses per day, on average. At this pace, it will take another 5 months to cover 75% of the population.

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 Average daily rate estimate Jan. 7 March 6 May 3 June 30

Aug. 27 Doses administered: 80M 60 40 20 0 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.

‘Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’ Israel was first to show that vaccines were bending the curve of Covid infections. The country led the world in early vaccinations, and by February more than 84% of people ages 70 and older had received two doses. Covid cases declined rapidly, and a similar pattern of vaccination and recovery repeated across dozens of other countries. This progress is under threat. New strains, led by the highly transmissible delta variant, have caused renewed outbreaks. It’s now a life-and-death contest between vaccine and virus. Unvaccinated people are more at risk than ever, leading U.S. health officials to dub it a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” Even among those who are vaccinated, the delta variant may lead to mild cases, and those who get sick are able to spread the disease to others, according to the latest data. The vaccines remain effective at preventing hospitalization and death. Vaccinations vs. Cases Vaccines have helped reduce case numbers in the places where they’ve been deployed most widely. Currently, 30 places have administered enough shots to cover at least 60% of the population.

United States (57.3% covered)

↑↓ Jan. 23 March 18 May 11 July 4 Aug. 27

People covered: 75% 50 25 0

 Seven-day average Jan. 23 March 18 May 11 July 4 Aug. 27 New cases per million: 1,000 800 600 400 200 0

Note: “People covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Vaccine data from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Tracker. Cases data: Johns Hopkins University. A Change to Our Data Sources  Behind the data: After more than 240 straight data shifts, we’re taking the next step and will now be relying on a combination of automated scrapers and third-party data sources. . . Since the start of the global vaccination campaign, countries have experienced unequal access to vaccines and varying degrees of efficiency in getting shots into people’s arms. Before March, few African nations had received a single shipment of shots. In the U.S., 110.5 doses have been administered for every 100 people. Delivering billions of vaccines to stop the spread of Covid-19 worldwide is one of the greatest logistical challenges ever undertaken. Race to End the Pandemic The Maldives leads the world, with enough vaccinations to cover 91.0% of its population

↑↓ UAE

UAE Mald. Mald. U.K. U.K. U.S. U.S. Aruba Aruba Afgh. Afgh. Angola Angola Alb. Alb. Andorra Andorra Argen. Argen. Armenia Armenia Antigua Antigua Aus. Aus. Austria Austria Azer. Azer. Belgium

Belgium Benin Benin B. Faso B. Faso Bang. Bang. Bulg. Bulg. Bahrain Bahrain Baha. Baha. Bosnia Bosnia Belarus Belarus Belize Belize Bermuda Bermuda Bol. Bol. Brazil Brazil Barb. Barb. Brunei Brunei Bhutan

Bhutan Bots. Bots. C.A.R. C.A.R. Switz. Switz. Chile Chile Mainland China Mainland China Iv. Coast Iv. Coast Camer. Camer. DR Congo DR Congo Rep. Congo Rep. Congo Col. Col. Comoros Comoros C. Verde C. Verde Co. Rica Co. Rica Cuba Cuba Curaçao

Curaçao Cayman Cayman Cyprus Cyprus Cz. Rep. Cz. Rep. Germany Germany Dji. Dji. Domca. Domca. Den. Den. Dom. Rep. Dom. Rep. Alg. Alg. Ecuador Ecuador Egypt Egypt Spain Spain Est. Est. Ethio. Ethio. Finland

Finland Fiji Fiji France France Micronesia Micronesia Gabon Gabon Georgia Georgia Ghana Ghana Guinea Guinea Gambia Gambia Guinea-Bis. Guinea-Bis. Eq. Guinea Eq. Guinea Greece Greece Grenada Grenada Greenland Greenland Guat. Guat. Guyana

Guyana H.K. H.K. Honduras Honduras Croatia Croatia Haiti Haiti Hungary Hungary Indon. Indon. Is. Man Is. Man India India Ireland Ireland Iran Iran Iraq Iraq Iceland Iceland Israel Israel Italy Italy Jamaica

Jamaica Jordan Jordan Japan Japan Kazak. Kazak. Kenya Kenya Kyrg. Kyrg. Camb. Camb. St. Kitts St. Kitts S. Korea S. Korea Kuwait Kuwait Laos Laos Leb. Leb. Liberia Liberia Libya Libya St. Lucia St. Lucia S. Lanka

S. Lanka Lesotho Lesotho Lithu. Lithu. Lux. Lux. Latvia Latvia Macau Macau Mor. Mor. Monaco Monaco Moldova Moldova Mada. Mada. Mex. Mex. N. Mace. N. Mace. Mali Mali Malta Malta Myan. Myan. Monte.

