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They call it an encirclement of their nation and say the United States is trying to constrain its main economic and military rival. The United States also has a new security agreement with Papua New Guinea. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden signed a $95-billion supplemental military aid and spending bill that Congress had just passed and that includes $8.1 billion to counter China in the region. In addition, the United States continues to send weapons and Green Beret trainers to Taiwan, a de facto independent island and the biggest flashpoint between the United States and China. A swarm of Chinese militia and Coast Guard vessels chased a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the South China Sea last year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Yuri Gripas, ” Ely Ratner, Xi, ” Kurt Campbell, Joseph Wu, ”, “, Samuel J, Paparo Jr, Mr, Paparo, Carl Vinson, Richard A, Brooks, Trump, Lloyd J, Austin III, Chen Jining, Jes Aznar, David H, Berger, Obama, Tony Mcdonough, United States —, Admiral Paparo, China’s “ revanchist, we’re Organizations: Australian, U.S, Marines, United, Pentagon, Corps, Mr, White House, White, The New York Times, American, Marine, Green, China’s, Liberation Army, Seoul SOUTH, Pacific Command, People’s Liberation Army, Agence France, Nuclear Forces Treaty, Defense, Communist Party, Tokyo Okinawa, U.S . Navy, Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army, Philippines Luzon Partner, Australia Darwin Potential, NATO, Tomahawk Locations: Beijing, United States, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, Asia, Pacific, U.S, China, Shanghai, South China, South Korea, Guam, Washington, Manila, Taipei, People’s Republic of China, Palau, West Papua, Seoul, Tokyo JAPAN CHINA Taipei TAIWAN Hong Kong, GUAM philippines MALAYSIA INDONESIA JAPAN CHINA TAIWAN, philippines GUAM, INDONESIA Seoul, GUAM philippines, MALAYSIA INDONESIA, Philippine, Moscow, Tokyo, Ryukyu Islands, South, Philippines Luzon, Luzon, Spratly, Australia, Canberra, Singapore, Darwin, Australia’s, . North Carolina, Virginia, Perth, United Kingdom, Navy’s, America

☆ What Meltdown? Crypto Comes Roaring Back in the Philippines.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Eli Tan | Jes Aznar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On a recent Tuesday night, around 20 people crowded into the second floor of Joniel Bon’s newly opened internet cafe in Quezon City, 10 miles from Manila. Seated at computers with 34-inch curved monitors, they began playing video games such as Heroes of Mavia and Nifty Island, as music from Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 hummed from the speakers. Playing these games can be a full-time job, and some of Mr. Bon’s customers had settled in for the night with slices of pizza to fuel them. The games reward players with cryptocurrency tokens for completing small, daily challenges. Often, players convert their tokens to pesos, the country’s currency, earning around twice the Philippines’ minimum wage of $11 a day.

Persons: Taylor Swift Locations: Quezon City, Manila, Nifty, Philippines

The European Union’s upcoming ban on imports linked to deforestation has been hailed as a “gold standard” in climate policy: a meaningful step to protect the world’s forests, which help remove planet-killing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The law requires traders to trace the origins of a head-spinning variety of products — beef to books, chocolate and charcoal, lipstick and leather. To the European Union, the mandate, set to take effect next year, is a testament to the bloc’s role as a global leader on climate change. Developing countries have expressed outrage — with Malaysia and Indonesia among the most vocal. Together, the two nations supply 85 percent of the world’s palm oil, one of seven critical commodities covered by the European Union’s ban.

Organizations: European Union Locations: Malaysia, Indonesia

☆ I've been on 110 cruises. Here are my tips for getting the best value before and during your trip.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Robert L. Willett | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewI've been on 110 cruises in the past few decades, and I've learned some of the best ways to get a great deal before and during a trip. Here are some of my best tips for saving money on a cruise. Drink packages aren't always worth the cost on cruise ships. Many people book excursions through the cruise line because the ship must wait for individuals on its excursions to return. Also consider skipping the onboard spa — I've found many services at sea can cost double what they might on land.

Persons: —, I've, Artur Widak, Salvador Aznar, Shutterstock Organizations: Service, Business, Royal, Cruises Locations: Alaska, Royal Caribbean

☆ European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023: Caring stink bugs and tangled octopuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Callum Sutherland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action. That’s exactly what was captured by the overall winner of the 2023 European Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. The photo taken by biologist Javier Aznar González De Rueda shows with incredible detail a female stink bug shielding her eggs and newly hatched larvae. Two octopuses tangle their tentacles around one another, unusual behavior, according to photographer Francisco Javier Murcia Requena. “They stimulate interest in species, habitats and the interconnectedness of nature as well as increasing awareness for nature conservation.”

