Today’s News 12 July 2021 (Monday)

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

B. NATIONAL HEADLINES Title Writer Newspaper Page 1 Senator hits P160-B fund release delay P Romero P Star 1 Local Gov ts told to use Astra doses due to M Cinco PDI A1 2 ’ expire

C. NATIONAL SECURITY Title Writer Newspaper Page 3 DOJ: WPS fishermen’s P6-M settlement not E Macairan P Star 1 final 4 Duterte pressed to assert rights of Filipino T Oreja PDI A4 Fishers vs Chinese Coast Guard 5 Carpio’s plan to push WPS deal hit J Canlas M Times A1 6 Fight far from over, says Leni on W Vigilia Malaya B1 Anniversary of arbitral win vs China

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

E. AFP RELATED Title Writer Newspaper Page 6 AFP, PNP flagged over unmet contracts E Marcelo P Star 11 Defense clarifies use of 20 military bank M Standard A3 7 accounts Marine posthumously awarded Medal of V Reyes Malaya B8 8 Valor AFP missed deadlines on P6.8B worth of P Tabingo Malaya B3 9 projects - COA 10 Week of honors for C-130 crash victims A Calalo M Times A2 11 Brawner leads tribute to crash victims M Standard A3 12 C-130 crash victims honored M Supnad D Tribune A11 Crash Survivors: Tausug Villagers ‘pulled J Alipala PDI A4 13 out of burning plane’ Crash probe to take more than a month: V Reyes Malaya B1 14 PAF 15 Young Pilot killed in crash is now home M Sadondong Tempo 8 Bong Go vows untiring support for military, P Tonight 5 16 cops 17 3 sundalo at dalaga sugatan sa ambush J Hallare Ngayon 9

F. CPP-NPA-NDF-LCM Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

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

H. EDITORIAL-OPINION-COMMENTARY-SPECIAL Title Writer Newspaper Page 18 Our foreign policy S Jose P Star 7 19 The great reset in the Spratlys dispute M Loja PDI A9 20 Medal for Valor R Farolan PDI A9 21 Weaponize, humanize P Journal 4

I. ONLINE NEWS Title Link NATIONAL NEWS Taal spews more gases anew, volcanic https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/taal- 22 quakes still recorded spews-more-gases-anew-volcanic-quakes-still- recorded/ Govt to build more evacuation hubs as https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/govt 23 Taal continues magmatic unrest -to-build-more-evacuation-hubs-as-taal- continues-magmatic-unrest/ 5-mo debt payments up 21.6% to https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/5- 24 P624B mo-debt-payments-up-21-6-to-p624b/ DBM withholds on P160B for COVID-19 https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/dbm-withholds- 15 response; reserves fund for 2022 on-p160-b-for-covid-19-response-reserves- elections? fund-for-2022-elections/ Firm to spend P998M for oil, gas https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/firm- 26 exploration in BARMM ( to-spend-p998m-for-oil-gas-exploration-in- barmm/ Protection of OFWs vs Covid, https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/prot 27 Afghanistan conflict sought ection-of-ofws-vs-covid-afghanistan-conflict- sought/ Metro Manila mayors to release list of https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/7/11/Met 28 allowed outdoor places for kids ( ro-Manila-mayors-release-list-allowed-outdoor- places-kids.html Easterlies to bring scattered rains over https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/easterlies-to- 4 areas; warm, humid weather in Metro bring-scattered-rains-over-4-areas-warm- 29 Manila, rest of PH — PAGASA ( humid-weather-in-metro-manila-rest-of-ph- pagasa/ NAVY NEWS LP cites PNoy's courage vs. China for https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio 30 5th anniversary of arbitral victory n/794906/lp-cites-pnoy-s-courage-vs-china-for- 5th-anniversary-of-arbitral-victory/story/ Robredo says gov't must protect https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/robredo-says- 31 fisherfolk in EEZ ( govt-must-protect-fisherfolk-in-eez/ Robredo marks 5th year of arbitration https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/robredo-marks- 32 win vs. China: Fight for rights in West 5th-year-of-arbitration-win-vs-china-fight-for- PH Sea rights-in-west-ph-sea/ Robredo on PH’s maritime arbitration https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1458521/robredo- 33 case vs China: 5 years of missed on-phs-maritime-arbitration-case-vs-china-5- opportunities ( years-of-missed-opportunities Pangilinan: West PH Sea resources https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/pangilinan-west- 343 answer to hunger, poverty and ph-sea-resources-answer-to-hunger-poverty- 5 brownouts and-brownouts/ Carpio's plan to push WPS deal hit https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/12/news/ 36 national/carpios-plan-to-push-wps-deal- hit/1806705 Pabillo: Gov t stance on WPS, sluggish https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/12/pa 37 ’ billo-govt-stance-on-wps-sluggish/ Talks on compensation to owner, crew https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/talks-on- 38 of vessel Gem-Ver 1 still ongoing — compensation-to-owner-crew-of-vessel-gem- DOJ ver-1-still-ongoing-doj/ Chinese coast guard swaps Filipino https://news.abs- fishers' best catch with instant noodles, cbn.com/news/07/11/21/chinese-coast-guard- 39 liquor: fisherman swaps-filipino-fishers-best-catch-with-instant- noodles-liquor-fisherman Gretch Mary of Coast Guard: The voice https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/gretch-mary-of- 40 that drove away Chinese ships coast-guard-the-voice-that-drove-away- chinese-ships/ PCG substation to rise for coastal https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/pcg-substation- 41 communities in Iba, Zambales to-rise-for-coastal-communities-in-iba- zambales/ AFP RELATED C-130 crash victims honored https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/12/c- 42 130-crash-victims-honored/ Pag-reconstruct ng bumagsak na https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/11/21/pag- 43 military plane ikinakasa reconstruct-ng-bumagsak-na-military-plane- ikinakasa Crash survivors: Tausug villagers https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1458445/crash- 44 ‘pulled us out of burning plane’ survivors-tausug-villagers-pulled-us-out-of- burning-plane Air Force to give search and rescue https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/11/21/air- 45 training to civilians who aided in C-130 force-search-rescue-training-civilians-c130- crash ops crash Ma brings home urn of young pilot son https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/ma-brings- 46 killed in Sulu crash home-urn-of-young-pilot-son-killed-in-sulu- crash/ AFP identifies 8 more military personnel https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1458406/afp- 47 killed in Sulu C-130 crash identifies-8-more-military-personnel-killed-in- sulu-c-130-crash Buntis, biyenan kabilang sa mga https://news.abs- 48 nasugatan sa C-130 crash cbn.com/video/news/07/11/21/buntis-biyenan- kabilang-sa-mga-nasugatan-sa-c-130-crash Military's air assets still enough despite https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio 49 C-130 tragedy –PAF spox n/794903/9-more-troops-who-died-in-c-130- plane-crash-identified-paf-spox/story/ DND explains 'unauthorized' bank https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/dnd-explains- 50 accounts with P1.813-B total balance unauthorized-bank-accounts-with-p1-813-b- total-balance/ Group asks SC to review previous court https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/group-asks-sc- 51 warrants that led to killings, arrests to-review-previous-court-warrants-that-led-to- killings-arrests/ Enough evidence vs. Karapatan, https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146718 52 unfazed Parlade to Palabay Mga residente sa Northern Samar, https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/11/21/mga- 53 lumikas dahil sa sagupaan ng militar at residente-sa-northern-samar-lumikas-dahil-sa- NPA sagupaan-ng-militar-at-npa INDO-PACIFIC NEWS Overwhelmed by Chinese Fleets, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/11/world/asi 54 Filipino Fishermen ‘Protest and Adapt’ a/-south-china-sea-fishermen.html G20 hails cooperation, but eased U.S.- https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/11 55 China tensions not in sight /world/us-china-japan-tensions/ G20 warns virus variants threaten https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/g20- 56 global recovery signs-off-tax-crackdown-warns-virus-variants- 2021-07-10/ Vietnamese target Jackie Chan over https://asiapost.live/vietnamese-target-jackie- 57 China’s ‘nine-dash line’ map chan-over-chinas-nine-dash-line-map/ China condemns 'unreasonable https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china- 58 suppression' as U.S. expands economic commerce-ministry-criticises-additions-us- blacklist economic-black-list-2021-07-11/ China vows retaliation after US https://asiapost.live/china-vows-retaliation- 59 blacklists companies after-us-blacklists-companies/ Why China is hobbling its tech sector https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/c 60 hina-tech-ipos-alibaba-didi-chuxing-ant-group- tencent-15198328 China blames US for Afghan crisis https://www.hindustantimes.com/world- 61 news/china-blames-us-for-afghan-crisis- 101626030047818.html China must plan for growing risks in https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 62 Afghanistan and Africa: observers article/3140538/china-must-plan-growing-risks- afghanistan-and-africa-observers China looks for ways to help fill void in https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 63 Afghanistan without overcommitting article/3140668/china-looks-ways-fill-void- itself afghanistan-without-overcommitting China calls to further strengthen https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-07- strategic coordination with Russia 11/China-calls-to-further-strengthen-strategic- 64 coordination-with-Russia- 11OC7dK1QC4/index.html Hong Kong pro-democracy group https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/ 65 downsizes amid crackdown hong-kong-pro-democracy-group-downsizes- amid-crackdown-15198026 Some Hong Kongers are glorifying a https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/09/asia/hong- 66 man who knifed a cop, showing the kong-stabbing-aftermath-intl-hnk- city's problems are far from over dst/index.html Chinese FM: Countries should stop https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228 67 using press freedom as a weapon to 369.shtml undermine the rule of law in HK Why do Chinese officials lack initiative https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/artic 68 and wait for orders from the top? asks le/3140600/why-do-chinese-officials-lack- Xi Jinping initiative-and-wait-orders-top Vaccine Diplomacy in Latin America, https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/artic 69 Caribbean a PR Coup for China les/2021/7/12/vaccine-diplomacy-in-latin- america-caribbean-a-pr-coup-for-china Xi lauds China, North Korea https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 70 ‘brotherhood’ on treaty anniversary article/3140675/china-north-korea-reaffirm- ties-defence-treaty-anniversary Leaders of China and North Korea vow https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/x 71 to strengthen ties i-jinping-kim-jong-un-strengthen-ties-china- north-korea-15198386 Facing chronic shortfalls, North Korea https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/07/faci 72 tells citizens to start supplying their own ng-chronic-shortfalls-north-korea-tells-citizens- food to-start-supplying-their-own-food/ SoKor: Call to scrap Unification Ministry http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=202 73 stirs debate 10711000193 Seoul reasserts fruitful Korea-Japan http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=202 74 summit as prerequisite for Moon's visit 10711000276 to Tokyo Seoul issues warning against Tokyo https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021 75 over media reports on Moon-Suga /07/120_311974.html summit Tokyo 2020 CEO says Tokyo Olympics https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/t 76 will create model for pandemic Games okyo-2020-ceo-says-tokyo-olympics-will- create-model-for-pandemic-games-15197934 Japan govt ready to deploy economic https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/j 77 stimulus flexibly, spokesman says apan-govt-ready-to-deploy-economic-stimulus- flexibly-spokesman-15198770 : Cops deny claims of soliciting https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime- 78 bribes, extorting money from Chinese courts/2021/07/707297/cops-deny-claims- nationals soliciting-bribes-extorting-money-chinese India pulls officials from Afghanistan's https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/i 79 Kandahar as Taliban widens control ndia-officials-leave-afghanistan-taliban- widens-control-15199112 Changing Central Asian dynamics: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de India, Russia advised to explore fence/changing-central-asian-dynamics-india- 80 partnership in resource rich region russia-advised-to-explore-partnership-in- resource-rich- region/articleshow/84316029.cms Leadership vacuum on Japan–South https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/07/11/lea 81 Korea cooperation dership-vacuum-on-japan-south-korea- cooperation/ Congress Has a Role Against China, https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/07/co 82 Too ngress-has-role-against-china-too/183656/

Innovations speed race to put more https://www.nationthailand.com/business/4000 83 wind turbines on sea floor 3074 84 Google boss warns of threats to free https://www.bbc.com/news/technology- internet 57763382 DEFENSE NEWS US: The True Enemy at the Border https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/the- 85 true-enemy-at-the-border/ The inside story behind the Pentagon’s https://taskandpurpose.com/military- 86 ill-fated quest for a real-life ‘Iron Man’ tech/pentagon-powered-armor-iron-man-suit/ suit With Afghan pullout, United States https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de ditches 'forever wars' fence/with-afghan-pullout-united-states- 87 ditches-forever- wars/articleshow/84311387.cms US Senate Armed Services chair: 'I https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk- 88 think Kabul will hold' shows/562458-senate-armed-services-chair-i- think-kabul-will-hold Aircraft Carrier Theodore Roosevelt https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2021- 89 leaving San Diego as Navy moves to 07-11/navy-aircraft-carrier-theodore-roosevelt- integrate F-35 san-diego-2117570.html Sloppy Maintenance, Multiple Errors https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29999/Slo Caused F-22 to Overheat in Oct 2020 ( ppy_Maintenance__Multiple_Errors_Caused_ 90 F_22_to_Overheat_in_Oct_2020__Investigatio n A Sprint And A Marathon: How The https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/07/a-sprint- 91 United States Can Keep Pace With and-a-marathon-how-the-united-states-can- China keep-pace-with-china/ US vs China: who has the stronger https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/arti 92 military? cle/3140681/us-china-rivalry-who-has- stronger-military Satellite pics reveal China's secret in https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/china-builds- their deserted 'outbacks' its-own-area-51-in-outback-as-arms-race- 93 continues/CVMJJCAXFUI2AOWBQ76O5NW5 LI/ PLA fighter jets in 24-hour flight training http://english.people.com.cn/n3/2021/0711/c90 94 000-9870518.html PLA holds intensive drills in northwest https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228 95 plateau, tests new weapons, tactics 358.shtml India: UP ATS Busts Al Qaeda-Linked https://asiapost.live/up-ats-busts-al-qaeda- 96 Terror Module in Lucknow, Arrests Two linked-terror-module-in-lucknow-arrests-two- Suspected Terrorists suspected-terrorists/ Jammu IAF base attack: Security https://asiapost.live/jammu-iaf-base-attack- 97 sources say ‘pressure fuse’ in bombs security-sources-say-pressure-fuse-in-bombs- indicates role of Pak military indicates-role-of-pak-military-india-news/ Taiwan: Institute developing UUV as https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archi 98 test bed for submarines ves/2021/07/12/2003760717 Singapore Air Force F-35 pilots to train https://ipdefenseforum.com/2021/07/singapore 99 at U.S. base -air-force-f-35-pilots-to-train-at-u-s-base/ Singapore Navy ship leaves with life- https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singap 100 saving oxygen supplies to support ore-navy-ship-leaves-with-life-saving-oxygen- 's Covid-19 fight supplies-to-support--covid-19 Indonesian raid kills militants with https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast- 101 suspected links to Isis asia/article/3140697/indonesian-raid-kills- militants-suspected-links-isis-and South Korea accelerating development https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021 102 of advanced weapons systems /07/205_311954.html Increased Attacks by Myanmar Military https://www.voanews.com/east-asia- 103 Reported ( pacific/head-aid-group-reports-increased- attacks-myanmar-military-border-areas Afghanistan shared borders with China https://en.mehrnews.com/news/175980/Afgha 104 falls to Taliban ( nistan-shared-borders-with-China-falls-to- Taliban Air defences installed at Afghanistan's https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de Kabul airport as Taliban gain ground fence/air-defences-installed-at-afghanistans- 105 kabul-airport-as-taliban-gain- ground/articleshow/84314732.cms Taliban on the Way to Kabul? Not so https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17556/taliba 106 Fast n-kabul Taliban resurgence raises terror fears https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de from Moscow to China fence/taliban-resurgence-raises-terror-fears- 107 from-moscow-to- china/articleshow/84312331.cms Afghan forces repel Taliban assault on https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india- 108 provincial capital, governor says pulls-officials-afghanistans-kandahar-taliban- widens-control-2021-07-11/ The Taliban are already behaving as if https://www.jpost.com/international/the-taliban- 109 they run Afghanistan are-already-behaving-as-if-they-run- afghanistan-673486 Turkish Companies Team Up For New https://www.navalnews.com/naval- 110 Armed USV Projects news/2021/07/turkish-companies-team-up-for- new-armed-usv-projects/ Australia Says Last Troops Withdrawn https://www.voanews.com/south-central- 111 From Afghanistan asia/australia-says-last-troops-withdrawn- afghanistan Australian soldiers could go back to https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/austra 112 Afghanistan if needed lian-soldiers-could-go-back-to-afghanistan-if- needed-dutton-20210711-p588p0.html Russia to Host 12 International Defense https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30000/Rus 113 Exhibitions in 2022-23 sia_to_Host_12_International_Defense_Exhibi tions_in_2022_23 Colombian ex-soldier's sister responds https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/11/americas/c 114 to Haiti murder plot allegations olombian-capador-haiti-cmd-intl- latam/index.html Technical Architecture Will Build the https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/technical- 115 Future of Warfare architecture-will-build-future-warfare-189457 Training for the High-End Fight: https://defense.info/featured- 116 Defining the Challenge story/2021/07/training-for-the-high-end-fight- defining-the-challenge/ Challenges in Combating Terrorism and https://www.lawfareblog.com/challenges- 117 Extremism Online combating-terrorism-and-extremism-online The Enemy Within and Without: https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/enemy- 118 Historical Examples of Islamic and within-and-without-historical-examples-islamic- Buddhist Fundamentalism and-buddhist-fundamentalism Paradigm-Changing Possibilities for https://nationalinterest.org/feature/paradigm- 119 Modern Warfare 101 changing-possibilities-modern-warfare-101- 189433 Defining the 21st Century Airman: https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/defining- 120 Cultivating a Technology-Based 21st-century-airman-cultivating-technology- Universal Skill Set based-universal-skill-set DOWNLOAD: Routledge Handbook of https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa- US Counterterrorism and Irregular edit/10.4324/9781003164500/routledge- 121 Warfare Operations handbook-counterterrorism-irregular-warfare- operations-michael-sheehan-erich-marquardt- liam-collins Antibiotic resistance: Potentially https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/antibiotic- untreatable superbug passed from dogs resistance-potentially-untreatable-superbug- 122 to owners could be 'nightmare scenario' passed-from-dogs-to-owners-could-be- nightmare- scenario/V354S3BA7CFI7JFA7CZO3QT5UU/ COVID NEWS More Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines to https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/more-sinovac- 123 arrive July 14 — DOH official covid-19-vaccines-to-arrive-july-14-doh-official/ PH’s ‘interim analysis' on safety, https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/phs-interim- efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine mixing, analysis-on-safety-efficacy-of-covid-19- 124 matching may be out by September, vaccine-mixing-matching-may-be-out-by- October september-october/ Hundreds of Thai medical workers https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/t 125 infected with COVID-19 despite Sinovac hailand-medical-workers-covid-19-sinovac- vaccinations vaccinations-15199394 Indonesia health workers to get third https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 126 vaccine dose 0711_12/ Pfizer, U.S. health officials to discuss https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pfizer-us- 127 COVID boosters on Monday health-officials-discuss-covid-boosters- monday-company-2021-07-11/ Singapore sends second shipment of https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singa 128 medical supplies to Indonesia as pore/singapore-sends-oxygen-supplies- COVID-19 cases surge indonesia-covid-19-15198664 Myanmar caught off guard as cases https://www.news10.com/news/international/m 129 surge, oxygen dwindles yanmar-caught-off-guard-as-cases-surge- oxygen-dwindles/ Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020- 130 Across the World coronavirus-cases-world- map/?srnd=coronavirus Covid map: Where are cases the https://www.bbc.com/news/world-5123 131 highest? Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid- 132 vaccine-tracker-global- distribution/?srnd=premium-asia5105

J. OPINION/EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Title Link 133 Medal for Valor https://opinion.inquirer.net/141970/medal-for- valor 134 The great reset in the Spratlys dispute https://opinion.inquirer.net/141962/the-great- reset-in-the-spratlys-dispute 135 Vietnam: Proof that "arbitral victory" is a https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/12/opinio colossal sham n/columns/vietnam-proof-that-arbitral-victory- is-a-colossal-sham/1806686 136 Welcome to my dangerous country, the https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/welc Philippines ome-to-my-dangerous-country-the-philippines/ 137 When children are forced to join the https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/12/opinio NPA n/columns/when-children-are-forced-to-join- the-npa/1806679 138 Our foreign policy https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/07/12/2 111821/our-foreign-policy 139 A vital resource of modern reality https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/op en-thoughts-by-orlando-oxales/359443/a-vital- resource-of-modern-reality.html 140 Xinjiang and the Afghanistan scenario https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/12/opinio n/columns/xinjiang-and-the-afghanistan- scenario/1806682 141 Vaccine passports: Ticket to Freedom https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/vaccine- or Path to a Divided World? passports-ticket-to-freedom-or-path- 142 Biden and US hawks must understand https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article China before waving the democratic /3140527/biden-and-us-hawks-must- torch understand-china-waving-democratic-torchto- a-divided-world 143 China is stifling needed innovation https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/ar chives/2021/07/12/2003760696 144 Twenty years later, the Taliban are https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de more confident, and the West weaker in fence/view-twenty-years-later-the-taliban-are- its resolve more-confident-and-the-west-weaker-in-its- resolve/articleshow/84310961.cms 145 Japan was right to continue holding the https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/com Olympics mentary/japan-olympics-covid-19-coronavirus- situation-rules-measures-15186298 146 China's 'wolf warrior diplomacy' has https://www.businessinsider.com/china-wolf- come to Wall Street warrior-diplomacy-has-come-to-wall-street- 2021-7 147 Malaysia's politicians brawl while the https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Malaysia-s- economy burns politicians-brawl-while-the-economy-burns

Taal spews more gases anew, volcanic quakes still recorded BYJONATHAN L. MAYUGA JULY 12, 2021

TAAL Volcano continues to show signs of magmatic unrest, with volcanic earthquakes and tremors, coupled with high levels of volcanic sulfur dioxide or SO2 gas emissions and steam-rich plumes, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported on Sunday.