Monte. Mong. Mong. Moz. Moz. Mauritan. Mauritan. Mauritius Mauritius Malawi Malawi Malay. Malay. Nam. Nam. Niger Niger Nigeria Nigeria Nicar. Nicar. Netherl. Netherl. Norway Norway Nepal Nepal Nauru Nauru N.Z.

N.Z. Oman Oman Pakistan Pakistan Panama Panama Peru Peru Phil. Phil. P. N. Guinea P. N. Guinea Poland Poland Portugal Portugal Par. Par. Qatar Qatar Rom. Rom. Russia Russia Rwanda Rwanda S. Arabia S. Arabia Sudan

Sudan Senegal Senegal Sing. Sing. Solomon Solomon S. Leone S. Leone El Salv. El Salv. San Marino San Marino Somalia Somalia Serbia Serbia S. Sudan S. Sudan Sao Tome Sao Tome Surinm. Surinm. Slvk. Slvk. Slvn. Slvn. Sweden Sweden Eswatini

Eswatini Seych. Seych. Chad Chad Togo Togo Thailand Thailand Tajik. Tajik. Timor-L. Timor-L. Tonga Tonga Tr. Tobago Tr. Tobago Tunisia Tunisia Turkey Turkey Taiwan Taiwan Tanzania Tanzania Uganda Uganda Ukraine Ukraine Uruguay

Uruguay Kosovo Kosovo Uzbek. Uzbek. St. Vincent St. Vincent Venez. Venez. Vietnam Vietnam Samoa Samoa Yemen Yemen S. Africa S. Africa Zambia Zambia Zimb. Zimb. EU EU Canada Canada Jan. 11 March 9 May 5 July 1 Aug. 27

People covered: 100% 80 60 40 20 0

Note: “People covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Data from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker Global Vaccination Campaign

% of population

Enough for % given Daily rate of Doses of 1+ fully doses administered people dose vaccinated administered Countries and regions

Global Total 5,170,110,141 – – – 39,615,949

Mainland China 2,003,914,000 71.6 – 55.5 13,070,714

India 612,208,542 22.4 34.2 10.0 5,703,865

EU 526,945,906 59.3 64.4 58.5 1,911,021

U.S. 366,838,484 57.3 61.3 52.0 886,314

Brazil 200,154,411 48.6 62.9 27.8 3,786,299

Japan 124,534,483 49.3 54.9 43.8 1,256,355

Germany 100,926,849 60.7 64.8 60.0 269,198

Indonesia 94,078,108 17.6 22.3 12.5 925,770

Turkey 92,408,934 55.6 57.2 43.8 622,136

% of population

Enough for % given Daily rate of Doses of 1+ fully doses administered people dose vaccinated administered Countries and regions

U.K. 90,295,121 67.6 71.7 63.4 206,641

France 86,168,690 66.5 74.0 66.1 435,216

Mexico 82,678,717 32.4 44.6 25.3 468,474

Russia 79,456,887 27.1 29.3 24.2 466,470

Italy 76,717,406 63.5 69.6 61.5 247,666

Spain 65,035,990 70.0 78.0 69.8 277,864

Canada 52,943,902 70.5 73.4 66.3 109,078

Pakistan 50,985,184 12.5 19.5 7.5 835,227

South Korea 41,508,565 40.1 53.6 26.7 798,592

Argentina 40,961,189 45.6 61.4 29.7 390,834

Show more  Note: Population coverage accounts for the number of doses required for each vaccine administered. The daily rate is a 7-day average; for places that don’t report daily, the last-known average rate is used. U.S. Vaccinations: State by State Roughly half of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, and states are flush with supply. The vaccination campaign, however, has slowed. Once the envy of the world for its swift rollout, the U.S. has since been overtaken by dozens of countries. There are still wide gaps between the most and least vaccinated counties in the U.S., leaving many communities vulnerable to continued outbreaks. Distribution in the U.S. is directed by the federal government. Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine, as well as Moderna’s shot both require two doses taken several weeks apart.

