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Gaza ceasefire uncertain as Israel strikes Rafah

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

RAFAH, Gaza Strip/CAIRO/JERUSALEM — Palestinian militant group Hamas on Monday agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators, but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands and pressed ahead with strikes in Rafah while planning to continue negotiations on a deal.

The developments in the seven-month-old war came as Israeli forces struck Rafah on Gaza’s southern edge from the air and ground and ordered residents to leave parts of the city, which has been a refuge for more than a million displaced Palestinians.

Hamas said in a brief statement that its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, had informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators that the group accepted their proposal for a ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said later that the truce proposal fell short of Israel’s demands but Israel would send a delegation to meet with negotiators to try to reach an agreement.

Qatar’s foreign ministry said its delegation will head to Cairo on Tuesday to resume indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

In a statement, Mr. Netanyahu’s office added that his war cabinet approved continuing an operation in Rafah. Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on social media site X that Mr. Netanyahu was jeopardizing a ceasefire by bombing Rafah.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposal that Hamas approved was a watered-down version of an Egyptian offer and included elements that Israel could not accept.

“This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal,” said the Israeli official.

Another official briefed on the agreement said Hamas had agreed to the phased ceasefire and hostage release deal Israel proposed on April 27 with only minor changes that did not affect the main parts of the proposal.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington would discuss the Hamas response with its allies in the coming hours, and a deal was “absolutely achievable.” More than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to Gaza health officials. The United Nations (UN) has said famine is imminent in the enclave.

The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 252 others, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

RAFAH HIT BY STRIKES
Any truce would be the first pause in fighting since a week-long ceasefire in November, during which Hamas freed around half of the hostages.

Since then, all efforts to reach a new truce have foundered over Hamas’ refusal to free more hostages without a promise of a permanent end to the conflict, and Israel’s insistence that it would discuss only a temporary pause.

Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas official and adviser to Haniyeh, told Reuters the proposal met the group’s demands for reconstruction efforts in Gaza, return of displaced Palestinians and a swap of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The Hamas deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, told Al Jazeera television the proposal comprised three phases of six weeks each, with Israel to pull its troops out of Gaza in the second phase.

Earlier on Monday, Israel ordered the evacuation of parts of Rafah, the city on the Egyptian border that has served as the last sanctuary for around half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

An Israeli strike on a house in Rafah killed five Palestinians, including a woman and a girl, medics said.

Israel believes that a significant number of Hamas fighters, along with potentially dozens of hostages, are in Rafah and has said that victory requires taking the key city.

Israel’s closest ally, the United States, has called on it not to assault Rafah, saying it must not do so without a full plan in place to protect civilians there, which has yet to be presented.

A separate US official said that Washington is concerned about Israel’s latest strikes against Rafah but does not believe they represent a major military operation.

Israel said on Monday it was conducting limited operations on the eastern part of Rafah. Palestinian residents said there were massive air strikes.

“They have been firing since last night and today after the evacuation orders, the bombardment became more intense because they want to frighten us to leave,” Jaber Abu Nazly, a 40-year-old father of two, told Reuters via a chat app.

“Others are wondering whether there is any place safe in the whole of Gaza,” he added.

Instructed by Arabic text messages, phone calls and flyers to move to what the Israeli military called an “expanded humanitarian zone” around 20 km (12 miles) away, some Palestinian families began trundling away in chilly spring rain.

Some piled children and possessions onto donkey carts, while others left by pick-up or on foot through muddy streets.

As families dismantled tents and folded belongings, Abdullah Al-Najar said this was the fourth time he had been displaced since the fighting began seven months ago.

“God knows where we will go now. We have not decided yet.” — Reuters

Australian PM Albanese says China military air incident unacceptable

REUTERS

SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday it was unacceptable for Australian defense personnel to be put at risk in international airspace by the Chinese military as they took part in an operation to enforce United Nations sanctions on North Korea.

A Chinese fighter jet endangered an Australian military helicopter during an unsafe and unacceptable confrontation over the Yellow Sea, Australia said on Monday.

The Chinese air force J-10 jet dropped flares above and several hundred meters ahead of an Australian MH60R Seahawk helicopter on a routine flight on Saturday in the Yellow Sea as part of an operation to enforce sanctions against North Korea, Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Monday evening.

In a television interview, Albanese said China had not yet responded publicly to Australia’s representations over the incident.

“This issue, we have made public in order to be able to speak out very clearly and unequivocally that this behavior is unacceptable,” he told Nine’s Today Show.

The Australian Defense Force personnel were “in international waters, international airspace, and they’re doing work to ensure that the sanctions that the world has imposed through the United Nations on North Korea, due to their intransient and reckless behavior, are enforced”.

“They shouldn’t have been at any risk,” he said.

The Australian public expected an explanation from China about the incident, and Australia had made “very strong representations at every level to China”, he added.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to visit Australia next month, he said.

“We will make our position clear as well in discussions,” he said.