The volcano remains under Alert Level 3 or Magmatic Unrest.

Phivolcs, in its 8 a.m. Volcano Bulletin issued on Sunday, said the Taal Volcano Network recorded 74 volcanic earthquakes, including 13 low-frequency volcanic earthquakes, and 61 volcanic tremors.

Some of these volcanic tremors lasted for 1 to 25 minutes.

The volcano’s Main Crater also spewed high levels of volcanic sulfur dioxide or SO2 gas emissions and steam-rich plumes that rose 1,000 meters before drifting west-northwest and southwest.

From July 10 to July 11, SO2 emission averaged 6,488 tonnes/day.

While the volcano was relatively calm on Saturday with just eight volcanic earthquakes being recorded by the Taal Volcano Network, Taal showed imminent sign of danger on Friday, with a series of five short phreatomagmatic bursts occurring 6:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day. On Friday, Phivolcs reported that it recorded a total of 58 volcanic earthquakes, and 27 short-lived volcanic tremor events.

The SO2 gas emissions and steam-rich plumes from the Main Crater on Friday rose one 1,200 meters before drifting northwest. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission averaged 6,095 tonnes/day on 08 July 2021.

At Alert Level 3, magma extruding from the Main Crater could drive explosive eruption. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/taal-spews-more-gases-anew-volcanic-quakes-still- recorded/

Govt to build more evacuation hubs as Taal continues magmatic unrest BY CAI ORDINARIOANDJOVEE MARIE DE LA CRUZ JULY 12, 2021 THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) announced it will build additional evacuation centers in Batangas to boost the province’s disaster preparedness efforts.

The announcement came as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Taal Volcano continues to show signs of magmatic unrest, with volcanic earthquakes and tremors, coupled by high levels of volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas emissions and steam-rich plumes.

Phivolcs continues to place the volcano under Alert Level 3 or “magmatic unrest.”

In its 8 a.m. Volcano Bulletin issued last Sunday, Phivolcs said the Taal Volcano Network recorded 74 volcanic earthquakes, including 13 low-frequency volcanic earthquakes, and 61 volcanic tremors.

Some of these volcanic tremors lasted for 1 to 25 minutes.

The volcano’s main crater also spewed high levels of SO2 gas emissions and steam-rich plumes that rose 1,000 meters before drifting west-northwest and southwest, the Phivolcs said.

From July 10 to July 11, SO2 emission averaged 6,488 tonnes per day. Power plants

MEANWHILE, last Sunday Makati City Rep. Luis N. Campos Jr. urged the power sector in Batangas to adopt risk mitigation and disaster recovery plans to minimize disruptions if a violent eruption occurs in Taal Volcano.

Campos said in a statement that the stability of the Luzon grid’s power supply might be threatened by an “ashfall disaster.”

According to the lawmaker, Talisay is only 38 kilometers away from Batangas City, which is home to five large power plants that supply a combined 3,286 megawatts (MW) to the Luzon grid.

These include natural gas and several geothermal, coal and biomass power plants. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/govt-to-build-more-evacuation-hubs-as-taal-continues- magmatic-unrest/

5-mo debt payments up 21.6% to P624B BYBERNADETTE D. NICOLAS JULY 12, 2021 THE national government’s debt payments for the first five months of the year hit P623.59 billion, a 21.57-percent surge from the same period in 2020.

The government’s debt service from January to May this year rose from last year’s P512.96 billion as amortization outpaced interest payments, data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed.

Broken down, amortization grew by 26.11 percent to reach P444.99 billion from P352.85 billion in the same five-month period a year ago.

Meanwhile, interest payments from January to May 2021 also climbed to P178.6 billion, an 11.5-percent climb from P160.1 billion last year.

Amortization refers to the repayment of loan principal over time, while interest payment refers to a payment determined by the interest rate of an account.

Under domestic amortization, redemptions accounted for P291.8 billion, mainly comprising payments made to the government’s Bond Sinking Fund at P239.15 billion and domestic bond exchange at P51.54 billion.

Amortization payments for assumed liabilities stood at P793 million while P331 million went to agrarian reform beneficiaries.

On the other hand, foreign amortization reached P153.18 billion. For domestic interest payments, the bulk was spent for fixed-rate Treasury Bonds at P84.27 billion while P37.01 billion went to Retail Treasury Bonds and P10.16 billion to Treasury Bills.

Foreign entities were also paid P46.38 billion in interest payments during the period.

For May alone, the government’s debt service bill spiked by 53.4 percent year-on-year to P37.8 billion from P24.64 billion, as interest payments grew at a faster pace than amortization.

Interest payments soared by 57.65 percent to P28.93 billion from P18.35 billion in May 2020.

In the same month, amortization amounted to P8.87 billion, 41 percent higher than last year’s P6.29 billion.

This year, the government has programmed P1.79 trillion for its debt service, with P1.26 trillion allotted for principal amortization and P531.55 billion in interest payments. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/5-mo-debt-payments-up-21-6-to-p624b/

DBM withholds on P160B for COVID-19 response; funds being reserved for 2022 elections?

Published July 11, 2021, 2:26 PM by Hannah Torregoza Senators on Sunday bewailed the unused appropriations under the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that have been marked by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as “For Later Release,” saying the fund could have been used to address critical government projects that are in dire need of funding during this time of COVID-19 pandemic.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said he believes politics is a consideration in the non-release of these “FLR’d” budget items that have reached P160-billion, noting that the upcoming May 2022 presidential elections is less than 10 months away.

“The budget items marked ‘For Later Release’ means that such items can only be released upon the authority of the President, or the DBM Secretary or any other official acting on the authority of the President,” Drilon said.

“This is lamentable because these funds are needed by our people who needs assistance due to the pandemic,” the minority leader stressed.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said these public funds that were withheld is “a wasted opportunity to help create jobs and grow the economy.”

“There seems to be no sense of urgency,” Recto lamented.

Drilon pointed out governemnt programs that are designed to stimulate and expand the economy are not being implemented, when 20 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is attributed to government spending.

“The execution of laws, which includes the release of funds in the budget, is a prerogative of the President under the Constitution. But such prerogative is intended to be exercised for the public good, and not based on partisan politics,” he said.

“Why are P160-billion in infrastructure and social amelioration programs marked ‘FLR’ and not released, and yet P16.5-billion anti-insurgency funds were immediately released in the first quarter? Clearly, the priorities in the release of the funds are flawed,” the minority leader noted.

Sen. Sonny Angara, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, also pointed out that Congress was quick to help out the Executive department in expediting the passage into law of measures intended to augment the government’s COVID-19 response, particularly with the enactment into law of the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act or Bayanihan 2 and the passage of the Vaccination Act of 2021. “But when it comes to measures passed by Congress, the lawmakers noted that some appropriations were released, others were not. I hope it would all be released, because we all need these programs to materialize knowing these would have a stimulus effect…” Angara said in an interview on Radio DZBB.

These programs, Angara pointed out, are intended to take up the slack of the private sector due to the drop in consumer demand.

“In terms of the budget, I hope we can all work together….Many people have lost their jobs, so a lot of people refuse to spend. There is less spending,” he said. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/dbm-withholds-on-p160-b-for-covid-19-response-reserves-fund-for- 2022-elections/

Firm to spend P998M for oil, gas exploration in BARMM BYMANUEL CAYON JULY 12, 2021 3 MINUTE READ DAVAO CITY—A multibillion peso-investment from two parties are awaiting notices to proceed with exploring for petroleum and natural gas deposits in the Liguasan Marsh and Sulu Sea, once the national government and the autonomous government finalize the harmonization of rules and jurisdiction on mineral extraction within the Bangsamoro territory.

At least one local company, the Esmaulana Global Ventures Co. Inc. (EGVI) has filed with the Bangsamoro Board of Investments (BOI) a petroleum investment project in the Liguasan Marsh area and the Sulu Basin, worth P998 million.

Another project, a bigger one, comes from the Australia- headquartered Energy World Corp, which has applied for natural gas exploration in the Sulu Sea that would cost $1 billion.

Lawyer Ishak Mastura said the Bangsamoro BOI has granted provisional registration last month to EGVI. However, Mastura said the agency he heads has “held in abeyance” the granting of service contract to the company,

A service contract would grant authority to a company to proceed with oil and mineral exploration. But Mastura said the Department of Energy (DOE) has already written the company that its service contract was yet to be granted pending the final outcome of the DOE- led discussion between representatives of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim (Barmm) and the national government.

He said he was unaware with the application of Energy World Corp. but suggested the company also file its registration. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/firm-to-spend-p998m-for-oil-gas-exploration-in-barmm/

Metro Manila mayors to release list of allowed outdoor places for kids By CNN Philippines Staff Published Jul 11, 2021 4:37:54 PM Updated Jul 11, 2021 7:04:00 PM

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 11) – Metro Manila mayors are set to release a list of allowed outdoor places for children in two to three days.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos revealed the development on Sunday, two days after the Inter-Agency Task Force allowed children aged 5 and above to go outdoors in areas under general community quarantine and modified GCQ, as long as the areas are not under "heightened restrictions."

Abalos said the list aims to guide adults on specific outdoor areas for each of the 17 Metro Manila local government units where children could go.

The MMDA chairman said having a specific list of outdoor places will also prevent overcrowding, which may cause faster virus transmission.

"That is what we are trying to avoid, overcrowding. Otherwise, we may have a super- spreader event. We will look into the capacity of each area," Abalos told CNN Philippines.

Abalos also mentioned the Metro Manila Council will discuss the need for marshals in the outdoor areas and an accompanying adult for each child visiting these places.

"You're talking of 12-year-olds or 14-year-olds, baka sila-sila naglalakad (they may be roaming by themselves,)" the MMDA chairman said.

Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro confirmed they are crafting the list, but he emphasized that minimum public health and safety protocols should continue to be observed in outdoor spaces and that accompanying adults should be vaccinated as soon as possible.

Teodoro said the new IATF directive also balances the need to address the mental health of children. https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/7/11/Metro-Manila-mayors-release-list-allowed-outdoor- places-kids.html

Easterlies to bring scattered rains over 4 areas; warm, humid weather in Metro Manila, rest of PH — PAGASA

Published July 11, 2021, 5:12 PM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz The easterlies, or the warm and humid winds originating from the Pacific Ocean, may bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Quezon, and Aurora in the next 24 hours, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Sunday afternoon, July 11.

Those in these areas were advised to take precautions against possible flash floods or landslides as rains may become moderate to at times heavy.

Meanwhile, Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have warm and humid weather but may still experience isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon or evening.

PAGASA still advised the public to remain vigilant against flash floods or landslides that may occur during severe thunderstorms.

Severe thunderstorms are often associated with bursts of heavy rainfall, lightning, thunder, and gusty winds that usually last up to two hours.

PAGASA, meanwhile, said that no gale warning is in place as slight to moderate sea conditions may prevail across the country.

While no gale warning is in effect, PAGASA still advised seafarers and fisherfolk to remain alert as sea conditions may become rough during severe offshore thunderstorms. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/easterlies-to-bring-scattered-rains-over-4-areas-warm-humid-weather- in-metro-manila-rest-of-ph-pagasa/

LP cites PNoy's courage vs. China for 5th anniversary of arbitral victory Published July 11, 2021 12:09pm

Philippine flag being hoisted in the West Philippine Sea (File photo 2017) The Liberal Party on Saturday called to mind the bravery of late former President Benigno Aquino III (PNoy) in standing up to China until The Hauge arbitral victory was won on July 12, 2016, which invalidates Beijing's excessive claims that trample on the West Philippine Sea.

In a statement, the LP holds up for everyone to remember PNoy's take of the arbitral court's ruling: We stood up to them at the [outset] and now so many others are doing the same. We stood up to China because it was the right thing to do. “ According to the LP -- PNoy's political party -- the” quote was part of the former president's acceptance speech at the JW Diokno awards in February 2021.

For the LP, the arbitral victory, especially in the wake of PNoy s death, is as much a promise as it is a reminder of what good, brave, strong governance can yield. ’ "As we commemorate this landmark ruling, so too do we commemorate the kind of leadership that makes victories like this possible: A leadership founded on the belief that The Filipino is worth fighting for, as opposed to one that cowers and yields to bullies," the LP statement said. “ "To treat this” ruling as merely a piece of paper is to lack the courage and resolve required of leadership," it added.

This is in reference to President 's remark that the arbitral ruling is just a piece of paper for the trash bin.

Also the LP took a swipe at Duterte's paying lip service to his campaign promise of standing up to China in a supposedly symbolic act of defiance "riding on a jet ski and planting the Philippine flag" on an outcrop in the disputed West Philippine Sea. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/794906/lp-cites-pnoy-s-courage-vs-china-for-5th- anniversary-of-arbitral-victory/story/

Robredo marks 5th year of arbitration win vs. China: Fight for rights in West PH Sea

Published July 11, 2021, 4:33 PM by Raymund Antonio Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday, July 11, asserted the Philippines must continue its fight to defend sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, particularly for the fishermen affected by Chinese harassment.

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the landmark ruling, Robredo said it is a “reminder” of what is at stake for the country amid China’s encroachment over the Philippines’ territory.

“Marami ‘yong epekto sa atin, pero ang pinakaramdam, itong mga maliliit na mangingisda natin, na ang pinagkukunan ng hanapbuhay nasa dagat natin (There are many effects to us, but the most affected are small fishermen, whose source of livelihood is in our seas),” she said on her weekly radio show.

“Ang experience talaga nila, naghahanapbuhay sila within our exclusive economic zone, pero tinataboy sila, kinukuha kung anuman yong kanilang napangisda na (Their experience is that they are working within our exclusive economic zone, but they are being thrown out, their catch are taken),” she added.

On July 12, the Philippines will mark the fifth year since the arbitral ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague was awarded in 2016. The ruling invalidated China’s nine-dash line claim, which is based on nine dashes found on ancient Chinese maps that cover the entire West Philippine Sea.

Aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also have competing claims in the resource-rich region.

The vice president said the country’s move to challenge China before the PCA was “much anticipated” even by the international community, stressing the arbitration win must be used for collaboration with other affected countries.

“‘Yong pagkapanalo natin, makasaysayan ‘yon. Tayo ‘yong pinakaunang bansa na dinala ang China to arbitration (Our win is historic. We are the first country to bring China to arbitration),” she said. “Ito ay may epekto hindi lang sa atin, pero may epekto ito sa lahat ng may claims over sa South China Sea saka sa West Philippine Sea (It does not only affect us, but it also has effects to all countries which have claims over the South China Sea.”

During her radio show, Robredo spoke with Ernie Egana, one of the fishermen from Masinloc, Zambales who have experienced harassment from the Chinese Coast Guard. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/robredo-marks-5th-year-of-arbitration-win-vs-china-fight-for-rights-in- west-ph-sea/

Robredo on PH’s maritime arbitration case vs China: 5 years of missed opportunities

By: Cathrine Gonzales - Reporter / @cgonzalesINQ INQUIRER.net / 08:14 AM July 12, 2021

Around 220 Chinese militia vessels were spotted moored at Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea last March 7, 2021. (NTF WPS)

MANILA, Philippines — “Five years of missed opportunities.”

This was how Vice President Leni Robredo described on Monday the fifth anniversary of the Philippines’ arbitration victory against China on its territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea.

“Today marks five years of missed opportunities regarding the West Philippine Sea,” Robredo said in a statement.

Robredo stressed that the Duterte administration has yet to fully utilize the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on July 12, 2016 to pursue the country’s national interests.

Since then, national leadership has yet to fully flex the ruling as an instrument to pursue our national interests, failing to invoke it in strong enough terms in the forums that matter most,” Robredo said. “Our fisherfolk remain unable to enter areas that have been the source of livelihood for generations of Filipinos. Alliances that could have been strengthened were allowed to erode, while those who bully their way into our waters have been treated with deference, and at times, subservience. The dream of a regional architecture founded on respect and mutual prosperity has become even more elusive,” she noted.

But the ruling, said Robredo, is already a definitive part of international law.

“It cannot be erased from the history books, and cannot be denied despite the unending lies spewed forth by a formidable machinery of disinformation,” she added. She emphasized that “filing the case before the tribunal—standing up for what is right, against the economic and military might of a world power—yielded the admiration and respect of the entire world.”

“Today’s commemoration is a reminder, a challenge, and a promise: That if only we can remember, if only we can unite, if only we can rediscover our spirit and once again stand for what is right— we will find, beneath the rubble of cowardice and neglect, our courage, our dignity, and our national pride,” the Vice President said.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1458521/robredo-on-phs-maritime-arbitration-case-vs-china-5-years-of- missed-opportunities

Carpio's plan to push WPS deal hit

By Jomar Canlas July 12, 2021 3900

Former solicitor general Florin Hilbay said retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio was an "outsider" in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) case who was pushing an "unethical" plan for a deal with China.

Hilbay lashed out at Carpio a day before the fifth anniversary of the landmark arbitral decision on the WPS.

The Philippines filed an arbitration case in 2013 based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to settle the maritime dispute with China.

On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague, Netherlands, upheld the Philippines' exclusive economic zone rights in the WPS.

The court ruled China's nine-dash line covering almost 90 percent of the contested waters has no legal basis in international law.

In the article he posted on Facebook, Hilbay said Carpio continues to malign the members of the legal team of former president Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino 3rd that handled the Philippine case against China.

"We can objectively test [his] credibility by way of his own most recent public admissions and by documentary evidence," he said.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/12/news/national/carpios-plan-to-push-wps-deal-hit/1806705

Pabillo: Gov’t stance on WPS, sluggish

Published 1 week ago on July 12, 2021 12:20 AM By Gab Humilde Villegas Taytay, Palawan Apostolic Vicar-elect Bishop Broderick Pabillo called the government’s stance on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue sluggish in his homily on Sunday.

Speaking at the Church’s celebration of “Sea Sunday” every second week of July, the bishop noted the plight of fishermen and seafarers particularly amid the pandemic where many are venturing out at sea without protection from the government.

“Being an archipelago, so many of our countrymen live because of the sea. There are our small fishermen. They are one of the poorest sectors of our society. They have no protection received from our government,” Pabillo said. He pointed out that the government has not been able to protect the fishermen in the WPS and even called the government’s stance sluggish.

