Author: Awni Nizaam

The country’s defense white paper referred to North Korea as “our enemy” for the first time in six years. South Korea called North Korea “our enemy” in its biennial defense document published Thursday, reviving the label for its rival for the first time in six years, as tensions worsen between the two countries. North Korea conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests in 2022, including simulated nuclear attacks on South Korea. In response, South Korea’s conservative government led by President Yoon Suk-yeol has been seeking a stronger U.S. security commitment and boosting its own military capabilities. Descriptions of North Korea…

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong held talks with his Timor-Leste counterpart, Taur Matan Ruak, in Singapore on February 15, during which the host said his country supported Timor-Leste’s accession process to ASEAN. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong expressed his hope that Timor-Leste officials will attend the courses under the “Singapore-Timor-Leste: ASEAN Readiness Support” (STARS) program. The two leaders reaffirmed the good relations between the two countries and discussed measures to further promote their bilateral relations in the coming times. Immediately after becoming an independent country in 2002, Timor Leste began the process of regional integration. In March 2011, it formally…

Activists in Malaysia on Thursday criticized the government’s decision to ban three books for allegedly promoting ” LGBTQ lifestyles “, saying it will further erode gay and transgender rights. ” Jacob’s Room to Choose ,” a children’s book about gender expression and gender identity, was banned in January, the Home Office said in a statement Tuesday. Harm to morality In this book, a teacher educates children about gender identity at a school after a pupil wearing a dress feels unwelcome in the boys’ bathroom. Two other children’s books, ” The Tale of Seven ” and ” Aku “, were also banned. The ministry said its goal was to ” prevent…

MANILA (UPDATED)— President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s administration has so far filed 76 diplomatic notes and protests against China amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday. Manila sends notes and protests to Beijing “every time there is an illegal intrusion or action that’s actually been committed in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone),” said DFA Spokesperson Teresita Daza. “Ang DFA po almost regular na nagpo-protest kasi ho marami pong illegal na action na nangyari… Importante po na maging vigilant kami and through diplomatic action be able to say that they should not continue,…

KUALA LUMPUR (Arrahmah.id) – Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, last night (14/2/2023) left for Turkey with Minister of Foreign Affairs Zambry Abd Kadir, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak and Special Tasks), Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali and the Malaysian delegation, for showing support and solidarity with the people affected by the twin powerful earthquakes. “As soon as I arrive there, I will go to Gaizantep to see the affected areas for myself apart from meeting with the Malaysia Special Search and Rescue Team (SMART) which has been assigned to assist the search and rescue operations for the…

The International Criminal Court has said it will reopen its investigation into possible “crimes against humanity” in the Philippines over former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, which led to the deaths of thousands of people. The Hague-based court announced plans for an investigation in February 2018 but suspended its work in November 2021 at the request of the Philippines’ government after Manila said it was undertaking its own review. Last June, having considered the files submitted by the authorites in the Philippines and others, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said the delay was not warranted and filed an application to reopen…

“No onion toppings. Every restaurant is facing a shortage of onions. You see the signs everywhere.” According to official statistics, the price of onions surged in the Philippines to around 700 pesos ($12.80; £10.40) per kg last month. That is more than the cost of meat, and the Southeast Asian country’s daily minimum wage. Although prices have eased in recent weeks, onions are still a luxury for many consumers, says Rizalda Maunes, who runs a pizzeria in the central Cebu city. “We used to buy three to four kilogrammes of onions a day. Now we buy half a kilo which…

THE additional flights going to Cebu and the return of the Chinese tourists are expected to drive better economic recovery and activities for the island’s tourism sector. Michael Kempf, general manager of Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu, said these are the scenarios that have not been realized yet under the post-pandemic business environment which the tourism stakeholders are eagerly anticipating. “The main challenge that we face in Cebu is still the flights which are not yet that frequent from the many destinations. This is a concern for many of the hoteliers because if we have many flights that come in, you…

WHILE being upbeat on the Philippine economy, foreign business leaders are also wary about the bottlenecks on the road to recovery that the government needs to remove. Chris Nelson, executive director and trustee of the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said his group is “very much optimistic for the Philippines,” but “obviously inflation is still a concern because that directly impacts the consumers.” “We have to remember that the Philippines is a very consumer-driven economy,” Nelson said during The Manila Times Roundtable interview on Friday. “But it is good that as of this time the pace has significantly…

THE PHILIPPINES will likely see its debt decline this year amid continued economic growth, Moody’s Investors Service said on Monday. “For only a few sovereigns, including Fiji, Maldives and the Philippines, debt burdens will decline by several percentage points in 2023, driven by high nominal GDP (gross domestic product) growth,” Moody’s said in a Jan. 9 report. “But their debt burdens will still hover far above pre-pandemic levels.” The National Government’s outstanding debt rose by an annual 14% to a record-high of P13.644 trillion as of end-November. However, the end-November debt inched up by only 0.02% month on month “primarily…