The helicopter, flying from destroyer HMAS Hobart, dodged the flares. The confrontation put the aircraft and those on board at risk, although no one was hurt, the Department of Defense said in a separate statement.

This is the second such incident in six months to mar what has otherwise been a growing rapprochement between the two countries after years of strained relations and trade disputes.

Australia said in November a Chinese naval vessel injured some of its divers in Japanese waters using an underwater sonar. China denied it had used its sonar, however Australia rejected the explanation.

In 2022, Australia protested after a Chinese navy vessel pointed a laser at an Australian military aircraft close to Australia’s northern coast.

In a separate incident in 2022, Australia said a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea, releasing a “bundle of chaff” containing pieces of aluminum that were ingested into the Australian aircraft’s engine.

Liu Jianchao, head of the international department of the Chinese Communist Party, said during a visit to Australia in November the Australian navy’s movements in the South China Sea and East China Sea appeared to be an effort to contain China.

Australia has rejected this, saying it respects the right of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law.

China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. An international tribunal in 2016 said China’s expansive claim had no legal basis.

Chinese navy vessels have been tracked off Australia’s coast several times in recent years, including monitoring exercises with the US military. — Reuters

People with two copies of a risk gene have genetic form of Alzheimer’s — study

CHICAGO — People who carry two copies of the APOE4 gene are virtually guaranteed to develop Alzheimer’s and face symptoms at an earlier age, researchers reported on Monday in a study that could redefine such carriers as having a new genetic form of the mind-wasting disease.

The reclassification could change Alzheimer’s research, diagnosis and approaches to treatment, according to the researchers, whose study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

“Through these data we are saying that perhaps this is a genetic form of this disease, not merely a risk factor indication,” study co-author Sterling Johnson of the University of Wisconsin’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center told reporters in a briefing.

Scientists have known for three decades that people with two copies of APOE4 gene variant have significantly higher risk of developing the disease than people with the most common version of the APOE gene, known as APOE3. About 2% to 3% of the general population, or 15% of people with Alzheimer’s, have two copies of the APOE4 variant.

“This study adds compelling data to suggest that people with two copies of this gene are almost guaranteed to develop Alzheimer’s if they live long enough, and that they will develop Alzheimer’s earlier than people without this gene,” said professor Tara Spires-Jones, an Alzheimer’s researcher at the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the study.

Dr. Juan Fortea of the University of Barcelona and colleagues studied more than 3,000 donated brains from the US National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, as well as biological and clinical data on more than 10,000 individuals from three countries.

They found that by age 65, at least 95% of people with two copies of APOE4 — known as homozygotes — had abnormal levels of an Alzheimer’s-related protein called beta amyloid in their spinal fluid, and 75% had positive brain scans for amyloid.

Nearly all APOE4 homozygotes in the study had higher levels of amyloid at age 65 than people who did not carry the risk variant.

The findings suggest APOE4 homozygotes meet the three main criteria for being a genetic disease: nearly everyone with these two variants have Alzheimer’s biology; they develop symptoms at about the same rate; and clinical and biological changes occur in a predictable sequence, the researchers said.

Professor David Curtis of the UCL Genetics Institute, who was not involved in the research, remained unconvinced. “I do not see anything in this paper to justify the claim that carrying two copies of APOE4 represents some ‘distinct genetic form’ of Alzheimer’s disease’,” he said in a statement.

“No matter how many (copies) of APOE4 one carries the underlying disease processes seem similar across cases of Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.

TREATMENT IMPLICATIONS
The findings could have implications for the recently approved Alzheimer’s treatment Leqembi from Eisai and Biogen, a drug that removes amyloid from the brain.

In clinical trials, patients with two copies of the APOE4 variant have much higher rates of brain bleeding and swelling associated with the treatment. Because of this, some centers do not treat these patients, Dr. Reisa Sperling, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Mass General Brigham who worked on the study, said in a briefing with reporters.

The findings suggest they should be treated at a younger age because “we know they’re very, very likely to progress to impairment quickly,” she said.

Dr. Samuel Gandy, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Mount Sinai in New York, said the findings stress the need to enroll APOE4 homozygotes into trials designed to prevent the disease before they develop symptoms. Sperling is conducting one such trial.

Heather Snyder of the Alzheimer’s Association said the findings, if correct, could have significant implications for how disease risk is assessed, how it is studied in clinical trials and how treatments are developed.

The new designation would be for Alzheimer’s that develops later in life. Other genetic forms include Autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s Disease, which is caused by mutations in three different genes, and Down syndrome.

A key limitation of the study is that it involved mostly people of European ancestry. The team said more study is needed in people of African descent, a population in which APOE4 appears to convey a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. — Reuters

Judge warns Trump of potential jail time for violating gag order

REUTERS

NEW YORK — The judge in Donald Trump’s criminal trial fined him $1,000 and held him in contempt of court for a 10th time on Monday for violating a gag order and warned that further violations could land the former president in jail.