“The issue of the West Philippine Sea shows that our fishermen have not been defended even in our own territory. Let us just remember the boat of Filipino fishermen that was run over by a Chinese ship and abandoned at sea. Our government’s stance towards them, “he added.

Pabillo, before the end of his homily, recognized the contribution of seafarers in the economy and asked the faithful to pray for them.

“There is loneliness, there is danger to pirates and storms, there is also heavy and dangerous work, and there is also abuse of them. Many are also victims of human trafficking at sea. They work on a ship without adequate wages and in poor labor conditions… Let us thank our seamen and women. Our economy will not run without them. Let us also pray for them, especially those in danger and in difficult circumstances. We owe them a lot,” Pabillo said. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/12/pabillo-govt-stance-on-wps-sluggish/

Talks on compensation to owner, crew of vessel Gem-Ver 1 still ongoing — DOJ

Published July 11, 2021, 1:43 PM by Jeffrey Damicog

No agreement has been reached yet on the compensation claimed for the 2019 sinking of Filipino fishing vessel F/B Gem-Ver 1, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Sunday, July 11.

There were reports that the owner and crew members of the ill-fated vessel have agreed for a settlement of P6 million out of the P12 million that was originally claimed.

The same reports stated that the Chinese company which owned the trawler which hit the fishing vessel made a counteroffer of P3.6 million.

“The discussions are still on-going. Until these are completed, it might not be advisable to make any statements on the amounts involved,” DOJ Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand S. Sugay said.

Sugay declined to issue further statements in connection with the ongoing talks.

Talks over the compensation started last June 7 and was hosted by the Philippine Embassy in Beijing.

The discussion was held after two years since the June 9, 2019 sinking of Gem-Ver 1 which got rammed by a Chinese fishing vessel in Reed Bank, also known as the Recto Bank, in the West Philippine Sea.

The Chinese fishing vessel fled which left the crew of Gem-Ver 1 stranded until they got rescued and returned to Philippine shores. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/talks-on-compensation-to-owner-crew-of-vessel-gem-ver-1-still- ongoing-doj/

Chinese coast guard swaps Filipino fishers' best catch with instant noodles, liquor: fisherman Gillan Ropero, ABS-CBN News Posted at Jul 11 2021 01:44 PM | Updated as of Jul 11 2021 02:11 PM patrol ship is seen at South China Sea, in a handout photo distributed by the Philippine Coast guard April 15 and taken according to the source either on April 13 or 14, 2021. Handout, Philippine Coast Guard MANILA - Members of the Chinese Coast Guard pick the best catch of Filipino fishermen and leave liquor and a pack of instant noodles in exchange, a fisherman recalled on Sunday, the eve of the fifth anniversary of Manila's arbitral victory on the South China Sea against Beijing.

Ernie Egana, a fisherman from Masinloc, Zambales, said the incident happened in 2018, the same year they were prevented to go inside the inner lagoon of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a feature in the West Philippine Sea located off his province.

"Tuwing madaling araw, umaakyat po sila sa bangka namin, hinahalungkay nila ang isdang huli namin. Tapos, lahat ng magagandang isda, kinukuha nila. Pagkatapos, palitan na lang po nila ng isang Maggi at isang boteng alak," he told Vice President Leni Robredo in her weekly radio show. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/11/21/chinese-coast-guard-swaps-filipino-fishers-best-catch-with- instant-noodles-liquor-fisherman

Gretch Mary of Coast Guard: The voice that drove away Chinese ships

Published July 11, 2021, 10:07 AM by Richa Noriega When a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel spotted a group of foreign ships inside the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on April 27, a commanding voice reverberated in the area to declare that they were in the Philippine territory–a powerful voice that eventually drove the intruding vessels away:

“This is PCG BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409). You are within Philippine exclusive economic zone. You are requested to provide the following: name of vessel, intention, last and next port of call on Channel 16.”

That voice belongs to PCG Probationary Ensign Gretch Mary Acuario.

In an interview with the Manila Bulletin, Acuario shared her persevering journey of being the voice in driving away Chinese vessels in the Sabina Shoal in West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Acuario shared that during that time, she was fortunate to be one of the two lawyers in the National Capital Region (NCR) to become part of the PCG’s Task Force Pagsasanay, a unit formed to intensify the capacity building of its personnel and assets as they addressed the heightened tension in the WPS.

“Actually I’m just fortunate that I’m one of the two lawyers that is available sa NCR that time when they asked for available lawyers. First, I was hesitant since I don’t know what will I do at WPS but then maybe I should try,” Acuario told the Manila Bulletin.

On board the PCG’s BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409), Acuario said there was no policy that time as to who among the personnel will conduct the radio communication. However, she said that traditionally the captain of the ship preferred women because of the “impact” of their voice.

“Traditionally kasi sa mga ganyang challenges mas prefer talaga ng captain of the ship na ang mag-radio challenge is babae kasi iba yung impact niya. Mixed yan eh pero hindi siya mag-eescalate ng tension (Traditionally, in such challenges, the captain of the ship really prefers a female officer to conduct radio challenges because a woman’s voice has a different impact. It is mixed, but it won’t escalate the tension),” she said. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/gretch-mary-of-coast-guard-the-voice-that-drove-away-chinese-ships/

PCG substation to rise for coastal communities in Iba, Zambales

Published July 11, 2021, 11:12 AM by Richa Noriega The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is set to build a substation to protect residents in coastal communities in Iba, Zambales.

The officials of PCG Station Zambales, Amungan, and Amungan Fishermen Association have signed a memorandum of agreement for the Coast Guard’s utilization of the 60 square-meter floor area building outpost located in Sitio Balintabog, Purok 5, Barangay Amungan, Iba, Zambales on Thursday, July 8.

The PCG said the substation Iba is intended to strengthen the armed service’s presence and “bring public service closer” to local residents in the coastal community.

The agreement was signed by Station Commander, LTJG Napoleon Veneracion II of PCG Station Zambales, Barangay Captain Richard Redondo of Barangay Amungan, and Chairman Rodolfo Besa of Amungan Fishermen Association. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/pcg-substation-to-rise-for-coastal-communities-in-iba-zambales/

NATION C-130 crash victims honored These men and women have offered their lives in line with their noble call of duty. For that, there is no amount of compensation that can ever repay the services that they have made for the country

Published 1 week ago on July 12, 2021 02:00 AM

By Mar T. Supnad

Army soldiers from the Northern Luzon Command (NolCom) led by their commander, Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. joined yesterday the AFP-wide simultaneous Interfaith Memorial Service and Flag Retreat in honor of their comrades who perished in a C-130 crash.

Burgos read the message of the Acting Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Lt. Gen. Erickson Gloria in concluding the interfaith activity.

“These men and women have offered their lives in line with their noble call of duty. For that, there is no amount of compensation that can ever repay the services that they have made for the country,” Gloria said. “Together, let us solemnly salute each of our fallen heroes for their unrivaled sacrifices for the country,” he added.

NolCom offered a wreath at its Heroes’ Monument in a solemn ceremony to recognize the services of their fallen comrades and pay tribute for their heroism. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/12/c-130-crash-victims-honored/

Crash survivors: Tausug villagers ‘pulled us out of burning plane’

By: Julie Alipala - Reporter / @alipalajulieINQ

Inquirer Mindanao / 04:53 AM July 12, 2021

CRASH SITE Troops secure the personal belongings of the Army soldiers who were on board the ill-fated Air Force Lockheed C-130 plane that crashed in Patikul, Sulu province, on July 4. —REUTERS

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines — Some soldiers who survived the C-130 plane crash in Patikul, Sulu province, exactly a week ago said they never expected Tausug villagers in the area to come to their aid.

Private First Class Troy Fernandez, 22, a BS Public Administration graduate from Agusan del Sur province before he decided to enlist in the military, said that he had heard stories—some of them about soldiers being ambushed or killed in Sulu—which made him wary of the place and its residents.

The province, after all, is where some of the remaining members of the terrorist group , may still be roaming around undetected, and whom it was their mission to fight, he said.

This was why Fernandez was surprised when he saw Tausug villagers rushing to their rescue after the crash.

“We [have] heard narratives about the people of Sulu,” he said, adding, “But that day, we saw a [totally] different narrative. They are very kind people. They came to help us.”

His best friend, 21-year-old Private Cyrus John de Castro, said he never expected to survive the accident.

“It’s a miracle that we’re alive,” said De Castro, who had just finished senior high school in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, before he joined the military training in Malaybalay, Bukidnon.

Most of the soldiers in the aircraft had just completed their training and were headed to Jolo, Sulu, for deployment.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1458445/crash-survivors-tausug-villagers-pulled-us-out-of-burning-plane

Ma brings home urn of young pilot son killed in Sulu crash

Published July 11, 2021, 1:38 PM by Martin Sadongdong The remains of a young (PAF) pilot who died in a C-130 military plane crash in Patikul, Sulu last week have been brought home by his mother on Saturday night, July 10.

Dr. Daisy Hintay, the mother of 25-year-old First Lt. Karl Joseph Hintay, carried the urn of her son as she disembarked from an NC212i light transport aircraft that flew them from Mactan, Cebu to their hometown in Davao City around 8:17 p.m.

A full military honors was accorded to Hintay by the Tactical Operations Wing Eastern Mindanao led by its deputy wing commander, Colonel Jesus Nelson Morales during their arrival at Davao Air Station in Barangay Sasa, Davao City.

According to Morales, Hintay’s remains will be brought to the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao, Camp Panacan in Davao City starting Sunday for a three-day wake. The interment ceremony will be held at Forest Lake Memorial Park in Maa, Davao City.

A graduate of BS Biology at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Mindanao, Hintay took the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) entrance exam in 2012, according to Daisy. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/ma-brings-home-urn-of-young-pilot-son-killed-in-sulu-crash/

Buntis, biyenan kabilang sa mga nasugatan sa C- 130 crash ABS-CBN News Posted at Jul 11 2021 07:02 PM

 Facebook  Twitter  LinkedIn  Viber Buntis, biyenan kabilang sa mga nasugatan sa C-130 crash 00:00/00:00

Watch more on iWantTFC Kabilang sa mga sibilyang nasugatan sa pagbagsak ng C-130 airplane sa Sulu ang isang buntis. Nabalian naman ng binti ang kaniyang biyenan. Nagpa-Patrol, Queenie Casimiro. TV Patrol, Linggo, 11 Hulyo 2021 https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/07/11/21/buntis-biyenan-kabilang-sa-mga-nasugatan-sa-c-130- crash

Military's air assets still enough despite C-130 tragedy –PAF spox By CONSUELO MARQUEZ, GMA News Published July 11, 2021 11:37am Updated July 11, 2021 5:25pm

The military has identified the bodies of nine more soldiers who were killed in the C-130 plane crash in Jolo, Sulu, Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson Colonel Maynard Mariano said Sunday. Philippine Air Force spokesman Col. Maynard Mariano assured the public on Sunday that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has enough air assets to continue its service despite the C-130 aircraft's tragedy in Sulu on July 4.

The PAF's C-130 plane left Cagayan de Oro City on Sunday to bring troops to Sulu when it overshot the runway and crashed in the municipality of Patikul. Forty- nine troops and three civilians on the ground were killed, while 47 soldiers were injured.

The injured soldiers were admitted to various hospitals in Sulu and .

Likewise, Mariano said that the families of the three civilians on the ground who died in the accident were given financial assistance.

Despite the loss of the C-130, AFP's air assets are still enough, Mariano said.

"Sa ngayon sa lahat po ng nagtatanong sino ang pupuno ng serbisyo ng C-130, nandyan pa ang C-295, NC-212i na ginagamit po natin. Ito nagpupuno ng trabaho ngayon," Mariano said, adding that the AFP also has other aircraft and helicopters.

(To those asking, we still have the C-295 and NC212i that we are using to take over C-130 operations after the crash.)

Also, the PAF spokesman said the military's transport of vaccines and medical items to far-flung provinces will still continue. He likewise assured the public that PAF personnel will still pursue their duties despite the fatal aircraft crash. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/794903/9-more-troops-who-died-in-c-130-plane- crash-identified-paf-spox/story/

DND explains 'unauthorized' bank accounts with P1.813-B total balance

Published July 11, 2021, 3:34 PM by Martin Sadongdong The Department of National Defense (DND) clarified Sunday, July 11, that some of the “unauthorized” bank accounts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that were flagged by the Commission on Audit (CA) cannot be closed immediately as these contain the depository accounts of the military’s on-going projects.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he already issued a guidance to the AFP through its Chief of Staff, Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, to expedite the closure of some 20 bank accounts with a total balance of P1,812,797,567.87 that were maintained “without the required authority.”

ADVERTISING

“The DND-AFP has been processing the closure of these accounts in adherence to the COA guidelines. However, some accounts cannot be closed outright as these are the depository accounts for our current projects, most of which are multi-year obligations,” Lorenzana said.

In its 2020 annual audit report of the AFP General Headquarters (GHQ) released last Friday, the COA flagged the AFP over its alleged failure to close 20 unauthorized bank accounts that were maintained “despite the absence of express written authority from the Permanent Committee.”

The Permanent Committee was created under the Administrative Code of 1987 and is composed of the secretaries of the Department of Finance (DOF) and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as chairpersons, and COA officials as its members.

Under Section 45 of the Administrative Code of 1987, the Permanent Committee shall “monitor and evaluate the activities and balances of all Funds of the national government other than the General fund.” https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/dnd-explains-unauthorized-bank-accounts-with-p1-813-b-total- balance/

Enough evidence vs. Karapatan, unfazed Parlade to Palabay

By Gigie Arcilla July 12, 2021, 5:05 am

MANILA – A ranking military official lashed back at militant human rights group Karapatan over its recent statement urging the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to withhold clearances for the former’s retirement over alleged human rights violations, saying the government has enough evidence against them.

“What HR violations are you talking about? I have been promoted several times because I have no human rights case as you alleged,” said Lt. General Antonio G. Parlade, Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Luzon Command chief, in a statement sent to the Philippine News Agency Sunday night.

Unfazed by Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay’s claims, Parlade said the former has a case to face for besmirching his reputation over allegations that he ordered the killing of activists.

“That case is being reviewed at the Solicitor General's office now and shall be filed anytime,” he added. “I am not going anywhere, Cristina Palabay. I am not walking away.”

Parlade, who announced his resignation as spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) early this month, is set to retire from the military service on July 26.

He earlier said despite his resignation as NTF ELCAC spokesperson and pending retirement, he will continue to defend the country against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) and its allied organizations.

"Even then, I want to assure our critics and naysayers that I am not running away from this fight. As a citizen of this country it behooves me to continue with my patriotic duty to defend our country and end the 52 years onslaught of the CPP-NPA terrorists, whatever legal way I can,” he was quoted in an earlier report.

He maintained that he did not “red-tag” activists because they themselves, through their actions, identify their true color.

“You alleged that I red-tagged activists without evidence? I don't red-tag people. You and your cohorts' actions identify you as such, i.e. stooges of Joma Sison and the CPP-NPA-NDF,” Parlade said, referring to CPP-NPA founding chair Jose Maria Sison.

Sison, he said, is to be blamed for identifying and "red-tagging" militants and activists allied to their cause.

Enough evidence

He went on to enumerate some of Karapatan’s involvement in illegal activities such as the likes of arrested Alexa Pacalda of Quezon and Glendhyl Malabanan of Palawan, both Karapatan members who bear arms to fight together with the NPA. “Is Glendhyl Malabanan not proof of Karapatan's complicity to the violence of the NPAs in Palawan? Is Alexa Pacalda not proof of Karapatan being part of the NPA?” he added.

He said they were arrested because they ceased to be activists and morphed into terrorists when they joined the NPA, CPP's armed wing.

A captured video, he added, shows Malabanan and Pacalda training with the NPA.

“Is Honey May Suazo and Fred Caña, both of Karapatan, not proof of your bailing out of top CPP-NPAs in Mindanao and the Visayas?” he said.

READ: Bail payment receipt shows Karapatan-NPA 'link'

Parlade was referring to former Karapatan-Southern Mindanao Region secretary-general Honey Mae Suazo who bailed out Zaldy Canete alias “Ka Jinggoy”, leader of NPA 1st Pulang Bagani Command, in 2015.

He added that Karapatan-Negros secretary-general Fred Caña also raised money to pay for the cash bond in 2012 of arrested Romeo Nanta, head of NPA Regional Operations Command Negros Island in 2012, and Hernando Llorente alias “Ka Adoy”, NPA Northern Negros Front commander, and wife Faith Roseen Basergo alias “Ka Bea”, an NPA political instructress. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146718

Group asks SC to review previous court warrants that led to killings, arrests

Published July 11, 2021, 4:08 PM by Jeffrey Damicog Kapatid A support group for political prisoners and their families asked the Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday, July 11, to review earlier issued search and arrest warrants that led to the killings and arrests of activists and government critics. Kapatid aired the call after the SC promulgated the rules on the mandatory use of body-worn cameras or other recording devices in the service of warrants by law enforcers.

The rules will be enforced after publication, the SC said.

“For accountability and justice to hold sway, we press that a review be made of all cases that emanated from the sala of those judges who turned their courts into a search warrant factory that led to the arrest and outright killing of activists,” Kapatid Spokesperson Fides Lim said in a statement.

Lim said the SC should “start off with Judge Cecilyn Burgos Villavert of the Quezon City regional trial court (RTC) and down the line.”

Lim pointed out that these magistrates “should be made to answer for brazen violations of basic rights, due process and the rule of law, which the new SC rules seek to rectify.” “This is especially true in the cases of targeted activists who were the subject of these search warrants that were used as basis for manufacturing charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, which were in fact planted as evidence to keep them in prolonged detention,” she alleged.

“The Supreme Court rules should be pursued to their logical conclusion toward the release of all political prisoners who are the direct victims of these judges’ wrongful and culpable actions,” she added, Lim lauded the SC for issuing the rules on the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcers in the service of warrants.

Aside from Kapatid, National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) President Edre U. Olalia also expressed gratitude to the SC for having come up with the rules.

“Generally, the rules are grounded on abundant experience and appear to have taken into good account the clamor to address the situations that arise in rights violations,” Olalia said.

The rules, he said “also incorporated or included provisions similar to the specific concrete recommendations we submitted to the Court (e.g. submission of recordings during inquest, denial of multiple search warrant applications, limiting the scope of the power of courts to issue search warrants only within their judicial region, inadmissibility or suppression of seized evidence in searches without use of recording devices, protocols when deaths occur, use of cameras by witnesses, rules on chain of custody, and others.”

He said the rules show that the SC “does not want to tie the hands of law enforcement agencies in legitimate and legal searches and arrests.”

The rules, he added, “are aimed to preserve the integrity of the process as well as help strengthen the independence of the judiciary and the sound exercise of judicial power and sanction for violations,” he noted. However, he pointed out that the rules contain provisions which “unwittingly provide gaps, loopholes and opportunities for circumvention on the ground.” https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/group-asks-sc-to-review-previous-court-warrants-that-led-to-killings- arrests/

Mga residente sa Northern Samar, lumikas dahil sa sagupaan ng militar at NPA ABS-CBN News Posted at Jul 11 2021 10:47 PM Nagsilikas ang ilang mga residente ng Barangay Hitapi-an sa bayan ng Catubig, Northern Samar nitong Sabado dahil sa takot na maiipit sa sagupaan ng militar at mga rebeldeng komunista. Karamihan sa mga pinakaapektado ay ang mga taga-Sitio San Jose Hibubullao.

Ayon sa residente ng bayan ng Catubig na si Jamil Borja Rebay, natatakot na kasi ang mga residente doon dahil sa engkwento ng mga sundalo at New People's Army.

Bakas pa ang pinsalang idinulot nito sa isang bahay sa nasabing barangay, kung saan nabutas ang bubong nito dahil sa engkwentro noong Sabado ng umaga.

Mabuti na lang maagang nagising ang mga nakatira sa bahay na ito kaya walang nasaktan sa insidente.

Dinala naman ng kawani ng Catubig Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office sa evacuation center ang ilang apektadong residente, habang ang iba ay piniling pumunta sa bahay ng mga kamag-anak.