J&J’s inoculation requires just a single dose. Additional booster shots may be used to enhance protections over time. So far, 203 million Americans have received at least one dose of a vaccine—78.9%of the adult population. At least 173 million people have completed a vaccination regimen. The U.S. is sending some of its excess supply to other hard-hit regions of the world. Vaccines Across America Enough doses have been administered to cover 57.3% of the total population

Popul ati on Cover ed% of Suppl y Used

 045505560% ASCT

RI CT DE DC GU MP AS VI Note: “Population covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Data added after Feb. 20 is from the CDC and includes doses administered by federal entities in state totals. Prior data from the Bloomberg Covid-19 Tracker. It can take several days for counts to be reported through the CDC database. A new beginning It takes about two weeks after a final vaccine dose for immunity to fully develop. While the CDC has offered guidance on mask-wearing after vaccination, many local governments and businesses have set their own rules. Unvaccinated people, including children, should still wear masks indoors, according to the CDC’s latest guidance. U.S. Vaccinations vs. Cases Vaccines have helped reduce case numbers in the places where they’ve been deployed most widely. Currently, 21 places have administered enough shots to cover at least 60% of the population.

United States (57.3% covered)

↑↓ Jan. 23 March 18 May 11 July 4 Aug. 27

People covered: 75% 50 25 0

 Seven-day average Jan. 23 March 18 May 11 July 4 Aug. 27 New cases per million: 1,000 800 600 400 200 0

Note: “People covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Vaccine data from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Tracker. Cases data: Johns Hopkins University.

U.S. health officials are now focused on how to vaccinate people who have been reluctant to get a shot. Younger, unvaccinated populations are increasingly viewed as key to getting the pandemic under control. How State Vaccinations Stack Up Vermont leads all states, with enough vaccinations to cover 73.0% of its populations

↑↓ U.S. U.S. Idaho Idaho Vt. Vt.

Alaska Alaska Ala. Ala. Ark. Ark. Ariz. Ariz. Calif. Calif. Colo. Colo. Conn. Conn. D.C. D.C. Del. Del. Fla. Fla. Ga. Ga. Hawaii Hawaii Iowa Iowa Ill. Ill. Ind. Ind.

Kan. Kan. Ky. Ky. La. La. Mass. Mass. Md. Md. Maine Maine Mich. Mich. Minn. Minn. Mo. Mo. Miss. Miss. Mont. Mont. N.C. N.C. N.D. N.D. Neb. Neb. N.H. N.H.

N.J. N.J. N.M. N.M. Nev. Nev. N.Y. N.Y. Ohio Ohio Okla. Okla. Ore. Ore. Pa. Pa. R.I. R.I. S.C. S.C. S.D. S.D. Tenn. Tenn. Texas Texas Utah Utah Va. Va.

Wash. Wash. Wis. Wis. W.Va. W.Va. Wyo. Wyo. Jan. 11 March 9 May 5 July 1 Aug. 27 People covered: 80% 60 40 20 0 Note: Two doses are needed for full protection with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, while the J&J shot requires a single dose. Data from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker

After focusing first on hospitals and other institutional health-care settings, states expanded the number of places that offer the shots. Mass vaccination centers were created from sport stadiums, theme parks, convention halls and race tracks. Now the campaign has moved to more traditional health-care settings: pharmacies, doctors’ offices and clinics. The Path to Immunity in the U.S. In the U.S., the latest vaccination rate is 886,314 doses per day, on average. At this pace, it will take another 4 months to cover 75% of the population.

↑↓

 Average daily rate estimate Jan. 7

March 6 May 3 June 30 Aug. 27 Doses administered: 5M 4 3 2 1 0 Note: Immunity calculations take into account the number of doses required and the current rate of administration for each vaccine type. Data are from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker.