Justice Juan Merchan said the nine $1,000 fines he had imposed previously did not seem to be deterring the wealthy business mogul from violating the order, which bars him from speaking publicly about the jurors and witnesses in the first criminal trial of a former US president.

“I do not want to impose a jail sanction and have done everything I can to avoid doing so. But I will if necessary,” Mr. Merchan said at the start of the trial’s 12th day before the jury entered.

Imprisonment would be an unprecedented step in the historic trial, which stems from a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 election.

After Mr. Merchan’s ruling, jurors heard testimony from former Trump employees that could bolster prosecutors’ case that Mr. Trump falsified business records to cover up the hush money payment.

Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies wrongdoing.

As he imposed the fine, Mr. Merchan said he considered jail time “truly the last resort” as it would disrupt the trial, pose extraordinary security challenges and complicate the 2024 presidential election, in which the Republican Trump seeks to win the White House back from Democratic President Joseph R. Biden.

But the judge said Mr. Trump’s “continued, willful” violations of the gag order amounted to a “direct attack on the rule of law.”

Mr. Merchan imposed the 10th $1,000 fine on Monday for an April 22 broadcast interview in which the former president said: “That jury was picked so fast — 95% Democrats. The area’s mostly all Democrat.”

Mr. Merchan found that other statements flagged by prosecutors that mentioned witnesses Michael Cohen and David Pecker did not violate the gag order.

The order prevents Mr. Trump from making statements about jurors, witnesses and families of the judge and prosecutors if meant to interfere with the case. Violations are punishable by fines of up to $1,000 or jail time of up to 30 days.

Last week Mr. Merchan fined Mr. Trump $9,000 for nine social media posts that he ruled had violated the gag order.

Mr. Trump complains frequently that the gag order limits his ability to make his case to voters in his comeback White House bid.

“He’s taken away my constitutional right to speak,” Mr. Trump told reporters outside the courtroom, before the judge fined him. 

PAYMENT RECORDS DISPLAYED
Prosecutors on Monday later showed jurors business records that documented payments totaling $420,000 from Mr. Trump to Mr. Cohen, his former fixer and personal lawyer.

Those payments were listed as legal fees, but prosecutors say they were actually meant to reimburse Mr. Cohen for paying $130,000 to Ms. Daniels to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she says she had with Mr. Trump in 2006.

Mr. Trump denies ever having had sex with Ms. Daniels.

Prosecutors say the $420,000 paid by Mr. Trump was meant to cover the $130,000 Mr. Cohen paid to Ms. Daniels, along with $50,000 in other expenses he had incurred. Mr. Trump doubled that total to account for taxes and also included a $60,000 yearend bonus, they say.

A former controller in Mr. Trump’s organization, Jeffrey McConney, testified that he was not aware of any other instance in which the Trump Organization reimbursed someone so generously.

Mr. McConney said he never spoke with Mr. Trump about the payments but was told by the company’s top finance official Allen Weisselberg that they were reimbursements.

Another former Trump employee, Deborah Tarasoff, walked the jury through the 34 invoices, ledger entries and checks stemming from the payments to Mr. Cohen, which were made on a monthly basis after Mr. Trump won the election. Each represents one of the 34 counts in the indictment against Mr. Trump.

Most of the checks were signed by Mr. Trump personally, and prosecutors highlighted his tall, looping signature in thick ink for the jury.

Prosecutors say the payment to Daniels corrupted the 2016 election by keeping the news from voters, at a time when Trump’s treatment of women was a central issue in his campaign against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

They say the altered business records covered up election-law and tax-law violations that elevate the 34 counts Trump faces from misdemeanors to felonies punishable by up to four years in prison.

If found guilty, Mr. Trump could face up to four years in prison, though defendants typically face fines and probation.

The main players in the case have yet to testify, including Mr. Cohen and Ms. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

The case features sordid allegations of adultery and secret payoffs, but it is widely seen as less consequential than three other criminal prosecutions Mr. Trump faces. It is the only one certain to go to trial before the Nov. 5 presidential election.

The other cases charge him with trying to overturn his 2020 presidential defeat and mishandling classified documents after leaving office. Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all three. — Reuters

Top PHL stakeholders to hold Realty Confab on May 16-17

The National Real Estate Association, Inc. (NREA), jointly with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), will convene the country’s top real estate advocates and stakeholders for a two-day national convention.

Aimed at forging a comprehensive. multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary initiative to boost housing and real estate development in the country, the convention will be held on May 16 and 17 at the Ayala Hall of Makati Sports Club, L.P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City.

Top billing the array of expert guest speakers are DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, who will be the guest of honor and keynote speaker Day 1; Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement, as guest speaker afternoon of Day 1; Asst. Secretary Marvin Jason N. Bayang of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economics, as guest speaker in the morning of Day 2 (May 17); and Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, as guest speaker on the afternoon sessions on Day 2.