Pero may ilang residente kabilang na ang ilang mga opisyal ng barangay at tanod na manatili sa kanilang lugar para mabantayan ang kanilang mga ari-arian at mga hayop.

Sa Borongan, Eastern Samar naman, isang hinihinalang miyembro ng NPA ang napatay sa engkwentro umano sa mga militar.

May naganap umano na engkwentro sa pagitan ng mga rebelde at 78th Infantry Battalion ng sa Barangay San Andres, Borongan, alas 11:05 ng umaga, araw ng Linggo. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/11/21/mga-residente-sa-northern-samar-lumikas-dahil-sa- sagupaan-ng-militar-at-npa

G20 hails cooperation, but eased U.S.- China tensions not in sight  Chinese leader Xi Jinping waves next to Premier Li Keqiang and former President Hu Jintao at the end of the event marking the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on July 1. | REUTERS    BY MIYA TANAKA  KYODO   SHARE  Jul 11, 2021 VENICE, ITALY – Multilateralism came into play as the finance chiefs of the Group of 20 major economies joined hands on Saturday to back once-in-a-century international tax rule changes, but the move did not signal any better relations between the two key members of the forum — the United States and China. Some U.S. experts on China expect no breakthrough anytime soon in the strained ties between the world’s two largest economies, while other analysts warn that Japan, a U.S. security ally with close trade ties with China, should accelerate efforts to hedge against potential economic risks stemming from what some view as a new “Cold War.” A series of G20 ministerial meetings have been taking place in Italy in the run-up to a summit meeting scheduled for late October, where U.S. President Joe Biden may have a chance to hold his first face-to-face meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping since taking office in January.

But Zack Cooper, an expert on U.S.-China relations at the American Enterprise Institute, was skeptical that momentum is building up toward bilateral engagement.

While the two countries may have some interactions later this year, including a possible Biden-Xi meeting, the senior fellow at the Washington think tank said he would not expect “much substantive cooperation” to come out of such talks.

“I think the tension will continue,” he said, adding, “The problem is our underlying interests and values are very different. And I don’t think a bit of dialogue is going to solve that.”

Biden’s White House has been building on the tough China policies of his predecessor, President Donald Trump, with more emphasis on human rights issues. As it rallies allies to counter Beijing, which it views as acting more repressively at home and aggressively abroad, it has called for democracies to outpace autocracies in the race to compete.

One reason for Washington’s push for a G20 agreement on plans to tax multinationals during two days of talks that ended Saturday in Italy may have been to help address its disputes with European allies over imposing levies on U.S. big tech firms, Cooper said.

“So even if there is agreement on tax, I sort of see that as an effort by the Biden team to try and unite a bit more closely with democratic allies and partners to avoid divisions that might create problems with the Chinese down the road,” Cooper said. Since Biden assumed the presidency, top diplomats of the two countries have so far met once face-to-face in March in Alaska, laying bare their deep disagreements on human rights issues, Taiwan and what international order they view as desirable.

As the Beijing Winter Olympics approaches in February, China could face even more pressure over its poor human rights record, with calls already emerging inside the United States to resort to some form of boycott as a punishment over China’s alleged abuses against the Muslim Uyghur minority in the western Xinjiang region.

But it would likely be difficult for the Chinese leadership to take any actions that could be perceived as backing down, as next year will also be crucial for Xi in further consolidating his power through a twice-a-decade Communist Party congress in the fall.

In a speech on July 1 to mark the 100th anniversary of the party’s founding, Xi was defiant, saying that the Chinese people will “never permit any foreign forces to bully, oppress or enslave us” and emphasizing that China’s “complete reunification” with Taiwan is a “historic mission and an unshakable commitment” of the party. With Xi believed to be aiming to be re-elected as leader of the Communist Party at the congress for an unusual third term, Cooper said the party will likely be hoping next year will go “very smoothly” and will “react quite angrily to criticism of China and Xi in particular.” Joe Biden | POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI On the economic front, China may be hoping to see the removal of punitive U.S. tariffs imposed on hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese products amid an escalating trade war under the Trump era.

But a major reduction in tariffs may require a substantial commitment from China to address U.S. concerns on intellectual property theft and extensive use of industrial subsidies, among other issues, which again may be a high bar for Beijing.

Takeshi Makita at the Japan Research Institute said the United States and China have entered a phase of “competition for global hegemony,” although the possibilities of imminent military clashes and a broad decoupling of the two economies seem low.

The research director, however, said Japan should still be prepared for the potential consequences of a heightened showdown between Washington and Beijing, making sure that its economy can grow while avoiding being caught in the crosshairs.

“If the United States and China see a sharp escalation of their confrontation and Japan has to (follow the United States to) take a more confrontational approach as a member of the democratic countries, China will certainly take retaliatory actions that will lead to a decline in exports, a downturn in Japanese businesses in China and a decrease in Chinese tourists,” Makita warned. The adverse economic impact from a deterioration of Japan-China ties would be difficult to ignore, Makita said, citing data showing that Japanese exports of goods and services to mainland China and Hong Kong represented about 4% of the country’s gross domestic product in 2019.

The percentage was the highest among the Group of Seven industrialized countries. For the United States, the same figure stood at about 1% of its GDP in 2019.

Makita said Japan should step up efforts to create products and services that are vital to China and difficult for other countries to supply, noting that Japan is strong in sectors such as parts, industrial machinery and material.

“Even though Japan’s semiconductor industry is faltering, our country has a leading share in related material such as vinyl chloride. … Creating a situation in which China cannot make general-purpose products without Japanese parts and material will be the best defense,” he said. He also said Japan should find ways to benefit from a void that would likely be created in the U.S. market as Washington seeks to reduce its reliance on Chinese goods in the longer term, and try to lure more visitors from the United States and Europe in an otherwise China-dependent inbound tourism market.

The Japanese government needs to expedite its efforts to brace for a new “Cold War,” Makita suggested.

“There have been some moves (to draw up a strategy) but they have started out very late,” he said, saying persistent reluctance inside Japanese business circles to prepare for such risks may have been one of the reasons for the delay.

“Japan has also lacked awareness of the risks over the Taiwan contingency,” he added, referring to China’s threat to use force if necessary to bring about eventual reunification with what it views as a renegade island province. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/11/world/us-china-japan-tensions/

Virus variants threaten global recovery, G20 warns Gavin JonesLeigh Thomas

 Summary  Variants, vaccine shortfalls raise risks-G20  Global tax deal on course for October signing  But US, EU hurdles could complicate things  Call for financial stability to be ensured

VENICE, Italy, July 10 (Reuters) - An upsurge in new coronavirus variants and poor access to vaccines in developing countries threaten the global economic recovery, finance ministers of the world's 20 largest economies warned on Saturday. https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/g20-signs-off-tax-crackdown-warns-virus-variants-2021-07- 10/

Vietnamese target Jackie Chan over China’s ‘nine-dash line’ map July 11, 2021 Singapore, July 11 (ANI): Rising hordes of on-line patriots have proved more and more vocal in defending Vietnam’s picture overseas by flagging content material they deem controversial and inappropriate, particularly the depiction of Beijing’s ‘nine-dash line’ map.

Dien Luong, in an opinion piece of Nikkei Asia, stated that Netflix, DreamWorks, Swedish trend model HM and Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan, all just lately discovered themselves caught within the crossfire of intense nationalist debates inside Vietnam, the thread linking every controversy being Beijing’s unilaterally declared “nine-dash line” that defines its expansive maritime claims within the South China Sea.

The most recent incident flared up final month when Vietnam’s Authority of Broadcasting and Digital Info demanded that Netflix take away Australian spy drama “Pine Hole” from its programme lineup as a result of the present “angered and damage the sentiments of your complete individuals of Vietnam” by that includes a map depicting the nine-dash line, which Hanoi has lengthy bristled at, reported Nikkei Asia.

Whereas Netflix confirmed that the present had been pulled from Vietnam — “Pine Hole” stays obtainable to subscribers elsewhere — Vietnamese authorities stated that they had flagged related breaches of the nation’s sovereignty in two different Netflix programmes over the previous 12 months.

Netflix isn’t the one offender. In October 2019, Vietnamese netizens noticed that “Abominable,” a movie co-produced by DreamWorks and Shanghai’s Pearl Studio, additionally confirmed a map that included the nine-dash line. The movie was instantly yanked off Vietnamese cinema screens.

Within the Vietnamese cybersphere, anti-China sentiment, fuelled both by territorial disputes or Beijing’s affect, has been the primary set off for nationalist expressions, wrote Dien.

Over time, Vietnamese authorities have grow to be effectively conscious that any transfer to repress nationalism, anti-China sentiment specifically, solely alienates the very viewers whose assist they should shore up.

In that context, Vietnamese authorities have displayed an acute sensitivity to nationalist sentiments expressed on-line, usually utilizing them to serve their very own agenda. Nowhere was that dynamic extra manifest than the web backlash towards Swedish attire model HM and Hong Kong-born movie star Jackie Chan, wrote Dien.

In April, HM was savaged on-line after Chinese language authorities requested the style retailer to right a “problematic map of China” on its web site.

Although it was not clear what the issue with the map entailed, in Vietnam it was rapidly framed as an indication that HM had capitulated to China by utilizing a map that included the nine-dash line, triggering boycott calls that ricocheted on-line and within the state-controlled media.

In November 2019, Jackie Chan needed to scrap a go to to Vietnam after a furore erupted on- line alleging that he had spoken in assist of the nine-dash line.

All of those instances observe an eerily related sample: Regardless of a scarcity of compelling proof, Vietnam’s on-line patriots have been solely too pleased to pounce. Furthermore, Vietnamese authorities have then seized on such nationalist sentiment to telegraph vital messages to a broader worldwide viewers, wrote Dien. https://asiapost.live/vietnamese-target-jackie-chan-over-chinas-nine-dash-line-map/

China condemns 'unreasonable suppression' as U.S. expands economic blacklist Reuters

Chinese and U.S. flags flutter outside a company building in Shanghai, China April 14, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song//File Photo

SHANGHAI, July 11 (Reuters) - China said on Sunday it "resolutely opposes" the addition of 23 Chinese entities to a U.S. economic blacklist over issues including alleged human rights abuses and military ties. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-commerce-ministry-criticises-additions-us-economic- black-list-2021-07-11/

Why China is hobbling its tech sector

Ant Group, the financial arm of Alibaba, saw its $34 billion IPO sunk last year ahead of an anti- monopoly probe of the tech behemoth AFP/STR

11 Jul 2021 11:28AM BEIJING: Scuttled listings and share prices hammered by official threats: Beijing has launched a withering and very public assault on some of China's biggest tech names.

The travails of ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing this week carried a cautionary tale for digital big hitters: What goes up, can come down ... and fast.

Days after a New York IPO that raised US$4.4 billion, Didi's app was banned from stores in its vast Chinese market over data collection issues, prompting shares to tank and lawsuits from furious investors.

Similar cybersecurity investigations were announced on platforms of two more US-listed Chinese firms a day later.

Motivated by monopoly and data fears or national pride and the control reflexes of the all- powerful Chinese Communist Party, Beijing is wounding its own firms.

Here are a few possible reasons why. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/china-tech-ipos-alibaba-didi-chuxing-ant-group-tencent- 15198328

China blames US for Afghan crisis  Washington’s move to pull its troops from Afghanistan resulting in a “mess and turmoil”, says Beijing. Agencies | , Beijing, Kabul PUBLISHED ON JUL 12, 2021 12:33 AM IST

China has reacted sharply over the unfolding chaos in Afghanistan, blaming the US for allowing the security situation to deteriorate by “hastily” withdrawing all its troops from the country and leaving behind a “mess and turmoil” for the Afghan people.

“The US has been trying to force its so-called freedom and democracy on others and push for regime changes around the world. This has led to conflict, war, terrorism, refugees, among other complications that still persist today,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “The US, in disregard of its responsibilities and obligations, hastily withdrew from Afghanistan, leaving a mess and turmoil to the Afghan people and regional countries.”

Separately, Pakistan-based News International has reported that Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is set to discuss the Afghan security situation with counterparts from Russia, India, Pakistan and several Central Asian countries at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation next week.

Anti-missile system set up at Kabul airport Afghan authorities said on Sunday that they have installed an anti-missile system at Kabul’s main airport to counter incoming rockets, as the Taliban pressed on with a blistering offensive across the country. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-blames-us-for-afghan-crisis- 101626030047818.html

China must plan for growing risks in Afghanistan and Africa: observers  Withdrawals of US troops from Afghanistan and French forces in West Africa could pose threat to China’s investments in those areas  Beijing should take extra precautions and work with other nations to protect its interests, observers argue

China’s projects in Afghanistan and West Africa and French military withdrawals, observers say.

Beijing has been watching Afghanistan anxiously amid concerns that the end to the US military mission therecould lead to a revival of terrorism, potentially endangering Chinese investment projects, border security and stability in the neighbouring Chinese region of Xinjiang .Observers have also warned of rising security risks to Chinese investments in West Africa with the planned withdrawal of France’s anti-terrorism operation in the region. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3140538/china-must-plan-growing-risks- afghanistan-and-africa-observers

China looks for ways to help fill void in Afghanistan without overcommitting itself  Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit neighbouring states before a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which Beijing wants to play a bigger role  China wants to work with neighbouring countries to ensure peace and stability after the withdrawal of US troops

China is looking for ways to help fill the power vacuum left by the United States in Afghanistan but is unlikely to send in peacekeeping troops, foreign policy observers said ahead of Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s three- country tour of Central Asia.

This week Wang will visit three of China’s central Asian neighbours – Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – and attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a Eurasian regional security pact, and the SCO-Afghanistan contact group.

The tour comes ahead of the withdrawal of Nato forces from Afghanistan after 20 years. US President

Joe Biden has said the remaining 2,500 American troops will completely withdraw by September 11 – the anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks – stating it was “time to end America’s longest war”. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3140668/china-looks-ways-fill-void-afghanistan- without-overcommitting

China, Russia mark 20 years of friendship treaty, jointly opposing hegemony Updated 16:53, 12-Jul-2021

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday called on China and Russia to jointly uphold multilateralism and oppose hegemony. Wang made the remarks when he attended a reception marking the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, an event in Beijing also attended by Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement on June 28, officially extending the treaty.

Wang said China and Russia should support multilateralism, oppose hegemony and power politics, boycott any new Cold War or clique confrontation, continue to safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law to promote multi-polarization in the world and democratization of international relations. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-07-11/China-calls-to-further-strengthen-strategic-coordination-with- Russia-11OC7dK1QC4/index.html

Some Hong Kongers are glorifying a man who knifed a cop, showing the city's problems are far from over By Joshua Berlinger, Lauren Lau and Julia Hollingsworth, CNN Updated 0206 GMT (1006 HKT) July 11, 2021

Hong Kong (CNN)They came with white flowers to honor a man accused of attempted murder. His victim was a seemingly random police officer -- and for some in Hong Kong, that not only justified the violence, it was cause for commemoration.

Over the past week, a steady trail of visitors have turned the July 1 crime scene into a memorial. Families have brought their young children to mourn the knifeman, who fatally turned his weapon on himself shortly after the attack. The student union of prestigious Hong Kong University passed a motion to say they "appreciated his sacrifice." And the man's employer, beverage company Vitasoy, saw its stock dip 14.6%, its biggest plunge since going public in 1994, after it offered condolences to the attacker's family in a leaked internal memo. Online, some have hailed him a hero. To them, the attacker died fighting an unelected regime that has stifled dissent. In the year since Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on Hong Kong, a newspaper has been closed, public protest appears to have been banned, and nearly all of the city's leading pro- democracy figures, including activists and politicians, have either been jailed or forced into exile. Hong Kong policeman stabbed in 'lone wolf' attack, says security chief 02:33 Authorities have responded to the memorials with fury. Carrie Lam, the city's leader who was elected by only a few hundred people, urged the public to avoid inciting more "immoral acts." Police guarded the stabbing site for several days, removing flowers from the makeshift memorial, and characterized the attack as "terrorism," feeding a narrative from authorities that civil society is now under threat from random acts of political violence. The July 1 attack exposed that while protests and political opposition have been blunted, the anger that rocked Hong Kong in 2019 lingers in the anti-government camp -- prompting fears of more violence. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/09/asia/hong-kong-stabbing-aftermath-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

Countries should stop using press freedom as a weapon to undermine the rule of law in HK: Chinese FM By Global TimesPublished: Jul 11, 2021 07:26 PM

Hong Kong File photo

The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) condemned a statement that a few countries had signed to criticize the shutdown of Apple Daily, An office spokesperson asked these countries to stop using press freedom as a weapon to undermine the rule of law in the HKSAR.

The Media Freedom Coalition statement, signed by a few countries, accuses the HKSAR judiciary of using the National Security Law for Hong Kong to suppress “ ’’ journalism. A move that is nothing short of a gross interference in China's internal affairs, and a blatant trampling on the SAR's rule of law and judicial independence, said the spokesperson of the office of the commissioner on Sunday.

The so-called Media Freedom Coalition statement was jointly signed and released on Friday by 21 countries including the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. In the statement, these countries expressed concerns about the shutdown of Hong Kong tabloid Apple Daily, and said there was an increased media censorship. “

” The spokesperson of the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Minister dismissed the accusation, noting that Apple Daily was a poisonous apple that has long been engaged in illegal acts in the guise of a media to “ scourge the country and disrupt Hong Kong. ”

Apple Daily seriously deviated from professional journalistic ethics and damaged the ecology of the Hong Kong media. The person in charge of the “ newspaper was suspected of colluding with outside forces to endanger national security, and was taken by the SAR police in accordance with the law, said the spokesperson, This [the shutdown of Apple Daily] is a legitimate move to uphold ” “ the rule of law in Hong Kong and a common voice of the general public in Hong Kong. It has nothing to do with freedom of press and speech.

” Some countries have the audacity to glorify and excuse such lawless anti-China rhetoric, chaotic media and their practitioners, attempting to use them to exert “ pressure on the law enforcement and judicial authorities of the SAR. This is a serious violation of the media's conscience and once again reveals their sinister intentions, the spokesperson noted. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228369.shtml

”

Vaccine Diplomacy in Latin America, Caribbean a PR Coup for China 7/12/2021 By R. Evan Ellis

iStock photo The COVID-19 pandemic has created multiple opportunities for the People’s Republic of China to advance its commercial position and influence in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The most significant, in the short term, has been China’s vaccine diplomacy. Over a million people in the region have died from COVID-19 since the virus was first detected in the region in February 2020. That death count, according to the Pan American Health Organization, is about 75 percent more than in the United States, which has registered a similar number of infections.

Moreover, while the United States has inoculated over 62 percent of its adult population, bringing infection rates dramatically down and allowing it to begin to reopen its economy, the end of the struggle is nowhere in sight for Latin America, where variants of the virus are driving new waves of infection and forcing new economic shutdowns in countries from Colombia to Trinidad and Tobago.

In the context of the region’s urgent need for vaccines to combat the pandemic, a perfect storm of unintended effects from U.S. policy decisions, the dynamics of international vaccine contracts and prioritization, and China pursuing strategic and business opportunities, has given rise to a widespread and dangerous — albeit erroneous — perception that Beijing is coming to the rescue of the region with its vaccines while America focuses exclusively on its own population.

From the beginning of the vaccine rollout, the United States pursued a strategy of attending to the needs of its own population through direct vaccine contracts with major pharmaceutical manufacturers, while simultaneously contributing generously to the World Health Organization’s Covax initiative to help other nations obtain the vaccine they needed. Covax, by design, deliberately deemphasizes the identity of donors and focuses on equitable distribution of vaccines of demonstrated quality. https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/7/12/vaccine-diplomacy-in-latin-america- caribbean-a-pr-coup-for-china Leaders of China and North Korea vow to strengthen ties: KCNA

Relations between Beijing and Pyongyang have fluctuated over the years, but the two sides have moved to strengthen their alliance since 2018 AFP/Jung Yeon-je

11 Jul 2021 01:35PM SEOUL: Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have vowed to bring their relations to a "new stage" as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of a friendship pact, Pyongyang's state media reported on Sunday (Jul 11).