% of population

Enough for % given Daily rate of Doses of 1+ fully doses Supply administered people dose vaccinated administered used Jurisdiction

U.S. Totals 366,838,484 57.3 61.3 52.0 886,314 84.0%

California 47,626,074 62.5 68.4 55.4 98,804 87.1%

Texas 29,826,972 53.4 56.6 46.9 102,115 79.0%

Florida 24,562,341 59.8 63.2 52.2 82,513 81.9%

New York 24,172,138 64.7 66.9 59.6 48,516 88.8%

Pennsylvania 15,292,961 62.1 68.9 54.7 29,928 86.2%

Illinois 14,440,132 59.0 65.5 50.8 25,365 86.6%

Federal Entities* 12,108,018 – – – 26,467 93.9%

Ohio 11,554,886 51.4 52.2 48.1 19,260 82.9%

New Jersey 10,922,933 63.9 69.5 61.0 23,258 84.1%

North Carolina 10,357,818 51.2 55.1 45.9 29,431 78.9%

Virginia 10,146,933 61.6 64.8 56.8 16,719 86.8%

Michigan 10,131,404 52.5 55.0 50.3 14,533 79.2%

Georgia 9,639,569 46.6 50.5 40.9 28,817 73.6%

Washington 9,425,239 64.5 67.3 59.8 19,038 89.9%

Massachusetts 9,423,531 70.7 75.0 65.6 11,814 90.5%

Maryland 7,544,533 64.7 67.8 61.1 13,865 81.4%

Arizona 7,508,553 53.4 56.3 47.5 16,117 80.9%

Colorado 6,767,648 60.9 63.0 56.6 12,076 87.0%

Wisconsin 6,423,338 57.3 58.2 53.6 12,215 92.7%

U.S. Vaccination Campaign

Show more  Note: The category entry for Federal Entities isn’t counted in the country total because those vaccinations are already included in relevant state totals. The “Unassigned” entry refers to vaccinations from CDC’s U.S. totals that the agency didn’t assign to a specific state or territory. “Doses administered” figures include all vaccinations within a state, regardless of a person’s residency, while population coverage data only accounts for residency. “Shots used” shows the proportion of administered vaccines compared with the total doses received by a state.

A confusing statement posted August 26, 2021 at 12:10 am by Florencio Fianza

How should the statement of President Duterte last Friday be interpreted in relation to the donated 739,000 Sinopharm vaccines? What did he mean when he told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the Philippines will remain neutral on geopolitical issues and remain true to what he has guaranteed? What did he guarantee?

There needs to be some kind of clarificatory statement either from the Palace or the Department of Foreign Affairs on what this means. As of this time however, no statement has been issued.

I do not know what to make of it and I suspect that this might also be true to both the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Defense. The additional vaccine donation from China deserves our appreciation. But the President’s expression of gratitude was so overwhelming that it boggles the imagination. This is because it followed the visit of the United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin where the Visiting Forces Agreement was reaffirmed.

Secretaries Delfin Lorenzana and Teodoro Locsin Jr. must be scratching their heads, trying to figure out what will come next. The additional donation by China was obviously intended to match the more than two million vaccine donations by the United States.

Just when everybody is breathing a sigh of relief vis a vis our alliance with the United States, a curve ball has just been thrown, causing some officials from both governments to panic. With our profuse gratitude, the Chinese Ambassador wasted no time in issuing his own statement not to politicize how the virus originated. I would have thought that a simple word of gratitude would have sufficed.

But with regard to China, the President always goes the extra mile which is perplexing to many diplomatic and security observers. It is because it has many interpretations. One is that in case there is confrontation between China and the United States in the South China Sea, the Philippines will remain neutral and not get involved. But we signed a Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States that necessitates our getting involved. We will have to abrogate the treaty first if the President wants the country to be neutral.

It seems the President cannot make up his mind on what he wants to do. And this is the most dangerous part because it might be sending the wrong signals which could be misinterpreted by both friend and potential foe. And when the time comes that we need help from our friends and

allies, no one will extend assistance because the President has been speaking with a forked tongue.

