Philippines ambassador to China ‘Chito’ Sta. Romana dies
Romana speaks during a forum on the South China Sea. (AP)The Philippines’ ambassador to China, Jose Santiago “Chito” Sta. Romana was a longtime resident of China and had been a correspondent for ABC News prior to being appointed ambassador in 2016. Romana was appointed ambassador to China in 2016 “in recognition of his deep knowledge of China’s history and people,” the department said in a statement. China has refused to recognize a 2016 Hague arbitration ruling that mostly invalidated China’s South China Sea claims and continues to claim the strategic waterway and its resources virtually in its entirety.
Source:The Standard
April 19, 2022 16:29 UTC
The resilience of China's economy
PHOTO BY HAO QUNYING/XINHUABEIJING: China's economy grew 4.8 percent year on year in the first quarter, exceeding market expectations and picking up pace from a 4-percent increase in the fourth quarter last year. It is, therefore, good timing to keep in mind that there remain significant upsides to the Chinese economy. In the first quarter, infrastructure investment rose 8.5 percent year on year. China's increased opening up to the outside world continues to pay dividends. Despite the complex and severe international environment, the world economy is generally recovering, so the demand for China's exports will increase.
Source:Manila Times
April 19, 2022 16:07 UTC
Second booster shots put on hold
THE Department of Health (DoH) announced on Monday that the plan for second Covid-19 booster shots for priority sectors has been put on hold until the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) has given its final recommendation. Health Undersecretary and National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) Chairman Myrna Cabotaje earlier said the guidelines for a second booster dose were ready. In a statement, the DoH said all vaccines mentioned in the EUA for second boosters will be used except Gamaleya Sputnik V.The second booster shot can be administered four months after the first booster dose to senior citizens, health care workers and immunocompromised individuals. Data showed that as of April 17, 50.1 million individuals were eligible for first booster doses but only 12.6 million have been jabbed. "As experts warn of an uptick in cases, we must continue to adhere to minimum public health standards such as wearing of masks, washing of hands, observing physical distancing and ramping up vaccination/getting booster shots," he added.
Source:Manila Times
April 19, 2022 04:23 UTC
A pivotal point in Ukraine war
AFP FILE PHOTOTHE sinking last week of the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Baltic Sea Fleet, could be a pivotal point in the war in Ukraine. The Moskva went under after being struck by missiles launched by Ukrainian forces. There is mounting evidence, too, that before they were redeployed, Russian troops had gone on a killing spree. Similar massacres of civilians in other Ukrainian towns have emerged, triggering condemnations that Russian troops had committed genocide. Ukraine and Russia are also the world's biggest growers of wheat, so expect the prices of local bread and other bakery products to soar as well.
Source:Manila Times
April 19, 2022 04:15 UTC
Inside Shanghai: Lights on 24/7, no hot showers at facility
The convention center converted to a quarantine facility set up for people who tested positive but have few or no symptoms. BEIBEI VIA APBEIJING: Beibei sleeps beside thousands of strangers in rows of cots in a high-ceilinged exhibition center. Beibei was told she was due to be released on Monday after two negative tests while at the convention center. Anyone who tests positive but shows few or no symptoms is required to spend one week in a quarantine facility. The 420,000-square-meter (4.6 million-square-foot) exhibition center is best known as the site of the world's biggest automobile show.
Source:Manila Times
April 18, 2022 22:41 UTC
Tsitsipas retains Monte Carlo crown
Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrates with his trophy after winning the Monte Carlo ATP Masters Series tournament in Monaco on Sunday, April 17, 2022 (April 18 in Manila). AFP PHOTOMONTE CARLO: Stefanos Tsitsipas said he is aiming to finish the season in the world's top two after successfully defending his Monte Carlo Masters title with a hard-fought victory over Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Sunday's (Monday in Manila) final. It was the 23-year-old Greek's eighth ATP title and first in 11 months as he made the perfect start to the clay-court season. Tsitsipas became the sixth player to win back-to-back Monte Carlo Masters in the Open era, emulating Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Thomas Muster, Bjorn Borg and Ilie Nastase. Fokina had knocked out world number one Djokovic earlier this week but could not repeat those heroics in his first ATP final, losing for the third time in as many meetings with Tsitsipas.
Source:Manila Times
April 18, 2022 22:13 UTC
Man hit by truck when walking on the Kwun Tong Bypass died
A 41 years old man who get onto Kwun Tong Bypass and walked towards Sha Tin was hit by a truck and died. A truck failed to brake in time and hit the man. He was heavily injured and fell into a coma, paramedics sent him to United Hospital for treatment but was later pronounced dead. Police have detained the boom truck driver for questioning. It is unknown why the man walking on the Kwun Tong Bypass.
Source:The Standard
April 18, 2022 21:23 UTC
Hongkongers 'moved' but did not 'emigrate', CY Leung claims
Hongkongers who moved overseas did not “emigrate” as they did not give up their HKSAR passports, former Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said. In an interview with Sing Tao Daily, the Standard's sister publication, Leung said people “moved homes” but he won't call them emigrants. The Hongkongers did not surrender their SAR passports, giving them leeway to return to the city, he said. He said leaving Hongkongers want to try it out overseas, to see if they can live fulfilling lives both spiritually and money-wise. Back in October last year, a Chinese University survey has found that 42 percent of Hongkongers want to emigrate.