China is North Korea's longtime ally and economic benefactor, their relationship forged in the bloodshed of the Korean War, when Mao Zedong sent millions of "volunteers" to fight US-led United Nations forces to a standstill.

The two countries signed a treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance in the event of an armed attack on Jul 11, 1961, with Mao describing the allies as close as "lips and teeth".

Relations have fluctuated over the years due to Pyongyang's growing nuclear ambitions, but with negotiations between North Korea and the US at a standstill, both sides have moved to strengthen their alliance.

"Despite the unprecedentedly complicated international situation in recent years the comradely trust and militant friendship between the DPRK and China get stronger day by day," Kim wrote in his message to Xi, referring to the North by its official name.

In the message carried by the KCNA news agency, Kim highlighted the role of the pact in "ensuring peace and stability in Asia and the rest of the world now that the hostile forces become more desperate in their challenge and obstructive moves".

Xi wrote he planned to bring "greater happiness" to the two countries and their people "by steadily leading the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries to a new stage," KCNA said. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/xi-jinping-kim-jong-un-strengthen-ties-china-north- korea-15198386

Call to scrap Unification Ministry stirs debate

By Ahn Sung-mi Published : Jul 11, 2021 - 15:28 Updated : Jul 11, 2021 - 18:00

Debate over the Unification Ministry, which oversees inter-Korean affairs, further heightened Sunday after remarks from the main opposition party leader drew backlash from the minister and ruling party lawmakers. People Power Party chief Lee Jun-seok had floated the idea of scrapping the ministry altogether, a notion his critics called “regrettable” and “unreasonable.”

Lee suggested doing away with the ministry during an interview with a local radio station Friday. While putting forward the opposition party’s “small government” agenda, he advocated the abolition of both the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Unification Ministry, saying “17, 18 ministries” were a “bit much” in comparison with other countries. South Korea currently has 18 ministries.

“Separating the duties of the Foreign Ministry and the Unification Ministry could be inefficient,” Lee said, clarifying that he was not opposing reunification with North Korea.

He then added that unification and security exist in the larger framework of diplomacy, handled by the Foreign Ministry, noting that the presidential office and the spy agency have directly overseen inter-Korean issues. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210711000193

Seoul issues warning against Tokyo over media reports on Moon-Suga summit Posted : 2021-07-11 19:18 Updated : 2021-07-19 13:34

By Nam Hyun-woo

The Korean government has issued a warning against continued reports from Japanese media outlets about President Moon Jae-in's possible visit to Tokyo on the occasion of the Summer Olympics later this month, saying Korea's foreign affairs ministry may not be able to continue consultations with its Japanese counterpart over a summit between Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Sunday that it expressed "strong regrets over leaks of the two sides' consultations through media reports describing Japan's unilateral perspective citing Japanese government officials," claiming "it may be difficult for the two governments to continue consultations over a summit. We urge Tokyo's prudent responses."

The warning came hours after the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported that the Japanese government informed Korea recently that it would agree to hold a Moon-Suga summit, adding the Korean government has been calling for a meeting of the two leaders if Moon visits the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics on July 23.

A slew of Japanese news outlets have been reporting that Moon has been seeking a summit with Suga to improve the soured bilateral relations, but the governments have been denying the reports. Cheong Wa Dae has been saying that nothing has been decided on Moon visiting Tokyo, and it will only consider such a visit if the presidential office can expect proper outcomes through a potential summit.

"The Korean government has been maintaining its stance that Japan should lift its export restrictions against Korea and the two countries should resolve historic issues through talks," the ministry said.

"Through diplomatic channels, the two countries have been in consultation about using the Tokyo Games as a vehicle to address pending bilateral issues, and it is true that we have studied the feasibility of a summit in case there is any momentum for resolving those issues and proper formality is provided."

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/07/120_311974.html

Japan govt ready to deploy economic stimulus flexibly, spokesman says

FILE PHOTO: A factory area is seen in front of Mount Fuji in Yokohama, Japan, January 16, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon 11 Jul 2021 02:03PM TOKYO: Japan stands ready to pump more money into the economy to ease the pain of a prolonged pandemic, the top government spokesman said on Sunday (Jul 11), nodding to growing political calls for additional stimulus to prop up growth.

Less than two weeks before hosting the Olympics, Tokyo goes into its fourth COVID-19 state of emergency from Monday through Aug 22, fuelling fears of extended pain for restaurants hit by shorter hours and a ban on alcohol consumption.

Advertisement

"First of all we must proceed with anti-infection measures and vaccination in cooperation with the citizens, and provide support for businesses and people in need," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said in a debate programme on public broadcaster NHK.

"Then we want to flexibly take economic measures without hesitation," Kato said, without mentioning the size or timing of further stimulus measures.

Lawmakers from Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's Liberal Democratic Party have escalated calls for a new relief package, with party heavyweight Toshihiro Nikai saying an extra budget of around 30 trillion yen (US$270 billion) is needed.

The world's third-largest economy is expected to rebound from its annualised 3.9 per cent contraction in the first quarter, but analysts expect the recovery to be gradual, with service sector consumption a particular weak spot.

Advertisement

Government spending is constrained by public debt at 2.5 times Japan's annual economic output - the heaviest debt burden in the industrial world, inflated by massive stimulus packages rolled out over the past year.

Suga, who must call a general election later this year, said on Thursday the government wants to focus on such areas as corporate financing, employment and restaurants, and wants to deliver as early as possible. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/japan-govt-ready-to-deploy-economic-stimulus-flexibly- spokesman-15198770 India pulls officials from Afghanistan's Kandahar as Taliban widens control

FILE PHOTO: Afghan security forces inspect the site of a car bomb attack in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, July 6, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer 11 Jul 2021 03:43PM MUMBAI: India said on Sunday (Jul 11) it had temporarily brought back officials from its consulate in Kandahar, a major city in southern Afghanistan, as Taliban fighters continue to gain control amid the withdrawal of international forces.

"Due to the intense fighting near Kandahar city, India-based personnel have been brought back for the time being," Arindam Bagchi, chief spokesperson at India's foreign ministry, said in a statement.

Advertisement "India is closely monitoring the evolving security situation in Afghanistan," Bagchi said, adding that India's consulate in Kandahar was being run by local staff temporarily.

Taliban officials said on Friday the Sunni Muslim insurgent group had taken control of 85 per cent of Afghanistan's territory, as the United States and others withdraw the bulk of their troops after 20 years of fighting. Afghan government officials dismissed the assertion as a propaganda campaign.

India's foreign minister on Friday called for a reduction of violence, saying the situation in the war-torn nation has a direct bearing on regional security. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/india-officials-leave-afghanistan-taliban-widens-control- 15199112

Leadership vacuum on Japan–South Korea cooperation 11 July 2021 Author: Daniel Sneider, Stanford University

The dysfunctionality of Japan–South Korea relations led many to despair about whether the two Northeast Asian neighbours can ever get along. Efforts by US officials to create trilateral opportunities on security, climate or cybersecurity have largely foundered.

History provides two lessons, which point in contradictory directions The first is that the tensions are deeply rooted and fundamental to national identity in both countries. The other is that progress is possible, but requires political leadership and the help of the United States. While historical enmity remains, strategic and even tactical conditions can create opportunities.

Specifically, two moments in Japan–South Korea relations provide relevant lessons: the 1965 treaty to normalise relations and the 2015 agreement on so- called ‘comfort women’. Post-war efforts to establish relations began in 1951 amid fierce fighting in Korea and with Japan on the verge of restoring sovereignty. The United States was eager to bind its two allies together, but neither South Korean leader Syngman Rhee nor Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida were enthusiastic about dealing with thorny issues, such as the treatment of the Koreans living in Japan and compensation for Japanese colonial rule. Successful talks on a treaty to normalise relations and settle post-war claims finally took place in 1965. Despite strong opposition in both countries to the compromises needed to reach a deal, the treaty became the legal foundation for post-war Japan–South Korea ties. A change in leadership was needed to make that possible, particularly in South Korea, where the military-led regime of Park Chung-hee had taken power in 1962. A Japanese-trained officer in the wartime Imperial Army, Park was determined to follow the Japanese model of export-led industrialisation and needed Japan as a source of aid, investment and technology. The Japanese government of Eisaku Sato understood that this was the best partner they could hope for and saw economic opportunity. The strategic situation also pushed them together. China tested nuclear weapons in 1964 and 1965, the Vietnam War was in full swing and North Korea was emboldened. The United States saw a Japan–South Korea partnership as crucial to meeting the communist threat. Washington made normalisation a priority in every meeting with South Korean and Japanese leadership, pushed for the treaty and intervened when talks hit snags. A similar convergence led to the 2015 comfort women agreement, which created a Japanese-funded foundation to provide compensation to survivors and affirmed Japan’s responsibility for wartime acts. The then South Korean president Park Geun-hye, daughter of the late military dictator, held a strong personal concern for the women but wasn’t wedded to the progressive narrative of victimisation. Then Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe advocated a conservative revisionist narrative, but was also pragmatic and not vulnerable to criticism from the Japanese right. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/07/11/leadership-vacuum-on-japan-south-korea-cooperation/

Congress Has a Role Against China, Too

Lawmakers’ bipartisan momentum against the CCP is a good start. Here are three ideas for the way forward. MASEH ZARIF and JANE TILLES |

JULY 11, 2021

Recent work by Congress to advance a series of bills intended to strengthen U.S. competitiveness and capabilities at home and abroad may seem like a signal of Capitol Hill’s “awakening” on China policy. But this campaign is hardly the only significant endeavor Congress has undertaken on the issue lately, nor should it be the last.

Congress’s momentum on China policy since 2020, as well as its hiccups, hold three key lessons for the way forward, whatever the outcome of the current legislative blitz. First, Congress should use its legislative power to support America’s friends and populations abroad facing the abuse and coercion of the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP.

That is what members of Congress did when they shepherded several bills into law that strengthen a free Taiwan (TAIPEI Act and Taiwan Assurance Act), expose the CCP’s genocidal campaign in Xinjiang and authorize related sanctions (Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020), address CCP human rights abuses in Tibet (Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020), and hold actors accountable for violating Hong Kong’s autonomy and enabling oppression (Hong Kong Autonomy Act).

These laws should rebuke any perception that American politicians are incapable of overcoming partisanship to confront the CCP’s aggression and repression.

Second, lawmakers should leverage existing—and often neglected—oversight tools.

In 2020, the Defense Department began to keep track of Chinese military-linked companies operating in the United States, to comply with a 1999 law it had left unfulfilled. The military-industrial ecosystem in which these companies operate enables the CCP to amass power, influence, and coercive leverage, as our colleagues Emily de La Bruyère and Nathan Picarsic detailed in a Foundation for Defense of Democracies report. These listings lay the groundwork for a ban on the flow of some U.S. investments into many of these entities. Before this prohibition, Americans were helping finance these companies, sometimes inadvertently, through capital markets.

This progress was propelled by the prodding of a 2019 congressional oversight effort initiated by Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Chuck Schumer, D-New York, along with Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. Their call for implementing the 1999 law, coupled with updated legislative guidance to the Defense Department, has compelled the Trump and Biden administrations to act.

Members of Congress have continued to press for restrictions on these companies’ reach into the U.S., and they should exercise oversight with vigilance.

Third, lawmakers and relevant committees should ensure the executive branch implements policies consistent with their intent. Two recent cases are instructive. https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/07/congress-has-role-against-china-too/183656/

Google boss Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

Amol Rajan Media editor @amolrajanon Twitter media captionGoogle boss Sundar Pichai on tax and his personal tech habits The free and open internet is under attack in countries around the world, Google boss Sundar Pichai has warned.

He says many countries are restricting the flow of information, and the model is often taken for granted.

In an in-depth interview with the BBC, Pichai also addresses controversies around tax, privacy and data.

And he argues artificial intelligence is more profound than fire, electricity or the internet. Pichai is chief executive of one of the most complex, consequential and rich institutions in history.

The next revolutions I spoke to him at Google's HQ in Silicon Valley, for the first of a series of interviews I am doing for the BBC with global figures. As boss of both Google and its parent company Alphabet, he is the ultimate leader of companies or products as varied as Waze, FitBit and DeepMind, the artificial intelligence pioneers. At Google alone he oversees Gmail, Google Chrome, Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Docs, Google Photos, the Android operating system and many other products. But by far the most familiar is Google Search. It's even become its own verb: to Google. Over the past 23 years, Google has probably shaped the mostly free and open internet we have today more than any other company.

Find out more Listen to Amol's interview with Sundar Pichai on BBC Sounds, or, in the UK, watch it on BBC iPlayer

According to Pichai, over the next quarter of a century, two other developments will further revolutionise our world: artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Amid the rustling leaves and sunshine of the vast, empty campus that is Google's HQ in Silicon Valley, Pichai stressed how consequential AI was going to be. "I view it as the most profound technology that humanity will ever develop and work on," he said. "You know, if you think about fire or electricity or the internet, it's like that. But I think even more profound."

Artificial intelligence is, at base, the attempt to replicate human intelligence in machines. Various AI systems are already better at solving particular kinds of problems than humans. For an eloquent exposition of the potential harms from AI, try this essay by Henry Kissinger.

Quantum Computing is a totally different phenomenon. Ordinary computing is based on states of matter that are binary: 0 or 1. Nothing in-between. These positions are called bits. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57763382

The True Enemy at the Border Sophisticated criminal gangs make Mexico the most corrupt nation in the Americas.

ALMA BARRAGAN was a 61-year-old mayoral candidate in the small central Mexican town of Moroleon. On May 25, twelve days before the June 6 election, she stood at a campaign event, microphone in hand, speaking of a time in the idyllic past when the people of Moroleon could safely walk its streets. She urged an end to the corruption endemic to every level of Mexican politics. A moment later, an assassin’s bullet took her life.

Barragan became the 35th political candidate to be killed in Mexico’s most bloody election cycle on record. Nearly 100 political operatives were murdered. Dozens of other candidates dropped out of races due to threats of violence. In total, the risk-analysis firm Etellekt recorded 782 acts of aggression against candidates and politicians in the nine months leading up to the elections.

Moroleon sits in the state of Guanajuato, adjacent to Michoacan. According to a 2020 report by Mexico-based Citizen Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice, among world cities with populations exceeding 300,000, seven of the 10 with the highest homicide rates were in Mexico. Three of the 10 were in either Michoacan or Guanajuato.

Why Guanajuato and Michoacan? And why the other ranked Mexican cities — Tijuana, Ensenada, Juarez, and Obregon?

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/the-true-enemy-at-the-border/

Senate Armed Services chair: 'I think Kabul will hold' BY JOSEPH CHOI - 07/11/21 03:10 PM EDT 495

Shar e to Facebook Shar e to Twitt er

© Greg Nash Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.) on Sunday said he believes Kabul will hold against the Taliban's advances as the U.S. nears a full withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Taliban has swiftly taken over much of Afghanistan's territory since U.S. and NATO forces began withdrawing, with the military organization recently claiming to have taken 85 percent of the country.

"I think Kabul will hold," Reed told host Chuck Todd on NBC News' "Meet the Press." "The question is, can it hold long enough to create a political solution between the sides? What is what you've seen is the encroachment of the Taliban, most of that has been without military action, most of that has been essentially going in and persuading— or paying off the local leadership and, and they've been preparing for that for many, many months."

Todd asked Reed if he thought the peace agreement that the Trump administration signed with the Taliban last year in Qatar was a mistake.

"I think it was, because I think it set a fixed date, rather than imposing conditions that would have then let us depart Afghanistan," Reed said. "And it also most of the conditions on, the Taliban were unenforceable. They claimed that they would disassociate themselves from al Qaeda, clearly that's not the case."—

The Taliban leadership has said it is still open and committed to a peace agreement with Afghanistan's government though it has yet to provide a written proposal. Last week, peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban were hosted in Iran, with Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif calling the talks "cordial & substantive." https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/562458-senate-armed-services-chair-i-think-kabul- will-hold

Explainer | US-China rivalry: who has the stronger military?

 China has the weight of numbers on its side, but America has various technological and financial advantages  The PLA intends to become a modern fighting force within the next six years, but will need to overcome problems with training and equipment China is pushing ahead with plans to turn the People’s Liberation Army into a modern fighting force by 2027 – the centenary of its founding – as tensions with the US build.

One senior US commander has called China “the pacing threat for the next decade” and Washington is ramping up support for Taiwan as the island faces growing political and military pressure fromBeijing. Meanwhile analysts have warned that the South China Sea could be the tipping point for a military conflict between the two.Read on to see whether the US or China’s military is stronger in areas such as total manpower, military expenditure and land, sea and air capabilities. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3140681/us-china-rivalry-who-has-stronger- military

Fighter jets in 24-hour flight training (China Military Online) 13:24, July 11, 2021

A pilot sitting in the cockpit of his fighter jet salutes to the ground crew before takeoff during a recent flight training exercise organized by an aviation brigade with the navy under the PLA Southern Theater Command. The round- the-clock training exercise focused on subjects including free aerial combat, seizing air-superiority operation, and assault covering operation. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Deng Zeming) http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0711/c90000-9870518.html

UP ATS Busts Al Qaeda-Linked Terror Module in Lucknow, Arrests Two Suspected Terrorists July 11, 2021

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Sunday mentioned it has busted a terror module linked to Al-Qaeda in Lucknow after it nabbed two terrorists from the Kakori space of town. A crew of ATS launched a search operation within the space right now afternoon. The 2 suspects have been taken into custody and are being interrogated. The ATS has obtained data that an Al-Qaeda terrorist primarily based close to Pakistan- Afghanistan border, Umar Halmandi, was attempting to recruit Indian youths for the fear outfit. Halmandi had recognized a number of marginalised individuals in Lucknow to radicalise and recruit them into the AQIS organisation.

UP ADG, legislation and order, Prashant Kumar mentioned, “We’ve got busted a giant terror module linked to Al Qaeda.”

This module was being readied beneath Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH), an offshoot of Al Qaeda, which has been set as much as perform terror actions, the police mentioned in a press launch.

These arrested have been recognized as Minhaz Ahmed and Masiruddin aka Mushir. A 3rd confederate has been recognized as Shakeel. The three have been receiving directions from Halmandi to hold out terror actions in varied cities of Uttar Pradesh, together with Lucknow, earlier than August 15, police mentioned.

Minhaz and Masiruddin have been apprehended on Sunday after ATS commandos surrounded the home, they’d gathered in, from all sides. The bomb disposal squad was additionally referred to as in to the spot. On this operation being led by IG GK Goswami, two strain cooker bombs, time bombs and an enormous cache of arms have been recovered thus far.

As per sources, the ATS was keeping track of this home, which belongs to an individual named Shahid, for a very long time on account of suspicious actions of tourists, particularly one named Waseem.

The ATS began the search operation right now after the knowledge was confirmed. Native police have been additionally current on the spot. The ATS sealed the Kakori space and evacuated the close by homes.

Round three to 4 suspicious youths have been seen visiting the home for a number of days, of which two have been held right now whereas search is on to nab different suspects.

Learn all of the Newest Information, Breaking Information and Coronavirus Information right here https://asiapost.live/up-ats-busts-al-qaeda-linked-terror-module-in-lucknow-arrests-two- suspected-terrorists/

Institute developing UUV as test bed for submarines  By Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is developing an uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) as a technology test bed for submarine systems, a high-level defense official said on Saturday.

The NT$3.6 billion (US$128.2 million) Hui Long Project, which began in 2019, is to produce a small to medium-sized vehicle to test sonar technology, and related surveillance and observation systems, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The program is part of the state-funded institute’s effort to build several test vessels — crewed and uncrewed — to test various systems coming out of the indigenous defense submarine program and other projects, the person said. A UUV would be crucial in reducing the indigenous submarine program’s reliance on foreign governments to export sonar systems, torpedoes and other “red zone” components, the official said.

The program’s first phase is expected to be completed in 2024, the person said, without elaborating.

The indigenous submarine program “has a long road to travel” and the nation cannot afford to assume that allies will remain willing to transfer required technologies, the official said.

Other naval test platforms include the amphibious command ship ROCS Kaohsiung and the institute’s Glory Star, a test bed for large weapon systems and surface ship equipment, the person said.

