US SETS NEW DAILY RECORDS OF 3,700 COVID DEATHS, 250,000 CASES
The United States set a double record on Wednesday registering more than
3,700 deaths and over 250,000 new Covid-19 cases in just 24 hours, according
to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
With the new reported fatalities, the death toll in the US has now reached
more than 307,291.
ASEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS URGE DUTERTE ADMIN TO 'END RED-TAGGING' OPPOSITION
LAWMAKERS
MANILA - Parliamentarians from Southeast Asia on Thursday called on
President Rodrigo Duterte to end the dangerous campaign of red-tagging
opposition lawmakers which is allegedly an attempt to silence his critics.
Red-tagging has had extremely violent consequences in the Philippines, and
the fact we are seeing President Duterte leading the way on such a menacing
practice is utterly inexcusable, Charles Santiago, a Malaysian Member of
Parliament (MP), and chair of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR)
said in a statement.
FARMERS' PROTEST, DAY 21: NO MEETING GROUND BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Wednesday said that the
ongoing protest by farmers at Delhi borders was an "exception" and "limited
to one state".
"The ongoing protest is an exception and the agitation is limited to one
state. We are holding discussions and talks. I believe there will be an
early solution," Tomar said while addressing a virtual conference organised
by industry body Assocham.
GOP LEADER MCCONNELL FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGES JOE BIDEN ELECTION WIN; OATH TO
TAKE PLACE OUTSIDE CAPITOL
A top member of US President Donald Trump's Republican Party, Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has congratulated Joe Biden on winning the
presidential election last month.
Senator McConnell spoke after the electoral college formally confirmed Mr
Biden's victory over Mr Trump.
'SOMEBODY DROPPED THE BALL'
10 million Pfizer vaccine Doses
MANILA - The country was assured of getting 10 million doses of COVID-19
vaccines from Pfizer by January until "somebody dropped the ball," Foreign
Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said yesterday.
The vaccines, he said, were supposed to be funded by the World Bank and the
Asian Development Bank (ADB).
ELECTORAL COLLEGE CONFIRMS BIDEN WHITE HOUSE VICTORY
WASHINGTON Joe Biden was confirmed as the next US president on Monday as
the Electoral College formalized his victory over Donald Trump, all but
closing the door on the incumbent's efforts to overturn the result of the
2020 election.
As Biden appealed to Americans to "turn the page" on the divisive contest,
electors met across all US states to seal his win, with California pushing
Biden over the majority of 270 votes and clearing the way for him to take
office on January 20.
IRAN EXECUTES FRENCH-BASED DISSIDENT JOURNALIST CAPTURED LAST YEAR
Iran has executed a journalist who was accused of using a messaging app to
stir up dissent.
Ruhollah Zam was hanged on Saturday after the supreme court upheld a death
sentence against him, state television reported.
Zam, who had been living in exile in France, was reportedly detained after
travelling to Iraq last year.
ASTRAZENECA OKS MORE COVID-19 VACCINES FOR PHILIPPINES
MANILA - Private firms from the Philippines are set to buy a second batch of
vaccines from British pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca, to add to the 2.6
million doses it had contracted previously, a presidential adviser said on
Monday.
Joey Concepcion, Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship, said the second
purchase is now approved and can now be processed.
US PANEL ENDORSES WIDESPREAD USE OF PFIZER COVID-19 VACCINE
A US government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer's
coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from
launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed
close to 300,000 Americans.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL FILED
MANILA Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte has pushed for the passage of
his bill that seeks to legalize the local production and export of medical
marijuana, but the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) opposed the measure.
The DDB opposed the proposal to legalize the production and export of
marijuana and instead urged lawmakers to pass a law that would strengthen
governments rehabilitation programs for drug dependents.
BRITISH PM BORIS JOHNSON CONFUSES FARMER PROTESTS WITH INDIA-PAKISTAN
CONFLICT
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday landed himself in a
controversy after he appeared to confuse the ongoing farmers' agitation
against the agricultural laws in India with the conflict between New Delhi
and Pakistan.
HOUSE, SENATE RATIFY P4.5-T 2021 BUDGET; LACSON DISSENTS OVER PRIORITIZATION
OF DPWH PROJECTS
MANILA - The Senate and House of Representatives on Wednesday ratified the
P4.5-trillion 2021 national budget, with the former saying the new spending
bill would enable government to enact "ramped up COVID-19 response" programs
and allow "fresh investments for our health facilities."
BIDEN PROMISES 100M VACCINES FOR US IN FIRST 100 DAYS
US President-elect Joe Biden has set a goal of 100 million Covid
vaccinations in his first 100 days in office.
He said his first months in office would not end the outbreak and gave few
details on rollout strategy but he said he would change the course of
Covid-19.
COVID-19 VACCINE APPROVAL MAY TAKE 3-4 WEEKS: FDA
MANILA - Emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines may take
up to a month, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday as the United
Kingdom rolled out inoculation against the coronavirus.
A COVID-19 vaccine may arrive in the country in "late first quarter of
2021," said FDA director-general Eric Domingo. Vaccines and other drugs
usually go through a 6-month process for approval, he said.
UK PFIZER COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT: BRITAIN BEGINS COVID VACCINATION
PROGRAMME
The COVID vaccination program in the United Kingdom, the country that
approved Pfizers Covid-19 vaccine for the first time on Wednesday, is
starting today. The health workers, the elderly and care home workers will
receive the vaccine initially. The National Health Service (NHS) will be
responsible for vaccinating these high-risk individuals, according to the UK
Department of Health.
DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS IN PHILIPPINES NOW 'SEVERELY RESTRICTED' GLOBAL RIGHTS
MONITOR
MANILA Fundamental freedoms such as freedoms of expression, peaceful
assembly and association in the Philippines are now severely restricted
due to ongoing attacks against activists and journalists, an international
watchdog said.
In its report released ahead of the Human Rights Day, CIVICUS Monitor, the
research tool of international alliance CIVICUS, downgraded the state of
democratic freedoms in the Philippines from obstructed to repressed.
UK PREPARES FOR 'HISTORIC MOMENT' OF VACCINATION AGAINST COVID-19
The first 50 National Health Service (NHS) hospitals are gearing up for what
the UK government has described as the "biggest immunisation programme in
history" as the first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19
arrived at "secure locations" in the country from neighbouring Belgium this
weekend.
DUTERTE SAYS WORK 'FAR FROM OVER' IN BOOSTING HUMAN RIGHTS
MANILA President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday that the work was "far from
over" in boosting human rights, just days after his latest tirade against
rights defenders.
ASTRAZENECA, OXFORD GIVE CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS OF COVID-19 TRIAL
AstraZeneca and Oxford University have given conflicting accounts of how
they came upon the most effective dosing pattern for their COVID-19 vaccine,
a rare instance of public dissension between major institutions
collaborating on a pivotal project.
ASTRAZENECA, JANSSEN NEARING INITIAL CLEARANCE BY PH COVID-19 VACCINE EXPERT
PANEL
MANILA - The vaccine expert panel of the Philippines on Friday said that two
vaccine developers might soon be given initial clearance for their proposed
clinical trials in the country.
Dr. Nina Gloriani, University of the Philippines College of Public Health
professor and head of the Department of Science and Technology's vaccine
technical panel, said they are just waiting for the response of
pharmaceutical firms AstraZeneca and Janssen to their follow-up questions.
UN RECLASSIFIES CANNABIS AS LESS DANGEROUS DRUG
In reviewing a series of World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on marijuana and its derivatives, the CND zeroed-in on the decision to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs — where it was listed alongside deadly, addictive opioids, including heroin.
PH NOVEMBER INFLATION QUICKENS TO 21-MONTH HIGH ON HIGHER FOOD PRICES
MANILA - Philippine inflation quickened in November to a 21-month high
driven by higher food prices caused by destructive storms and typhoons which
ravaged the country, the state statistics bureau said on Friday.
TRUMP PARDONS: US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UNVEILS BRIBERY INQUIRY
An alleged "bribery for pardon" scheme at the White House is under
investigation by the justice department, according to a court filing
unsealed on Tuesday.
DUTERTE ORDERS SPEEDY VACCINE PROCUREMENT
Vaccines may be purchased by Q1 2021
MANILA - Taking a cue from other countries that have sought to hasten the
availability of potential cures to the pandemic, President Duterte has
allowed the director general of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to
issue an emergency use authorization for COVID-19 drugs and vaccines.
SCOTT MORRISON SENDS WECHAT MESSAGE TO CHINESE COMMUNITY AMID SPAT WITH
BEIJING
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has used Chinese social media
platform WeChat to criticise a "false image" of an Australian soldier posted
on Twitter by the Chinese government.
DUTERTE, AUSSIE PM VOW TO BOOST TIES
MANILA The Philippines and Australia have vowed to further strengthen
their ties, with President Duterte calling Canberra a close partner in
upholding international law.
COVID VACCINE: MODERNA SEEKS APPROVAL IN US AND EUROPE
Moderna Inc plans to request clearance for its coronavirus vaccine in the
United States and Europe on Monday, after a new analysis showed the vaccine
was highly effective in preventing Covid-19, with no serious safety
problems.
DUTERTE TO PINOYS: FIGHT COVID-19 WITH COURAGE OF BONIFACIO
MANILA President Duterte yesterday urged Filipinos to take inspiration
from the courage and ideals of revolutionary leader Andres Bonifacio to
promote an inclusive society and to surmount the challenges confronting the
country, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
CHINESE DEFENCE MINISTER IN NEPAL TO BOLSTER MILITARY COOPERATION
China's Defence Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday to
meet Nepal's top leadership and bolster military cooperation and take the
existing friendly bilateral relations to a new height.
NEW LAWS HELP FARMERS, SAYS PM
As farmers from Punjab and Haryana, seeking repeal of the new farm laws,
continued to protest at the gates of Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
backed the laws Sunday, saying they were for the benefit of farmers.
In his Mann Ki Baat address, Modi said: "The agriculture reforms in the last
few days have opened doors to new possibilities. For years, the demands of
farmers, demands which were promised at some time or another by every
political party, have been fulfilled. After a lot of discussion, Parliament
gave agricultural reforms legal recognition. These reforms have not only
removed many restrictions for farmers, but have given them new rights and
opportunities."
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, writing to farmer unions staging the
protest, assured them that all their issues would be addressed in
discussions with a high-level committee of Union Ministers at Vigyan Bhavan
on December 3. He said this discussion can take place earlier if all unions
gather the protesting farmers at the designated ground in Burari on the
outskirts of Delhi.
"According to available information, due to severe cold, farmers are facing
a lot of problems. In the wake of the Covid pandemic, there is a threat of
infection due to such large gatherings," he said in the letter, urging
farmers to move to Burari.
The Prime Minister, in his Mann Ki Baat address, spoke of the "new rights"
that the new laws had granted farmers. He cited the example of a farmer in
Dhule district of Maharashtra whose "full knowledge of the laws has come to
his aid".
He cited two other examples - of Mohammad Aslam of Baran in Rajasthan, CEO
of a local farm produce organisation who has created a WhatsApp group of
farmers on prevailing mandi rates, and Virendra Yadav of Kaithal who has
done business of Rs 2 crore in two years by selling farm stubble to
agro-energy plants and paper mills by using straw baler machines.
"I request the youth, and especially the lakhs of students studying
agriculture, that they should go to nearby villages and bring awareness
among farmers about the recently passed farm reforms. By doing this, you
will be partners in the big change that is happening in the country," he
said.
FARMERS REFUSE TO MOVE, SAY WILL INTENSIFY PROTEST
Rejecting the Centre's invitation for conditional talks, farmers camping at
the Delhi-Haryana border reiterated their demands on Sunday, and said they
would not vacate the arterial GT Karnal highway.
Farmers' groups held discussions at Delhi's northern Singhu Border - through
which the highway to Haryana, Chandigarh, and onward to Himachal Pradesh and
Punjab passes - to chalk out their course of action. In the evening, they
announced at a press conference that they would blockade five points of
entry into Delhi - Sonipat, Rohtak, Jaipur, Ghaziabad-Hapur, and Mathura -
in the coming days.
The farmers have been camping outside Delhi since Friday. On Saturday, Union
Home Minister Amit Shah had invited farm unions for talks on December 3 on
the condition that they move the protest from the highway to the Sant
Nirankari Samagam Ground in Burari.
"We have rejected the invitation from the Centre. One of their conditions
was that we must go to the Burari Park first. We will never go to Burari
Park. We have come to know that it is more an open jail than a park,"
Surjeet Singh, president of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Krantikari), Punjab, said.
The farmers are demanding the repeal of three "pro-corporate" farm laws
enacted by the Centre, and have vowed not to back down. "We have rations to
last us months, until our demands are met. Our tractors are like mini
lodgings," Surjeet Singh said.
He also said the farmers would not allow any person affiliated with a
political party on their platform. "We demand that the rate of MSP (minimum
support price) should be fixed, and that farmers should not be fined for
burning farm stubble. We also demand that the proposed electricity Ordinance
should be kept in abeyance," Surjeet Singh said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Sunday that "The Centre must
talk to farmers immediately without any preconditions."
PM'S DEFENCE OF NEW FARM LAWS DELIVERS LETHAL BLOW NEGOTIATIONS: CONG
The Congress on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's defence of the
new farm laws when lakhs of farmers were protesting on the streets had
delivered a lethal blow to the prospects of the proposed negotiations,
demonstrating the government's disinterest in resolving the crisis.
Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala said: "The Prime Minister in
his Mann Ki Baat programme defends the farm laws. If the Prime Minister is
standing in favour of these laws despite such widespread protests, what will
be the outcome of a dialogue? Who should the farmers expect justice from?
What will be the purpose of talks? Modi's arrogance and obduracy are writ
large on his stance."
Surjewala added: "The truth is that the Modi government intends to serve the
capitalists and exploit the farmers. The Prime Minister is unaffected by the
anguish and struggle of 62 crore farmers. The government wants to hand over
the agriculture trade worth over Rs 20 lakh crore to crony capitalists. The
seriousness of the government is reflected in home minister Amit Shah's
attitude - he can't travel 15km to the Delhi border to talk to the farmers
but will fly 1,200km to campaign for municipal elections in Hyderabad."
"The promise was to double the farmers' income but the Modi government
ensured multifold increase in the incomes of Adani-Ambani. Those who are
still defending the black laws cannot provide a solution in favour of the
farmers," Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
======================
DAYS AFTER SHRINGLA VISIT, CHINA DEF MIN IN NEPAL TO BOOST MILITARY TIES
China's defence minister General Wei Fenghe on Sunday met Nepal PM K P
Sharma Oli and held talks with the country's army chief General Purna
Chandra Thapa on various issues of bilateral interest, aimed at bolstering
military cooperation and taking the existing friendly ties to a new height.
This is the highest-level visit from China after President Xi Jinping's
two-day state visit that took place in October last year.
Wei's visit comes days after foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla
wrapped up his maiden two-day visit to Nepal. In the first week of November,
Indian Army chief General M M Naravane paid a three-day visit to Nepal aimed
at resetting bilateral ties.
