Japan yesterday signed a slew of grant agreements worth more than US$500,000 for humanitarian projects in the strife-torn southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
Japan, the Philippines’ biggest aid donor, also called for an immediate ceasefire between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels so that both sides could return to the negotiating table.
The US$660,000 grants would fund construction of five school buildings, a potable water supply system, an education center, and an irrigation project in areas where the MILF operate, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Makoto Katsura said.
“I sincerely hope that these projects will help mitigate the current humanitarian crisis in Mindanao,” Kutsura said. “I strongly look forward to a ceasefire and immediate resumption of peace talks between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.”
Japan has already contributed a total of US$1.3 million to Mindanao since 2006, the ambassador said.
Manila’s chief peace negotiator Avelino Razon assured the Japanese envoy that the Philippines was committed to the peace process.
“We intend to redouble our efforts to undertake rehabilitation and development, most especially in areas where the armed conflicts have taken its toll,” he said.
Peace talks between the 12,000-strong MILF and the government were suspended in August after rebel commanders attacked several mostly Christian towns and villages on Mindanao.
The raids were prompted by a court order blocking a land deal that would have given the militants control over a large area in the south.
Over 600,000 people were displaced by the fighting that followed and nearly 300 combatants and civilians were killed or injured.
While large-scale hostilities have stopped, sporadic clashes continue. On Friday, seven soldiers and at least 20 MILF rebels were killed in gunbattles on Mindanao.
Turning heads as they cruise past office buildings and malls, driverless taxis are slowly spreading through Chinese cities, prompting both wariness and wonder. China’s tech companies and vehicle manufacturers have poured billions of dollars into self-driving technology over the past few years in an effort to catch industry leaders in the US. Now the central city of Wuhan boasts one of the world’s largest networks of self-driving cars, home to a fleet of more than 500 taxis that can be hailed on an app just like regular rides. At one intersection in an industrial area of Wuhan, AFP reporters saw at least five
China and Vietnam yesterday inked 14 documents spanning cross-border railways to crocodile exports after Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met with new Vietnamese leader To Lam in Beijing. The Vietnamese president’s visit to Beijing, his first overseas trip since becoming the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam earlier this month, signals a desire between the two communist neighbors to strengthen ties, amid growing trade and investment, despite occasional clashes over boundaries in the South China Sea. “China has always regarded Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, and supports Vietnam in adhering to the party leadership, taking the socialist
A former Saudi Arabian official alleged in a report that the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman forged the signature of his father on the royal decree that launched the kingdom’s years-long, stalemated war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the allegations made without supporting evidence by Saad al-Jabri in an interview published yesterday by the BBC, but the kingdom has described him as “a discredited former government official.” Al-Jabri, a former Saudi Arabian intelligence official who lives in exile in Canada, has been a years-long dispute with the kingdom as
‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’: Hospitals said faculty staff from medical colleges were assisting with emergency cases as more than 1 million doctors were expected to strike Hospitals and clinics across India yesterday turned away patients except for emergency cases as medical professionals began a 24-hour shutdown in protest against the brutal rape and murder of a doctor in the eastern city of Kolkata. More than 1 million doctors were expected to join the strike, paralyzing medical services across the world’s most populous nation. Hospitals said faculty staff from medical colleges had been pressed into service for emergency cases. The strike, which began at 6am, cut off access to elective medical procedures and out-patient consultations, the Indian Medical Association said in a statement. The discovery of the 31-year-old doctor’s bloodied