Ma. Loren B. Sales, NREA executive vice-president and convention chairlady, said that the convention is focused on the theme “NREA:  Realizing the Dream of a Thriving Real Estate Industry”.

Red J. Rosales, NREA national president, announced that NREA, DHSUD, and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set to sign during the convention a joint memorandum circular strengthening the three institutions’ partnership and operational cooperation behind the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program (4PH) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.

To encourage the participation of the executives and representatives of local government units (LGUs) to the convention, the DILG has issued a memorandum circular to enable LGU leaders’ participation, on official time.  LGUs serve as the main housing project proponents and implementors under 4PH, Mr. Rosales pointed out.

Consultant Imelda C. Magtoto, NREA chairperson, informed that participants will gain 12.5 credits in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to comply with the license renewal of real estate brokers, appraisers and consultants while architect-participants will gain 3.5 CPD credits.

Ms. Magtoto also announced the convention topics and the invited speakers.  These  are:  “Pasig River Rehabilitation and Other Updates,” with DHSUD Usec., Atty. Avelino Tolentino III;  “Planado Project Program,” with DHSUD Usec. Henry Yap; “Vertical Housing Program and Policy Initiatives for 4PH,” with DHSUD Usec. Garry De Guzman; “Regional Development and LGU Process,” with DILG Sec. Benjamin Abalos, Jr.;

“Affordable Housing for OFWs,” with Congresswoman Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino; “Future of Communities:  Smart Cities and Beyond,” with Architect Felino Palafox, Jr.; “Towards Sustainable Communities,” with DHSUD Dir. Ma. Lorina Rigor; “Innovations in Housing Technology,” with Engineer Christian  Camacho of DoST-FPRDI; “Trends and Opportunities in Township Development,” with Andrew Tan, chairman and president of Megaworld Corp.;

“Investment Prospects and Incentives for Mass Housing,” with BOI-DTI Dir. Mary Ann Raganit; “Pag-IBIG:  Digitalizing Home Financing and Other Program Updates,” with Pag-IBIG President and CEO Marilene Acosta; “Evolution and Future of Affordable Housing,” with Atty. Christopher Ryan Tan, OSHDP legal counsel and past president and Hausland Development Corp. president and current CEO;  “The 7 Flagship Projects of Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC),” with President & CEO Arrey Perez;

“Trends and Insights in Real Estate Marketing,” with Mariana Zobel De Ayala; “Tourism Boom and Tourist-Oriented Real Estate Development,” with DoT Sec. Ma. Esperanza Cristina Garcia Frasco; “Unlocking Potential:  Updates on RPVAR Bill and Role in Shaping Property Valuation Practices,” with BLGF Dir. Ma. Pamela Quizon; “Professionalizing Real Estate,” with PRBRES Chairperson Ofelia Binag;

“Digitizing Land Registry and Updates,” with LRA Administrator Gerardo Sirios; “Ease of Paying Taxes and Other Updates,” with BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumaqui, Jr.; “ARTA:  Business-Friendly PH and Other Anti-Red Tape Updates,” with ARTA Dir. Gen. Ernesto Perez; and  “Land Access for Housing Through Conversion and Other Updates,” with DAR Usec., Atty. Luis Meinrado Pangulayan.

Sec. Gen. Loudette B. Carlos, convention vice-chair, said that invited panel discussion moderators are:  Mr. Leonardo Dayao,  SHDA Chairman; Engr. Marcelino Mendoza, NREA Adviser & OSHDP Chairman;  DILG Dir. Anna Liza Bonagua; Ricky Celis, NREA Adviser & Past President; Alejandro Manalac, NREA Adviser & Past President/Chairman;  Proptech Exec. Dir. AJ Rocero; SHDA Pres. Atty. Joy Manaog, Benigno Cabrieto, NREA Adviser & Past Pres./Chairman; and Paolo Giovanni Olivares, OSHDP President.

Another highlight of the convention is the launching of NREA Research Center (NRC) and of the NREA Youth Council (NYC).  NRC will lead realty industry research initiatives; data gathering, studies and analyses, for actionable outputs. NYC, on the other hand, is a platform to harness youth leaders in housing and real estate.

Immediately preceding the convention, NREA will hold its annual Chairperson’s Golf Cup on May 15 at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City, with prizes totaling to P300,000 in values.

The tournament will be chaired by Adviser Bansan C. Choa with Treasurer Nicole Choa and PRO Christian Mulingbayan as tournament vice chairmen.

Notably, the event is also a fund-raising activity to support NREA’s corporate social responsibility projects. It also promotes camaraderie among its members, colleagues and friends aims to achieve a “healthy mind and a healthy body.”

Golf registration fees are P8,500 each player, inclusive of green fees, golf cart use, food, and a chance to win big raffle prizes.  Meanwhile, convention registration fees are P3,000 for both NREA members and non-members.