General Wei held talks with General Thapa at the army headquarters.
"Bilateral discussions were held at the delegation-level mainly on issues
pertaining to resumption of training and student exchange programme and
follow up on defence assistance," a statement by the Nepal army said. Wei
viewed both the proposals "positively and affirmed that the bilateral
cooperation should resume as soon as possible," it said. He also pledged to
provide additional assistance to the Nepali army in fighting the Covid-19
pandemic. The Nepali army expressed confidence that "the visit will help in
strengthening and expanding the cordial military-to-military relations."
WON'T CHANGE MIND ON FRAUD CLAIMS: TRUMP
In the first TV interview since losing his re-election bid, President Trump
indicated on Sunday that he will never concede to Joe Biden and abandon his
conspiracy theory about mass ballot fraud. "My mind will not change in six
months," Trump told Fox News. "This election was rigged," he claimed. He
also said it might be difficult to get his allegations heard before the
Supreme Court. "The problem is it's hard to get it to the SC," he said.
THE REST
========
COBRA OFFICER KILLED, 9 COMMANDOS INJURED IN IED BLAST IN SUKMA
An officer of the CRPF's jungle warfare unit, CoBRA, was killed while nine
commandos were injured after Maoists triggered an IED blast in
Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday night, security officials said.
They said the improvised explosive device explosion took place in the
Chintalnar forest area of the district at around 9 pm and the injured
personnel were evacuated by an IAF helicopter at around midnight.
Assistant Commandant Nitin P Bhalerao, 33, succumbed to injuries in the
early hours of Sunday.
Nine commandos, including the team leader second-in-command rank officer
Dinesh Kumar Singh, were injured in the incident.
Bhalerao, a resident of Nashik in Maharashtra, was a decorated commando and
had been adjudged the best in various combat competitions, a senior officer
of the force said.
TWO CMs CALLING EACH OTHER A LIAR
A few hours after Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar made his
office's call details public to prove that he called his Punjab counterpart
Capt Amarinder Singh to discuss the farmer protests, the latter trashed it
as "complete fraud".
In a statement, Amarinder on Sunday said, "Flaunting a page of his own
office register cannot condone ML Khattar's lies, and if he really wanted to
connect, he could easily have used official channels or called up on the
mobile phone."
Khattar has said that he had tried to talk to his Punjab counterpart on many
occasions over telephone on the 'Delhi Chalo' march by farmers' protesting
the Central farm reform laws. "Now, when the record has been shown as to how
many times I tried to speak to him, he (Amarinder) has no answer," he had
said earlier in the day.
"If at all someone from his office called my residence, why were the calls
made to an attendant? Why were official channels not used to get in touch
with me?" asked Amarinder.
"Top officials of the Punjab government, at principal secretary and DGP
levels among others, have been in touch with each other on the farmers'
issue for the past several days. Yet none of these officials conveyed
Khattar's desire to talk to me at any point in time," Amarinder said, adding
that his Haryana counterpart's attempt to "seize a high moral ground" on the
farmers' Delhi Chalo march was "pathetic".
AAP, ON CENTRE'S STAND-OFF WITH FARMERS
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday asked the Centre to
immediately and unconditionally hold talks with the farmers who continued to
protest against the new agriculture laws staying put at the Singhu and Tikri
border points of the national capital for the fourth consecutive day.
The Aam Aadmi Party has supported the farmers' protest and its national
convenor Kejriwal asked the Centre to immediately meet the farmers.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh said that his party demands that Home Minister Amit
Shah should first resolve the issues of the farmers by listening to them.
"The Aam Aadmi Party under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal is standing
beside the farmers. We welcome the farmers to Delhi, we will fight shoulder
to shoulder with them," he said.
At a press conference on Sunday, senior AAP leader and chief spokesperson
Saurabh Bhardwaj said his party believes that Shah has shown "utter
irresponsibility" by leaving the national capital to campaign for Hyderabad
municipal elections when lakhs of farmers were waiting at the Delhi border
to talk to him.
Bhardwaj said on one hand, Amit Shah was telling the farmers that
coronavirus cases might increase due to their protest and on the other, he
was claiming that in his Hyderabad roadshow there was massive public
participation which shows "no social distancing was maintained".
AAP leader Raghav Chadha hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh
over the farm laws, holding him "equally responsible for crushing" the
farmer protests. "There is a nexus and friendship between PM Narendra Modi
and Captain Amarinder Singh. Together they are duping and deceiving the
farmers," Chadha claimed. The Congress' 2019 election manifesto had the
proposal of the abolition of APMC markets and also these three "black laws"
brought by the Modi government, he said.
ANAND SHARMA GOES AGAINST CONGRESS' OFFICIAL LINE, WELCOMES PM MODI'S COVID
VACCINE REVIEW TOUR
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma Sunday went against the party line and
welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-city tour to review the
Covid-19 vaccine development.
Sharma, the deputy leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha and former
Union minister, called it a move that will "lift the morale of frontline
warriors and reassure the nation".
Sharma's statement stood in stark contrast to the Congress party's official
line - the previous day, it had termed PM Modi's visit a way to seek
"publicity".
Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had taken a jibe at PM
Modi's tour while farmers protest on the streets.
8 STATES, UTs REPORTED NEARLY 71 PC OF NEW COVID-19 DEATHS IN 24-HOUR SPAN
Nearly 71 per cent of the 482 new COVID-19 fatalities reported in a span of
24 hours (up to Sunday morning) were from eight states and Union Territories
with Delhi recording the highest number of 89 deaths followed by Maharashtra
with 88 and West Bengal with 52, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.
It has said 22 states and UTs have recorded case fatality rates lower than
the national average of 1.46 per cent.
Maharashtra recorded the highest positive change with the addition of 1,940
cases, whereas Delhi recorded the highest negative change with a decrease of
1,603 active cases in a span of 24 hours, the ministry said.
The total no. of cases identified country-wide since the start of pandemic
stands at over 94 lakhs while the current active cases are at around 4.46
lakhs. The total no. of deaths so far stands at about 1.37 lakhs
The last 7 days have seen an average of about 41,700 new cases a day while
the recoveries have averaged at about 40,070 a day. The deaths by Covid-19
have averaged 486 a day over the last 7 days.
SERUM INSTITUTE SEEKS RS 100 CR IN DAMAGES FROM TRIAL SUBJECT
As questions mount on Oxford-AstraZeneca vacine trials in India after a
40-year-old participant fell sick and sought damages of Rs 5 crore, Serum
Institute of India (SII) has said the allegations in his legal notice are
"malicious and misconceived".
The volunteer fell sick 10 days after he was given a shot on October 1 in
the clinical trial of Covishield (it could be the vaccine or the placebo).
Since follow-up tests showed he had developed antibodies for the Sars-CoV-2
virus, there is a high probability that he was given the vaccine. On October
11, the person reported a severe headache and vomited. After CT scans,
Covid-19 tests, and MRI scans, he was shifted to the ICU of a hospital. He
was released after 11 days, and the discharge summary says he had suffered
"acute encephalopathy". The person is still disoriented and agitated.
A law firm has, on his behalf, sent legal notice to SII, seeking
compensation of Rs 5 crore.
A Serum spokesperson said: "While Serum is sympathetic, there is absolutely
no correlation with the trial and the medical condition of the volunteer.
The volunteer is falsely laying the blame on the Covid vaccine trial."
The volunteer was informed that the complications had no connection with the
trial. "He still chose to go public and malign the company. Serum will seek
damages in excess of Rs 100 crore," the spokesperson said.
AMID DIVESTMENT PLANS, PSUs LAG IN MARKET RALLY
Amid the relentless rally in the stock market, institutional investors seem
to have largely voted down government-owned companies. Their stock prices
continue to languish, unlike those of leading private sector companies.
The PSUs have shown significant lag in performance despite the broad
recovery in the markets since April 2020.
While the BSE Sensex has risen by 50 per cent between March 31 and November
24, the BSE PSU index has risen by only 18.7 per cent. In fact, the BSE mid
cap and small cap indices have jumped by 60 per cent and 75.6 per cent
respectively in the same period.
Stock prices of government-owned companies and banks continue to lag behind
private peers, and have been trading sharply below their peak value of
recent years. Low valuations are an issue for the government because it has
a heavy disinvestment agenda lined up. The Finance Ministry is said to be
looking at ways to improve the market value of government companies.
State-owned banks, which were expected to benefit in terms of market value
after a spate of amalgamations and capital infusion, have seen a steady
decline in value. The Nifty PSU Bank index, for instance, is down 64 per
cent from its peak of 4,327 in 2017.
While many private banks also saw a sharp decline in share value after the
pandemic impacted markets in March 2020, HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank
have had fresh record highs in recent days and several other private sector
banks have done well.
AUSSIES DOMINATE, TAKE ODI SERIES AGAINST INDIA
Australia buried India under an avalanche of runs for a 51-run drubbing in
the second ODI and took an unassailable 2-0 series lead after the majestic
Steve Smith produced another master-class in the form of a 64-ball 104, in
Sydney again on Sunday.
Batting first, Australia rode on five fifty-plus scores including Smith's
blazing knock, to post an imposing 389/4 against a sluggish India.
A target of 390 proved to be too much for India as they were stopped at
338/9, with captain Virat Kohli (89) and KL Rahul (76) finishing as their
main contributors.
BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX: HAMILTON WINS AND GROSJEAN ESCAPES HUGE CRASH
An eventful Bahrain Grand Prix came to a close behind the safety car, with
Lewis Hamilton securing his 11th victory of the season. He now edges ever
closer to creating the joint record of most wins in a year, with both
Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel tied on 13.
The race did not get off to the right start, with Romain Grosjean slamming
into the wall and the Haas car almost instantly bursting into flames. It was
not a sight that F1 fans wanted to see, but the best news came when he
walked, albeit gingerly, into the safety car.
Replays showed that Grosjean tried to pass his teammate Magnussen, but was
unaware of AlphaTauri's Daniil Kvyat coming in from behind. The Frenchman
was later on declared 'okay' despite a few minor burns, in an official
statement from the Haas F1 team on their Twitter handle.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The less satisfaction we derive from being ourselves, the greater is our
desire to be like others. - Eric Hoffer
OFF TRACK
A guy boards a train bound for Pittsburgh and sits down in his seat. He
immediately notices that the guy next to him has a deeply bruised, black
eye. "Heck, what a coincidence! We both have black eyes! Mind if I ask how
you got yours?"
"Well," explains the man, "I was at the ticket counter and this gorgeous
well stacked blonde was behind the counter. When I asked to purchase a
ticket to Pittsburgh, I accidentally blurted out 'I'd like a picket to
Tittsburgh' and so she punched me!" The man continues, "What's your story?"
The other guy explains, "I was at the breakfast table and I meant to say to
my wife, 'Please fix me a bowl of corn-flakes,' but I accidentally said,
'You ruined my life you stupid bitch.'"
DUTERTE, ROBREDO URGE FILIPINOS TO EMULATE BONIFACIO'S COURAGE IN COVID-19
FIGHT
MANILA President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday
urged Filipinos to emulate the courage of the father of the Philippine
Revolution Andres Bonifacio, as the country wrestled with the coronavirus
pandemic and a series of destructive storms.
TRUMP MAY BE COMING TO TERMS WITH LOSS HE WON'T ACKNOWLEDGE
President Donald Trump still won't bring himself to concede the election he
decisively lost to President-elect Joe Biden. But he's now acknowledging he
will leave the White House if Biden's win is affirmed by the Electoral
College, which is firmly on track to do just that in a few weeks.
"Certainly I will," he said Thursday when asked if he will vacate the
premises after electors make Biden's win formal. "But you know that."
HOUSE PASSES BILL REGULATING E-COMMERCE
MANILA The House of Representatives has passed the bill providing stronger
regulation of the P350-billion e-commerce industry in the country.
Congressmen voted 232-6 in plenary session earlier this week to pass on
third and final reading House Bill 7805, the substitute bill to the proposed
Internet Transactions Act, which seeks to ensure safety in the online trade
industry that has become popular during the lockdown in the past months as
the nation faced the coronavirus pandemic.
PHILIPPINES SIGNS DEAL TODAY WITH UK VACCINE MAKER
MANILA An agreement for the purchase of two million doses of COVID-19
vaccine from British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca is scheduled to
be signed today, the chief implementer of the governments pandemic policy
said.
TRUMP ACCEPTS TRANSITION TO BIDEN MUST BEGIN
Donald Trump has accepted a formal US transition should begin for
President-elect Joe Biden to take office.
The president said the federal agency overseeing the handover must "do what
needs to be done", even as he vowed to keep contesting his election defeat.
TRUMP'S PROMISE: US TURNS OVER WEAPONS TO PHILIPPINES
MANILA - The United States government on Monday turned over precision-guided
munitions worth P868 million ($18 million) to the Philippines.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the latest donation
fulfills the promise that US President Donald Trump made during a phone call
with President Rodrigo Duterte in April.
PENNSYLVANIA JUDGE TOSSES OUT TRUMP ELECTION FRAUD CLAIMS
With a withering opinion, a federal judge on Saturday threw out President
Donald Trump's last remaining legal challenge seeking to invalidate
Pennsylvania's election results, all but ensuring the state will finalize
its vote tally as planned this week.
HOUSE TO SEEK ADDITIONAL P5 BILLION IN 2021 CALAMITY FUND
MANILA - The House of Representatives will seek to hike the calamity fund
for 2021 by at least P5 billion, which will be used for the reconstruction
of areas devastated by the recent string of typhoons.
TRUMP CAMPAIGN DROPS MICHIGAN ELECTION SUIT; BIDEN'S COVID ADVISERS WARN ON
STALLED TRANSITION
President Donald Trumps re-election campaign said on Thursday it was
withdrawing its lawsuit disputing vote results in Michigan, in another
faltering legal attempt to challenge the Nov. 3 victory of U.S.
President-elect Joe Biden.
DUTERTE TO JOIN TRUMP, XI, PUTIN IN VIRTUAL APEC
MANILA President Duterte joins other world leaders including United States
President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President
Vladimir Putin in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) virtual
summit tonight.
WILL CONTINUE DIALOGUE: MEA ON LADAKH BORDER STANDOFF WITH CHINA
India on Thursday said it will continue dialogue and communication through
military and diplomatic channels with China on the border standoff in
eastern Ladakh and that both sides have agreed to hold another round of
talks soon.
UN-DESIGNATED TERROR GROUP JAISH-E-MOHAMMED THREATENS FRENCH PRESIDENT
MACRON
UN-designated terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has warned French
President Emmanuel Macron and "others like him" that they will be targeted
by those ready to be "sacrificed for the honour of the Prophet", said a
report.
DUTERTE WARNS ROBREDO OF 2022 NIGHTMARE
MANILA - President Duterte has threatened that things will not be easy
should Vice President Leni Robredo decide to run for president in the 2022
elections as he would be her "nightmare."