The Hui Long Project would not qualify as a submarine, as it is being designed as a test platform and not to conduct undersurface warfare, the official said.

However, the program’s technologies could potentially be used for reconnaissance or attack UUVs to support a submarine fleet, the person said.

The combination of crewed submarines and UUVs would bolster the navy’s ability to fight Chinese People’s Liberation Navy submarines, the official said. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/07/12/2003760717

Singapore Air Force F-35 pilots to train at U.S. base IPDForum July 10, 2021 Top Stories 0 Comment

Tom Abke

An Air National Guard base in the United States will become the training facility for Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) fighter pilots, including those flying the new F-35B Lightning.

Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, has been selected to host the RSAF s future F-35B aircraft and its Peace Carvin II F-16 training detachment, which will

’ relocate from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, Singapore s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced June 4, 2021. ’ The decision follows the 2020 sale of up to a dozen short-takeoff and vertical-landing F- 35Bs at an estimated cost of U.S. $2.75 billion to Singapore under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act. The act allows the U.S. to sell defense equipment, conduct training and provide services to its foreign defense partners.

The RSAF looks forward to enhanced joint training and exchanges with the USAF s [U.S. Air Force s] and U.S. Marine Corps F-35s, MINDEF said in a statement. Such overseas “ ’ training is important for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to overcome local airspace ’ ’ ” “ constraints and to conduct high-end realistic training.

Land-scarce Singapore relies on foreign partners for military” training. In addition to RSAF training in the U.S., SAF personnel have trained in Australia for more than three decades.

Military-to-military exchanges, training and defense-technology collaboration are part of regular MINDEF interactions with the U.S. Department of Defense , which has historically supported the RSAF s training in the U.S., according to MINDEF.

The Peace Carvin V s’ F-15SG unit at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and Peace Vanguard s AH-64 Apache helicopter detachment in Marana, Arizona, are the other RSAF ’ training detachments in the continental U.S. The RSAF also maintains a U.S. training ’ detachment at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

Singapore and Washington signed the Strategic Framework Agreement in 2005, elevating bilateral defense cooperation and recognizing Singapore as a major security cooperation partner.

According to the U.S. Air Force, Luke Air Force Base s ramp- and airspace-capacity restrictions influenced the choice of Ebbing as the F-35 training site for foreign military ’ sales participants. Other allies and partners have shown interest in conducting F-35 training in the U.S. The Ebbing training center will be able to accommodate up to 36 fighter planes.

We have made significant progress toward building the most expansive fifth-generation airspace directly over Ebbing and an aerial range just 4 miles off the end of the runway, “ ” Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters June 3, 2021. (Pictured: The Air Operations Center at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas.)

The F-35Bs will supplement Singapore s aircraft inventory and improve its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capabilities, according to the U.S. Defense Department, thereby ’ enhancing the country s ability to protect its borders and participate in coalition operations. Moreover, they will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives. ’ https://ipdefenseforum.com/2021/07/singapore-air-force-f-35-pilots-to-train-at-u-s-base/

Singapore Navy ship leaves with life- saving oxygen supplies to support Indonesia's Covid-19 fight 1 of 4

SINGAPORE - A Republic of Singapore Navy vessel set sail for Indonesia's Tanjung Priok on Sunday morning (July 11), carrying oxygen to supplement the country's fight against Covid-19. Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean said in a Facebook post that the ship carried two tanks with 40 tonnes of liquid oxygen,500 cylinders of oxygen and 570 oxygen concentrators.

The delivery came after phone calls between Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investments Luhut Pandjaitan - who is coordinating the nation's Covid-19 response - and Mr Teo, said the latter in his post. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-navy-ship-leaves-with-life-saving-oxygen- supplies-to-support-indonesias-covid-19

South Korea accelerating development of advanced weapons systems Posted : 2021-07-11 14:58 Updated : 2021-07-12 09:23

Korean version of Iron Dome, SLBMs under development

By Jung Da-min

South Korea is accelerating the development of advanced weapons systems to strengthen its deterrence against possible military threats, mainly from North Korea.

On June 28, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it would launch the development of a South Korean version of Israel's Iron Dome system next year, aiming to complete it by around 2035, reducing the development period by two or more years. In August of last year, the military unveiled a long-term project to develop an interceptor system that could target North Korea's Scud-type or more powerful missiles.

Along with the interceptor system, South Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology also drew attention following media reports saying the military has recently succeeded in a test launch of its SLBM from an underwater platform. The military declined to comment, although defense experts said they believe the military has succeeded in securing core SLBM technology.

But military watchers have expressed mixed responses regarding what benefits the military could see by securing such advanced weapons systems, considering the costs of development and future use after deployment.

For the Korean Iron Dome development project, DAPA allocated a 2.89 trillion won ($2.54 billion) budget. The missile and artillery-interception system is aimed at protecting the country's core facilities and military and security infrastructure by shooting down long-range artillery shells and other projectiles using guided missiles. Guided-missile launchers are installed in various locations in the capital Seoul to form an air defense network.

North Korea has deployed about 1,000 long-range artillery pieces along the border area near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), according to the military's estimate. Among them, it is said that six battalions with 170-millimeter self-propelled guns with a range of 54 kilometers and about 10 battalions with 240-millimeter multiple rocket launchers with a range of 60 kilometers are targeting the Seoul metropolitan area directly.

Some military watchers cast doubts on the efficiency of the Iron Dome project, saying intercepting a ballistic missile flying in flank direction would not be as easy as intercepting one flying in front direction, and acquiring such advanced technologies would require huge human resources and financial investments.

But other military experts said the interceptor system is worth developing.

"The military had earlier reviewed introducing the Israeli Iron Dome system, but decided to develop its own domestically developed system instead, as South Korea has already secured related technologies," said Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum. "The questions regarding the efficiency of the interceptor system seem to stem from the wrong expectation that it is meant to protect all areas of the capital. The interceptor system is more about protecting core military facilities."

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/07/205_311954.html

Afghanistan shared borders with China falls to Taliban

TEHRAN, Jul. 11 (MNA) – Australia ended its 20-year presence in Afghanistan, Indian diplomats evacuated from Kandahar and finally afghan shared border with China fell to Taliban, these were the latest reports on Afghanistan in the past 24 hours. As the Taliban offensive gets closer to the suburbs of Kandahar city, some 50 Indian diplomats and security personnel evacuated in Indian Air Force aircraft from the Indian consulate based in the city, a report by the Khaama Press said on Sunday. The consulate is now temporarily shut and all the diplomats, security personnel and staff have been flown to New Dehli.

The vacation comes only five days after the Indian embassy based in Kabul in a statement said that they have no plan to shut embassy or consulates in northern Mazar-e-sharif city or southern Kandahar. The press release had read that they will closely track security in the cities and will take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian officials.

Meanwhile, Khaama quoted the Defense Ministry of Australia as confirming that its servicemen have left Afghanistan in recent weeks which brought its military presence in the war-battered country officially to an end.

Moreover, the shared borders with China in Badakhshan Province fell to the Taliban, according to an Afghan authority in the Badakhshan province.

Abdullah Naji Nazari told local Afghan media on Sunday that the Taliban had reached the border with China's Xinjiang province as they continued their advance.

He added that the city had fallen to the Taliban without any clashes and that the Kabul government security forces had retreated to Tajikistan. https://en.mehrnews.com/news/175980/Afghanistan-shared-borders-with-China-falls-to-Taliban

Taliban on the Way to Kabul? Not so Fast.... by Amir Taheri July 11, 2021 at 4:00 am

Share140

. Worse still, US diplomats continued to mumble about a "peace accord" with an outfit that has no notion of peace, while US military commanders publicly warned that withdrawing without a sober step- by-step plan could persuade the Taliban that they could secure all power without a deal that, at best, would give them only a slice of it. . Forgetting years of denial that Iran had any relations with Al-Qaeda and Taliban, the IRGC analyst now says "Iran has succeeded in persuading them to cooperate in securing Iran's interests." . Immediately afterwards, Afghan parliament member Abdul-Sattar Husseini presented a report showing that Tehran had resumed shipping arms and money to Taliban. . President Vladimir Putin has set up a special task force to devise a strategy for Afghanistan after the US and allies have left. . To complicate matters further, China is also making eyes at the Taliban.

September 11, 2021: All US and allied troops have left Afghanistan and Taliban gunmen are already at the ports of Kabul; one more push and they will be back where they were in 2001 just before America and Afghan allied forces sent them running like rats jumping out of a sinking ship. Once again darkness falls on Afghanistan. https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17556/taliban-kabul

Afghan forces repel Taliban assault on provincial capital, governor says Reuters

KABUL/MUMBAI, July 11 (Reuters) - Afghan security forces, with the help of air strikes, repelled an assault by Taliban fighters on the provincial centre of a key northern province bordering Tajikistan on Sunday, officials said https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-pulls-officials-afghanistans-kandahar-taliban-widens- control-2021-07-11/

Turkish Companies Team Up For New Armed USV Projects Turkish defense companies Aselsan and Sefine Shipyard unveiled two unmanned surface vessel (USV) projects on July 8. The partners conducted the steel cutting of an Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW)- purposed USV named “NB57”, and the first welding of an anti-surface warfare (ASuW) variant, “RD09”, during a ceremony at Sefine Shipyard facilities.

Tayfun Ozberk 11 Jul 2021 Sefine Shipyard introduced all the partners of the Project during the ceremony. SEFT Ship Design will contribute to the Project by designing the vessels. Armelsan Defence will supply sonar for the NB57 USV, and Turk Loydu (Turkish Lloyd) will support the Project by developing autonomous military ship rules. In addition to its role in the automation of new vessels, Aselsan will provide gun systems (12.7 mm STAMP) to the USVs. Turkey’s missile developer company Roketsan will outfit the surface warfare drone with indigenous missile systems, just like it achieved in Turkey’s first indigenous USV Project ULAQ. Sefine Shipyard has begun the projects in cooperation with SEFT Ship Design in September 2019. The Turkish Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB)’s information request became a milestone for the Project. The sides agreed to jointly work on constructing a multifunctional unmanned surface vessel before building the prototype. Aselsan has joined the Project in 2021, and its extensive experience in autonomous system technologies accelerated the work.

According to Aselsan’s press release, the new drones will serve in tasks such as autonomous reconnaissance & intelligence, surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, protection of bases, ports, critical facilities, and high-value surface assets.

Both vessels will be able to sail up to 40 knots. They will have an operational range of 600 nautical miles and will be on duty for four days without replenishment. The companies didn’t disclose the USVs’ size and tonnage information. The USVs can be transported by cargo aircraft, naval ships, or land to the mission area.

Thanks to its convertibility into a trimaran with an expandable platform, the RD09’s payload capacity can be increased to carry more weapons and systems when needed. It will also be able to perform electronic warfare, ASW, and mine warfare missions. The new vessels will feature robust automation technologies that provide adaptive navigation under the detection of the sensors onboard and will sail autonomously according to the maritime traffic rules. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/07/turkish-companies-team-up-for-new-armed- usv-projects/

Australian soldiers could go back to Afghanistan if needed: Dutton View all comments The federal government is prepared to send Australian soldiers back to Afghanistan if needed to prevent terrorist threats, Defence Minister Peter Dutton has declared after confirming the withdrawal of troops in recent weeks. Mr Dutton raised the possibility of deploying special forces if and when a new mission served Australia s national interest or the interests of allies such as the United States. ’

Australian soldiers in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.CREDIT:KATE GERAGHTY He also called for a special day to honour Australians who served in Afghanistan, saying they had helped stop terrorist attacks that might have repeated the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington in September 2001.

But the idea prompted a cautious response from the Australia Defence Association, which said there was a place for a day to mark the war in Afghanistan but that it should not undermine Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

Australia has had 1500 defence force personnel in Afghanistan at times but reduced this to 80 in recent months and flew the last of them out in June, leading Mr Dutton to confirm the withdrawal in an interview on Sunday.

The war, which Australia joined in October 2001, has cost the lives of 41 soldiers and required the deployment of 39,000 troops. A study by Brown University in the US earlier this year estimated the war had led to the death of at least 47,245 civilians. We ve now withdrawn, that s appropriate for us, and we now pivot, of course, to our own region, Mr Dutton told Sky News. “ ’ ’ That s happened” in recent weeks, it was ahead of the September deadline that we had set. “ ’ https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australian-soldiers-could-go-back-to-afghanistan-if- needed-dutton-20210711-p588p0.html

Colombian ex-soldier's sister responds to Haiti murder plot allegations By Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Updated 0914 GMT (1714 HKT) July 11, 2021

Colombian National Police Chief General Jorge Vargas, left, and Army General Luis Fernando Navarro give a news conference in Bogota, Colombia on July 9 regarding the of Haiti's President. Bogota, Colombia (CNN)Jenny Capador still cannot believe she will never see her brother again -- and she certainly does not believe that he is an assassin, as officials in two countries have now alleged.

Her brother Duberney Capador is one of at least three people killed in a police operation in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince in the aftermath of the assassination of the country's president, Jovenel Moise, on July 7. Haitian police say that Capador, a retired sergeant with 20 years of experience in the Colombian army, is suspected of being part of a commando squad that organized the high- level killing. Twenty Colombians have already been arrested in connection with the death of Moise. At least one other Colombian was also killed in an encounter with Haitian security forces. But Jenny Capador, who was very close with her brother, doesn't believe he could have been involved in the assassination, which has thrown Haiti into further uncertainty amid escalating gang violence and an acceleration of Covid-19 infections. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/11/americas/colombian-capador-haiti-cmd-intl-latam/index.html

Training for the High-End Fight: Defining the Challenge 07/11/2021

By Robbin Laird

Earlier this year, I published a book entitled Training for the High-End Fight: The Strategic Shift of the 2020s.

That book focused on discussions with warfighters at various training centers central to reshaping U.S. forces for the high-end fight. Those visits were to Norfolk, Virginia; Jacksonville and Mayport, Florida; San Diego, California; and Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada.

I argued in the book that along with C2 and ISR becoming very different with the strategic shift from the Middle East land wars, training was changing significantly in terms of its focus and what was required to make the strategic shift.

And because the current generation of officers have largely grown up with the land wars, it is a much a strategic shock as well as a strategic shift. There are a small number of senior officers in the service who served at the end of the Cold War and their memories and training from that period provide a seed corn in the training reset as well.

Or put another way, with a re-focus on the high-end fight, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force need to operate throughout the extended contested battlespace.

And with nuclear armed peer competitors, the nuclear dimension weighs over extended conventional operations as well.

As my colleague Ed Timperlake often reminds me, the legendary Admiral Arleigh Burke underscored that training started with the core requirement know your platform. Training clearly must start with ensuring that the warrior knows how to fight effectively from the ground up with the platform he operates from. –

But training today, knowing your platform is clearly not enough.

What the U.S. military is shaping is a distributed but integratable force.

They are taking their resources, dispersing them and operating with a mix and match modular task force capability.

Learning to fight with a distributed force is part of the new training challenge. https://defense.info/re-shaping-defense-security/2021/07/training-for-the-high-end-fight- defining-the-challenge/

Challenges in Combating Terrorism and Extremism Online By Erin Saltman Sunday, July 11, 2021, 10:01 AM

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern and King Abdullah of Jordan appear at a Christchurch Call event in New Zealand on May 15, 2019. Photo credit: OECD via Flickr; CC BY-NC 2.0

Editor’s Note: Terrorists and other bad actors exploit a variety of social media platforms, taking advantage of their different capabilities and trying to find weak areas in which they can operate. Social media companies have begun to cooperate more against this danger, but their efforts are plagued by many problems. Erin Saltman of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism describes the many problems facing the industry when they try to fight extremism and assesses some of their efforts to improve cooperation among companies.

Online terrorism and violent extremism are cross-platform and transnational by nature. Nobody has just one app on their phone or their laptop, and bad actors are no different. These trends are evident in case studies—from the international recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters, including women, by the Islamic State, to the violence- inducing theories from QAnon.

Any efforts trying to effectively counter terrorism and violent extremism need to similarly go beyond one-country, one-platform frameworks. The next big challenge for governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working with tech companies is to embrace the reality that the internet and its services are highly heterogeneous, and platforms with global users are increasingly not based in the United States.

The ability of tech companies to share risk mitigation tools across platforms, as well as to work with governments and civil society to share trends and advance compatible crisis response frameworks, has come a long way in recent years. These endeavors have been fostered through initiatives like the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), where I work; Tech Against Terrorism (TAT); and theGlobal Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET). These organizations and networks work collaboratively with wider government-led forums—such as the EU Internet Forum, the United Nations’ Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate and the Christchurch Call to Action—in an effort to advance tech companies’ efforts to self- regulate and increase proactive responses.

To date, GIFCT and others have worked on cross-platform efforts for its member companies. This includes things like a hash-sharing database to share hashes, or “digital fingerprints,” of photos and videos that have been identified as terrorist content so that platforms can track and remove it if necessary. Learning from progress made in the child-safety space, hashed versions of labeled terrorist content allow the identifiers of terrorist content to be shared without sharing any user data or personally identifiable information. https://www.lawfareblog.com/challenges-combating-terrorism-and-extremism-online

Antibiotic resistance: Potentially untreatable superbug passed from dogs to owners could be 'nightmare scenario' 11 Jul, 2021 06:47 AM4 minutes to read

Sharing beds with dogs is just one of the ways scientists believe the mcr-1 gene is being passed on. Photo / File

Daily Telegraph UK

A potentially untreatable superbug is being harboured by dogs and passed on to their owners, new research has revealed.

Scientists are warning of a "nightmare scenario" after discovering transmission of a gene known to prompt resistance to a powerful antibiotic used by doctors as a last resort to save lives.

Sharing beds with dogs is just one of the ways they believe the mcr-1 gene is being passed on.

It is harboured in the gut and transported via microscopic fecal particles, also making dog baskets an area of increased risk.

First reported in China in 2015, the mcr-1 gene is resistant to colistin, an antibiotic used to defeat bacterial infections which cannot be managed by any other drugs.

For years, experts have warned that over-use of colistin, particularly on meat-producing animals, risks the rise of mutant genes that could render the drug useless in humans. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/antibiotic-resistance-potentially-untreatable-superbug-passed- from-dogs-to-owners-could-be-nightmare-scenario/V354S3BA7CFI7JFA7CZO3QT5UU/

More Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines to arrive July 14 — DOH official

Published July 11, 2021, 3:09 PM by Analou de Vera Additional doses of Sinovac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines are expected to arrive in the country this week, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said.

“Sa July 14, may dadating na Sinovac (vaccines) tayo para tuloy-tuloy ang pagbabakuna sa NCR-plus 8 (On July 14, we will have more Sinovac (vaccines) for continuous vaccination in NCR Plus 8),” said DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje in an interview over DZBB radio on Sunday, July 11.

Cabotaje, however, did not mention how many Sinovac vaccines will be delivered on Wednesday, July 14.

The NCR(National Capital Region)-plus 8 is composed of Metro Manila, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao.

Meanwhile, the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Japanese government and arrived in the country on July 8, were also distributed to the priority areas, said Cabotaje.

“Sa NCR Plus 8, kasi wala na tayong maiturok sa NCR. Nandoon pa rin yung focus (These were distributed to the NCR-plus 8, since vaccine supply in NCR ran out. Our focus is still there). About 90 percent of the vaccines are for NCR, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, Calabarzon… the populated areas, highly urbanized areas, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, and Rizal,” she said.

Aside from the NCR-plus 8, ten other areas were also part of the priority in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines due to spike in cases.

These include Bacolod, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro, Baguio, Zamboanga City, Dumaguete, Tuguegarao, General Santos, Naga, and Legaspi. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/more-sinovac-covid-19-vaccines-to-arrive-july-14-doh-official/

PH’s ‘interim analysis' on safety, efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine mixing, matching may be out by September, October

Published July 11, 2021, 11:38 AM by Charissa Luci-Atienza The Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) vaccine expert panel (VEP) said Sunday, July 11, the interim analysis of the country’s study on the safety and efficacy of mixing and matching five coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines may be out by September or October this year.

