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A few days ago, the President, who also sits as the chairman of the Climate Change Commission, as provided under Republic Act (RA) 9729, otherwise known as the “Climate Change Act of 2009,” has approved the submission of our first-ever Nationally Determined Contribution, the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement, to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). I am excited to share with our readers the full text of the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contribution, to wit: “The Republic of the Philippines submits its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in accordance with Decision 1/CP.21 of the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Philippines’ NDC supports the country’s national development objectives and priorities of sustainable industrial development, poverty eradication, and inclusive growth, energy security, and social and climate justice, and the transformation of its ... » Learn More about The Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contribution

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eritrea told the United Nations Security Council on Friday that it has agreed to start withdrawing its troops from Ethiopia's Tigray region, acknowledging publicly for the first time the country's involvement in the conflict. The admission in a letter to the 15-member council - and posted online by Eritrea's Ministry of Information - comes a day after U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock said the world body had not seen any proof that Eritrean soldiers have withdrawn. "As the looming grave threat has been largely thwarted, Eritrea and Ethiopia have agreed - at the highest levels - to embark on the withdrawal of Eritrean forces and the simultaneous redeployment of Ethiopian contingents along the international boundary," Eritrea's U.N. Ambassador Sophia Tesfamariam wrote. Eritrean forces have been helping Ethiopian federal government troops fight Tigray's former ruling party in a conflict that began in November. However, until now Eritrea has repeatedly denied its ... » Learn More about Eritrea admits presence in Ethiopia’s Tigray, tells U.N. withdrawing

Former lawmakers Martin Lee (L) and Albert Ho arrive at West Kowloon court in Hong Kong to receive sentencing after being found guilty of organising an unauthorised assembly in 2019. (AFP photo) HONG KONG: Media tycoon Jimmy Lai was jailed for 12 months on Friday along with four other veteran democracy activists for helping to lead one of the city's biggest-ever protests. Organisers say 1.7 million people — almost one quarter of Hong Kong's population — turned out for a huge rally that formed the backbone of demonstrations that wracked the city throughout 2019. Lai was among nine of Hong Kong's most prominent democracy campaigners found guilty of organising and participating in the rally. Many of them have spent decades advocating non-violence in their ultimately fruitless campaign for universal suffrage. Lai, 73, was on Friday sentenced to 12 months in prison while four of the other campaigners were jailed for between eight and 18 months. Among the other defendants was ... » Learn More about Jimmy Lai among five Hong Kong democracy activists jailed

Senior citizens enjoy horse racing at the Royal Turf Club in Bangkok. Thailand is already an aged society, with people aged 60 or above set to account for 20% of the population this year. (Photo by Patipat Janthong) The Finance Ministry is growing concerned about slow economic growth prospects and higher inflationary pressure in the long term as Thailand transitions to an "aged" society. A ministry source who requested anonymity said the country's demographics are rapidly ageing, resulting from falling fertility rates and rising life expectancy. Having a larger proportion of the population made up of the elderly means fewer people in the workforce. The country has been what is termed an "aged" society since 2005, meaning 10% of the population is already 60 or older. The proportion of the population aged 60 or older is expected to reach 20% this year. Thailand's trajectory has it becoming a "super-aged" society in 2031, meaning 28% of the population will be 60 or older. ... » Learn More about An ageing conundrum

SINGAPORE - Local farmers from across the island are, for the first time, banding together to improve the small but important agriculture sector in Singapore. Twenty farms from the livestock, food fish and vegetable sectors have come together to form a farming federation known as the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises (Safef), it was announced on Thursday (Oct 26). There is another farming coalition, the Kranji Countryside Association, which was formed in 2005 to look after the interests of agribusinesses clustered in Singapore's rural north-west. But the new federation is an organisation formed to represent and promote agri-food enterprises from all across Singapore. Safef member farms include egg farm Seng Choon Farm, Rong-Yao Fisheries and vegetable farm Sustenir Agriculture (Singapore). The federation will work with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), as well as research institutions and institutes of higher learning, on various initiatives. The ... » Learn More about Local farmers band together to promote home-grown produce, solve challenges faced by agriculture industry

SINGAPORE - Globally, sea-level rise is increasing at a faster pace, threatening Asia's coastal megacities and low-lying island nations such as Singapore. Warming oceans and faster melting of ice caps are driving sea levels higher, but the severity of the problem depends on how much and how quickly we cut greenhouse gas emissions. Far from being a future problem, rising sea levels is a real threat today for many places around the globe. To discuss this urgent issue, The Straits Times is hosting a webinar on Wednesday (April 21) that will look at the latest science and projections of sea-level rise and solutions, including nature-based options, to hold back the seas. It promises to be a lively and insightful discussion featuring an expert panel comprising Professor Benjamin Horton, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University; Dr Zeng Yiwen, senior research fellow at the NUS Centre for Nature-Based Climate Solutions; and Ms Hazel Khoo, ... » Learn More about ST Webinar to discuss sea-level rise threat and solutions

Workers, teachers and priests have been included in a broad new group of economic frontliners prioritized for Covid-19 vaccination. The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the creation of priority group A4 during its meeting Thursday, the task force’s spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said Friday. The group includes teachers, commuter transport workers, market vendors, and employees in groceries, supermarkets and delivery services. Also in A4 are priests, rabbis and other religious leaders; security guards assigned in offices, agencies and organizations identified in the list of priority industries; media workers; and overseas Filipino workers. Roque said customer-facing personnel of telecoms, cable and internet service providers, and electricity distribution and water distribution utilities; and frontline personnel in basic education and higher education institutions and agencies also belong to the A4 group. Also in the list ... » Learn More about Workers, teachers join jab priority line