PENTAGON TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ IN TRUMP'S WANING DAYS
Pentagon outlines plans to reduce number of US forces in Afghanistan from
approximately 4,500 to 2,500 by mid-January.
Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller said about 2,000 troops would be
pulled out of Afghanistan by January 15 and 500 more would come back from
Iraq, leaving 2,500 in each country.
DUTERTE THREATENS TO DEFUND UP AMID STUDENTS' PROTEST VS DISASTER RESPONSE,
PANDEMIC HANDLING
MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to stop funding the University
of the Philippines (UP) following calls from students for an academic strike
against the alleged negligence of the current administration in disaster
response and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
MODERNA VACCINE FOUND TO BE 94.5% EFFECTIVE
Moderna Inc's experimental vaccine was 94.5% effective in preventing
COVID-19 based on interim data from a late-stage trial, the company said on
Monday, becoming the second U.S. drugmaker to report results that far exceed
expectations.
CEBU IMPLEMENTS 'ODD-EVEN' QUARANTINE PASSES, STRICTER CONTROLS AS COVID-19
CASES RISE
MANILA - The local government of Cebu City will reimpose stricter quarantine
measures, including border control, due to the rising number of COVID-19
cases.
TRUMP BLOCKADE THWARTS US PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN AS WORLD RECOGNIZES
WINNER
The world is moving forward to work with the new president-elect, Joe Biden,
even as President Donald Trump refuses to concede.
More world leaders have congratulated United States President-elect Joe
Biden than have Republican politicians in the United States.
DILG: 14 DEAD, 3 MISSING, MORE THAN 345K IN SHELTERS DUE TO TYPHOON ULYSSES
MANILA Typhoon Ulysses, which battered the capital region and parts of
Luzon this week, has so far left 14 dead, three missing, and more than
345,000 in evacuation centers, the interior department said Friday.
US EMBASSY WELCOMES EXTENDED SUSPENSION OF VFA TERMINATION
MANILA - The Embassy of the United States in Manila welcomed Thursday the
Philippine government's decision to postpone anew the termination of the
Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) for another six months.
PHILIPPINES TO BORROW $300 MILLION FOR CORONAVIRUS VACCINE: DUTERTE
MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said the Philippines will
borrow around $300 million to purchase a coronavirus vaccine.
TRUMP ADMIN REFUSES TO HAND OVER KEYS TO BIDEN TRANSITION TEAM
The Trump administration threw the presidential transition into tumult on
Monday, with President Donald Trump blocking government officials from
cooperating with President-elect Joe Biden's team and Attorney General
William Barr authorizing the Justice Department to probe unsubstantiated
allegations of voter fraud.
PHILIPPINE ECONOMY SHRINKS 11.5 PCT IN Q3, SECOND WORST QUARTERLY
CONTRACTION ON RECORD
MANILA - The Philippine economy shrank 11.5 percent in the third quarter,
the second worst quarterly contraction on record and marking the first time
in 35 years that the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) saw three
straight quarters of negative growth, the state statistics bureau said on
Tuesday.
PALACE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH BIDEN
MANILA Malacañang led yesterday a wave of congratulatory messages from
various sectors in the Philippines for Democratic candidate Joe Bidens
election victory in the United States, and vowed to further strengthen
Manilas ties with Washington.
BIDEN EXPANDS LEAD IN BATTLEGROUND STATES, TRUMP DIGS IN
Democrat Joe Biden moved closer to winning the White House on Friday as he
expanded his lead over President Donald Trump in battleground states, but
television networks held off from declaring him the victor as officials
continued to count votes.
BIDEN CLOSE TO WINNING AFTER FLIPPING KEY STATES
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday took crucial leads
over Donald Trump in the key battleground states of Georgia (16) and
Pennsylvania (20), bringing him on the cusp of a historic victory over the
incumbent Republican United States President in the closely-fought election.
In Georgia, after the latest round of counting results, Biden edged past
Trump with a slender lead of over 4,300 votes, a remarkable achievement for
the 77-year-old former vice president who until Wednesday night was trailing
his rival by more than 50,000 votes.
US POLL RESULTS STILL AWAITED: TRUMP REPEATS HIS POLL FRAUD CLAIMS
Though weary Americans will have to wait for some more time to know the
clear winner of the closely-fought election between Republican President
Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden, the former has renewed his
claims that Democrats are trying to steal the election from him, and said
that he would win if legal votes are counted. Meanwhile, Biden has
expressed confidence in becoming the next president of the United States
after the counting of all votes is concluded.
JOE BIDEN CUTS DONALD TRUMP'S LEAD IN GEORGIA TO LESS THAN 1,800 VOTES
Results continue to pour in from across the United States. Democratic Party
candidate and former vice president Joe Biden is taking on Republican
Party's nominee and incumbent President Donald Trump.
TWITTER FLAGS TRUMP TWEETS AS BATTLE SPILLS TO SOCIAL MEDIA
At least five of President Donald Trump's tweets about election results-on
Wednesday morning alone-were flagged as false or misleading by Twitter.
Twitter has flagged multiple tweets from the president over the course of
just 12 hours between midnight on Election Night and the morning of November
4. Nearly all of the tweets flagged by the social media company's moderators
make baseless claims about voter fraud and mail-in ballots.
BIDEN ALMOST THERE; TRUMP CRIES FOUL
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden won Michigan and Wisconsin
Wednesday, putting him on the brink of taking the White House from President
Donald Trump, hours after the presidents team opened legal fights to stop
vote counting in at least two states.
DEMOCRATS, HOPING FOR A LANDSLIDE, FACE A NAIL-BITER.
Cheered by polls and strong early vote tallies, some Democrats went into
Election Day hoping for a clear repudiation of President Trump and an
Electoral College landslide. But as the counting rolled on into Tuesday
night, it appeared more likely that the contest would turn into a
state-by-state slog that could drag deeper into the week.
US POLLS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL, BUT TRUMP EDGES AHEAD IN EARLY TRENDS
President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are battling it
out for the White House, with polls gradually closing across the United
States Tuesday and a long night of waiting for results ahead.
2 KILLED IN VIENNA "TERROR ATTACK" AT 6 LOCATIONS; 1 GUNMAN SHOT DEAD
A huge manhunt was under way Tuesday after gunmen opened fire at multiple
locations across central Vienna, killing at least two people and wounding
several more in what Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz describes as a
"repulsive terror attack".
DUTERTE TELLS #NASAANANGPANGULO CRITICS: WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?
MANILA President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday fired back against critics of
his absence from public eye during the onslaught of this year's strongest
storm that destroyed thousands of houses, left billions of pesos in damage
and killed at least 16 people.
DONALD TRUMP WARNS THERE WILL BE 'BEDLAM' DURING VOTE COUNT
The ugliest election campaign in modern US history is drawing to a close
with intimation of violence and intimidation of Democrats opposition and its
voters, implicitly endorsed by President Donald Trump, coming to the fore 48
hours before the final round of balloting begins on Tuesday.
'ROLLY' LEAVES AT LEAST 10 DEAD, 108.5K FAMILIES IN EVACUATION CENTERS
MANILA Typhoon Rolly that battered Bicol and parts of Luzon left at least
10 people dead and affected more than two million Filipinos, the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Monday.
POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE JOLTS TURKEY AND GREECE
Turkey is reeling under the impact of an earthquake that shocked the country
on Friday as tremors of a magnitude of 7 on the Richter Scale hit the Aegean
Sea, leading to massive loss of life and property.
DUTERTE CREATES TASK FORCE ON COVID-19 IMMUNIZATION
MANILA The government is setting up a task force to manage the
distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available, as well as the
conduct of nationwide immunization.
FRANCE CHURCH ATTACK: 3 DEAD, COUNTRY ON HIGH ALERT
A young Tunisian man armed with a knife and carrying a copy of the Quran
attacked worshippers in a French church and killed three Thursday, prompting
the government to raise its security alert to the maximum level hours before
a nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
PALACE URGED TO FORM PANEL TO LOOK INTO INFLUX OF CHINESE NATIONALS
MANILA Sen. Francis Pangilinan on Thursday called on Malacañang to form an
inter-agency task force to investigate the increased presence of Chinese
nationals in the country.
INDIA SLAMS TURKEY, PAKISTAN FOR ATTACKS ON MACRON
In a rare move, India on Wednesday came out in support of France’s President Emmanuel Macron, whom Pakistan and Turkey have targeted for strongly defending the French people’s right to freedom of expression.
SC WELCOMES 'MEGA TASK FORCE' HELP, NOTES JUDICIARY HAS OWN INVESTIGATIVE
SYSTEM
MANILA The Supreme Court welcomed Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarras
offer to assist in weeding out corruption in the Judiciary, as it noted that
the tribunal has its own bodies to investigate its ranks.
BLUEPRINT SIGN OF DEMOCRATIC POLICYMAKING
When the Communist Party of China draws up the blueprint for the country's socioeconomic development for the next five years and beyond, people's concerns matter to its policymaking.
TRUMP'S PICK AMY CONEY BARRETT SWORN IN AS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in as the 115th Supreme Court justice Monday
evening, elevating a disciple of the late Justice Antonin Scalia to succeed
the late liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg and establishing a broad
conservative majority for the first time since the 1930s.
LOCSIN PROMISES 'SEVERE' RESPONSE TO RECALLED ENVOY'S ALLEGED MALTREATMENT
OF STAFF
MANILA Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday said his
department would conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the alleged
incidents of physical abuse of her household staff by the recently-recalled
Philippine ambassador to Brazil.
PROMISES TO OPEN UP SEEN AS TRUSTWORTHY
The world should have faith in China's commitment to further opening-up as the country, by delivering its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) blueprint, is expected to map out more ambitious tasks in order to reinforce high-quality economic, technological and cultural engagement with the rest of the world, observers said.
AMY CONEY BARRETT CONFIRMED TO US SUPREME COURT IN TRUMP PRE-ELECTION
TRIUMPH
The US Senate has confirmed Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in
a victory for President Donald Trump a week before the general election.
Mr Trump's fellow Republicans voted 52-48 to approve the judge, overcoming
the unified opposition of Democrats.
DUTERTE KEEPS METRO MANILA UNDER GCQ UNTIL NOV. 30
MANILA President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday that Metro Manila's 12
million people would remain under general community quarantine, the third
strictest of 4 lockdown levels, until Nov. 30, even as authorities sought to
revive the pandemic-battered economy.
FIFTH PLENUM GETS UNDER WAY IN BEIJING
The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee opened today in Beijing.
NAWAZ SHARIF ASKS PAK ARMY CHIEF TO ANSWER FOR COUNTRYS SITUATION
Addressing the rally via video link from London, PML-N supremo and
three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif again blamed Army chief Gen
Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for
Pakistan''s current situation.
PACC TO GIVE CORRUPT LAWMAKERS LIST TO DUTERTE
MANILA The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) will identify
the congressmen allegedly involved in corruption in the Department of Public
Works and Highways (DPWH), but only to President Duterte.
FATF KEEPS PAKISTAN ON ‘GREYLIST’ TILL NEXT REVIEW IN FEBRUARY 2021
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Friday decided to keep Pakistan on the “greylist” till the next review of its compliance to the recommendations in February next year.
HEGEMONY CAN ONLY LEAD TO 'DEAD END'
President Xi Jinping reiterated on Friday China's unwavering commitment to follow a path of peaceful, open, cooperative and common development while warning that the pursuit of unilateralism, protectionism and extreme egoism will "lead to nowhere but a dead end".
US COAST GUARD TO TACKLE CHINA 'ILLEGAL' FISHING IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
WASHINGTON, United States The United States said Friday it will deploy
Coast Guard patrol ships in the western Pacific to counter "destabilizing
and malign" activities by China in disputed fishing grounds of the South
China Sea.
GREATER EFFORTS URGED TO ENSURE 2020 TARGETS MET
A key Party meeting on Thursday called for unrelenting efforts in poverty alleviation, pollution control and prevention, defusing major risks and improving people's livelihoods to ensure the accomplishment of targets and tasks set out in the country's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20).
BIDEN WARNS OF 'DARK WINTER' IN FINAL TRUMP DEBATE
President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden started off their
final presidential debate on Thursday without interrupting each other but
disagreeing on the coronavirus pandemic in a head-to-head match with a
dramatically different tone from their first one.
NO TRASLACION: MANILA CANCELS GRAND PROCESSION OF BLACK
NAZARENE IMAGE FOR 2021
MANILA The Manila city government and Quiapo Church have
agreed to cancel the grand procession of the image of the Black Nazarene in
January 2021 because of the pandemic, the city government said Friday.
CRISIS IN PAKISTAN AS SINDH POLICE RISE IN REVOLT AGAINST ARMY
A high-profile kidnapping of a police chief in Pakistan-allegedly by
official paramilitary troops-has pushed the two-year-old Imran Khan
government to its worst political crisis as Sindh Police has openly risen in
defiance against Pakistan Army. Police officers in Karachi have threatened
to go on mass leave after the Sindh Police chief was allegedly kidnapped and
coerced to act against PML(N) vice president Safdar Awan, the husband of
Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the son-in-law of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif.
POPE FRANCIS: SAME-SEX COUPLES SHOULD BE COVERED BY CIVIL UNION LAWS
ROME - Pope Francis says in a film released on Wednesday that homosexuals
should be protected by civil union laws, in some of the clearest language he
has used on the rights of gay people.
TRUMP TURNS FAUCI INTO CAMPAIGN PAWN, ASSAILING HIM AS 'IDIOT'
US President Donald Trump, during a call with his re-election campaign
staff, slammed America's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and
called him "a disaster". Trump suggested that the largely respected and
popular doctor was an 'idiot'.
DELAYED MARAWI REHAB MAY FUEL VIOLENT EXTREMISM, WATCHDOG WARNS
MANILA The ongoing delay in the rehabilitation of Marawi City, which was
reduced to rubble during a 5-month war against Islamic State-inspired
homegrown terrorists, can fuel resurgence of violent extremism, a
peacebuilding organization warned on Wednesday.
XI HAILS VICTORY 7 DECADES AGO
President Xi Jinping hailed China's victory in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53)−a victory of justice, peace and the people−on Monday as he urged greater contributions to be made in safeguarding global peace and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
BIDEN LEADS TRUMP. SO DID HILLARY CLINTON
The polls are once again delivering feel-good boosts to Democrats: Joe Biden
beats President Donald Trump by 10, 11 or 12 points nationally, depending on
the day. His edge in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin averages eight.
Experts promise better than 4-in-5 odds of a new president next year.
But then the partisans remember that they have been here before, four years
ago this week. The conflicting emotions can be overwhelming.
DUTERTE SAYS 'MIGHT TAKE SOME TIME' MORE TO REBUILD MARAWI
MANILA - Three years since the liberation of Marawi from terrorists,
President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday that the government "might take some
time" before it could rebuild the southern city, the pace of which was
criticized by some residents.
XI HIGHLIGHTS CRUCIAL ROLE OF QUANTUM TECH
President Xi Jinping has stressed that China will advance the development of quantum science and technology with more strategic planning, supportive policies and investment, with the aim of fostering a favorable environment for basic research, innovation, talent training and commercialization in this field.