On matters of alliances, the country must abide by provisions of the treaty that it signed. Yes, we can all agree with the President that we must try our best to establish friendly relations with all nations, but we should also be ready to defend our country’s national interests whatever the cost. We should not be playing with fire by having our cake and eating it too.

History is replete with countries that were swallowed by powerful countries by trying to stay “neutral”—Czechoslovakia in 1938 and the low countries of Europe in two World Wars. The neutrality of the Netherlands and Belgium were not respected by Nazi Germany because both countries were blocking the route of attack. If the President sincerely believes that China is the better friend even if it has taken over our Scarborough Shoal, does not respect treaty obligations, and wants to own the whole of the South China Sea, then he has to make a case with the Filipino people. He must try hard to convince us all of the soundness of his position and the goodness of China. After all, he said several months ago that he will consult the people on this issue which unfortunately he has not done up to now.

Indeed, a case can be made for a very much closer Fil-Chinese relationship. We are geographically closer to China and a lot of Chinese blood is flowing in the veins of many Filipinos. We also have had several centuries of economic and cultural exchanges with them.

Meanwhile, our republican form of government, as well as our educational system, were patterned after the government of the US. We were also an American colony and culturally close to them because of the English language. In addition, we follow American sports, movies, fashion, and most of all, there are more than four million ethnic Filipinos calling America home.

So, what will it be?

It is doubtful whether President Duterte would even have the time to do his consultation, given that he only has about ten months remaining in office. But considering that he and his daughter Sara might run for vice president and president, respectively, perhaps that consultation can wait. https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/duty-calls-by-florencio-fianza/363311/a-confusing-st atement.html

A legacy of far-reaching initiatives Dindo Manhit, President, Stratbase ADR Institute As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage societies and economies, Philippine society is currently confronted by an information crisis characterized by widespread disinformation and misinformation. The political and economic predicaments borne by these conditions reinforce the democratic decline being experienced by established, developing, and fledgling democracies.

The countervailing factor a decade ago, however, points to the philosophy of Daang Matuwid (Straight Path), that was espoused by the Aquino Administration. As I have argued, this guiding principle was able to set the appropriate political, economic,“ and social environment” for the promotion of information integrity and democratic values.

It is in this spirit that the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute, in collaboration with the Aquino Foundation, hosted the virtual town hall discussion Looking Back to Build Forward: Lessons from Aquino s Reforms on Aug. 20. “ Four major and notable arguments’ were raised” in the webinar. For one, principled leadership and good governance redounds to economic success, wherein the Philippines was able to earn the status of a resurgent economy.

A good case in point is the Good Governance Reform and Anti-Corruption Program. According to former Secretary Rogelio Babes Singson of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), they“ adopted a management mantra that is comprised of 3Rs” Right Projects, Right Cost, Right Quality.“ After ”presenting it to President Aquino, two more Rs were added: Right on Time, and Implemented by the Right People. The whole initiative— effected an organizational change in the DPWH and in the implementation of its operations.

Another exemplar of principled leadership was the philosophy of Walang mahirap kung walang corrupt (There are no poor when there is no corruption). Former Cabinet Secretary and Secretary of Energy Jose Rene Gregory Almendras expressed“ that this motto was not a mere ”campaign slogan. According to him, President Benigno Aquino, from the get-go, wanted to make a dent in people s lives and, as he said, I hope to leave a better situation than what I inherited. “ ’ ‘ Referring to job generation, Almendras’” further emphasized that The drive to address poverty was not about dreams or talks up there, very macro, “ wherever you put the money in, it always resulted in human development,no… This was povertyall part of reduction,balancing the economic challenge development, of where you and put national the money… development. we prepared a plan that said

The second argument refers to the important role of infrastructure.” By using key result areas, roadmaps, systems analysis, and integration of data in planning, infrastructure projects were undertaken with clear implementational standards.

As conveyed by Singson, they were able to painstakingly develop the infrastructure budget. According to him, when we started with 2011, we re practically scraping [the bottom of] the barrel and we just started with P146 billion for the infrastructure for the whole government which“ accounted only for 1.8% of GDP.’ But, by the time we left in 2016, we were able to ramp this up to as much as 5% of GDP and the budget for infrastructure was already at P759 billion. All told during the six years, we spent P2.4 trillion.