Persons: CNN —, Javier Aznar González De Rueda, Aznar, ”, tripterus, Francisco Javier Murcia Requena, Mark Littlejohn, Petr Bambousek, Petr Bambousek Sabine Riewenherm Organizations: CNN, Central America, German Society for Nature, German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation Locations: Ecuador’s, Spanish, South, Central, Brazil

This is what it looks like when a Chinese naval vessel bears down on your fishing boat. We know because we were there. This boat was carrying Times journalists off the island of Palawan, in the Philippines, looking at how China was imposing its territorial ambitions on the South China Sea. An international court says China has no claim to these waters. The Chinese navy boat guarding Mischief Reef said differently.

Locations: Palawan, Philippines, China

☆ Cairo: The capital of capitals evolving in the shadow of ancient mysteries
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Richard Quest | Joe Minihane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —There are cities, there are capitals and then there is Cairo. Chaotic, enchanting and magnificent, the Egyptian capital is awe inspiring and home to a raw energy that’s all its own. A world-class museumThe Grand Egyptian Museum has been decades in the making. Fadel Dawod/Getty ImagesAway from the bustle of central Cairo is something equally, quintessentially Egyptian. Close to Aswan, around 140 miles south of Luxor, lies Philae, an ancient temple with an equally amazing modern history.

Persons: Khan el, Sui Xiankai, Karim El Hayawan, “, ”, El Hayawan, ” El, –, Fadel Dawod, Tayeb Abbas, King Ramses II, Abbas, you’ve, Luke Mackenzie, Tutankhamun, Dr, Betsy Hiel, she’s, Egypt’s, Hiel, Aznar, iStock, “ Philae, Monica Hanna, Hanna, Peter Adams, Isis, Philae Organizations: CNN, Getty, Egyptian, GEM, Kings, UNESCO Locations: Cairo, Xinhua, Luxor, Giza, Salvador, Aswan, Philae, Egypt

☆ In Elections, Spain Is Going to Be Absolutely Fine - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Omar G. Encarnación | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Vox’s bombastic rhetoric and toxic policies pose a serious threat to Spanish democracy — but not as existential a threat as many presume it to be. Vox’s emergence — however eye-catching — did not signal any significant shift for the Spanish right and politics in Spain. Contrary to common wisdom, the far right did not disappear with Franco’s death. Lately, encouraged by the surge of right-wing, populist parties all over the world, Spain’s far right decided that it is safe to come out of hiding. Yet Spanish democracy, served by steady leadership, social and economic advances and a lively multiparty political culture, has held firm.

Persons: Vox, —, Manuel Fraga, Franco, Mariano Rajoy Organizations: Spanish, Popular Party, Alianza Popular Locations: Spanish, Spain, Europe, House’s, Catalonia, Basque, Madrid

☆ They Ride and Lasso Like Texans. They Live 8,000 Miles Away.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jes Aznar | Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A honky-tonk twang echoes across a fairground as cowhands wrangle cattle inside a dirt-floored stadium. The scene would be typical in Texas, but this rodeo is happening about 8,000 miles away, on an island in the Philippines. Nearly every spring for 30 years, the best wranglers in the country have traveled to the island province of Masbate to test their skills at the Rodeo Festival in Masbate City. It’s both a sporting event and a celebration of Philippine cowboy and cowgirl culture. “Where there’s cattle, there’s rodeo,” said Leo Gozum, 51, a livestock farmer who directs the festival’s rodeo events.

Persons: ”, Leo Gozum Organizations: wranglers, Rodeo Locations: Texas, Philippines, Masbate, Masbate City, Philippine

☆ Taiwan’s Trade Clash with China Could Benefit the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Yuka Hayashi | Joyu Wang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. and the Philippines have carried out the largest-ever annual military exercises amid an escalation of Chinese military activity around Taiwan. WSJ’s Shelby Holliday explains what makes this year’s drills different. Photo: Jes Aznar/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON—Taiwan has begun preparing for a sharp rise in economic tension with China, stepping up efforts to encourage businesses to look for investments in the U.S. and other countries. Businesses from the island are facing a sprawling Chinese trade investigation involving nearly 2,500 goods, including agricultural products, metals, plastics, chemicals and minerals. The probe, which Beijing has said is in response to “trade barriers,” threatens to disrupt commerce to Taiwan’s top export destination.

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