FRENCH PREMIER JOINS NATIONWIDE TRIBUTES TO BEHEADED TEACHER
France's prime minister joined demonstrators on Sunday who rallied together
across the country in tribute to a history teacher who was beheaded near
Paris after discussing caricatures of the Prophet with his class.
WEST PHILIPPINE SEA OIL EXPLORATION OK, BUT NOT WITH CHINA
MANILA, Philippines President Dutertes move to lift the moratorium on oil
exploration in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) would be beneficial for the
country, but the government must bar China from any joint venture to exploit
mineral resources in the area until Beijing abides by the 2016 ruling of the
Permanent Court of Arbitration, senators said yesterday.
CHINA'S SHANXI OFFERS OVER 3 BILLION YUAN OF MICROLOANS FOR POVERTY REDUCTION
North China's Shanxi province has offered some 3.32 billion yuan (about $494 million) of microloans for poverty alleviation since the start of this year, according to local authorities.
Some 74,500 registered impoverished households have benefited from the microloans, said an official of the provincial poverty alleviation office.
FORMER PAK PM NAWAZ SHARIF ACCUSES COUNTRY'S ARMY CHIEF OF TOPPLING HIS GOVT
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday accused the country's
army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa of toppling his government, pressuring the
judiciary, and installing the current government of Prime Minister Imran
Khan in the 2018 elections.
HOUSE APPROVES 2021 NATIONAL BUDGET ON FINAL READING
MANILA - The House of Representatives on Friday approved on third and final
reading the proposed P4.506 trillion national budget for 2021.
The passage of the proposed national budget by the lower chamber was
consistent with the commitment of the newly installed House Speaker to pass
the 2021 national budget in time to prevent a reenacted one.
DELAYS EXPECTED IN U.S. ELECTION RESULTS AS MORE VOTERS OPT FOR MAIL-IN
BALLOTS
Results from the 2020 election will likely be late-and that's not a bad
thing. As more and more Americans choose not to risk the polls and opt for
mail-in ballots in advance of the November elections, experts are advising
that election night 2020 won't look like it usually does. The process of
counting votes will likely stretch far beyond election night, with final
results taking days and possibly even weeks to emerge. Election officials
are stressing that this delay is a good thing-taking a long time ensures
that the count will be more accurate.
DUTERTE SLAMS DPWH CORRUPTION, BUT STILL TRUSTS VILLAR
MANILA President Dutertes trust and confidence in Public Works and
Highways Secretary Mark Villar remain despite the Chief Executives
expressing disappointment over reports of corruption in the DPWH mostly
involving project officers and contractors.
XI: FORGE AHEAD WITH REFORM, OPENING-UP
President Xi Jinping reaffirmed on Wednesday China's commitment to forging ahead with reform and opening-up as he outlined a new vision for Shenzhen 40 years after it was set up as the country's first special economic zone.
CORONAVIRUS: FRANCE TO IMPOSE NIGHT-TIME CURFEW TO BATTLE SECOND WAVE
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a night-time curfew in Paris
and eight other cities to try to curb the rapid spread of coronavirus.
The measure - from 21:00 to 06:00 - will come into effect from Saturday and
last for at least four weeks, Mr Macron said in a televised interview.
'NAKAHANAP NA AKO NG PERA': DUTERTE SAYS FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR COVID-19
VACCINE
MANILA Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday his
government has the money to procure coronavirus vaccines but he would need
more as he wants to inoculate the countrys entire population.
CHINA, RUSSIA ELECTED TO U.N. RIGHTS COUNCIL; SAUDI ARABIA FAILS
China and Russia were elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council on
Tuesday, but support for Beijing dropped by more than 20 percent compared
with a 2016 vote and Saudi Arabia failed in its bid to win a seat on the
Geneva-based body.
While numerous projects are underway to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology, pure hydrogen fuel cell systems developed for large modes of transport such as vessels, railroad vehicles, and construction machinery will require unique engineering and capabilities to withstand the requirements of the applications.
CAYETANO CONCEDES TO VELASCO, RESIGNS AS HOUSE SPEAKER
Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano ended weeks of leadership tug-of-war
at the House of Representatives when he offered his irrevocable resignation
as House Speaker on Tuesday acknowledging the election of his archnemesis
Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.
SHENZHEN AIMS TO BE WORLD HUB OF INNOVATION
Shenzhen, a high-tech hub adjacent to Hong Kong, is expected to further grow into a center of innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity with global influence and strong policy support from the central government, experts said.
AMERICANS WIN NOBEL PRIZE IN ECONOMICS FOR WORK ON AUCTION THEORY
Americans Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson have won the Nobel Prize in
economics for improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction
formats.
NATL PRIVACY COMMISSION PROBES 11 ESTABLISHMENTS FOR ALLEGED DATA BREACH
MANILA Eleven establishments are under investigation after complaints
surfaced that the personal data of customers were being used aside from
contact tracing, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) said Tuesday.
PRESIDENT XI TO DELIVER A SPEECH CELEBRATING SHENZHEN'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY AS SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE
President Xi Jinping will attend a grand gathering celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on Wednesday morning.
TRUMP INSISTS HE'S FREE OF COVID-19 VIRUS AND READY FOR CAMPAIGN TRAIL
President Donald Trump is no longer contagious, nine days after being
stopped in his tracks by COVID-19, his physician said in a statement
released late on Saturday.
GOVERNMENT KEEN ON DECLARING CLIMATE EMERGENCY CIMATU
MANILA A climate emergency may be declared by government to compel a
whole-nation effort in addressing the worsening impact of climate change on
the environment, economy and communities, a Cabinet official said yesterday.
XI'S DISCOURSES ON COORDINATING EPIDEMIC CONTROL WITH ECONOMIC, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED
A compilation of discourses of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on coordinating epidemic control with economic and social development has been published by the Central Party Literature Press.
CHINA SAYS PANDEMIC BROKE OUT IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD BEFORE WUHAN
REPORTED
Nearly a year after the country became the epicenter for the deadly
coronavirus outbreak that has cast a huge shadow on the entire world, China
on Friday made audacious claims that the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in
several parts of the world but it was reported only in the Chinese mainland,
and that it was the only country that acted first.
DUTERTE CERTIFIES 2021 BUDGET AS URGENT AS HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP FEUD RAGES
MANILA President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking the speedy passage of the 2021
national budget that includes funds for the coronavirus pandemic response,
Malacañang said Friday, as lawmakers tussled for the top post of the House
of Representatives.
PEOPLE-CENTERED CONCEPT TO CHART NEW ROAD MAP
The idea of a people-centered development concept, a prominent feature of President Xi Jinping's economic thought, demonstrates China's pragmatic and people-oriented policy approach to restore social and economic activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and such an approach will continue to guide the nation's future economic policy as policymakers draft the next five-year plan, experts said.
VICE-PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: HARRIS TILTS AT TRUMP OVER VIRUS; PENCE TARGETS
TAXES
US Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic challenger Kamala Harris
squared off in the first and only vice presidential debate ahead of the US
polling day on November 3. While sparks flew from both sides on issues
ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to trade, the debate was markedly less
chaotic and more disciplined than the one between President Donald Trump and
former Vice President Joe Biden last week.
43 PHILHEALTH OFFICIALS RESIGN, RETIRE AMID ALLEGED ANOMALIES
MANILA - The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Thursday said
a total of 43 senior officers have either tendered their courtesy
resignation or retired from service.
In a statement, PhilHealth said 43 officers responded to a Sept. 30 memo
issued by PhilHealth President and CEO Atty. Dante Gieran, which directed
all senior officers from Salary Grade 26 and above to tender their courtesy
resignation.
CHINA TO SEE SURGE IN TRAIN TRIPS AS HOLIDAY DRAWS TO CLOSE
China will see a surge in train trips on Thursday as an eight-day national holiday draws to a close, according to the China State Railway Group Co Ltd.
On Thursday, 13 million train trips are expected, and 1,234 additional trains have been put into operation to handle the spike in trips involving tourism and family visits.
SCIENTISTS WIN HISTORIC NOBEL CHEMISTRY PRIZE FOR 'GENETIC SCISSORS'
This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the discovery of the
CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system, which has-for the first time-enabled
scientists to make precise changes in the long stretches of DNA that make up
the code of life for many organisms, including people. The prize was shared
by Emmanuelle Charpentier, a microbiologist and director of the Berlin-based
Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, and Jennifer A. Doudna, a
professor and biochemist at the University of California, Berkeley.
CABINET TO TACKLE REOPENING OF ECONOMY
MANILA The proposal of economic managers to further reopen the economy to
address the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, including higher hunger
incidence and malnutrition among children, would be discussed by President
Duterte during the Cabinet meeting on Monday, presidential spokesman Harry
Roque Jr. said yesterday.
NEW CFA JUDGE SHOWS TRUST IN HK'S JUDICIARY
A top foreign judge accepting an offer to serve on Hong Kong's highest appellate court showed the international community's trust in the city's judicial system, Hong Kong's leader and a legal expert said on Monday.
TRUMP READY TO DEBATE WITH BIDEN, HOWEVER HIS CAMPAIGN OPPOSES MODERATOR
GETTING A MUTE BUTTON
U.S. President Donald Trump is ready to participate in the next presidential
debate with 2020 Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Miami, Florida later this
month, a campaign spokesman said on Monday.
DOJ TO PRIORITIZE DRUGS CASES FOLLOWING DUTERTE DIRECTIVE TO DESTROY DRUGS
MANILA Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra is set to issue a memorandum
circular ordering prosecutors to prioritize drug cases following President
Rodrigo Dutertes directive to authorities to destroy seized illegal drugs.
In accordance with the president's directive, the DOJ will issue a memo
circular to all prosecutors investigating drug cases to give top priority to
the resolution of the same, to file the informations asap, and to move for a
court order to conduct ocular inspection of and destroy the seized drugs,
precursors, etc within the time specified in RA 9165, Guevarra said in a
text message Wednesday.
DONALD TRUMP, STILL CONTAGIOUS, BACK AT WHITE HOUSE - WITHOUT MASK
Just three nights after he was hospitalized for COVID-19, U.S. President
Donald Trump, still likely contagious with COVID-19, left Walter Reed
National Military Medical Centre and returned to the White House.
PHILIPPINE INFLATION SLOWS TO 2.3 PERCENT IN SEPTEMBER
MANILA - Philippine inflation slowed to a four-month low in September
government data released on Tuesday showed, driven by lower food and
non-alcoholic beverage prices.
CONSUMER SPENDING UP DURING NATIONAL HOLIDAY
Chinese consumers appear to be spending more money during the National Day holiday than last year.
On the first two days of the eight-day holiday, Chinese consumers spent 628 billion yuan ($92.6 billion) by UnionPay card, up 11.8 percent year-on-year, according to UnionPay.
DONALD TRUMP CAN BE DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL SOON,' SAYS HIS MEDICAL TEAM
US President Donald Trump has surprised supporters gathered outside the
hospital where he is being treated with Covid-19 by riding past in a
motorcade.
PUBLIC SCHOOL LEARNERS RESUME STUDIES THROUGH DISTANCE LEARNING
MANILA - Some 22.5 million students in public schools in the Philippines
finally resumed their studies on Monday through distance learning, which is
being implemented on a nationwide scale for the first time due to the
pandemic, with some students, parents and teachers airing skepticism about
the new learning mode.
U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND FIRST LADY TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
With just over a month to go for the Presidential election, U.S. President
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump announced that they had tested
positive for the coronavirus. The news will mean a dramatic reduction in the
in-person rallies Trump can hold in October and has cast doubt on whether
the President will be able to participate in the next presidential debate
scheduled for October 15.
VELASCO ALLIES BEING EASED OUT OF POSTS
Mikee Romero removed as deputy speaker
MANILA — The speakership war in the House of Representatives has claimed its
first casualty.
US ELECTION DEBATE 2020: A NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT
It was a debate unlike any other in American presidential history. In fact,
it was not much of a debate at all, with President Donald Trump coming out
of the starting blocks intending to talk over anyone else on stage,
including Democratic rival Joe Biden and moderator Chris Wallace.
NO LUNETA 'TRASLACION'? QUIAPO CHURCH EYES CHANGES IN BLACK NAZARENE FEAST
AMID PANDEMIC
How will the Catholic Church celebrate the Feast of the Black Nazarene in
the time of COVID-19?
Fr. Douglas Badong, vicar of Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, said the
church's procession committee is considering several proposals on how to
conduct the Traslacion next year including the possible cancellation of the
procession in Rizal Park to ensure physical distancing rules are followed.
HOLIDAY TROUBLEMAKERS WARNED IN HK
The central government's liaison office in Hong Kong warned on Tuesday against reported plans for unlawful activities on National Day, stressing zero tolerance for what it called reckless acts now that the National Security Law is in force.
JOE BIDEN-TRUMP EXCHANGE ATTACKS AT US PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
The first presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden featured
a chaotic series of bitter exchanges and name-calling, with the president
repeatedly speaking over his Democratic rival and the moderator struggling
to maintain control of the 90-minute affair.
HARDENING STANCE, CHINA REJECTS LADAKH UT, RAISES 1959 CLAIM LINE
Pushing its old claim line in Ladakh and hardening its position on the
situation there, Beijing Tuesday said it does not recognise the Union
Territory of Ladakh and is opposed to the construction of Indian
infrastructure there. This was stated by Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Wang Wenbin yesterday.
SC MOVES FORWARD ON POLL PROTEST, ORDERS COMMENT ON MARCOS' BID FOR
NULLIFICATION OF MINDANAO ELECTIONS
MANILA — The Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has
moved forward on former Sen. Bongbong MarcosÂ’ poll protest against Vice
President Leni Robredo and ordered the Commission on Elections on pending
issues on the case.
CHINA HOLDS SIMULTANEOUS MILITARY DRILLS IN FOUR SEAS
China has begun five military exercises simultaneously along different parts
of its coast, the second time in two months it will have such concurrent
drills against a backdrop of rising regional tensions.
DUTERTE BLASTS FACEBOOK OVER REMOVAL OF PH MILITARY 'ADVOCACY' ACCOUNTS
MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday lashed out at Facebook for
taking down Philippine military "advocacy" accounts and pages from its
platform.
CHINA REJECTS HAGUE RULING ANEW, CITES 'AGREEMENT' WITH DUTERTE TO 'CLOSE
THE OLD CHAPTER'
MANILA— China reiterated Friday it does not recognize the 2016 arbitral
ruling invalidating its 9-dash line claim over nearly all of the South China
Sea— a legal victory that President Rodrigo Duterte invoked in his historic
speech before the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
XI'S PLEDGES BOOST GLOBAL POVERTY FIGHT
New measures announced by President Xi Jinping to support the United Nations will offer a strong boost to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, bolster the level of food security and reduce extreme poverty for the world's least developed countries, officials and experts said.
