THE PHILIPPINES
Territory law signed
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed two laws yesterday reaffirming the extent of his country’s maritime territories and right to resources, including in the South China Sea, where the new laws clash with Beijing’s extensive territorial claims. The laws, called the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, were signed by Marcos in a nationally televised ceremony attended by top military and national security officials. They further cement Manila’s rejection of China’s claims to virtually the entire sea passage, and stipulate jail terms and stiff fines for violators. “These signal our resolve to protect our maritime resources, preserve our rich biodiversity and ensure that our waters remain a source of life and livelihood for all Filipinos,” Marcos said.
SOMALIA
US signs debt relief
More than US$1.1 billion of outstanding loans would be canceled by the US, a sum representing about one-quarter of the country’s remaining debt, Somalia announced on Tuesday, the latest in a series of agreements in which Somalia’s creditors have committed to forgiving its debt obligations. Most of Somalia’s debt had built up during the era of Siad Barre’s military dictatorship, which collapsed in the early 1990s and triggered a three-decade civil war. The US was Somalia’s largest bilateral lender, holding about one-fifth of its total debt in 2018, IMF figures showed. Speaking at the US embassy in Mogadishu on Tuesday where the announcement was made, US Ambassador to Somalia Richard Riley said: “This was the largest single component of the $4.5 billion debt that Somalia owed to various countries, which was forgiven through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative.” The initiative is an economic reform program led by the IMF aimed at relieving the poorest countries of unsustainable debt levels.
THE NETHERLANDS
Anti-Semitic rioters detained
Amsterdam police yesterday said that five people were hospitalized and 62 arrested after authorities said anti-Semitic rioters attacked Israeli supporters following a soccer match. The police wrote on X that they have started a major investigation into multiple violent incidents. The post did not provide further details about those injured or detained in Thursday night’s violence. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema’s office described the events following the UEFA Europa League match between Dutch giants Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which the hosts won 5-0, as “very turbulent, with several incidents of violence aimed at Maccabi supporters.”
INDIA
Samosa probe launched
Five officers are facing disciplinary action for allegedly eating a plate of samosas intended for a senior politician, media reports said yesterday. Samosas are a staple of government receptions, including one staged last month by police in Himachal Pradesh for an official visit by the northern state’s chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. A special helping of samosas specially intended for Sukhu’s relish instead allegedly found their way into the mouths of five police officers. The resulting high-level enquiry culminated in a report by the state’s Crime Investigation Department that dubbed the affair an “anti-government act.” The Indian Express said the five police personnel accused of feasting on the chief minister’s samosas had been served notices demanding they explain their conduct.
Airlines in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore yesterday canceled flights to and from the Indonesian island of Bali, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower into the sky. Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all grounded flights after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a 9km tower a day earlier. Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo and Singapore’s Scoot also listed flights as canceled. “Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,” AirAsia said as it announced several cancelations. Multiple eruptions from the 1,703m twin-peaked volcano in
A plane bringing Israeli soccer supporters home from Amsterdam landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on Friday after a night of violence that Israeli and Dutch officials condemned as “anti-Semitic.” Dutch police said 62 arrests were made in connection with the violence, which erupted after a UEFA Europa League soccer tie between Amsterdam club Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli flag carrier El Al said it was sending six planes to the Netherlands to bring the fans home, after the first flight carrying evacuees landed on Friday afternoon, the Israeli Airports Authority said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered
Former US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi said if US President Joe Biden had ended his re-election bid sooner, the Democratic Party could have held a competitive nominating process to choose his replacement. “Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” Pelosi said in an interview on Thursday published by the New York Times the next day. “The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary,” she said. Pelosi said she thought the Democratic candidate, US Vice President Kamala Harris, “would have done
Farmer Liu Bingyong used to make a tidy profit selling milk but is now leaking cash — hit by a dairy sector crisis that embodies several of China’s economic woes. Milk is not a traditional mainstay of Chinese diets, but the Chinese government has long pushed people to drink more, citing its health benefits. The country has expanded its dairy production capacity and imported vast numbers of cattle in recent years as Beijing pursues food self-sufficiency. However, chronically low consumption has left the market sloshing with unwanted milk — driving down prices and pushing farmers to the brink — while
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