Philippines, Vietnam seal deals on South China Sea security, rice

The Philippines and Vietnam agreed on Tuesday to boost cooperation among their coastguards and to prevent untoward incidents in the South China Sea, in an announcement during a state visit by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Philippines, Vietnam seal deals on South China Sea security, rice

Previously:

Negotiating the Tide: The Vital Role of Bilateral Talks between PH & CN in Steering Through the SCS Dispute

The statement of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro just this week, where he said that entering into bilateral negotiations over the dispute in the South China Sea (SCS) between the Philippines and China will just be playing into China’s playbook, is quite perplexing. Teodoro says bilateral talks with China on the issue over the SCS dispute will only hamper and strangle the Philippines’ rights and position. This is one of the reasons why the Philippines is seeking multilateralism.

Negotiating the Tide: The Vital Role of Bilateral Talks between PH & CN in Steering Through the SCS Dispute

World Court orders Venezuela to refrain from action in border dispute with Guyana + More

World Court orders Venezuela to refrain from action in border dispute with Guyana

Friday’s ruling is the latest development in the larger border dispute. The ICJ said in April it had jurisdiction over the case, but a final ruling could be years away.

Interestingly, Judge Joan Donoghue used to work for the US State Department. 🤔

Related:

Essequibo and Other Border Issues: Venezuela’s Territorial Losses to Imperialist Powers Through the Centuries (Part 1)

Previous posts on Venezuela v Guyana

Opposition NGO warns Essequibo question might end up in war between Venezuela and Guyana + More

Control Ciudadano (Social Watch – CC) Chairwoman Rocío San Miguel said Guyanese President Irfaan Alí’s recent statements regarding the military support of several countries to defend the Essequibo amounted to a “very strong warning for Venezuela,” which will hold a referendum on the matter on Dec. 3.

NGO warns Essequibo question might end up in war between Venezuela and Guyana

Rocío San Miguel is Venezuelan Opposition.

Related:

US Defense officials to visit Guyana amid Venezuela row: Guyanese VP

Both nations claim the 160,000-square-kilometer (62,000-square-mile) region, in a dispute that has intensified since ExxonMobil discovered oil there in 2015.

Another major discovery in Essequibo in October added further to Guyana’s reserves, making them greater than those of Kuwait or the United Arab Emirates.

US Escalates Essequibo Dispute by Militarizing Guyana

Venezuela: Maduro Warns of ExxonMobil Interference Ahead of ‘Historical’ Essequibo Strip Vote

For historical context: The Secret Agenda Behind the Venezuela-Guyana Conflict

Is there a famine in North Korea in 2023?

On February 15, 2023, at a meeting of the ROK National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se stated that the DPRK’s food situation was deteriorating, and that Pyongyang had requested assistance from the UN World Food Program. At the same time, the minister acknowledged that “the situation in the North does not seem to have reached the point where people are dying of starvation, something similar to what was observed during the Arduous March” of the mid-to-late 1990s, when the death toll from food shortages and disease reached 600,000 people. In later reports, the ministry described the food shortage situation in the DPRK as “serious,” noting that there have been reports of deaths from starvation in some parts of the country. However, these deaths are not widespread.

Is there a famine in North Korea in 2023?

This Remote Mine Could Foretell the Future of America’s Electric Car Industry

TAMARACK, Minn. — In this isolated town of about 100 people, dozens of employees are at work for Talon Metals, drawing long cylinders of rock from deep in the earth and analyzing their contents. They liken their work to a game of Battleship — each hole drilled allows them to better map out where a massive and long-hidden mineral deposit is lurking below.

This Remote Mine Could Foretell the Future of America’s Electric Car Industry

Pet husky dog in China learns how to cook a meal for owner after figuring out how to turn on an electric rice cooker

A pet husky named Lucky in China has managed to cook a meal of rice for his owner who used a home surveillance system to remotely instruct the dog.

The husky’s remarkable cooking effort was recorded in a video uploaded to mainland Chinese social media last week.

Pet husky dog in China learns how to cook a meal for owner after figuring out how to turn on an electric rice cooker
Couldn’t find a husky cooking, unfortunately. Just posting something different, for once.