ENORMOUS DIVISIONS ON UNSC EXPANSION REFORMS NEED PACKAGE SOLUTION, SAYS
CHINA
China today said that it is willing to work with other UN members to seek a
package solution for security council reforms which can accommodate all
parties' interests and concerns through dialogue and negotiation.
PALACE SHIELDS PH TRADE WITH CHINA FROM DUTERTE'S HISTORIC ASSERTION OF SEA
RIGHTS
MANILA— The Philippines will "move on" with trade and investments with
China, Malacañang said Thursday as it shielded renewed economic ties with
the economic superpower from President Rodrigo Duterte's historic assertion
of Manila's sea rights before the United Nations.
FIRST FEMALE ARMY PILOTS TO GRADUATE SOON
The first 10 female flight students trained by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force are expected to graduate and join operational units in 2021.
‘BIRTHERISM’ LIES ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS EXCEED THOSE ABOUT OBAMA
Toxic misinformation has continued reaching new heights in 2020, one sign of
that is the “Birtherism” misinformation about Senator Kamala Harris, the
Democratic vice-presidential nominee, now exceeds that about President
Barack Obama at its peak in 2017, according to a new analysis.
CAVITE AIRPORT BUILDER TO BE TAGGED IN CASE VS CHINA'S XI
MANILA — A Chinese firm that is set to build an airport in Cavite province
will be included in the case against Chinese President Xi Jinping before the
International Criminal Court, one of its petitioners said Thursday.
XI: JOIN HANDS TO MEET GLOBAL CHALLENGES
China has no intention of fighting a Cold War or a hot war with any country, nor will it seek hegemony, expansion or a sphere of influence, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.
XI: JOIN HANDS TO MEET GLOBAL CHALLENGES
Chinese President Xi Jinping during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday assured the countries that China has no intention to fight a cold war or a hot one with any country.
ALL COUNTRIES MUST GET ACCESS TO COVID-19 VACCINE, DUTERTE TELLS UN
MANILA - In his first appearance at the UN General Assembly, President
Rodrigo Duterte said all countries should get access to coronavirus vaccines
once these have been developed, deemed effective and distributed to the
public.
In a pre-recorded video message to the UN convention that aired early
Wednesday (Manila time), Duterte emphasized "ensuring universal access" to
medicines and technology to combat COVID-19 "is pivotal in the global
pandemic recovery."
"The world is in the race to find a safe and effective vaccine. When the
world finds that vaccine, access to it must not be denied nor withheld. It
should be made available to all, rich and poor nations alike, as a matter of
policy," he said during the UN's 75th anniversary.
"The Philippines joins our partners in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast
Asian Nations) and the Non-Aligned Movement in raising our collective voice:
the COVID-19 vaccine must be considered a global public good."
XI: NO NATION SHOULD ACT LIKE BOSS OF WORLD
China firmly supports the United Nations' central role in global affairs and opposes any country acting like boss of the world, President Xi Jinping said on Monday.
75TH U.N. ANNIVERSARY: SURPLUS OF MULTILATERAL CHALLENGES, DEFICIT OF
MULTILTERAL SOLUTIONS, SAYS GUTTERES
The United Nations marked its 75th anniversary Monday amid a global pandemic
and other serious challenges that the secretary-general said highlight the
urgency for stronger international cooperation.
DUTERTE TO ADDRESS UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR FIRST TIME
MANILA — President Duterte will address the United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) for the first time today, even as some international groups renew
their condemnation of alleged abuses tied to his controversial war on
illegal drugs.
NATION HONORS UN, MULTILATERALISM PLEDGE
When President Xi Jinping attended the high-level meetings for the 70th anniversary of the United Nations in New York in 2015, he called on the international community to remain committed to multilateralism and mutually beneficial cooperation for a better world.
DONALD TRUMP PRESSES FOR NEW JUSTICE TO REPLACE RUTH BADER GINSBURG AMID
LOOMING ELECTION
President Donald Trump is expected to ignore the dying wish of late Supreme
Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and nominate her replacement in the coming
days in a rush to hurry through a conservative judge before the election.
PHILIPPINE MONEY REMITTERS FLAGGED IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ‘SUSPICIOUS’
TRANSACTIONS
MANILA (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism) — Filipino
remittance firms were investigated in the aftermath of the 2016 cyber-heist
that siphoned off $81 million from the central bank of Bangladesh.
CHINA SENDS FIGHTERS TOWARDS TAIWAN
While tensions remain high and a military build-up continues along the Line
of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, China has ratcheted up tensions on its
eastern front, with 18 Chinese fighters and bombers crossing the mid-line of
the Taiwan Strait and flying towards Taiwan in a major show of military
force.
DUTERTE PLACES PHILIPPINES UNDER STATE OF CALAMITY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2021
MANILA — The Philippines will remain under a state of calamity for one more
year as it continues to grapple with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Rodrigo Duterte extended the period of the state of calamity until
Sept. 12, 2021 through Proclamation No. 1021.
BIDEN SAYS US TRADE DEAL HINGES ON UK 'RESPECT' FOR GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT
US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has warned the United Kingdom
it must honour Northern Ireland's 1998 peace agreement as it withdraws from
the European Union or there would be no separate United States trade deal.
EU PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS ‘RAPIDLY DETERIORATING’ STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS, PRESS
FREEDOM IN PHILIPPINES
MANILA - The European Parliament adopted a resolution Thursday calling on
the Philippine government to grant ABS-CBN Corp.'s broadcast license, nearly
5 months after President Rodrigo Duterte's allies in Congress rejected to
renew its permit to operate on TV and radio.
PRESIDENT: PROMOTE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT OF PRIVATE SECTOR
President Xi Jinping has underlined the importance of the private economy in the country's overall development and has urged efforts to unite people engaging in private business to promote the sector's healthy development.
FED TOUTS ECONOMIC RECOVERY, VOWS TO KEEP INTEREST RATES LOW
The Federal Reserve kept its pledge to keep interest rates anchored near
zero and promised to keep rates there until inflation rises consistently.
CARPIO TO ACT AS COUNSEL IN ICC CASE VS XI
MANILA — Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio will
stand as legal counsel in the case filed before the International Criminal
Court (ICC) by former Philippine officials against Chinese President Xi
Jinping and other Chinese officials over ChinaÂ’s incursions in the South
China Sea.
TRUMP THREATENS TO RETALIATE WITH '1,000 TIMES GREATER' FORCE AGAINST ANY
IRAN ATTACK
Donald Trump has warned that the US will retaliate with "1,000 times
greater" force against any Iranian attack on its interests.
SENATE, HOUSE SLAM PHILHEALTH PROBE REPORT
Palace: Duque not yet off the hook
MANILA — Lawmakers including those from the administration slammed yesterday
the findings of a special task force that investigated alleged anomalies in
the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., particularly the non-inclusion of
Health Secretary and PhilHealth chairman Francisco Duque III in the list of
those recommended for criminal charges.
CHINA, EU TO BOOST STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
China and the European Union reaffirmed their goal of concluding talks on the bilateral investment agreement before year's end and agreed to bolster cooperation on green development and the digital sector during a leaders' meeting on Monday.
DUTERTE APPROVES FILING CRIMINAL, ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGES VS MORALES, OTHER
PHILHEALTH OFFICIALS
MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday approved the filing of criminal
and administrative charges against former Philippine Health Insurance Corp.
(PhilHealth) president Ricardo Morales and other officials over alleged
corrupt practices.
BREXIT: INTERNAL MARKET BILL CLEARS FIRST HURDLE IN COMMONS
A proposed law giving Boris Johnson's government the power to override parts
of the Brexit agreement with the EU has passed its first hurdle in the
Commons.
GLOBAL OIL DEMAND MAY HAVE PASSED PEAK, SAYS BP ENERGY REPORT
BP has called time on the world's rising demand for fossil fuels after
finding that demand for oil may have already reached its peak and faces an
unprecedented decades-long decline.
PETITIONERS TELL SC, OSG: CANCELING ORAL ARGUMENTS ON ANTI-TERRORISM LAW
'DISSERVICE' TO PUBLIC INTEREST
MANILA — Progressive groups led by BAYAN and a group of Sangguniang Kabataan
leaders urged the Supreme Court to hold oral arguments on the petitions
filed against Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 to allow the public to participate
in discourse on the contentious law.
BAHRAIN BECOMES LATEST ARAB NATION TO RECOGNIZE ISRAEL
Bahrain on Friday agreed to normalize relations with Israel, becoming the
latest Arab nation to do so as part of a broader diplomatic push by
President Donald Trump and his administration to further ease the Jewish
state's relative isolation in the Middle East and find common ground with
nations that share US wariness of Iran.
DUTERTE INVOKES UNCLOS IN CHINESE DEFENSE MINISTER'S VISIT
MANILA - Chinese state councilor and defense minister Wei Fenghe on Friday
paid a courtesy call to President Rodrigo Duterte.
XI STRESSES SOLIDARITY, COOPERATION IN GLOBAL VIRUS FIGHT
President Xi Jinping reiterated the need for united action and coordination between different countries in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as he spoke over the phone with the heads of state of Saudi Arabia and Uruguay on Wednesday night.
EU MULLS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST UK OVER PLAN TO BREAK BREXIT DEAL
The United Kingdom and the European Union held emergency talks on Thursday
over Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to undercut parts of the Brexit
divorce treaty, with Brussels exploring possible legal action against
London.
NTC RECALLS FREQUENCIES, CHANNELS ASSIGNED TO ABS-CBN
MANILA - The National Telecommunications Commission on Thursday recalled the
frequencies assigned to ABS-CBN, which it said was “warranted” in the
absence of a legislative franchise.
PRESIDENT, EU LEADERS TO MEET VIA VIDEO LINK
President Xi Jinping will meet via video link on Monday with European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the rotating chair of the regional bloc, the Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday.
GOVERNMENT DEFENDS SURGE IN BUDGET OF RED-TAGGING TASK FORCE
MANILA — Large sums of money to be allocated to a controversial task force
that has “red-tagged” individuals will fund local economic projects and not
buy arms and escalate the governmentÂ’s fight against communist rebels.
In an online Senate hearing on Wednesday, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado
said the proposed P16.4-billion budget lodged under President Rodrigo
DuterteÂ’s National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict
(NTF-ELCAC) will, in fact, be released to barangays and not to the agency.
XI PRESENTS MEDALS TO COVID FIGHTERS
Solidarity and cooperation are the right choice for the international community to respond to a major crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, while selfishness and scapegoating will harm the people of all countries, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.
DONALD TRUMP SAYS IT'D BE 'INSULT' IF KAMALA HARRIS IS FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT
Attacking Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, US President
Donald Trump on Tuesday said that "people don't like her" and it would be
"an insult" to America if she becomes the President. Addressing a rally in
North Carolina, Trump said, "People don't like her (Kamala Harris)--nobody
likes her. She can never be the first woman president of the US. It will be
an insult to our country."
DUTERTE TELLS AGENCIES TO PUBLISH DETAILS OF INFRA, IRRIGATION PROJECTS IN
NEWSPAPERS
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered agencies to publish details
of infrastructure and irrigation projects, including their status and
winning bidders, saying it would help with detecting collusion among
agencies and contractors.
XI PRAISES COVID ROLE MODELS IN SPEECH
President Xi Jinping attends a meeting to commend role models in China's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic on Tuesday. He presented medals to four outstanding individuals and delivers a speech at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Here are some highlights from his address.
EU WARNS BREXIT TRADE TALKS UNDER THREAT IF UK BACKSLIDES ON DEAL
The European Union told Britain on Monday that there would be no trade deal
if it tried to tinker with the Brexit divorce treaty, raising the prospect
of a tumultuous end-of-year finale to the saga.
DUTERTE SAYS PH HAS FLATTENED COVID-19 CURVE, LAUDS PUBLIC FOR FOLLOWING
HEALTH PROTOCOLS
MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday lauded the public for following
health protocols imposed by government that led to the flattening of the
country's COVID-19 curve.
PRESIDENT TO COMMEND TOP CHAMPIONS IN COVID FIGHT
President Xi Jinping will attend a meeting on Tuesday morning to commend role models in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic and present a national medal and honorary titles to four people for their outstanding contribution during the outbreak.
GERMANY THREATENS RUSSIA WITH SANCTIONS
Tensions deepened between Germany and Russia over the alleged poisoning of
opposition figure Alexei Navalny on Sunday, with Germany threatening
sanctions and Russia accusing Berlin of delaying the investigation it
demanded.
MALAYSIA BARS PINOYS OVER COVID-19 FEARS
MANILA - Starting today, long-term pass holders from the Philippines, India
and Indonesia will be barred from entering Malaysia due to "serious concerns
over the recent increase in the number of confirmed imported COVID-19 cases
from these countries," the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said
yesterday.
XI COMMITS TO FURTHER EASE MARKET ACCESS
President Xi Jinping said on Friday that China will remain steadfast in opening wider to the world, further ease market access for the services sector and actively increase imports of quality services.
WIDESPREAD COVID VACCINATION NOT EXPECTED UNTIL MIDDLE OF NEXT YEAR: WHO
As the threat of the catastrophic COVID-19 pandemic continues to loom over
the globe, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya
Swaminathan said that the worldwide distribution of vaccines on a mass level
against COVID-19 may take place by mid-2021.
DUTERTE OKS GRADUAL RESUMPTION OF TOURISM
MANILA — President Duterte has allowed the gradual resumption of tourism
activities in the country following the decision to place many key cities
and provinces under modified general community quarantine from Sept. 1 to
31.
'PETTY AND DIVISIVE': DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS, MAYORS SLAM TRUMP'S DEFUNDING
THREAT
Democratic mayors and governors lashed out at President Donald Trump after
he issued a memo directing his administration to find federal funds that
could be cut from cities run by Democrats, including "anarchist
jurisdictions."
PH INFLATION EASES TO 2.4 PERCENT IN AUGUST, SLOWEST PACE IN 3 MONTHS
MANILA - Philippine inflation eased in August on slower food and beverage
price movements, according to government data released on Friday.
XI ATTENDS COMMEMORATION OF 75TH VICTORY ANNIVERSARY OF ANTI-JAPANESE WAR, WWII
Chinese leaders led by Xi Jinping on Thursday morning attended a commemoration in Beijing for the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
NBI PRESSES RAPS vs 20 TAGGED IN ‘PASTILLAS’ SCAM
MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation has asked the Office of the
Ombudsman to suspend and prosecute 19 immigration officers it found to have
been running a clandestine escort service known as the “pastillas” racket
that catered mostly to Chinese nationals planning to work in the country
illegally.
PHILIPPINES WONÂ’T STOP PROJECTS OF BLACKLISTED CHINA FIRMS
MANILA— Apart from the Philippines being an independent nation, President
Duterte will not follow the United StatesÂ’ lead in cutting ties with Chinese
firms involved in reclamation activities in the South China Sea because the
country needs investors from China.
YELLOW RIVER PLAYS ROLE IN 'REJUVENATION'
A key Party meeting on Monday stressed the need to promote the intensive and economical utilization of the water resources of the Yellow River to ensure its high-quality development.