Seeing as the gaps in our national roads were being caused by partisan party” politics and resulted in what was described as our national roads were broken up into political dynasties or political areas, Singson said they had to upgrade to higher standards and safer roads. By the time, as of Dec. “31, we already had paved almost 100% of almost all primary national roads, 90%” of secondary roads, and “tertiary at 80%.

Needless to say, projects under the High Standard Highway infrastructure” plan that they conceived, such as the NAIA expressway, Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union expressway, NLEX Harbor Link, Skyway 3, and the Plaridel Bypass, have always been there, Singson added. An important addition was the Mindanao Logistics Infrastructure Network.

Still on infrastructure, Almendras also explained why the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) became an option: Because President Aquino decided we would be better off spending our money in social services rather than building all these other infrastructure projects which clearly the private sector“ could do. And that was the basis for the massive push to try to get the private sector to do infrastructure, so that the money we did not need to spend on that infra, we could spend on the social services.

”

https://adrinstitute.org/2021/08/25/a-legacy-of-far-reaching-initiatives/

Still going the distance posted August 26, 2021 at 12:20 am

Classes have started in some schools and universities in the country, and more, including public basic education institutions, are expected to begin the school year in the next few weeks. Given the situation we find ourselves in right now, holding face-to-face classes remains a distant dream.

When the pandemic began a year and a half ago, nobody had any idea that it would last this long. At that time, the abrupt shift to online education was seen as a stop-gap solution, perhaps to run for a few weeks, until the COVID threat disappeared.

But it did not disappear. It only got more menacing, more paralyzing—and closer to home.

Over the past year, both students and teachers learned that there was nothing easy about learning and teaching from home. Only a small percentage of families had the optimal tools like computers, tablets, mobile, and a reliable internet connection, or even space in the house conducive to learning. Basic education teachers went out of their way to bring printed modules to the homes of their students.

This radically different mode of education did not guarantee effective learning, especially since the remote set-up is happening as students, teachers, or their family members are getting sick of COVID-19 or dealing with the economic consequences of the protracted lockdown.

And now we are starting another school year under the same arrangements.

It would be ideal if we could apply the lessons on the methods that worked—and didn’t—during the past year. What is the best way to assess how engaged the students are? How can we be certain students fail to show up online or submit requirements because they are truly having difficulties, not manufacturing excuses? How can we ensure it’s the children who actually do the exercises—not their parents or other family members?

The truth is, we are as stumped as we were the first time, especially since the virus’ new variant is threatening even children who are supposed to have stronger immune systems.

As before, we will make do with what we know and what we have, hoping that our individual and collective learnings from this whole experience would tide us through.

https://manilastandard.net/opinion/editorial/363315/still-going-the-distance.html

PH should improve geothermal competitiveness August 26, 2021 DESPITE some progress in developing policies to attract more

investment in geothermal energy, the Philippines is still wasting the opportunity to take advantage of its vast resources, a number of recent assessments of the energy sector have concluded.

Geothermal energy is a renewable form of energy that uses steam extracted from natural underground reservoirs to drive turbines that produce electricity. Although geothermal poses some technical challenges, if properly designed and managed, it is a practically infinite source of energy, one that produces no emissions and has only minor environmental impacts otherwise.

The biggest advantage to geothermal energy, at least for countries like the Philippines that are fortunate to be able to tap it, is that unlike most other forms of renewable energy, it is constant and can be relied on to provide so-called "baseload power." Solar and wind power are unavoidably variable because of the weather, and even hydroelectric power, although more reliable, can fluctuate due to environmental conditions.

The Philippines, thanks to its volcanic geology, has one of the highest potential geothermal energy reserves in the world, estimated by an old Department of Energy (DoE) study, published in 2012 and still largely forming the basis for geothermal energy targets, at about 4,500 megawatts (MW) or roughly one-fourth of the country's electricity demand. Currently, the Philippines meets about 12 percent of its demand - just under 2,000 MW - with geothermal, making it the third-largest

producer of geothermal energy in the world after the United States and Indonesia.