Source:The Standard
April 18, 2022 07:46 UTC
Chinese vessel shadows two survey ships hired by PH firm
ADVERTISEMENTShip tracking data suggested that CCG vessel 4201 shadowed survey ship Geo Coral and its support vessel Mariska G in northwest Palawan where Service Contract (SC) 75 is located. SC 75, which covers 6,160 square kilometers in the offshore northwest Palawan Basin, is operated by PXP Energy Corp., formerly Philex Petroleum Corp, which hired the two ships. A Philippine government official confirmed the SC 75 incident to the Inquirer on the condition of anonymity due to the issue’s sensitivity. China claims the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. His statements were the reason why the security cluster was hesitant to issue a go-signal for the oil survey activities, the official told the Inquirer.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 18, 2022 01:06 UTC
Israel to salvage Sea of Galilee
RAVID: Israel, a leader in making seawater drinkable, plans to pump excess output from its desalination plants into the Sea of Galilee, depleted by overuse and threatened by climate change. And environmentalists note that the more Israel relies on fossil fuels to power its desalination plants, the more its carbon emissions will worsen climate change. "The minute water flows through the pipeline, bringing excess water from desalination plants in the center, we can raise the level of the Sea of Galilee, and it will become an operational reservoir," he said. Israel exercises tight control over water resources in the occupied West Bank, with Palestinians granted limited access to an underground aquifer. Under the terms of a 1990s peace agreement, Israel sells water back to Palestinians, but allocations have not kept pace with population growth.
Source:Manila Times
April 17, 2022 23:33 UTC
Hong Kong reports 747 Covid cases on Sun, expects a rebound
Hong Kong reported 747 new Covid cases on Sunday, as officials said they expected a slight rebound after social distancing measures are relaxed. Authorities reported 446 cases confirmed via PCR tests and another 301 from rapid antigen tests. Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said it is expected that there will be a slight rebound following the relaxation of social distancing measures. At the daily press conference, health officials reported 29 more cases of deaths, taking the tally during the fifth wave to 8,926. She was hospitalized due to kidney failure, during which she tested positive once in four PCR tests.
Source:The Standard
April 17, 2022 18:48 UTC
The myth of PH bankruptcy and 'Chinese debt slavery'
Eight foreign creditors account for three-fourths of all Philippine external debt. Even Taiwan is a bigger creditor than China whose role in the external debt is about 5 percent of the total (see figure 2). Figure 2 Major foreign creditors ($ million, December 2021) * * Total Philippine external debt by creditor country. In 2017, Forbes magazine reported that President Duterte will force the Philippines into Chinese debt slavery and bankrupt the economy by 2022. Sources: Forbes/Corr; Philippine Bureau of Treasury (BoT)Figure 1 Philippine government debt, 2016-2022 (% of GDP)* Total Philippine external debt by creditor country.
Source:Manila Times
April 17, 2022 16:25 UTC
Russian family-run restaurant in Japan supports Ukrainian refugees
CHIBA — A Russian woman and her daughter who run a Russian restaurant in Chiba are offering to support the daily lives of Ukrainians who have fled their country. They are also considering hiring Ukrainian refugees at their eatery. Four years ago, they opened a Russian restaurant called Matryoshka near JR Chiba Station in Chuo Ward, Chiba City. After expressing her willingness to support people on the restaurant’s social media account, she was contacted by Ukrainian people in Japan. Some of them shed tears as they spoke to Anastasia and Daiana about their concerns.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 17, 2022 14:47 UTC
Zelensky repeats warning over Russian nuclear weapons
KYIV—The world should prepare for the possible use by Russia of nuclear weapons, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists Saturday, repeating an earlier warning. “We shouldn’t wait for the moment when Russia decides to use nuclear weapons,” he said in an interview with Ukrainian news media. Burns said Thursday that Russia’s battlefield setbacks raised the risk that President Vladimir Putin could deploy a tactical or low-yield nuclear weapon. Russian military doctrine includes the “escalate to de-escalate” principle of launching a small nuclear weapon to regain the initiative in war. US President Joe Biden is “deeply concerned about avoiding a third world war, about avoiding a threshold in which nuclear conflict becomes possible,” said Burns.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 17, 2022 09:21 UTC
Duterte veto of SIM card registration bill jeered, cheered
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s veto of a bill mandating SIM card and social media registration will allow cybercriminals, especially online scammers and trolls, to continue their thriving businesses unrestricted after he steps down from office, several senators warned on Saturday. 2395 and House Bill 5793, which would mandate the registration of all subscriber identity module (SIM) cards and social media accounts. He said that as long as anonymity on social media exists, political trolling, troll armies and fake news would succeed in sowing division among Filipinos. Gatchalian said that Drilon’s “last-minute insertion” to register all social media accounts was against the essence of the original bill. She said the veto highlights the need to find “effective ways to protect our citizens and our democracy.”—WITH A REPORT FROM JULIE M. AURELIORELATED STORIESDrilon says veto of SIM card registration bill a ‘big win for trolls’Social media registration in vetoed SIM bill a ‘last-minute insertion’ by Drilon — House leaderActivists welcome veto of SIM card registration bill: ‘It’s dangerous’Read Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 17, 2022 03:37 UTC