VEP head Dr Nina Gloriani assured the public that the panel is studying the studies abroad on the safety and immunogenicity of interchanging vaccine brands, citing that there were results on mixing AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs.

ADVERTISING

“Hindi pa natin papayagan yun, pero pinag-aaralan namin halos linggo linggo, inaaral namin ang resulta sa ibang countries. Of course, gusto natin mahintay itong sa atin mismo, lalabas yan September or October (We cannot allow that yet, but we are studying results from other countries almost every week. Of course, we want to wait for our own studies, it will be out by September or October),” she said in an interview over DZBB on Sunday when asked if the mixing of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccine doses will be allowed in the country.

She reiterated that they are not yet recommending booster shots because of the limited vaccine supply in the country. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/11/phs-interim-analysis-on-safety-efficacy-of-covid-19-vaccine- mixing-matching-may-be-out-by-september-october/

Hundreds of Thai medical workers infected with COVID-19 despite Sinovac vaccinations FILE PHOTO: A health worker receives the Sinovac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the Samut Sakhon hospital in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, February 28, 2021. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

11 Jul 2021 07:09PM BANGKOK: Thailand's health ministry said on Sunday (Jul 11) more than 600 medical workers who received two doses of China's Sinovac vaccine have been infected with COVID-19, as authorities weigh giving booster doses to raise immunity.

Of the 677,348 medical personnel who received two doses of Sinovac, 618 became infected, health ministry data from April to July showed. A nurse has died and another medical worker is in critical condition.

An expert panel has recommended a third dose to trigger immunity for medical workers who are at risk, senior health official Sopon Iamsirithawon, told a news briefing on Sunday.

"This will be a different vaccine, either viral vector AstraZeneca or an mRNA vaccine, which Thailand will be receiving in the near term," he said, adding that the recommendation will be considered on Monday. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/thailand-medical-workers-covid-19-sinovac- vaccinations-15199394

Indonesia health workers to get third vaccine dose #Asia #Coronavirus

Sun day, J uly 11, 16: 4 2

The Indonesian government has decided to give an additional dose of the Moderna vaccine to healthcare workers, some of whom were infected with the coronavirus and died despite being fully vaccinated with a different vaccine.

The spread of the Delta variant, first identified in India, has pushed up the number of Indonesia's new cases and deaths.

The health ministry said on Friday that it expects the third dose will protect those who work in high-risk places every day and give them maximum immunity to variants.

Most healthcare workers received the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech. According to a group of doctors, 20 workers who were fully vaccinated with it were infected and died between February and June.

For the additional shots, the government plans to use the 3 million doses of the Moderna vaccine provided for free by the United States, which arrived on Sunday. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210711_12/

Pfizer, U.S. health officials to discuss COVID boosters on Monday -company Reuters

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Reuters) - COVID-19 vaccine maker Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) will meet with federal health officials as soon as Monday to discuss the need for a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine as it prepares to seek authorization, the company said on Sunday. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pfizer-us-health-officials-discuss-covid-boosters-monday- company-2021-07-11/

Myanmar caught off guard as cases surge, oxygen dwindles

INTERNATIONAL by: GRANT PECK, Associated Press

Posted: Jul 11, 2021 / 12:51 AM EDT / Updated: Jul 11, 2021 / 07:18 AM EDT

Commuters wearing face masks walk on a street after getting off a bus in Yangon, Myanmar, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Myanmar is facing a a rapid rise in COVID-19 patients and a shortage of oxygen supplies just as the country is consumed by a bitter and violent political struggle since the military seized power in February. (AP Photo)

BANGKOK (AP) Soe Win stood in line at a plant to buy oxygen for his grandmother, who is struggling with COVID-19 symptoms. — I have been waiting since 5 in the morning until 12 noon but I m still in line. Oxygen is scarcer than money, said the resident of Myanmar s biggest city, Yangon.“ ’ ” ’ https://www.news10.com/news/international/myanmar-caught-off-guard-as-cases-surge-oxygen- dwindles/

Covid map: Coronavirus cases, deaths, vaccinations by country

By The Visual and Data Journalism Team BBC News

Published 3 days ago Share Related Topics

 Coronavirus pandemic

Covid-19 is continuing to spread around the world, with about 190 million confirmed cases and more than four million deaths across nearly 200 countries.

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

Zoom to

Show 190,427,673cases4,089,053deaths 33,900,000 Circles show number of confirmed coronavirus cases per country.

Source: Johns Hopkins University, national public health agencies Figures last updated 19 July 2021, 08:12 BST

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

Scroll table to see more data

*Deaths per 100,000 people

Filter:

New Cases 0 10 100 1k 10k Country Deaths Death rate*Total Cases ** US 606,284 185.4 33,925,418 JAN 2020 JUL 2021 542,214 258.9 19,376,574 Brazil 414,108 30.6 31,144,229 India 236,331 187.3 2,659,137 Mexico 195,146 610.0 2,093,754 Peru 145,975 100.2 5,884,593 Russia 128,708 191.7 5,433,939 UK 127,867 210.9 4,287,458 Italy 116,307 234.2 4,639,466 Colombia 111,472 171.5 5,867,730 France 101,549 228.9 4,756,378 Argentina 91,370 109.9 3,752,236 Germany 87,161 106.6 3,523,263 Iran 81,096 173.7 4,100,222 Spain 75,215 198.3 2,881,424 Poland 73,582 27.5 2,877,476 Indonesia 66,859 115.7 2,295,095 South Africa 55,170 124.7 2,318,035 Ukraine 50,554 61.4 5,529,719 Turkey New Cases 0 10 100 1k 10k Country Deaths Death rate*Total Cases ** 34,514 184.3 1,599,879 Chile 34,253 175.6 1,081,632 Romania 30,338 284.4 1,671,027 Czech Republic 30,015 309.2 808,725 Hungary 26,714 25.0 1,507,755 Philippines 26,457 71.4 1,430,740 Canada 25,209 219.5 1,103,413 Belgium 22,811 10.7 991,727 Pakistan 21,953 128.5 476,065 Ecuador 18,174 257.7 422,965 Bulgaria 17,894 11.1 1,103,989 Bangladesh 17,830 46.4 1,491,712 Iraq 17,793 104.3 1,800,242 Netherlands 17,527 151.5 546,233 Tunisia 17,458 153.8 462,154 Bolivia 17,207 167.8 930,685 Portugal 16,439 16.7 283,636 Egypt 14,994 11.8 842,063 Japan 14,646 146.9 1,094,287 Sweden 14,288 205.4 444,992 Paraguay 12,826 121.9 457,312 Greece 12,524 229.7 392,100 Slovakia 10,902 127.9 707,976 Switzerland 10,729 120.7 653,735 Austria 9,914 57.5 333,827 Guatemala 9,896 99.3 761,225 Jordan Bosnia and 9,666 290.8 205,285 Herzegovina 9,550 34.0 667,109 Nepal 9,450 26.2 557,632 Morocco New Cases 0 10 100 1k 10k Country Deaths Death rate*Total Cases ** 8,238 198.2 361,595 Croatia 8,048 23.9 507,423 Saudi Arabia 7,885 115.0 550,942 Lebanon 7,391 77.1 277,974 Honduras 7,083 101.4 718,590 Serbia 7,019 22.3 916,561 Malaysia 6,703 160.5 422,678 Panama 6,449 76.9 851,723 Israel 6,226 153.7 257,946 Moldova 5,983 16.1 137,853 Afghanistan 5,883 170.6 378,875 Uruguay 5,551 138.7 387,481 Georgia 5,487 263.4 155,922 North Macedonia 5,018 104.1 284,510 Ireland 5,000 9.3 229,521 Myanmar 4,992 50.2 338,438 Azerbaijan 4,874 97.5 389,798 Costa Rica 4,848 0.3 104,290 China 4,566 154.7 227,430 Armenia 4,425 213.0 258,190 Slovenia 4,404 157.2 279,745 Lithuania 4,357 4.0 277,696 Ethiopia 3,938 9.3 153,309 Algeria Dominican 3,916 36.8 337,575 Republic 3,779 17.8 284,932 Sri Lanka 3,775 7.3 192,758 Kenya 3,612 19.7 547,510 Kazakhstan Palestinian 3,587 73.8 315,641 Territories New Cases 0 10 100 1k 10k Country Deaths Death rate*Total Cases ** 3,498 72.4 289,042 Oman 3,377 11.7 292,779 Venezuela 3,341 4.8 403,386 Thailand 3,326 35.2 434,362 Belarus 3,281 49.1 221,495 Libya 3,084 17.8 185,649 Zambia 2,776 6.6 36,986 Sudan 2,622 18.2 83,619 Zimbabwe 2,543 131.9 138,159 Latvia 2,542 44.2 306,100 Denmark 2,506 102.4 112,160 Namibia 2,492 38.8 82,852 El Salvador 2,456 85.2 132,686 Albania 2,353 5.5 90,391 Uganda 2,268 122.9 107,903 Kosovo 2,221 53.7 385,762 Kuwait 2,175 34.5 149,029 Kyrgyzstan 2,127 1.1 169,532 Nigeria 2,058 4.0 179,203 South Korea 1,905 16.8 281,887 Cuba 1,905 11.2 25,834 Syria United Arab 1,898 19.7 660,978 Emirates 1,623 258.5 100,662 Montenegro 1,380 87.9 267,882 Bahrain 1,368 4.8 6,981 Yemen 1,338 7.4 43,470 Malawi 1,330 5.3 81,467 Cameroon 1,274 56.5 86,133 Botswana 1,271 96.1 131,848 Estonia New Cases 0 10 100 1k 10k Country Deaths Death rate*Total Cases ** 1,220 7.7 52,096 Senegal 1,155 39.4 51,135 Jamaica 1,128 6.9 67,971 Cambodia 1,118 3.8 99,412 Mozambique 1,018 1.2 46,009 DR Congo Trinidad and 992 71.4 36,017 Tobago 979 17.7 100,156 Finland 957 3.1 40,805 Angola 937 3.6 42,536 Madagascar 914 3.7 32,016 Australia 820 135.7 72,759 Luxembourg 812 2.7 98,817 Ghana 796 14.9 134,339 Norway 796 2.5 119,388 Uzbekistan 781 5.2 15,123 Somalia 768 3.2 15,408 Taiwan 740 23.3 148,424 Mongolia 712 62.7 21,132 Eswatini 649 5.3 57,322 Rwanda 611 106.1 24,272 Suriname 599 21.5 224,278 Qatar 530 2.8 14,513 Mali 512 65.7 21,562 Guyana 509 11.6 22,637 Mauritania 487 4.4 19,374 Haiti 420 95.6 32,470 Malta 385 44.5 91,196 Cyprus 339 16.1 12,398 Lesotho 332 86.7 13,683 Belize New Cases 0 10 100 1k 10k Country Deaths Death rate*Total Cases ** 320 1.3 49,196 Ivory Coast 295 54.3 33,302 Cape Verde 274 68.5 17,809 Guadeloupe 273 70.8 13,404 Bahamas 256 29.0 33,295 Réunion 254 0.3 55,845 Vietnam 216 41.9 75,879 Maldives 194 0.9 5,587 Niger 193 3.0 8,767 Nicaragua 190 8.3 6,920 Gambia 188 1.5 24,668 Guinea Papua New 179 2.1 17,340 Guinea 174 67.0 19,451 Mayotte 174 1.1 4,964 Chad 172 3.3 12,933 Congo 169 0.9 13,536 Burkina Faso 163 57.6 28,681 French Guiana 162 7.6 25,260 Gabon 155 16.2 11,627 Djibouti 148 3.1 5,396 Liberia 147 17.7 4,011 Comoros 144 51.9 19,085 French Polynesia 138 1.7 14,649 Togo 127 164.9 14,273 Andorra 126 77.4 12,775 Curaçao 123 9.4 8,828 Equatorial Guinea 117 1.1 10,917 South Sudan 115 1.5 6,186 Sierra Leone 110 1.2 14,078 Tajikistan New Cases 0 10 100 1k 10k Country Deaths Death rate*Total Cases ** 108 102.0 11,235 Aruba 107 0.9 8,244 Benin 98 11.1 17,514 Fiji 98 26.1 12,807 Martinique Central African 98 2.1 7,142 Republic 94 278.8 4,595 Gibraltar 90 266.4 5,094 San Marino 87 47.8 5,480 Saint Lucia 86 50.4 6,606 Channel Islands 81 83.4 17,234 Seychelles 73 3.9 4,052 Guinea-Bissau 59 155.6 3,061 Liechtenstein 48 16.7 4,258 Barbados Antigua and 42 43.6 1,268 Barbuda Sao Tome and 37 17.5 2,410 Principe 36 0.6 63,073 Singapore 34 91.2 2,664 Saint Martin 33 85.3 2,682 Monaco 33 52.6 2,530 Bermuda 30 0.9 6,402 Eritrea 29 8.6 6,555 Iceland 29 34.5 2,307 Isle of Man 26 2.1 10,128 Timor-Leste 26 0.5 2,818 New Zealand 21 0.0 509 Tanzania Turks and Caicos 18 47.8 2,453 Islands New Cases 0 10 100 1k 10k Country Deaths Death rate*Total Cases ** 18 1.4 1,858 Mauritius British Virgin 17 57.1 2,024 Islands Diamond Princess 13 712 cruise ship St Vincent and the 12 10.9 2,260 Grenadines 8 0.1 5,802 Burundi 5 0.1 3,426 Laos Saint Kitts and 3 5.7 550 Nevis 3 0.7 283 Brunei 2 0.3 2,421 Bhutan 2 3.1 622 Cayman Islands MS Zaandam 2 9 cruise ship 1 10.2 1,005 Saint Barthelemy 1 2.1 925 Faroe Islands 1 0.9 161 Grenada 1 20.0 21 Montserrat 1 0.3 4 Vanuatu 0 0.0 206 Dominica 0 0.0 129 New Caledonia 0 0.0 112 Anguilla 0 0.0 78 Greenland 0 0.0 63 Falkland Islands 0 0.0 27 Vatican Saint Pierre and 0 0.0 26 Miquelon 0 0.0 20 Solomon Islands New Cases 0 10 100 1k 10k Country Deaths Death rate*Total Cases ** 0 0.0 4 Marshall Islands 0 0.0 3 Samoa 0 0.0 2 Kiribati 0 0.0 1 Micronesia 0 0.0 0 Palau Show more Note: The map, table and animated bar chart in this page use a different source for figures for France and the UK from that used by Johns Hopkins University. US figures do not include Puerto Rico, Guam or the US Virgin Islands.

Confirmed cases have been rising steeply since the middle of last year, but the true extent of the first outbreaks in 2020 is unclear because testing was not then widely available. The 100 millionth Covid case was recorded at the end of January - about a year after the first officially diagnosed case of the virus.

Deaths have also been rising, however official figures may not fully reflect the true number in many countries. Data on excess deaths, a measure of how many more people are dying than would be expected based on the previous few years, may give a better indication of the actual numbers in many cases. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105

More Than 3.62 Billion Shots Given: Covid-19 Tracker In the U.S., 338 million doses have been administered Updated: July 19, 2021, 6:28 AM GMT+8

The biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway. More than 3.62 billiondoses have been administered across 180 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 32.4 million doses a day.

In the U.S., 338 million doses have been given so far. In the last week, an average of 512,673 doses per day were administered.

World Map of Vaccinations More than 3.62 billion doses have been administered—enough to fully vaccinate 23.6%of the global population

 no dat a01102550% of population covered Note: “Population covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Data gathered from government agencies, public statements, Bloomberg interviews and the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University.

Enough doses have now been administered to fully vaccinate 23.6% of the global population—but the distribution has been lopsided. Countries and regions with the highest incomes are getting vaccinated more than 30 times faster than those with the lowest.

…but 19.8% 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 thought to be 95% effective, it takes a coordinated campaign to stop a pandemic. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious-disease official in the U.S., has said that vaccinating 70% to 85% of the U.S. population would enable a return to normalcy.

On a global scale, that’s a daunting level of vaccination. At the current pace of 32.4 million a day, it would take another year to achieve a high level of global immunity. The rate, however, is steadily increasing, and new vaccines by additional manufacturers are coming to market.

The Path to Immunity Around the World Globally, the latest vaccination rate is 32,418,366 doses per day, on average. At this pace, it will take another 8 months to cover 75% of the population. Note: Immunity calculations take into account the number of doses required and the current rate of administration for each vaccine type. The “daily rate estimate” is a seven-day trailing average; interpolation is used for jurisdictions with infrequent updates. *Coverage may exceed 100% in some places, as shots may be administered to non-residents. Data are from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker.

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

It’s now a life-and-death contest between vaccine and virus. New strains threaten renewed outbreaks. In the early stages of a campaign, the effect of vaccinations are often outweighed by other factors of transmissibility: virus mutations, seasonality, effectiveness of mask use and social distancing. In time, higher vaccination rates should limit the Covid-19 burden around the world. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/?srnd=premium- asia

Medal for Valor By: Ramon J. Farolan - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:07 AM July 12, 2021

I mourn with the families and loved ones of our airmen, soldiers and civilians who lost their lives in the crash of the PAF C-130 transport plane in Patikul, Sulu. Our thoughts and prayers are also for the injured. May the Almighty comfort them in their sufferings. I will not speculate on the immediate cause of the tragedy. The experts are on the job. But let me suggest that frequent changes of command (revolving doors) at chief of staff and major service command levels are not conducive to stability and continuity of policies and programs including training and safety directives that are being implemented in the organization.

France has its Legion of Honor, England the Victoria Cross, and Germany the Iron Cross. All are awarded in recognition of the heroism and exemplary military service rendered by their individual soldiers. In the Philippines, the Medal for Valor (MFV), the nation’s highest military decoration is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for singular acts of bravery and self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty. The deed of gallantry must have been performed under actual armed conflict with the enemy in which he conspicuously and clearly distinguished himself apart from his comrades. Enlisted personnel who receive the award are automatically promoted to the next higher rank and may be considered for commissioning as an officer. Their sons who meet the age requirement may be admitted to the Philippine Military Academy without taking the written entrance exams. They all receive a substantial lifetime allowance. As of this date, we have 41 MFV awardees: 26 from the Army, nine from the Navy, and three each from the Air Force and Constabulary.

https://opinion.inquirer.net/141970/medal-for-valor

The great reset in the Spratlys dispute By: Melissa Loja, Romel Bagares - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:03 AM July 12, 2021

In 1951, the United States convened the San Francisco Peace Conference to discuss the fate of the Spratlys Islands. The Philippines, led by Carlos P. Romulo, took part in the conference but his delegation did not register a claim, unlike Vietnam or even China, and notwithstanding the exclusion of the Chinese from the conference.

The conference led to the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty. Its Art. 2(f) provided that “Japan renounces all right, title and claim to the Spratly Islands.” The provision regarded the Spratlys as a single unit previously subject in its entirety to Japanese sovereignty.

The Philippines formally and internationally expressed interest in the islands only in 1956, following a claim lodged by Tomas Cloma over an area he called “Freedomland.”

In 1978, President Marcos advanced our claim over the Spratlys by issuing PD 1596, which continued the 1951 fiction of the Spratlys as a single territory. We claimed full sovereignty over all maritime features, waters, and seabed within a polygonal boundary, but we did not name or count the features inside it.

The initial silence of the Philippines about the Spratlys is what international lawyers would call the Gordian knot of the “critical date.” The critical date is the point of crystallization of claims. For international tribunals, acts of sovereignty performed by a state over a contested territory before the critical date deserve full evidentiary weight, whereas those performed after such date are of no consequence, except for the consolidation of an existing claim (Island of Palmas Arbitration, 1928; Indonesia/Malaysia, 2002).

https://opinion.inquirer.net/141962/the-great-reset-in-the-spratlys-dispute

Welcome to my dangerous country, the Philippines BYANGEL CALSO JULY 12, 2021

Global Finance is an international magazine with a circulation of 50,050 distributed in 163 countries. The magazine recently ranked the Philippines as most unsafe country out of 134 countries worldwide. This is the second time that the Philippines placed last in the magazine’s evaluation, after its 2019 rankings that listed 128 countries.

