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.
A string of rape and assault allegations against the son of Norway’s future queen have plunged the royal family into its “biggest scandal” ever, wrapping up an annus horribilis for the monarchy. The legal troubles surrounding Marius Borg Hoiby, the 27-year-old son born of a relationship before Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s marriage to Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon, have dominated the Scandinavian country’s headlines since August. The tall strapping blond with a “bad boy” look — often photographed in tuxedos, slicked back hair, earrings and tattoos — was arrested in Oslo on Aug. 4 suspected of assaulting his girlfriend the previous night. A photograph
‘GOOD POLITICS’: He is a ‘pragmatic radical’ and has moderated his rhetoric since the height of his radicalism in 2014, a lecturer in contemporary Islam said Abu Mohammed al-Jolani is the leader of the Islamist alliance that spearheaded an offensive that rebels say brought down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and ended five decades of Baath Party rule in Syria. Al-Jolani heads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is rooted in Syria’s branch of al-Qaeda. He is a former extremist who adopted a more moderate posture in order to achieve his goals. Yesterday, as the rebels entered Damascus, he ordered all military forces in the capital not to approach public institutions. Last week, he said the objective of his offensive, which saw city after city fall from government control, was to
The US deployed a reconnaissance aircraft while Japan and the Philippines sent navy ships in a joint patrol in the disputed South China Sea yesterday, two days after the allied forces condemned actions by China Coast Guard vessels against Philippine patrol ships. The US Indo-Pacific Command said the joint patrol was conducted in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone by allies and partners to “uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight “ and “other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace.” Those phrases are used by the US, Japan and the Philippines to oppose China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the
‘KAMPAI’: It is said that people in Japan began brewing rice about 2,000 years ago, with a third-century Chinese chronicle describing the Japanese as fond of alcohol Traditional Japanese knowledge and skills used in the production of sake and shochu distilled spirits were approved on Wednesday for addition to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, a committee of the UN cultural body said It is believed people in the archipelago began brewing rice in a simple way about two millennia ago, with a third-century Chinese chronicle describing the Japanese as fond of alcohol. By about 1000 AD, the imperial palace had a department to supervise the manufacturing of sake and its use in rituals, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association said. The multi-staged brewing techniques still used today are
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