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.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
Two daughters of an Argentine mountaineer who died on an icy peak 40 years ago have retrieved his backpack from the spot — finding camera film inside that allowed them a glimpse of some of his final experiences. Guillermo Vieiro was 44 when he died in 1985 — as did his climbing partner — while descending Argentina’s Tupungato lava dome, one of the highest peaks in the Americas. Last year, his backpack was spotted on a slope by mountaineer Gabriela Cavallaro, who examined it and contacted Vieiro’s daughters Guadalupe, 40, and Azul, 44. Last month, the three set out with four other guides
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Sri Lanka’s fragile economic recovery could be hampered by threatened trade union strikes over reduced benefits for government employees in this year’s budget, the IMF said yesterday. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s maiden budget raised public sector salaries, but also made deep cuts to longstanding perks in a continuing effort to repair the island nation’s tattered finances. Sri Lanka’s main doctors’ union is considering a strike from today to protest against cuts to their allowances, while teachers are also considering stoppages. IMF senior mission chief for Sri Lanka Peter Breuer said the budget was the “last big push” for the country’s austerity
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