Both events are supported by: PHirst Park Homes, Inc.; Pag-IBIG Fund; Davies Paint Philippines, Inc.; Merrytown Properties Corp.; Pocket Communities; Emerald Vinyl Corp.; Prime Homes Realty & Development Corp.; National Home Mortgage Finance Corp.; Mapecon Philippines, Inc.; Oak Drive Capital,  Inc.; Union Cement Philippines; Central Country Estates, Inc./The Lakeshore; AIDEA, Inc.; Phinma Properties, Inc.; Megaworld Corp.; Duraville Realty & Development Corp.; Hausland Development Corp./Fiesta Communities; SM Development Corp.; E. Ganzon, Inc.; A. Brown Company, Inc.; Golden Haven Memorial Parks; and the Department of Tourism.

For registration and other particulars, you may contact the NREA Secretariat at mobile/Viber nos. 0927-9231113 (Exec. Asst. & Event Officer Lhane Sta. Juana); 0965-5392012 (Aileen Garlitos); 0917-6374961 (Iya Angeles); or email us at nrea_org@gyahoo.com.

 

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JuanHand and FEdCenter announce partnership to revolutionize financial literacy in the Philippines

JuanHand and FEdCenter Contract Signing Event; from left Patrick Ian Bituin (VP for Marketing, JCFAP), Francisco “Coco” Mauricio (JuanHand President and CEO), Marc Kristian Fabio Gulle (FEdCenter CEO), and Princess Claire Isla (VP for Comptrollership, JCFAP).

FEdCenter, an umbrella association of finance teachers and students known for promoting financial knowledge, and JuanHand, the leading Online Cash Lending Platform in the country, are partnering to launch an app-based education platform meant to increase financial literacy by making it fun, rewarding, and convenient.

JuanHand, with over 24 Million downloads and over 21 Billion Pesos worth of loans disbursed, has become the preferred online cash lender of the undeserved who are seeking reliable, fair, and quick financial solutions.  JuanHand has been instrumental in expanding financial inclusion in the Philippines and now wants to serve the country even more by democratizing Financial Literacy.  FEdCenter aims to assist JuanHand by providing engaging content in the soon-to-be-launched financial literacy platform and by promoting its use through their other partners such as the Junior Confederation of Finance Associations – Philippines (JCFAP) and the Finance Educators Association (Fin.Ed). JCFAP and Fin.ED is a community composed of 16,000 individuals from over 160 universities and organizations in the country.

The partnership officially commenced last January 2024, which will revolutionize not only financial literacy in the country but also transform the FinTech landscape across the nation. The Partnership Signing Ceremony was held last April 21, 2024, during the National Finance Summit in Le Pavillon Pasay.

This marks a significant milestone in the history of both companies, as a testament to their dedication to financial literacy and inclusion.  Filipinos now have something to look forward to in the coming months:  a Financial Literacy platform expected to create a movement that will impact the present and future generations. More to come.

For more information, please visit www.juanhand.com, download the JuanHand app at Google Playstore or iOS Appstore or contact official@fedcenter.org.

 

Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by publishing their stories on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.

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Amazon to spend nearly $9 billion to expand cloud infra in Singapore

Image via Tony Webster/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

Amazon.com plans to spend S$12 billion ($8.88 billion) over the next four years to expand its cloud computing infrastructure in Singapore, Amazon Web Services (AWS) said on Tuesday.

The investment adds to the S$11.5 billion the company has already invested in the Asia Pacific Region till 2023, bringing its total planned spend to more than S$23 billion by 2028, AWS said in a statement.

Southeast Asia’s top leaders are scrambling for a bigger slice of the global tech pie, with Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore hosting Nvidia NVDA.O CEO Jensen Huang in December, and Apple APPL.O CEO Tim Cook visiting Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia last month.

Recent investments in the region include Apple’s plan to invest over $250 million into its operations in Singapore.

AWS also announced a collaboration with the Singapore government, public sector organizations and enterprises to help accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI in Singapore, the statement said.

“AWS is doubling down on its cloud infrastructure investments in Singapore from 2024 to 2028 to support customer demand, and help reinforce Singapore’s status as an attractive regional innovation launchpad,” AWS Country Manager Priscilla Chong said.

The announcement at the AWS ASEAN Summit in Singapore marks Amazon’s latest move in its plan to build AWS infrastructure across Southeast Asia. The company had previously announced a $5 billion investment in Thailand and a $6 billion spend in Malaysia.

Amazon’s announcement comes days after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced cloud services investments worth $2.2 billion in Malaysia and $1.7 billion in Indonesia during a visit to the region.

With a young tech-savvy population of 670 million, Southeast Asia has seen increasing interest from technology giants.

Reuters reported in December that Malaysian conglomerate YTL’s utilities unit would partner with Nvidia to develop AI infrastructure in a $4.3 billion investment deal.

On Monday, Malaysia’s trade minister trade minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said Google was also planning to invest in the country with an announcement expected “in the near future”, according to a report by the state news agency.