Under the "Philippine Energy Plan 2016-2030," the DoE targets geothermal to account for 40 percent of all renewable energy by 2030, with overall geothermal capacity to increase to 4,000 MW by 2040. On the occasion of the opening of five geothermal "predetermined areas" (PDAs) for competitive bidding at the beginning of this year, the DoE stated that "all policies to support the market for renewable energy are now in place and implemented," including the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP), the Enhanced Net Metering program and the establishment of the Renewable Energy Market. In addition, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi announced in October last year that 100-percent foreign ownership would be allowed for large-scale (those with an initial investment of $50 million or more) geothermal projects in an effort to attract more investors to the sector. https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/08/26/opinion/editorial/ph-should-improve-geothermal-comp etitiveness/1812329

The consensus among energy sector analysts and potential investors, however, is that while the DoE's recent policy moves are positive, these do not go nearly far enough to make the Philippines' geothermal sector attractive enough to make the DoE's 2030 and 2040 targets realistic.

There are too many issues that are seen as obstacles to the Philippines' realizing its geothermal potential. The first is the disconnect between the government's stated aspirations and its glacial pace of planning developments, exemplified by the recent tender of the five geothermal PDAs, which together total only 87 MW of potential capacity. Renewable energy investors - not just in geothermal but in other sectors as well - have long complained about apparently arbitrary limits on expansion, which in turn limits investment opportunities.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/08/26/opinion/editorial/ph-should-improve-geothermal-comp etitiveness/1812329

Abdicated

FIRST PERSON - Alex Magno - The Philippine Star The quick collapse of the Western-backed government in Afghanistan is the tremor. The tsunami it caused will be felt in the world of diplomacy and international relations.

In Europe, the phrase “strategic autonomy” is quickly gaining currency. The concept implies the European countries must become more assertive in global affairs to conserve the values-based global order fostered by the West since the end of the Second World War.

Underpinning “strategic autonomy” is the conviction that the US had abdicated the role of leading the world towards a future of democracy, human rights and fair trade. The drift of domestic American politics dictates this abdication. As the US implodes, Europe must move quickly to fill the void.

“Strategic autonomy,” however, means the Europeans must step up their spending to beef up their military and diplomatic capacity. Not many European nations are prepared to do that. And so the concept of “strategic autonomy” is confined largely in think pieces, away from the real world of policy.

What this means, in turn, is that the world drifts rudderless into a perilous future of fanatical terrorist networks and autocratic rulers. There is no power to serve as cornerstone for the free and prosperous global order that seemed to be the promise of the postwar order.

The European dilemma is concretely expressed in the situation at Kabul airport. The Europeans, led by Britain, want the evacuations to continue until everyone who needs to leave is able to do so. Washington, on the other hand, reeling under domestic political fallout from the fiasco, wants all operations to end by Aug. 31.

When the Americans leave on that appointed date, the Europeans will have no choice but to abandon the airport as well. The Europeans have neither the military nor the air transport capacity to continue on their own.

Beyond Aug. 31, Afghanistan could well descend into chaos. Isolated, the country faces the prospect of famine. Without the skilled talent lost to evacuation, the country cannot muster a semblance of modern government.

They cannot run airports or operate sophisticated technology. The WHO estimates there is only a week’s worth of medical supplies in this forsaken country.

When chaos breaks out, the Taliban will rely on the only asset they have: illiterate fighters awash with rifles and abundant ammunition. All promises of a kinder and gentler Taliban 2.0 will melt like ice in the desert.

Retired Gen. David Petraeus, who once commanded Western forces in Afghanistan, blamed the fiasco on Trump.

When Trump opened negotiations with the Taliban in 2018, the US made it clear they wanted to leave. There was therefore no need for the Taliban to make concessions.

The talks excluded the US-backed government in Kabul. That signaled to the political leaders there and the national army that they are excluded from the future of the country. On that signal, local warlords cut their separate deals with the Taliban.