DUTERTE: 'REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT' TALKS SHOULD BE IN PUBLIC
MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday that discussions about the
revolutionary government being proposed by a group of his supporters should
be in public, and not in secret.
FIRST DIRECT ISRAEL-UAE FLIGHT LANDS IN ABU DHABI AMID DEAL
A Star of David-adorned El Al plane flew from Israel to the United Arab
Emirates on Monday, carrying a high-ranking American and Israeli delegation
to Abu Dhabi in the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight between
the two countries.
DUTERTE VISITS SULU AFTER TWIN BLASTS
MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday visited Jolo town in Sulu,
nearly a week after twin explosions left at least 15 dead and scores
wounded, Malacañang confirmed.
NATION REMAINS COMMITTED TO REFORM, OPENING-UP
Forty years ago, China created four special economic zones in the southeastern coastal cities of Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou in Guangdong province and Xiamen in Fujian province as part of the country's opening-up drive to encourage foreign investment and boost economic growth.
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN WILL MAKE US A SOCIALIST COUNTRY: TOP REPUBLCIAN LEADERS
Making a passionate plea to re-elect Republican Donald Trump at the 2020
Republican National Convention, Top Indian-American politician, Nikki Haley
said that the United States President has a "record of strength and
success", while his Democratic rival Joe Biden has a "record of weakness and
failure."
PHILIPPINES WON'T CEASE SPRATLY PATROLS DESPITE CHINA CALL VS
'PROVOCATIONS': DFA
MANILA -- The Philippines will sustain its patrol of the Spratly islands
despite China's call for Manila to stop "illegal provocations" in sending
military aircraft near the area, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr
said Wednesday.
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION TOUTS TRUMP, STOKES FEARS IF HE LOSES
On Monday, Mr Trump was officially nominated as a formality to be the
Republican nominee at his party's convention in the city of Charlotte.
TWIN BLASTS ROCK SULU TOWN PLAZA; AT LEAST 15 KILLED, 75 WOUNDED
MANILA - At least seven soldiers, a policeman, and six civilians were
killed, while 75 were injured as twin explosions ripped through the town
plaza of Jolo in the southern province of Sulu on Monday noon, authorities
said.
SYNERGY OF YANGTZE DELTA REGION STRESSED
China has vowed to step up the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta in order to make the region the pacesetter of the new development pattern with the domestic market as the mainstay and the domestic and foreign markets complementing each other.
IF SCIENTISTS RECOMMEND, I WILL SHUT DOWN ECONOMY TO SAVE LIVES FROM
PANDEMIC: JOE BIDEN
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said, if elected, he would be
willing to shut down the country again should there be a second wave of
coronavirus in the US and scientists recommend the move to slow its spread.
UAE, ISRAEL REACH AGREEMENT TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC TIES
Israel and the United Arab Emirates have reached a deal to normalise
relations, with Israel agreeing to suspend its controversial plans to annex
parts of the occupied West Bank.
SC CREATES TWO BODIES TO PURGE JUDICIARY FROM ERRING OFFICIALS, PERSONNEL
MANILA — The Supreme Court has approved the creation of the Judicial
Integrity Board and the Corruption Prevention and Investigation Office to
prevent corruption within the Judiciary.
FOREIGN MINISTRY CALLS ON US TO STOP EXCHANGES WITH TAIWAN
China warned some United States officials on Wednesday not to have illusions on issues concerning China's core interests after US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar's visit to Taiwan and urged him to stop criticizing China's anti-pandemic efforts.
SAUDI ARABIA ENDS A LOAN AND ASSOCIATED OIL SUPPLY TO PAKISTAN FOLLOWING
THREATS TO SPLIT OIC
Saudi Arabia has halted the provision of oil on loan for Pakistan after the
Imran Khan government threatened to split the Organization of Islamic
Countries (OIC) over Kashmir.
HOUSE OKs FREE ANNUAL CHECKUP BILL
MANILA - The House committee on health approved yesterday a bill seeking to
provide free annual medical checkup for Filipinos.
BIDEN VP PICK: KAMALA HARRIS CHOSEN AS RUNNING MATE
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has named Senator Kamala Harris
as his running mate - the first black woman and Asian American in the role.
Once a rival for the top job, the California senator of Indian-Jamaican
heritage had long been considered the front-runner for the number two slot.
HOUSE OKs ‘NEW NORMAL’ BILL
MANILA — The House of Representatives has passed the bill setting public
rules and protocols for the “new normal” in workplace and public spaces
while the country continues to battle the COVID-19 crisis.
CPC GUIDANCE LEADS NATION TO PROSPERITY
Some officials in the United States have been ganging up on the Communist Party of China, but they are turning a blind eye to the fact that the CPC leadership has enabled China to grow into the world's second-largest economy without resorting to warfare, colonialism or slavery.
LEBANESE GOVERNMENT QUITS AMID FURY OVER BEIRUT BLAST
Lebanon's government resigned Monday as the fallout from last week's deadly
explosion deepened a political crisis in the country's blast-ravaged
capital.
BAYANIHAN 2 APPROVED ON FINAL READING
MANILA — Voting 262-6, the House of Representatives approved yesterday on
third and final reading the Bayanihan 2 or the “We Recover as One Act,”
providing a P162-billion fund for government to carry out a roadmap for
economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
CHINA URGES US TO AVOID MISJUDGMENT
China's senior diplomat, Yang Jiechi, urged Washington on Friday to avoid strategic miscalculation about China-US relations and work with Beijing to bring bilateral ties back to the right track.
DUTERTE TO ADDRESS NATION TODAY
DAVAO CITY - President Duterte is set to address the nation from his home
city today where he has been staying since Aug. 3.
LEBANON SEES POSSIBLE 'EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE' IN PORT BLAST
LebanonÂ’s president said an investigation into the Beirut port warehouse
explosion was looking at whether it was caused by negligence, an accident or
possible external interference, his office cited him as telling local media
on Friday.
PHILHEALTH MESS CAN BE TRACED TO PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONÂ’
MANILA — The alleged anomaly in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.
(PhilHealth) could be traced to policies of the state-run health insurer
during the previous administration, a ranking lawmaker has said.
XI CALLS FOR POOLING WISDOM TO DEVISE FIVE-YEAR PLAN
President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of bolstering top-level design and pooling wisdom from the public in devising China's blueprint for development between 2021 and 2025.
TIKTOK: TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO ADDRESS 'THREAT' OF CHINESE APP
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to ban transactions
with TikTok's parent company ByteDance.
The executive order says the US "must take aggressive action against the
owners of TikTok to protect our national security".
LOCSIN, POMPEO DISCUSS US POLICY SHIFT IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
MANILA — The top diplomats of the Philippines and the United States
discussed Washington's latest policy declaration on maritime disputes in the
South China Sea.
XI EXTENDS CONDOLENCES OVER BEIRUT BLAST
President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Wednesday over explosions in the country's capital, Beirut, that killed more than 110 people.
LEBANON DECLARES 2-WEEK STATE OF EMERGENCY AFTER DEADLY TWIN BLASTS
Lebanon's government on Wednesday announced a two-week state of emergency in
the country's capital following Tuesday's devastating explosion in Beirut.
There were two explosions in Beirut on Tuesday afternoon (local time), which
occurred barely within minutes of each other. The explosions took place in
the central port area of the city. In footage on social media, it appears as
though the two blasts were triggered in different buildings. Following the
first blast, the fire spread to a nearby building, triggering a bigger
explosion.
EXPERTS SAY CHINA KEY TO GLOBAL RECOVERY
China could emerge from the coronavirus pandemic with a more dominant economy, replacing the United States as the world's largest within the current decade, according to experts.
JULY INFLATION ACCELERATES TO 2.7 PERCENT, FASTEST IN 6 MONTHS
MANILA - Inflation quickened in July based on government data released on
Wednesday, its fastest pace in 6 months due to rising transport costs.
The consumer price index rose 2.7 percent in July, within the Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas' estimated range of 2.2 to 3 percent, and between 2.2 to 2.8
percent based on a Reuters poll of 13 economists.
CHINA SUSPENDS HK-NZ FUGITIVE DEAL
China has decided to suspend the agreement on surrendering fugitive offenders and the agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between its Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and New Zealand, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced on Monday.
DONALD TRUMP BANS H-1B TECH WORKERS FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order restricting
federal agencies from contracting or subcontracting foreign workers, hurting
Indian IT professionals who work in the US on the H-1B visa.
DUTERTE BANS PHILIPPINES FROM JOINING NAVAL EXERCISES IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
MANILA — The Philippines will no longer be participating in joint maritime
exercises in the South China Sea with other countries, Defense Secretary
Delfin Lorenzana said Monday.
KEY MEETING SETS TONE FOR FURTHER OPENING-UP
Chinese leaders have vowed to strengthen the country's economic opening-up drive, which is not in conflict with its recent emphasis on boosting domestic demand but will benefit the global economic recovery, analysts said.
TRUMP TO GIVE BYTEDANCE 45 DAYS TO DIVEST THE US OPERATIONS OF TIKTOK TO
MICROSOFT
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday he planned to sign an
executive order to ban popular short-video app TikTok in the US, where it
has up to 80 million active monthly users. The app - mostly used by people
under 20 - is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.
DUTERTE PUTS METRO MANILA, NEARBY PROVINCES UNDER MECQ
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the imposition of Modified
Enhanced Community Quarantine in Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and
Bulacan as recommended by members of the Cabinet.
XI UNVEILS BEIDOU FULL-SCALE COVERAGE
President Xi Jinping announced on Friday that China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System has been completed and has started providing full-scale global services that day.
LOCSIN: FILIPINOS LEAVING SABAH SHOULD NOT BE CALLED REPATRIATES
MANILA - Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Friday said
Filipinos leaving Sabah due to the COVID-19 pandemic should not be called
repatriates.
TRUMP NOW SAYS HE DOESN'T WANT TO POSTPONE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN
NOVEMBER
President Donald Trump has walked back his controversial suggestion to delay
the November 3 elections in the face of fierce opposition from even
Republicans.
XI DECLARES START OF BEIDOU'S FULL-SCALE GLOBAL SERVICE
President Xi Jinping announced on Friday morning that China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System has been completed and started providing full-scale global services on the day.
DONALD TRUMP RAISES POSSIBILITY OF DELAYING THE ELECTION
US President Donald Trump on Thursday raised the possibility of delaying the
nation's November 3 presidential election, though the Constitution bestows
that power on Congress, not the president.
GCQ IN METRO MANILA EXTENDED UNTIL AUG. 15 DESPITE INCREASE IN COVID-19
CASES
MANILA -- President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the general community in
Metro Manila to Aug. 15 despite the rising number of COVID-19 infections in
the country.
PRESIDENT PROMOTES PLA OFFICER TO RANK OF GENERAL
President Xi Jinping promoted Xu Zhongbo, political commissar of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, to the rank of general on Wednesday.
FOUR BIG TECH CEOs GETTING HEAT FROM CONGRESS ON COMPETITION
Fending off accusations of stifling competition, four Big Tech CEOs -
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai of Google and
Tim Cook of Apple - are answering for their companies' practices before
Congress as a House panel caps its yearlong investigation of market
dominance in the industry.
PHILIPPINES WILL NEVER ABANDON SABAH, SPRATLYS CLAIM: LOCSIN
MANILA - Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. stood pat on his
statement about the Philippines' claim to Sabah after the Malaysian
government summoned the Philippine Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur to explain
LocsinÂ’s tweet that "Sabah is not in Malaysia."
XI URGES AIIB TO ENGAGE MORE PARTNERS
President Xi Jinping called on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on Tuesday to make itself a new platform promoting development among all members and facilitating the building of a community with a shared future for mankind in the context of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
'SIGURO BINGI SILA': PALACE SLAMS CRITICS WHO SAY GOV'T LACKS COVID-19
RECOVERY PLAN
MANILA-- Malacañang dismissed Tuesday claims that the government has no
pandemic recovery roadmap after President Rodrigo Duterte's fifth State of
the Nation Address failed to detail such a plan.
CORONAVIRUS: TRUMP STICKS BY REVOKED HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday once again endorsed the use of
anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of the coronavirus,
AP reported. Trump also claimed that the drug was rejected as a treatment
only because he had supported it.
CLOSURE OF US CONSULATE NECESSARY ACT
Ministry urges Washington to correct its mistakes, get relations back on track.
The closure and takeover of the United States' consulate in Chengdu is China's legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable US act of shutting down and breaking into the Chinese consulate general in Houston, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday.
CHINA ASKS AFGHANISTAN, NEPAL TO BE LIKE 'IRON BROTHER' PAKISTAN AT A
FOUR-COUNTRY MEET
China on Monday convened a rare quadrilateral dialogue with the Foreign
Ministers of Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan, pledging to strengthen
cooperation among the four nations in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic as
well as boosting their economic recoveries, including through regional
connectivity projects.
DUTERTEÂ’S SONA: A MIX OF ATTACK, WARNING, PLEA, WISH LIST, PROMISES
MANILA—President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his 5th State of the Nation
Address (SONA) yesterday, against the backdrop of a pandemic that has
disrupted the lives of millions of Filipinos and which continues to spread
across the Philippines.
XI TO DELIVER SPEECH AT AIIB'S ANNUAL EVENT
President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the fifth annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to be held via video link on Tuesday in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday.
US ELECTIONS 2020: TRUMP FACES HEADWINDS WITH POLLS 100 DAYS AWAY
With the November election 100 days away, more Americans say the country is
heading in the wrong direction than at any previous point in Donald Trump's
presidency, putting the incumbent in a perilous position as his re-election
bid against Democrat Joe Biden enters a pivotal stretch.
XI STRESSES NATION'S COMPETITIVENESS
President Xi Jinping has highlighted the need to make the economy more competitive, innovative and able to resist risks as part of efforts to further bolster the real economy, especially the manufacturing sector, and improve the level of entire industrial chains.
FROM PING-PONG DIPLOMACY TO TIT-FOR-TAT HOSTILITY, US-CHINA TIES SPIRAL DOWN
What started with ping-pong diplomacy almost 50 years in the past plunged
into tit-for-tat hostility this week as China retaliated on Friday to the
US' closure of the Chinese language consulate in Houston by ordering the US
consulate in Chengdu to stop operations by Monday.
SONA PROTESTS TO PERSIST DESPITE BANS — RIGHTS GROUP
MANILA — Mobilizations set on Monday will push through despite the issuance
of protest bans just days before President Rodrigo DuterteÂ’s fifth State of
the Nation Address, according to human rights monitor Karapatan.
INDIA, CHINA AGREE TO ANOTHER MEETING OF COMMANDERS
India and China on Friday agreed another meeting of the senior commanders
may be held soon so as to work out further steps to ensure expeditiously
complete disengagement and de-escalation and restoration of peace and
tranquillity in the border areas.
XI STRESSES BUILDING DOMESTIC AUTOMOBILE BRANDS, IMPROVING COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE EFFICACY
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday stressed the importance of mastering key and core technologies and building strong domestic automobile brands.