Meanwhile, Indonesia is keen to have Nvidia’s Huang visit again, with communications minister Budi Arie Setiadi saying last month that they had invited him. — Reuters

How Modi’s BJP plans to win a supermajority in India’s election

REUTERS

BARPETA/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India – As India votes in a six-week general election, Narendra Modi’s image adorns everything from packs of rice handed out to the poor to large posters in cities and towns.

His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is relying on the prime minister’s popularity as it seeks a super-majority in India’s parliament. Its message: Modi has delivered economic growth, infrastructure upgrades and India’s improved standing in the world.

But as the Hindu nationalist party and its allies target 400 of the 543 seats in India’s lower house of parliament – up from 352 won in 2019 – they are also employing local tactics in some vital constituencies they hope to wrest from the opposition.

Opinion polls indicate Modi will win a rare third term when voting ends on June 1. But only once in Indian history has a party crossed the 400 mark – when the center-left Congress party romped to victory following the assassination of its leader Indira Gandhi in 1984.

To examine how the right-wing National Democratic Alliance (NDA) aims to achieve that feat – and the obstacles it faces – Reuters spoke to nine NDA officials, three opposition leaders and two political analysts, as well as voters in six opposition-held seats the alliance is targeting.

They identified three of the BJP’s key tactics: enlisting celebrity candidates to unseat veteran opposition lawmakers; making an assault on the opposition’s southern strongholds by appealing to minorities such as Christians; and exploiting redrawn political boundaries that bolster the Hindu electorate in some opposition-controlled areas in the north.

“A combination of strategies, organisational commitment and tactical flexibility will help make inroads in seats never held by the party ever before,” BJP President J. P. Nadda, who oversees the party’s election strategy, told Reuters in April.

Some critics have warned the BJP would use a large majority to push through a more radical agenda in a third term. While the BJP’s manifesto focuses heavily on economic growth, it has also pledged to scrap separate legal codes for religious and tribal groups in areas such as marriage and inheritance.

Many Muslims and tribal groups oppose the plan, which would require a constitutional amendment to be passed by at least two-thirds of parliament.

“Modi wants a landslide majority only to be able to end the debate and deliberation on any policy matter in the parliament,” Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge told Reuters.

Following low turnout in early voting, some BJP campaign officials have in recent days appeared less confident of securing a huge majority, though the party still expects to form the next government.

SOUTHERN STRATEGY
Modi’s party has criticised the dynastic politics that it says afflicts Congress, long dominated by the Nehru-Gandhi family. But in Pathanamthitta, a seat in the southern state of Kerala, it is fielding a political scion in Anil Antony – son of a veteran Congress leader.

The constituency, home to a sizeable Christian minority, has been held by Congress since its creation in 2009.

Anil’s father, former defense minister A.K. Antony, supports the incumbent and has denounced his son, a fellow Christian, for representing the Hindu nationalist party.

But Anil has another supporter: Modi, who came to Pathanamthitta in March and praised the BJP candidate for his “fresh vision and leadership”. The prime minister has visited the five states of southern India at least 16 times since December.

Nadda, the BJP president, acknowledged that winning a supermajority would require performing well in the five southern states, which are home to about 20% of India’s population but have not traditionally voted for his party.

In 2019, the NDA won just 31 of 130 seats across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, all of which are linguistically diverse and have many Muslim and Christian voters.

Jiji Joseph, general secretary of the BJP’s minority wing in Kerala, said the party has made a concerted push for the 18% of voters there who are Christians. The BJP did not win a single seat in Kerala at the last general election.

“The BJP launched active contact with the Church and we started interacting with clergies directly,” he said, adding that the party now has 11,000 active Christian members. “There is a change. Christians now want to believe that BJP stands for them.”

In April, Anil became the first BJP candidate in Kerala to be endorsed by Christian leaders. He told Reuters his selection indicated the party offered opportunities to members from minority groups. He declined to comment on relations with his father.

Jayant Joseph, a Keralan Christian voter, said he backed the BJP because he had read media reports about Muslim men marrying Christian women and converting them to Islam. Most moderate Hindus consider allegations of large-scale forced conversions to be a conspiracy theory.

“Kerala is a secular state,” he said. “But for it to continue to be a secular state, the Muslim population and their conversion strategy must be kept under check.”

A Modi political aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to media, said the NDA expects to win about 50 seats in the south.

K. Anil Kumar, a senior leader of Kerala’s ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), said he did not believe BJP would do well in his state, which he said has a strong tradition of secularism.

“The BJP might try to side with the Christians on some issues but they are fundamentally a party of the Hindus and for the Hindus,” he said.

STAR CANDIDATES
In the Mandi constituency of the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, the BJP has recruited Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut to break the Congress party’s grip on power. Congress is fielding as its candidate Vikramaditya Singh, whose mother currently represents the constituency. His father was the state’s long-time chief minister.

Ranaut, a political novice who calls herself a “glorious right-wing” personality, has starred in popular movies with nationalistic themes. She is known for her criticism of Bollywood executives who she said favored the relatives of famous actors for opportunities.