As a concession to the Taliban, Washington pressured Kabul to release 5,000 Taliban fighters held in their prisons. The freed fighters led the final offensive.

https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/08/26/2122694/abdicated

A year after deadly Galwan Valley clashes, India and China are struggling to rebuild mutual trust

Shruti Pandalai + FOLLOW Published: 9:00pm, 25 Aug, 2021 Why you can trust SCMP Advertisement

Under India s presidency at the UN Security Council, there was this month an unprecedented stand-alone session devoted to maritime security, reaffirming the international rules-based order at sea. ’ Previously, such discussions have been prevented by Beijing s sensitivities regarding the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea. ’

As India watches Afghanistan nervously, upheaval could reshape US ties and shift its approach to China stand-off 25 Aug 2021

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3146318/year-after-deadly-galwan-valley-clash es-india-and-china-are

Commentary: North Korea is far from the hermit kingdom you think it is

The country is heavily reliant on international trade to meet basic food requirements, generate revenue and more, says an international relations professor. FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective face masks walk in front of Pyongyang Station in Pyongyang, North Korea April 27, 2020. Kyodo/via REUTERS

Justin Hastings 25 Aug 2021 06:15AM (Updated: 25 Aug 2021 06:15AM) BookmarkShare SYDNEY: Any spread of COVID-19 in North Korea will prove disastrous.

Its healthcare system is unable to cope. Medicine and medical equipment are difficult to import due to sanctions, the border closure, the departure of humanitarian agencies and the lack of foreign currency.

ADVERTISEMENT Even if (as North Korea claims) there is no COVID-19 in the country, North Korea s economy is undoubtedly doing it tough. ’ Hard data about North Korea is difficult to come by. Since the January 2020 border closure, there have been multiple signs of economic hardship, at least in parts of the economy that rely on imports and exports.

China s reported trade with North Korea was down 80 per cent in 2020 from the previous year, although the first half of 2021 was a little better, potentially due to greater’ needs for fertiliser.

In 2020, North Korean fishing fleets essentially disappeared, possibly due to concerns that movement would bring in COVID-19.

Without imported goods, or the ability to bring in hard currency through exporting goods, markets have suffered shortages and volatility. Since the border closure, rice prices in Hyesan have been consistently higher and have experienced greater volatility than in Pyongyang and Sinuiju.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/north-korea-kim-jong-un-covid-cases-food-short age-trade-sanction-china-2132416

[Tyler Cowen] Governments immobilize us now

By Bloomberg

Published : Aug 25, 2021 - 05:31 Updated : Aug 25, 2021 - 05:31

One of my great concerns about the pandemic was that it would hinder the global mobility of people and labor, perhaps permanently. Unfortunately, my worst fears are being realized: As COVID mutates, it is affecting not only tourism and business travel but migration more generally.

Consider that after the end of the Vietnam War, the US took in more than 1 million Vietnamese migrants over a 20-year period. After the Soviet Union withdrew its troops in Afghanistan, the US also took in many Afghani refugees, and as with the Vietnamese migrants the results were very positive.

Fast forward to the present day: The US is not on track to take in many Afghani refugees at all. The political climate on immigration has turned much more negative, but there is also what I call “the COVID talking point.” If a critic of refugee resettlement wants to freeze a risk-averse but otherwise sympathetic bureaucracy, he need only ask one simple question, “But how many of them are vaccinated?”

I am struck also by the recent decisions of Croatia and Austria to place “expiration dates” on the vaccinations of visiting tourists. Until this decision, it sufficed to be vaccinated to visit either country, though there were possible other restrictions. Now, if it is 270 days since your last vaccine dose, your vaccinated status will no longer get you into the country.

This is especially discouraging because Croatia had been one of the most open countries to visitors. It also heralds a broader policy of continually shifting standards and uncertainty about travel restrictions. It just got more difficult to organize a group trip to Croatia for the spring of 2022, because who knows what the entry standards will look like by then.

In the US, President Joe Biden’s administration is now pushing third booster shots for people who already have been vaccinated. That might be a good idea, but it too

creates additional uncertainty for travel and migration -- and for social interaction more broadly. If three doses are so important, should people be allowed to travel (or for that matter interact indoors) with only two doses? The bar is raised yet again.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210823001010