MIKE POMPEO SAYS FREE WORLD MUST CHANGE CHINA OR 'CHINA WILL CHANGE US'
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has called on "free nations" to triumph
over the threat of what he said was a "new tyranny" from China, in a
provocative speech likely to worsen fraught US-China relations.
LAW GROUPS FILE 17TH LEGAL CHALLENGE VS ANTI-TERRORISM LAW
MANILA - A group of lawyers on Friday filed the 17th petition against the
much-feared Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, making it one of the
highly-contested laws before the Supreme Court.
NATION SHIFTING TO HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT
China's move from export-driven growth to promoting the integration of the domestic and overseas markets reflects the country's shift to nurturing new edges in global competitiveness and fostering high-quality development despite the headwinds it faces, experts and business executives said on Wednesday.
BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO OPEN SPECIAL CITIZENSHIP PATH TO HONG KONG RESIDENTS
FROM JANUARY
Britain's government announced on Wednesday that it will open a new special
pathway to obtaining British citizenship for eligible Hong Kongers from
January 2021.
CONSTITUTION FRAMERS, RIGHTS DEFENDERS, JOURNALISTS CHALLENGE ANTI-TERRORISM
ACT
MANILA - A group of veteran journalists, lawmakers, human rights defenders
and Constitution framers is the newest to challenge the anti-terror law,
which they described as a "clear and imminent danger to free speech."
XI: LEVERAGE HUGE DOMESTIC MARKET
President Xi Jinping called on Tuesday for greater strides in reform and opening-up, including in science and technology, while fully leveraging the strength of the nation's huge domestic market in the face of rising protectionism, a sluggish global economy and a weakening international market.
EU NATIONS CLINCH $2.1 TRILLION BUDGET, CORONAVIRUS VIRUS AID DEAL AFTER 4
DAYS
Weary but relieved, European Union leaders finally clinched an unprecedented
1.82 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) budget and coronavirus recovery fund
early Tuesday, somehow finding unity after four days and as many nights of
fighting and wrangling over money and power in one of their longest summits
ever.
ANTI-TERROR LAW WON'T STOP SONA PROTESTERS: ACTIVIST GROUP
MANILA - The recently-implemented anti-terror law will not dissuade
protesters from physically gathering and airing their grievances during
President Rodrigo Duterte's penultimate State of the Nation Address on
Monday, an activist group said Wednesday.
XI'S THOUGHT ON DIPLOMACY SHARES VISIONS
As the international situation becomes increasingly uncertain, diplomats and experts said Xi Jinping Thought on diplomacy−which puts the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and the building of a new type of international relations featuring fairness, justice and win-win cooperation at its core−is of great significance in coping with global challenges.
DUTERTE: MAYORS HAVE TO DO MORE IN PH PANDEMIC FIGHT; COPS TO BE STRICTER IN
IMPLEMENTING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS
"We'll have to ask our police to be more strict," he told Interior Secretary
Eduardo Año.
UK SUSPENDS EXTRADITION TREATY WITH HONG KONG
The UK will suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong "immediately and
indefinitely" due to the controversial national security law implemented in
the city by mainland China.
ECONOMY'S REBOUND SET TO CONTINUE IN H2
China's growth recovery is set to continue in the second half of the year, and Beijing's policies are expected to focus on narrowing the development gaps amid the rapid and yet uneven rebound to consolidate the economy's long-term resilience, economists said.
I'M NOT LOSING: TRUMP REFUSES TO COMMIT TO ELECTION RESULTS IF DEFEATED
US President Donald Trump, who earlier said he would peacefully leave if he is voted out in the upcoming presidential elections, has now taken a U-turn.
DUTERTE SIGNS LAW ALLOWING ADJUSTMENTS IN SCHOOL CALENDAR
MANILA -- President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill that allows
him to adjust the opening of classes during a state of emergency or
calamity.
XI CALLS FOR STRONGER FLOOD MEASURES
President Xi Jinping called on Friday for much stronger measures in flood prevention and rescue work and urged relevant departments to give priority to the safety of people's lives and property.
POMPEO CALLS FOR GLOBAL PUSH BACK AGAINST XI; CHINA SAYS WILL FIGHT BACK
AGAINST 'MALICIOUS SLANDER'
The time has come for the world to push back against the challenge posed by
the Chinese Communist Party, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said as he
contended that the US "slept on this threat for too long." Pompeo also said
the Chinese government was aware of human-to-human transmission of the
coronavirus before they shared this information with the world.
ANTI-TERRORISM LAW TAKES EFFECT TODAY
MANILA — Denounced on several fronts and challenged before the Supreme
Court, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 takes effect today – even in the
absence of implementing rules and regulations.
XI HAILS EXECS' FAITH IN GROWTH, PLEDGES REFORM
China will keep deepening reform and expanding opening-up and provide a better business environment for the investment and business development of Chinese and foreign enterprises, President Xi Jinping said in a letter of reply to representatives of Global CEO Council members.
U.K., U.S., CANADA ACCUSE RUSSIA OF HACKING COVID-19 VACCINE TRIALS
The US, UK and Canada have accused Russia of trying to steal coronavirus vaccine research as the pandemic surges across the world, with Brazil announcing it has surpassed two million confirmed cases.
DUTERTE TO PHYSICALLY DELIVER 5TH SONA IN BATASANG PAMBANSA AMID PANDEMIC:
SOTTO
MANILA — For the first time, President Duterte will deliver his fifth State
of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa with a limited number
of lawmakers and an empty gallery in an effort to protect him from
coronavirus infection, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said yesterday.
XI SAYS FUNDAMENTALS OF CHINA'S LONG-TERM GROWTH WILL NOT CHANGE
The fundamentals of China's long-term sound economic growth have not changed and will not change, President Xi Jinping said Wednesday in a reply letter to global CEOs.
LOCSIN MEETS WITH CHINESE COUNTERPART ON SEA ROW
MANILA — After a strong Philippine statement declaring the 2016 South China
Sea ruling as “non-negotiable,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.
and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed to address
the dispute through “friendly” consultation.
TANKER OFF UAE SOUGHT BY US OVER IRAN SANCTIONS 'HIJACKED'
An oil tanker sought by the U.S. over allegedly circumventing sanctions on
Iran was hijacked on July 5 off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a
seafarers welfare organization said Wednesday.
XI CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY IN FIGHTING VIRUS
China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with the international community, including Singapore and Thailand, in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic and jointly promoting global public health security, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.
DAYS AFTER ABS-CBN SHUTDOWN, DUTERTE CELEBRATES ‘DISMANTLING THE OLIGARCHY’
MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday tagged the Ayalas and Lopezes
as the bedrock of oligarchy in the Philippines that he claimed to have
dismantled, citing alleged violations by companies owned by the family
conglomerates.
DONALD TRUMP ENDS HONG KONG'S SPECIAL STATUS WITH US TO PUNISH CHINA
U.S. President Donald Trump, hardening his stance on China as he struggles
to contain the coronavirus, said on Tuesday he signed legislation and an
executive order to hold China accountable for the "oppressive" national
security law it imposed on Hong Kong.
LAC STANDOFF: FOURTH ROUND OF CONSULTATIONS HELD
India and China held the fourth round of Corps Commanders talks at Chushul
on Tuesday to work out details on the second phase of disengagement on the
Line of Actual Control (LAC). The talks were still on after 11 hours.
ALERT RAISED IN NORTH AS FLOODING CONTINUES IN SOUTH
Authorities have warned of the possibility of major floods in China's northern areas as inundations continue to cause serious damage in many parts of the southern half of the country, especially along the Yangtze River's middle and lower reaches.
SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE: CHINA'S PURSUIT OF RESOURCES 'UNLAWFUL', SAYS US
China's pursuit of offshore resources in parts of the South China Sea is "completely unlawful", US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.
CHINESE EMBASSY CLAIMS ARBITRAL AWARD IN FAVOR OF PH 'ILLEGAL', 'INVALID'
MANILA - The Chinese embassy in Manila on Monday claimed that the Permanent
Court of Arbitration's ruling in favor of the Philippines in 2016 over
disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea is "illegal and invalid".
XI URGES ALL-OUT EFFORT TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM FLOOD
Nearly 38 million people have been affected by floods, with 141 dead or missing, China's flood-control authorities said on Monday.
UK-CHINA TIES FREEZE WITH DEBATE OVER HUAWEI, HONG KONG
Only five years ago, then-British Prime Minister David Cameron was
celebrating a "golden era" in U.K.-China relations, bonding with President
Xi Jinping over a pint of beer at the pub and signing off on trade deals
worth billions.
WEST PH SEA AWARD IS ‘NON-NEGOTIABLE’, DFA SAYS ON 4TH ANNIV OF LEGAL
VICTORY
MANILA - The PhilippinesÂ’ arbitration victory against China is
“non-negotiable”, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday on the
4th anniversary of the verdict.
PBOC MIGHT END MONETARY 'CRISIS MODE'
China's historically high credit growth in the first half of this year has strongly supported economic recovery as the novel coronavirus epidemic has been almost controlled in the country, the central bank said on Friday. It added that monetary policy will be back to normal if the outlook remains optimistic.
ISRAEL'S ANNEXATION OF PARTS OF WEST BANK OPPOSED BY WORLD LEADERS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears determined to carry out
his pledge to begin annexing parts of the occupied West Bank - the
5,650-square-km chunk of land - which finds itself at the centre of an
intense territorial conflict between Israel and Palestine.
HOUSE COMMITTEE DENIES ABS-CBN A NEW FRANCHISE
MANILA -- Congressmen on Friday voted to "kill" a new broadcast franchise
for ABS-CBN Corp., permanently shutting down a major part of the countryÂ’s
largest media network, in what is seen as part of a worsening crackdown on
press freedom under President Rodrigo Duterte.
POSITIVE ENERGY URGED BETWEEN CHINA AND US
China on Thursday proposed a list of interactions with the United States on specifying cooperation, maintaining dialogue and properly handling differences as their relationship faces the most severe challenge since the establishment of diplomatic ties.
WHO LAUNCHES REVIEW OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE AFTER TRUMP CRITICISM
The World Health Organization named leaders of an independent panel to
review its response to the Covid-19 pandemic that has been criticized by the
US.
ABS-CBN FRANCHISE BACKERS MAKE FINAL PLEA FOR VOTES
MANILA -- With more than 11,000 jobs on the line, a group of congressmen
made a last-ditch effort to convince colleagues Thursday to vote in favor of
granting a new broadcast franchise to ABS-CBN.
XI, PUTIN STRESS CHINA-RUSSIA PARTNERSHIP
President Xi Jinping reaffirmed on Wednesday China's stance toward Russia of supporting each other, opposing external interference and safeguarding both countries' national sovereignty, security and development interests.
HARVARD, MIT SUE U.S. IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES OVER NEW RULE FOR FOREIGN
STUDENTS: REPORT
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have
sued the Department of Homeland Security and the federal immigration agency
over new guidelines barring foreign students from remaining in America if
their universities switched to online-only classes in the Fall.
MEETING BOOSTS CHINA-ARAB TIES AMID CONTAGION
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought China and Arab nations much closer together through the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum and the mechanism of political parties' dialogue as they take concrete steps to build a China-Arab community with a shared future, officials and experts said.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SUBMITS FORMAL NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL FROM W.H.O
The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations of its
withdrawal from the World Health Organization, although the pullout won't
take effect until next year, meaning it could be rescinded under a new
administration or if circumstances change. Former Vice President Joe Biden,
the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said he would reverse the
decision on his first day in office if elected.
'HUWAG HO KAYONG MATAKOT': DUTERTE SAYS LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS SHOULD NOT FEAR
ANTI-TERROR LAW
MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte said the public should not worry about
the new anti-terror law if they are not terrorists.
Addressing the nation for the first time since he signed the law last
Friday, Duterte said law-abiding citizens of the country will not be
targetted by the law.
RESERVOIRS KEY TO REDUCING FLOODS
Due to intermittent rainstorms and heavy downpours, severe floods have swept across southern China almost every year. Since the start of this year, many parts of southern China have experienced frequent, intense rainfall within a short of period of time.
US FLEXES MILITARY MUSCLE AT CHINA AS BEIJING DRAWS DOWN IN ITS BORDER SPAT
WITH INDIA
The United States is flexing its military muscle at China on behalf of India
and other Asian allies and partners, amid signs that Washington is finally
ready to take some punitive action against Beijing for its role in spreading
the coronavirus pandemic around the globe.
INFLATION QUICKENS TO 2.5 PERCENT IN JUNE AS GOV'T LOOSENS VIRUS LOCKDOWNS
MANILA — Inflation accelerated for the first time this year in June as the
economy began to come out of strict lockdowns, the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) reported on Tuesday.
XI VOWS CLOSER TIES WITH GHANA, MONGOLIA
China will deepen cooperation with Ghana in various fields under the joint construction of the Belt and Road and within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
AS SOON AS SC OPENS, LAW PROFESSORS FIRE PETITIONS VS ANTI-TERRORISM LAW
MANILA — As soon as the Supreme Court opened its gates on Monday morning —
the first weekday since President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Anti-Terrorism
Act of 2020 — law professors trooped to the tribunal to challenge the
contentious new law.
FIRE AT IRAN'S NATANZ NUCLEAR FACILITY CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE,SAYS
SPOKESMAN
A fire at Iran's underground Natanz nuclear facility has caused significant
damage that could slow the development of advanced centrifuges used to
enrich uranium, an Iranian nuclear official said on Sunday.
XI HAILS COMMUNITY OF SHARED FUTURE WITH CAMBODIA
President Xi Jinping on Friday hailed the China-Cambodia community with a shared future as unbreakable as the nations have supported and closely coordinated with each other while making concerted efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
AFTER HK, US & CHINA SPAR OVER PLA DRILLS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
China on Friday rejected criticism by the US defence department of its plan
to hold military exercises in the South China Sea, and suggested that
Washington was to blame for increased tensions in the region. The Pentagon
said in a statement on Thursday that conducting military exercises over
disputed territory in the South China Sea was "counter-productive to efforts
at easing tensions and maintaining stability".
DUTERTE SIGNS ANTI-TERRORISM BILL
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the anti-terrorism bill into
law, days after the Department of Justice and the Office of the Chief
Presidential Legal Counsel submitted their recommendations on the proposal,
which human rights groups warn could lead to abuse by security forces.
DIPLOMACY IN TIME OF VIRUS CEMENTS TIES
The COVID-19 pandemic may have pressed the "pause" button on interaction between countries, but China's diplomacy led by President Xi Jinping, in the form of phone calls, correspondence and videoconferences, has helped to further enhance the country's relations with the rest of the world amid the pandemic, officials and experts said.
A CORNERED OLI PROROGUES THE HOUSE AND CONSIDERS SPLITTING THE RULING PARTY
After finding himself on shaky ground in the wake of growing calls from
within his party to step down, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Thursday
recommended prorogation of the ongoing session of the federal parliament.