The actress is one of five actors running for the BJP this year, up from four in 2019.

No opinion polling on the Mandi race is publicly available.

Anjana Negia, an elementary school teacher who plans to vote for Ranaut, acknowledged that her preferred candidate had no political experience. But she said that she valued a new face and that a Modi-backed candidate would help “bring a fresh wave of development.”

Fielding celebrities and seeking the endorsement of entertainment personalities is relatively new for the BJP, which “long resisted such tactics because of its cadre-based nature” that prized grassroots efforts, said Milan Vaishnav, an expert on South Asian politics at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think-tank.

Ranaut declined an interview request. Federal BJP spokesman Shahzad Poonawala said she “has been successful in exposing dynastic culture and nepotism in Bollywood and now she is doing the same in politics.”

Singh, a state minister responsible for urban development, told Reuters that his family’s experiences gave him a better understanding of politics. Charges of nepotism were “shallow”, he said.

REDISTRICTING BENEFITS
The NDA is hoping for gains in the northeastern state of Assam, where it won nine of 14 seats in 2019. Assam’s BJP chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said in March he was confident of winning 13 seats.

The NDA’s confidence is rooted in a 2023 redistricting exercise in the state. India’s non-partisan Election Commission routinely redraws seat boundaries to reflect population changes; it is tasked with ensuring that no political party gains undue advantage from the changes.

But exercises since the last federal election in Assam and far-northern Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only majority Muslim region, diluted the Muslim vote in seats that the NDA is targeting, according to three BJP and four opposition officials.

The Election Commission declined to comment on the two exercises, citing the ongoing election.

In Assam, the NDA has high hopes for Congress-held Barpeta, which alliance candidate Phani Bhushan Choudhury said newly includes dozens of villages and some towns with large Hindu populations.

“Earlier (Barpeta) had a Muslim majority but now it is a Hindu majority,” said Choudhury. “That change has worked in my favor.”

He estimates that there are now 1.2 million Hindu voters in Barpeta, where he is campaigning on development and protecting the rights of what the NDA calls “indigenous Assamese” voters, who are mostly Hindu.

Choudhury’s Congress opponent Deep Bayan said the percentage of Hindus in Barpeta went from 30% to 70%. “Instead focusing on real issues affecting the people…(the BJP does) the politics of polarization,” he said.

Three of Jammu and Kashmir’s five seats are majority Muslim and held by the opposition. But the NDA hopes to swing one of them, Anantnag-Rajouri, after its voter rolls swelled by more than 50% to over 2 million, according to government data.

Many of the new voters are Hindus or from regional tribes – which benefited from new BJP policies awarding them education and employment privileges – according to regional BJP chief Ravinder Raina.

Raina said the BJP would support an NDA partner that it believed could win Anantnag-Rajouri and focus on retaining the two Hindu-majority seats it holds.

The two redistricting exercises presages a broader remapping of constituencies due after the election.

Vaishnav, of the Carnegie Endowment, said the remapping would distribute seats to the BJP-dominated north, which has much higher population growth rates, to the detriment of wealthier south India. — Reuters

Australia seeks client data from crypto exchanges in tax crackdown

REUTERS

SYDNEY – Australia’s tax office has sought from crypto currency exchanges the personal data and transaction details of up to 1.2 million accounts as it looks to crack down on users who may be failing to pay their taxes amid a rising interest in digital tokens.

In a notice issued last month, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) said the data will help identify traders who had failed to report the exchange of crypto assets, or when they sold it for currency and used it to pay for goods or services.

The crypto industry’s complex nature can lead to a genuine lack of awareness of the tax obligations, the ATO said.

“Also, the ability to purchase crypto assets using false information may make them attractive to those seeking to avoid their tax obligations”, it said.

Personal data including the date of birth, phone numbers, social media accounts, and transaction details like bank accounts, wallet addresses, and the coin type will be sought.

Australia treats digital currencies as assets for tax purposes, and not as foreign currency. This means investors would have to pay capital gains tax on profit from selling crypto assets and when they trade digital assets.

Crypto assets have been gaining in popularity in Australia. A treasury report released in 2022 said more than 800,000 Australian taxpayers had transacted in digital assets in the last three years, with a 63% rise in 2021. — Reuters

SM Supermalls emerges as one of the Philippines’ largest job creators

SM Mall of Asia Senior Assistant Vice President Perkin So (left), Pasay District Representative Hon. Antonio Calixto (2nd from left), Pasay City Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano (third from left), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Officer-In-Charge (OIC)-Director II Atty. Gerard Peter Mariano (4th from left), Pasay City Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) Manager Filipinas Rosario Sampang (2nd from right), and Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director Cariza Dacuma (right) during the SM Mall of Asia Job Fair last May 1.