Why do I get the feeling that my country is being singled out by a magazine that is trying to punch above its weight class?

It’s not good to assume ill intent. But what do you do when somebody won’t stop painting a bad image of your country based on unreliable information? What to do when a writer won’t even attempt to get information from reliable sources so he won’t come out with a much more negative conclusion than the reality of the truth would present?

The author wrote: “Global Finance magazine’s safety index factors in risks of natural disaster with crime, terrorism and war to present a more rounded analysis of the world’s safest countries.”

We won’t hire a charlatan to tell us that things are actually the way we would like them to be when it comes to natural disasters. We are located along the typhoon belt in the Pacific, and the Philippines is visited by an average of 20 typhoons every year. But there are reliable sources that can discuss without bias the crime, terrorism and war situation in the Philippines. That’s why Philippine National Police Chief General Guillermo Eleazar is complaining about the Global Finance report. “Our crime statistics does not align with this ranking. Our fellows in the media can attest to this because we regularly release the crime situation in our country, where the huge drop in crime can be seen,” he said. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/12/welcome-to-my-dangerous-country-the-philippines/

When children are forced to join the NPA By Marit Stinus-Cabugon

July 12, 2021

320

NATIONAL democratic organization Karapatan is calling for the compassionate release from jail of 66-year-old "political prisoner" Antonio Molina who has been detained at the

Puerto Princesa City Jail since late 2019. Molina, identified by authorities as New People's

Army (NPA) leader Domingo "Ka Tino" Ritas, has been diagnosed with cancer in addition to numerous other existing ailments. The court recently granted his request for a five-day medical confinement.

Molina and six companions were arrested at a checkpoint in Puerto Princesa on Oct. 4,

2019. At the time of the arrest, Karapatan referred to all seven as "human rights workers" or "volunteers" without disclosing their identities except for one: Glendhyl Malabanan. She was, prior to her arrest, known as the former Karapatan Southern Tagalog secretary general. But we have seen the video of a uniform-clad Malabanan participating in a firearms drill in an NPA camp in Palawan in 2016. Four of the others arrested, including

Molina/Ritas, are seen in other video clips from NPA camps. Among the seven arrested

"human rights workers" was the wife of Alimar Toting, the NPA Palawan commander who surrendered a month later.

Karapatan insists that Molina, a member of the Katipunan ng Samahang Magbubukid-

Timog Katagalugan (Kasama-TK), is not Ritas who is charged with murder. Of course, there have been too many cases of mistaken identity where innocent people have suffered. Molina is unlikely to be one of them. Shin, 19 years old when she presented herself to the military in November 2019 after having appeared as No. 14 wanted NPA personality in

Palawan, used to take care of Molina. She was only 14 years old when she became an NPA member on probation as a personal aide to Molina or Ka Tino as he is called by his comrades. Shin told Palawan News in a November 2019 interview that one of her tasks was to remind Tino to take his medicines as he was already then suffering from many ailments.

Shin also had something to say about Glendhyl Malabanan or Ate Glen as she referred to the Karapatan official. It was Malabanan who took Shin, her mother and two brothers from

Luzon to Palawan in 2008 where they would live under assumed identities. Two older sisters, a brother and a stepbrother were left behind in Luzon (the family is from General

Nakar, Quezon province). Shin's late father was chairman of Kasama-TK, the same organization that Karapatan says Molina belonged to, until his death in April 2003. The father and Karapatan Southern Tagalog Secretary General Eden Marcellana were abducted and brutally murdered in Oriental Mindoro in April 2003. While the Palawan News article doesn't mention the name, Shin's father could be no other than Eddie Gumanoy.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/12/opinion/columns/when-children-are-forced-to-join-the- npa/1806679

Our foreign policy HINDSIGHT - F. Sionil Jose (The Philippine Star ) - July 12, 2021 - 12:00am Richard Heydarian, that astute political commentator, has his regular column Horizons in the Inquirer; last week, he titled it “Philippine Foreign Policy,” and it made me think about our continuing relations with other countries, particularly the United States and China; both are now competing for global influence. Within the last generation, China had developed so fast, having woken from a lethargy imposed by Western imperialism.

Both countries are on a collision course on many issues, trade most of all, free passage in the South China Sea and the traditional American emphasis on human rights. Is it necessary for us to side with China now and abandon or modify our alliance with the United States? China is a neighbor, a vast market for our products. We have a small but powerful ethnic Chinese minority which China has officially asked to help advance her interests. And finally, we have a President who has succumbed to China’s dulcet lure.

Is Heydarian correct? On the other hand, let us consider the experiences of some countries that are small like us.

I bring to mind Switzerland, which was neutral in global conflicts and has survived handsomely. Then here in our part of the world, Thailand illustrated how it has adroitly managed to keep away from the clutches of Western imperialism. But in World War II, Thailand opened its gates to let the Japanese in.

Today, Thailand is doing very well, and maybe without meaning to, Heydarian has pointed the way to the future for us: we have to be friends with everyone and antagonize no one, but at the same time, we also have to be sure that we have the capability to defend our sovereignty. As a former American colony, America has influenced us profoundly, our foreign policy anchored on the closest relations with America. Whereas, in reality, the Philippines does not matter much to America.

American foreign policy was well defined since the 18th century when it proclaimed the Monroe doctrine, which opposes any country that will colonize the Americas. It is, of course, very hypocritical for this is precisely what the United States had done with its promotion of the banana republics there.

However, the Marshall plan, which developed post-war Europe, is one of the brilliant highlights of a far-reaching American foreign policy after World War II, and while the rise of the Soviet Union became a threat to American power, America’s rigid anti-communist policy ended badly in Vietnam, where the Americans replaced the French colonialists. The Americans failed to realize it was Asian nationalism it was fighting there, not communism.

And now China, that vast country emerging from lethargy, celebrated its 100th anniversary last week with Xi Jinping, the Party’s Chairman and that nation’s President, announcing that it will not allow itself to be bullied when it is itself the bully. Its forces and Indian troops are now facing each other in the Himalayas while in the South China Sea, which it claims as its own, China and the United States are also playing chicken. I do not think any of these three world powers are going to wage full-scale war soon. Nobody will profit; what they are doing is nibbling at each other’s territories, and what Putin is doing to Russia’s neighbors is apparently succeeding. High hopes were raised that, with economic development, China will liberalize and democratize; this has not happened. Meanwhile, China’s surge is unstoppable, taking huge chunks of influence where Western countries had not been active, in Africa, in South America. China has to do this to feed its people.

It is following the American model as successfully as Japan did. Japan, particularly, lost its empire but has become wealthier without it. The new engine for today’s imperialism is trade, and the logic of trade is for the strong to take advantage of the weak. Aware of this logic, we should know what to do to compete, to build our productive capacity and to modernize and enlarge our Armed Forces. “Speak softly and carry a big stick” is one of the precepts of American foreign policy. Ours may not be a big stick, but it should be hard and strong. Then, we must look at our neighbors, ASEAN. Alone, we are weak; together with our neighbors, we can be strong.

When I joined the Manila Times in 1949 and had the opportunity to travel in the region, I realized how far ahead we were compared to our neighbors. I realized how strong we could have been if we bonded together. This brought to mind what happened to my barrio when I was ten years old. Barrio Cabugawan was gutted by fire. All the farmhouses were roofed with grass, the walls of buri palm leaves, the posts and the floor were bamboo. I saw the sparks fly from one house to the other. We had cans of water on the ready for such calamities, but they did not help much. Could this also happen to countries? https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/07/12/2111821/our-foreign-policy

A vital resource of modern reality posted July 12, 2021 at 12:10 am by Orlando Oxales

"If our current power problems are not solved soon, then the prospect of recovery and the road to a new prosperity looks dim."

Before the pandemic, the Department of Energy and the power industry already warned of tight power supply which according to National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) data was already alarming in 2019 with 51 yellow alerts and 15 red alerts. As industries started re-opening, power demand recovered and by May 2021, already surpassed pre-lockdown levels peaking seasonally in the 2nd quarter when power output from hydro-electric plants was at its lowest.

Another aggravating factor is that 70 percent of the power plants in Luzon are at least 16 years old, requiring more frequent maintenance down time. According to the Energy Regulatory Commission’s report during a Senate Committee on Energy meeting, the recent Red Alerts were caused by power plants that were more than 18 years old which were supposed to supply 3,600 Mega Watts (MW) of electricity. Renewable sources on the other hand like hydro, solar and wind, which accounts for about 20 percent of installed capacity are not always available. Although DOE and NGCP data show that there was new power capacity, availability has been 4,000 to 6,700 MW lower than the installed capacity since 2019. This means the actual power generated is far below the optimal capacity of these power plants. NGCP tracking of the daily power situation from Jan 2019 to May 2021 shows that though the scheduling maintenance of power plants under the Grid Operating and Maintenance Program considers that there should be enough generation capacity, forced outages cannot be anticipated even as we regularly experience this around the summer months. During the Red Alerts from May 31 to June 2, 2021, Luzon unavailable capacity reached 4,452 MW, much worse compared to 3,064 MW from April to June 2019 (NGCP). Tight supply situations expectedly pushed the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices higher which struck not just in the NCR but also Distribution Utilities (DUs) in other regions.

The DOE is expecting new generation capacity from power projects in Luzon to generate 6,347 MW of new capacity from 2021 to 2025, but this is still not enough to meet the growth in demand, the diminished capacity of old power plants, and the outages due to scheduled maintenance or breakdowns. DOE and NGCP data comparing committed capacity against increasing demand and outage anticipates a 1,753 to 3,141 deficit in 2021. This will further worsen by 2025 to 3,006 to 4,394 MW supply deficit which simply means more power outages.

This scenario is seen by renewable energy (RE) proponents as an opportunity to increase the share of RE technologies in the country’s power and energy balance. Big capital is being poured into new RE projects such as the 115 MW solar power facility of Global Business Power Corporation (GBP) of the Meralco Group of companies now being built in Baras, Rizal and to be implemented by subsidiary PH Renewables Inc. Its operations will be integrated with Meralco PowerGen as a result of the merger and acquisition deal last March.

According to Meralco President Ray C. Espinosa, they will continue to increase the group’s RE capacity to 1,500 MW in the next five years. GBP’s power plants’ total gross capacity is 1,091 MW.

The 120 MW GigaSol Alaminos solar farm of Ayala-led, AC Energy (ACEN) now operating in Zambales is the company’s second solar facility and country’s second largest. The new solar plant will support the power demand of the Luzon grid and supply green electricity to 80,000 homes.

AC Energy President and CEO Eric Francia said in a statement that the plant has already added 183MW of solar capacity to the grid earlier this year and expects to start the operations of the 150 MW Ingrid Power very soon.

However, in the recent Senate Committee on Energy hearing, DOE data showed that 27 power projects have been bogged down by delays and should have been producing 2,045 MW five years ago. Upon the urging of Senate Committee on Energy Chairman Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, the DOE is convening a task force to address the looming brownouts. More than short term measures, there should be policy reforms that would ensure adequate and dependable power reserves that will assure continuous power even when there are unplanned outages. More bids under the Competitive Supply Process should be conducted to cover increasing demand. The DOE and ERC should further streamline the approval process of pending supply contracts of DUs and the NGCP. Also, investments in Energy Storage Systems (batteries) for RE plants should be encouraged.

Now that we are transitioning into a more digital economy, having reliable and affordable electricity is a vital resource that literally powers every device or machine needed to support our modern reality. If our current power problems are not solved soon, then the prospect of recovery and the road to a new prosperity looks dim. https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/open-thoughts-by-orlando-oxales/359443/a-vital- resource-of-modern-reality.html

Xinjiang and the Afghanistan scenario

By Dan Steinbock July 12, 2021 350

Recently, the Trump and Biden administrations have been pressuring China about Xinjiang. What drives these efforts is the Cold Warriors' Afghanistan 2.0 scenario.

SINCE Sept. 11, 2001, America's foray into the Middle East and Central Asia has resulted in repeated violations of international law, massive bloodshed and unwarranted wars, according to critics.

In China, Uighur extremists committed more than 200 acts of terrorism with over 160 deaths between 1990 and 2001. In the past two decades, Uighur groups have escalated terrorism with the support of foreign jihadists, far-right groups and external backing.

In July 2020, the United Nations noted the presence of thousands of Uighur fighters in Afghanistan and Syria. Oddly, the Trump administration supported these "moderate jihadists." In terms of timing, the reversal in Washington's policies followed the trade-war stalemate with China. For years, the United States had classified the Uighur East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist group, battled Uighur fighters in Afghanistan and held many as prisoners. Yet, in November 2020, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo delisted the movement as a terrorist organization.

The strategic objective of the reversal, observers believe, is to support destabilization in Xinjiang. The Biden administration seems to have opted for a similar approach. The lessons of the recent decades should necessitate caution with such policy changes.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/12/opinion/columns/xinjiang-and-the-afghanistan- scenario/1806682

Vaccine Passports: Ticket to Freedom or Path to a Divided World? Gulf and Western countries require incoming foreign workers to have received vaccines that are in short supply in several developing countries.

With the resumption of global travel on the horizon, vaccine passports may be a ticket to freedom for millions of vaccinated individuals across the globe. But they also pose an ethical dilemma.

As immunization campaigns ramp up, a patchwork of vaccine approvals across countries and regions is laying the foundation of a global vaccine bifurcation that may determine where one can travel, study, and seek employment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says we need to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the global population by June 2022 to end the pandemic. “To do that,” said WHO’s Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the G7 Summit last month, “we need 11 billion doses.”

At the same conference, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the United Kingdom would donate over 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while U.S. President Joe Biden promised 500 million doses to poor countries under the WHO-Gavi-CEPI-UNICEF initiative, COVAX.

The offer came following strong criticism of rich countries hoarding vaccines.

Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month. So far, the has secured 900 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine with an option to buy another 900 million to be delivered by 2023, leaving the EU with 6.6 doses per person, excluding the optioned ones. The U.S. has signed agreements for 1.3 billion doses while Canada has brokered deals for 238 million shots for a population of 40 million – that’s at least five doses per citizen for both countries. The U.K. has secured more than 500 million doses – enough to vaccinate its entire population seven times over and, Australia has ordered at least 179 million doses for a population of 25 million, or 6.8 doses per individual.

More than 3.4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered around the world as of July 9. But more than 80 percent of those jabs have gone to people in high-income and upper-middle-income countries while only 1 percent of the people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/vaccine-passports-ticket-to-freedom-or-path-to-a-divided- world/

Biden and US hawks must understand China before waving the democratic torch

 Viewing the conflict between the US and China as a zero-sum ideological competition between democracy and autocracy overlooks the origin of China s current governing tradition ’ The geopolitical map of our time is unsettling. World politics is entering a new phase, and many politicians and intellectuals have not hesitated to proliferate visions of what it should be: a clash of civilisations , the end of history, the decline of the nation-state, and the return of traditional rivalries betweennations.

In US President Joe Biden’s world view, there exist only democracies and autocracies, all in competition with each other. A polarised

political landscape in the US is united by the anti-China campaign. China, however, has recentlycelebrated its Communist Party’s centenary, doubling down on the conviction of its own path.

https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3140527/biden-and-us-hawks-must-understand- china-waving-democratic-torch

EDITORIAL: China is stifling needed innovation

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) took office in late 2012, the nature of China’s political and economic system, in which the one-party state monopolizes the country’s resources, has not only continued, but intensified. While the centralized power of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the state’s control over the private sector bolster the system, they stifle the vigor and economic vitality of China’s business community.

Over the past few decades, the CCP’s authoritarian control has helped the country to tide over many difficulties and achieve economic success, but at the core of its political model are state-owned enterprises that allow the party to manage strategic industries, such as energy, raw materials, transportation, finance and telecommunications. By keeping a tight grip on pricing, resource allocation, information and logistics, the CCP controls the country’s entire economy.

While the CCP has encouraged innovation in China’s private sector, sometimes even encouraging companies to develop and experiment without restriction, the party has retaken control and withdrawn the freedom to innovate in markets where companies have grown to a size that could threaten its authority. This has happened in the financial technology and e-commerce sectors — to Ant Group last year, and Alibaba Group Holding and Didi Global this year.

The CCP’s campaign to impose tougher controls on the country’s tech firms started in November last year when it suspended Ant’s US$35 billion dual listing on the Hong Kong and Shanghai exchanges.

In March, Chinese regulators fined companies — including Tencent Holdings, ByteDance and Baidu — for not seeking prior government approval for acquisitions and investments. In April, they hit Alibaba with a record 18.2 billion yuan (US$2.81 billion) fine over what they claimed was abuse due to the e-commerce firm’s dominant market position.

Early this month, just days after Didi’s US$4.4 billion initial public offering in New York, Chinese Internet regulators told the ride-hailing company that it was being investigated for posing cybersecurity risks.

Such moves have shown that Chinese authorities have not only cracked down on the country’s tech giants over anti-trust concerns — especially those that dominate their markets and control big data — but also continued its agenda of expanding the government’s influence over the private sector. The CCP’s aim is to maintain power in politics, the economy and society, while facilitating a rapid resurgence of the state sector at the cost of weakening the private sector.

Since the late 1970s, when China launched its “reform and opening up” policy, the export industry in Guangdong Province has grown, and, since the 1980s, small businesses have flourished in Zhejiang Province. More recently, the Internet and artificial intelligence sectors have rapidly expanded. However, a series of innovations in the private sector, not the CCP, was behind most of China’s new and vital industries.

Unfortunately, at a time when China needs to stimulate innovation to upgrade its economy, its model of authoritarian capitalism might be the greatest obstacle.

Centralized power is a double-edged sword. While Xi and his CCP elites might believe that a top-down, authoritarian model — rather than a bottom-up, liberalized approach — is needed to purge the party of corruption and conflicts of interest, which have the country’s economy and society increasingly spinning out of control, the model is likely to smother innovation and the vitality of the private sector.

While no one knows how long this situation might last, it is clear that change is unlikely to happen as long as Xi remains in power. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2021/07/12/2003760696

Commentary: Japan was right to continue holding the Olympics The alarmist chorus against the Tokyo Games fanned by Japanese newspapers and medical groups could benefit from a greater sense of proportion, says Bill Emmott.

A woman wearing a face mask walks past a display showing the 2020 Olympics logo in Tokyo. (Photo: AFP/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU) By Bill Emmott

11 Jul 2021 06:00AM(Updated: 11 Jul 2021 06:00AM)

LONDON: Having been postponed from 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympic Games are approaching their opening on Jul 23 amid a chorus of doom. Japanese and foreigners alike are predicting, or even outright demanding, the event’s cancellation.

Among those coming out in favour of scrapping the Games is one of the event’s official partners, the newspaper Asahi Shimbun.

Depending on one’s reading of the polls, that position is apparently supported by 60 to 80 per cent of the Japanese population. And various medical groups argue that the Games will put unacceptable pressure on Japan’s health system at a time when the pandemic is still raging.

As if to confirm this sense of crisis, the Japanese government has now declared that Tokyo will be under a state of emergency throughout the Games.

NOT IN THE GRIP OF A COVID-19 WAVE But this is all rather strange. The cancellation chorus makes it sound like Japan is in the grip of a harrowing wave of COVID-19 cases. But that plainly is not the case.

The situation is nothing like that of India or Brazil. On Jul 7, for example, Japan, with 120 million people, reported just 1,683 confirmed cases and 17 deaths, down from the recent peaks of 6,460 new cases on May 14 and 113 deaths on May 23.

For comparison, on Jul 7, Italy, with half the population, reported 829 new cases and 22 deaths, and it has now reopened to vaccinated international travelers. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/japan-olympics-covid-19-coronavirus- situation-rules-measures-15186298

Malaysia's politicians brawl while the economy burns Ten years of rudderless leadership is suddenly coming to a head William Pesek

July 12, 2021 05:00 JST

Muhyiddin Yassin, pictured in Putrajaya on Feb. 24; the Prime Minister spends more time fighting to keep his job than actually doing it. © Sipa/AP

William Pesek is an award-winning Tokyo-based journalist and author of "Japanization: What the World Can Learn from Japan's Lost Decades."

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Malaysia-s-politicians-brawl-while-the-economy-burns