The recommendation was swiftly approved by the President.
LORENZANA: CHINESE MILITARY DRILLS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA 'HIGHLY-PROVOCATIVE'
MANILA - Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has raised alarm over
China's move to hold military exercises in contested areas in the South
China Sea.
DOUBLE STANDARD OF WEST ON HK AND XINJIANG HAS BEEN EXPOSED
Many Western governments are good at claiming the moral high ground, for example, by calling the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan as a mission to spread freedom and democracy, and the killing of innocent civilians as collateral damage.
A LOOSE STRATEGIC COALITION IS GROWING AGAINST CHINA
From Australia to Japan, United States to Asean and countries in Europe, a
loose strategic coalition is taking on China even as New Delhi tries to
break the deadlock with Beijing amid the standoff along the LAC.
ABS-CBN HAS NO TAX DELINQUENCY, BIR TELLS SOLONS
MANILA--ABS-CBN Corp. has no current tax delinquency and, with the rest of
the companies under the ABS-CBN Group, infused a combined P71.5 billion in
taxes to government coffers in 17 years, congressmen scrutinizing its
application for a new broadcast franchise were told Wednesday.
XI CALLS FOR STRONGER CPC IN THE NEW ERA
The Communist Party of China must better implement its organizational line in the new era to make itself stronger, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said on Monday.
POMPEO'S PUSH TO EXTEND IRAN ARMS EMBARGO FACES UPHILL BATTLE AT UN
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the United Nations Security Council
today to extend the conventional arms embargo on Iran indefinitely, only to
face several harsh rebukes from allies and adversaries alike.
PROJECT ARK VOWS TO HELP IN CEBU COVID-19 RESPONSE
MANILA - The business community through the Go Negosyo Project Antibody
Rapid test Kit (ARK) initiative and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (CCCI) have vowed to help the provincial government mitigate the
increasing cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Cebu,
presidential adviser for entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey
Concepcion said yesterday.
KEY MEETING FOCUSES ON CPC RULES
A key Party meeting on Monday stressed the need to improve the quality of intraparty elections and come up with higher criteria for candidates to ensure that highly qualified delegates are elected.
ABS-CBN 'FULLY COMPLIANT' WITH LABOR STANDARDS: DOLE EXEC
Two former workers testify vs ABS-CBN on labor issues
MANILA -- ABS-CBN Corp. complied with Philippine labor standards following a
routine inspection by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), an
official told congressmen hearing the shuttered broadcast network's
application for a new operating franchise on Monday.
US ENDS SENSITIVE DEFENCE EXPORTS TO HONG KONG; CHINA WARNS OF VISA BANS
The United States said Monday it was ending the export of sensitive military
items to Hong Kong, no longer treating the financial hub separately from
China.
XI CALLS FOR ALL-OUT EFFORTS IN FLOOD RELIEF
President Xi Jinping has underlined the importance of putting people and life first in an instruction given on the country's flood control and disaster relief work.
IRAN EXPERIENCING ITS TOUGHEST YEAR DUE TO SANCTIONS, VIRUS: ROUHANI
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that his country is
experiencing its toughest year because of US sanctions coupled with the
Covid-19 pandemic.
STRUCTURES LIKE UNSC HAVE TEETH BUT LITTLE OR NO APPETITE TO BITE: UN CHIEF
Multilateral instruments such as the UN Security Council have teeth but
"show little or no appetite to bite, UN chief Antonio Guterres has said as
he underlined the need for "effective and inclusive" multilateralism.
As the world body on Friday commemorates the 75th anniversary of the
adoption of the UN Charter, the founding document of the Organisation, the
Secretary General said there is a need to re-imagine the way nations
cooperate.
DUTERTE ON SCS: AVOID ESCALATING TENSION
MANILA — Expressing “serious concern” over recent incidents in the South
China Sea, President Duterte urged yesterday fellow members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), particularly parties to the
South China Sea dispute, to refrain from escalating tension and abide with
their responsibilities under international law.
OVERSEAS DRUGS THREATEN EFFORTS OF CRACKDOWN
The penetration of drugs into China from abroad has become an external threat to China's crackdown on drug crimes in recent years, a report released by the National Narcotics Control Commission warned on Wednesday.
US SHIFTING MILITARY TO INDIA, SOUTHEAST ASIA TO COUNTER CHINESE ARMY:
POMPEO
The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today said that the US is
reducing its troop presence in Europe and shifting it to other places to
counter Chinese threat to India and Southeast Asia.
DUTERTE JOINS ASEAN SUMMIT AS CONFERENCE GOES ONLINE
MANILA-- President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday joined other world leaders in
the 36th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit as the
conference went online in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Philippine leader is expected to raise the South China Sea maritime
dispute and issues concerning the welfare of overseas Filipino workers in
the summit.
VACCINE ENTERS PHASE 3 TRIAL
China reached an important new level of vaccine development with the start of the phase three clinical trial of an inactivated vaccine candidate against COVID-19 in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.
CHINA CAUTIONS US OVER ACTIONS AGAINST FOUR MORE MEDIA OUTLETS
China has warned that it will take countermeasures after the US added four
more Chinese media outlets to a list of organisations that should be
considered foreign missions in the United States because of their ties to
the government and ruling Communist Party.
ROBREDO: GOVERNMENT FAILED TO 'ACT URGENTLY' AT THE ONSET OF COVID-19 CRISIS
MANILA — The Philippines failed to "act urgently" at the start of the
coronavirus pandemic and was still "catching up" with the response of other
countries despite imposing one of the longest lockdowns in the world, Vice
President Leni Robredo said Thursday.
XI: STEP UP BATTLE AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS
President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to continue the tough fight against drugs and make new progress in drug control.
US ENVOY SAYS CHINA HAS 'OBLIGATION' TO JOIN RUSSIA-US NUCLEAR ARMS TALKS
While the US is pushing for China to join its arms talks with Russia for a
'three-way' negotiation, the American negotiator Marshall Billingslea has
said Beijing has an "obligation" to join the talks.
DUTERTE BACKS 14-DAY DETENTION FOR TERROR SUSPECTS: PALACE
President Rodrigo Duterte believes the anti-terrorism bill allowing
authorities to hold suspects without charge for at least 2 weeks does not
violate the Constitution, his spokesperson said Wednesday.
LAST THIRD-GEN BEIDOU SATELLITE FIRED INTO ORBIT
The final satellite to complete the third-generation network of China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System was launched on Tuesday morning, marking a new milestone in the nation's space endeavors.
SUSPENSION OF FOREIGN WORK VISAS TO FREE UP TO 5.25 LAKH JOBS IN US: WHITE HOUSE
The temporary suspension of foreign work visas including H-1B and L1, that benefit Indian IT professionals, is expected to free up to 5,25,000 jobs in the US, senior administration officials said after President Donald Trump issued a proclamation in this regard.
DUTERTE: ANTI-TERRORISM BILL STILL UNDER PALACE LEGAL TEAM REVIEW
MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte's legal team is still reviewing the
controversial anti-terrorism bill that was transmitted to the Palace on June
9.
CHINA-EU MEETING TO ENHANCE TIES
As the 22nd China-European Union leaders' meeting is set to be held via videoconference on Monday, observers said the two major global players could use the first official meeting between Chinese leaders and the new EU leadership to forge an even closer relationship amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 TESTING DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD, ASKED MY PEOPLE TO SLOW IT DOWNÂ’:
TRUMP
US President Donald Trump on Saturday told supporters at an election rally
in OklahomaÂ’s Tulsa that he had ordered officials to slow down testing for
coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as it led to more cases.
PHILIPPINES TO PROD CHINA AGAIN OVER COMPENSATION FOR GEM-VER FISHERMEN
MANILA - The Philippines will again bring to China's attention the payment
of damages to the crew of a Philippine boat that a Chinese vessel sunk last
year in waters where Manila has exclusive rights over resources.
GERMANY, FRANCE, U.K. PRESS IRAN TO PROVIDE ATOMIC SITE ACCESS
The board of the United Nations' atomic watchdog agency on June 19 adopted a
resolution calling for Iran to provide inspectors access to sites where the
country is thought to have stored or used undeclared nuclear material, the
Russian representative said.
OMBUDSMAN SUMMONS DOCUMENTS ON COVID
The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the Departments of Health (DOH) and
of Budget and Management (DBM) to submit documents related to the budget for
its response to the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic.
XI'S SPEECH AT ANTI-VIRUS SUMMIT HAILED
African leaders and experts have hailed President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19, saying the mutual support of China and African countries in the anti-epidemic fight is a vivid illustration of a China-Africa community with a shared future.
DREAMERS CAN STAY IN THE UNITED STATES
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ay-in-the-united-states>
PALACE HAILS FRONTLINERS AS MODERN-DAY HEROES ON RIZAL'S 159TH BIRTH
ANNIVERSARY
MANILA-- Malacañang on Friday hailed Filipinos leading the fight against the
COVID-19 pandemic as modern-day heroes as the Philippines marked the 159th
birth anniversary of Jose Rizal.
XI UNVEILS STEPS TO HELP AFRICA IN COVID FIGHT
President Xi Jinping announced a number of measures to consolidate China-Africa cooperation in battling COVID-19 at a special summit on Wednesday evening.
BOLTON CLAIMS TRUMP PLEADED WITH CHINA FOR RE-ELECTION HELP
US President Donald Trump pleaded with Chinese leader Xi JinPing to help him
win a re-election and sold allies down the drain so as to not displease
Beijing, former National Security Advisor John Bolton has alleged in
explosive revelations in his upcoming book "The Room Where It Happened:
LEACHON RESIGNS OVER DOH'S 'LACK OF SENSE OF URGENCY,' DATA MANAGEMENT
PROBLEMS
MANILA — Disagreements with how the Duterte administration is handling the
coronavirus pandemic prompted Dr. Anthony Leachon to quit his post as
adviser on Wednesday, joining a number of top officials who left the
government over a much-criticized strategy in confronting the outbreak.
“I left due to my differences with DOH (Department of Health) policies e.g.
lack of sense of urgency, problems in COVID-19 data management, and
transparency in communication process,” Leachon said in an online exchange
with Philstar.com.
XI HAILS TIES WITH LEADERS OF ECUADOR, TAJIKISTAN
China stands ready to promote international cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic to secure the final victory over the global public health crisis, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.
A LOW-COST DRUG IS FIRST TO REDUCE COVID DEATHS
In a major breakthrough, Oxford University scientists have identified a
steroid drug widely used to treat asthma, allergies and rheumatoid
arthritis, has significantly reducing risk of death from Covid-19 among
patients with severe respiratory complications.
PALACE: ECQ ONLY WAY TO CURB CORONAVIRUS SPREAD IN CEBU CITY
MANILA -- Placing Cebu City under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) again
is meant to curb the widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the major
Visayan city, Malacañang said Tuesday.
XI TO GIVE ADDRESS AT CHINA-AFRICA COVID-19 SUMMIT
President Xi Jinping will preside over a special summit on Africa and China's joint fight against COVID-19 on Wednesday and will deliver a keynote speech, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday.
XI's FORTRESS AGAINST PANDEMIC CRACKS AS BEIJING CLUSTER GROWS
Beijing, on Monday, began COVID-19 tests for 90,000 people and locked down
several residential areas near a wholesale market in Beijing where a new
cluster of COVID-19 broke out - an unnerving breach in the capital, which
President Xi Jinping had said, should be a "fortress against the pandemic".
METRO MANILA GCQ EXTENDED UNTIL JUNE 30; CEBU CITY PUT ON ECQ
MANILA — Metro Manila will remain under a general community quarantine until
the end of June, two weeks after the GCQ was announced to help restart the
country's economy.
BEIJING SWIFT TO CURB NEW COVID CASES
Beijing is taking swift steps to curb a new cluster of local COVID-19 infections that has led to more than 50 new cases in the past four days, including shuttering a major wholesale market linked to all new infections, imposing a partial lockdown in its vicinity and ramping up mass testing and screening in key areas.
FRENCH LEADER REJECTS RACISM BUT SAYS COLONIAL-ERA STATUES WILL STAY;
REOPENS ECONOMY TO QUICKEN VIRUS RECOVERY
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed on Sunday to stand firm against
racism but also praised police and insisted that France wouldn't take down
statues of controversial, colonial-era figures, as he addressed the issues
for the first time since George Floyd's death in the U.S.
RAPPLER CHIEF MARIA RESSA FOUND GUILTY OF CYBER LIBEL
MANILA - Rappler CEO Maria Ressa was on Monday found guilty of cyber libel
over a 2012 article that linked a businessman to alleged illegal activities.
BEIJING CLOSES PRODUCE MARKET OVER NEW VIRUS CASES
Beijing reported four new confirmed cases of COVID-19 from 4 pm to 12 pm on Friday - totaling seven confirmed cases on Thursday and Friday, with all having close connection with the just closed Xinfadi agricultural products wholesale market in the city's Fengtai district.
PRITI PATEL CLASHES WITH LABOUR MPs OVER EXPERIENCES OF RACISM
Home Secretary Priti Patel has clashed with a group of Labour MPs who have
accused her of "gaslighting" black people's experience of racism.
PHILIPPINES TO GET VACCINE PRIORITY, XI TELLS DUTERTE
DAVAO CITY – On the eve of the 122nd anniversary of Philippine Independence
Day, Chinese President Xi Jinping called President Duterte to congratulate
and assure him that Filipinos would be prioritized in the distribution of a
vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) once it becomes available in
China.
XI HAILS STRENGTHENED TIES IN PANDEMIC FIGHT
China and the Philippines should make innovative efforts to gradually resume the exchange of necessary personnel on the basis of implementing disease control measures, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.
XI: PRIORITIZE LIVELIHOODS, ECOLOGY
Local governments should make efforts to overcome the effects of COVID-19 and prioritize the work of bolstering employment and improving people's livelihoods, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.
CHINAÂ’S XI CALLS DUTERTE
DAVAO CITY — President Duterte received a call from Chinese President Xi
Jinping last night, leading to a conversation lasting several minutes.
Malacañang did not provide details of the phone conversation between the two
leaders. The call was made on the eve of the celebration of Philippine
Independence Day.
ICONS TOPPLE IN AMERICA AS US MILITARY, LAWMAKERS SNUB DONALD TRUMP
They are time capsules. But many are not standing the test of time or
changed attitudes - especially after the death of George Floyd at the hands
of a white police officer last month.
SOUTH KOREA TO CHARGE DEFECTOR GROUPS OVER ANTI-NORTH PROPAGANDA LEAFLETS
South Korea's government said Wednesday that it will press charges against
two activist groups that have been floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets and
bottles filled with rice to North Korea.
PHILIPPINES EYES JOINING HUMAN TRIAL FOR CHINESE CORONAVIRUS VACCINE
MANILA — The Philippines is in talks to join a Beijing-based biotech firm's
human trial for a potential coronavirus vaccine, the Department of Science
and Technology said Thursday, as the world raced to find a cure to stop the
contagion in its tracks.