Spearheads weekly nationwide Job Fairs

In commemoration of Labor Day last May 1, SM Supermalls reaffirmed its commitment to fostering employment opportunities for Filipinos by hosting simultaneous nationwide job fairs. Partnering with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Public Employment Service Offices (PESO), Local Government Units (LGUs), industry associations, and SM Retail, SM Supermalls proudly facilitated these events as part of its community efforts.

As one of the largest job creators in the Philippines, SM Supermalls is dedicated to reducing unemployment by holding weekly job fairs across its extensive network of malls. During the May 1 job fair alone, SM Supermalls welcomed nearly 20,000 job seekers, with a significant number receiving on-the-spot job offers, totaling more than 2,000 newly employed individuals. This demonstrates the effectiveness of these initiatives in connecting individuals with immediate employment opportunities.

Hired-on-the-Spot (HOTS)! Last May 1, a successful job applicant receives an on-the-spot job offer at the SM Mall of Asia Job Fair.

SM Supermalls also announced its continued commitment to job creation by hosting weekly job fairs every month until November. These events, held in collaboration with government agencies, industry associations, and private sector partners, aim to provide Filipinos with access to diverse employment opportunities in sectors such as retail, Food and Beverage (F&B), Information Technology (IT), and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).

“The SM Group is invested in market-leading businesses that are innovative and relevant to the needs of the Filipino, to strengthen the private sector’s role in nation-building,” remarked SM Supermalls’ President Steven Tan. “By hosting weekly job fairs, we are not only connecting individuals with employment opportunities but also supporting the growth of industries crucial to the Philippine economy.”

For more information about SM Supermalls’ upcoming job fairs and employment opportunities, please visit www.smsupermalls.com or follow @SMSupermalls on social media.

 

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4PH Pambansang Pabahay borrowers to benefit from program subsidies – DHSUD, Pag-IBIG Fund execs

The Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) Program, the government’s flagship housing project, provides affordably-priced homes and lower monthly amortization costs through various subsidies for Filipino workers who are members of Pag-IBIG Fund, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), together with Pag-IBIG Fund executives, announced last May 1, Labor Day.

“Our housing agenda aims to ensure that all Filipino workers have the means to accessible and affordable housing opportunities. Through the subsidies extended to beneficiaries of the 4PH program, prices of homes and monthly amortization costs will be significantly reduced. This is in line with President Marcos’ Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 to address the country’s housing needs,” said Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar, who leads DHSUD and the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees.

Subsidies on Price and Interest

The housing czar said that housing units to be sold under the Pambansang Pabahay (4PH) program will be more economically priced than other residential units in the market in keeping with the price ceiling imposed by the government for affordable housing.

Housing loan borrowers who will avail of units under the Pambansang Pabahay (4PH) program through a Pag-IBIG Housing Loan will enjoy an even lower interest rate than what Pag-IBIG Fund currently provides, which is already considered the lowest in the market. DHSUD will subsidize up to 5% of the loan’s outstanding interest rate, allowing borrowers to pay a reduced interest rate on their loans. This will ensure that Filipino workers can now fulfill their homeownership dreams, especially those with limited financial resources.

Focus on sustainability, communal spaces

The Pambansang Pabahay (4PH) program also showcases green features, providing communal open spaces and gardens, as well as amenities such as swimming pools and basketball court ensuring that residents will have comfortable and improved living conditions.

Mr. Acuzar emphasized that future homeowners of the Pambansang Pabahay housing units will experience a well-designed and self-sufficient community through a township model. This framework allows residents to live within cities with access to commercial spaces, educational institutions, healthcare centers, and other essential infrastructure.

“Interested Filipino workers can easily avail of the Pambansang Pabahay (4PH) program through their Pag-IBIG Fund membership by applying for a special Pag-IBIG housing loan under 4PH, and by coordinating with their local government housing board so that they may be listed under the4PH program’s pre-identified applicants. Our work to address the housing backlog is truly a coordinated effort by the national government, the local government units, the housing sector, private developers, and the community,” Mr. Acuzar added.

Pag-IBIG membership as key to homeownership

Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene C. Acosta expressed full support for the program and invites its members to take advantage of the Pambansang Pabahay (4PH) program’s benefits.

“Pag-IBIG Fund fully supports the DHSUD in its proactive approach to addressing housing affordability challenges by helping both property developers and buyers. Our 4PH-Direct Developmental Loans provide the program proponents and property developers with financial means to develop housing projects and affordable yet quality housing units for Filipino workers,” Ms. Acosta said.

Interested buyers, on the other hand, can avail of the Pag-IBIG Pambansang Pabahay (4PH) Housing Loan and enjoy interest and amortization subsidies and borrower-friendly loan terms, assuring them of affordable monthly payments within their budget. For the program to be sustainable, it is vital for our buyer-beneficiaries to pay their amortizations and real property taxes on time, as well maintain the upkeep of the township. As aptly stated by Sec. Acuzar, the communities play a key role in solving the housing backlog,” Ms. Acosta added.

 

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Cebu Landmasters, Inc. to hold Annual Stockholders’ Meeting on June 4

 

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