Category Archives: Government

U.N. Headquarters Moving Out Of New York, Headed For New Zealand

NEW YORK, New York (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – “Enough is enough!” With these words, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously to move its headquarters out of New York and into New Zealand.

The unprecedented move was prompted by the most recent mass shootings in the United States which have put the number to 255 in just the first half of 2019.

“It is no longer safe for our diplomats and staff to live and work in the U.S.,” a U.N. statement said.

New Zealand was voted as the new site of the U.N. Headquarters.

New Zealand, led by its Prime Minister Jacinda Adern, has moved to tighten gun control laws following the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch which left 50 people dead.

A U.N. spokesperson said that members of the General Assembly hailed New Zealand’s political will to address gun violence which has plagued the U.S. for a long time.  He added:  “We hope that by moving our headquarters to New Zealand, we will be able to assure our members of peace of mind that their service to the U.N. will not be marred by safety issues like they face in America.  If malls, churches, schools and festivals have become the venue for mass shootings, what assurance do we have that it will not happen at the U.N. headquarters?”

Ironically, even U.S. permanent member of the U.N. Security Council Jonathan Cohen voted to move the headquarters out of New York.

Iceland, dubbed by some surveys as the safest country in the world, was also being considered as the new site of the UN Headquarters but members agreed it that its cold weather might result in frequent absences and tardiness for the Assembly members.

Sedition: Maria Ressa Vs. Maria Ressa

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Will Maria Ressa soon join the ranks of people led by Vice President Leni Robredo who are facing accusations of sedition?

Possibly.

But the irony of ironies is that the Rappler CEO may have set herself up for a possible sedition charge.

In a recent interview  with The Financial Times (FT), Ressa said “it would be great if we didn’t have to fight our government.”

Sedition is defined as action or language that incites people to oppose or fight their duly-constituted government. 

By admitting that she is fighting the government, Ressa all but provided Exhibit A  that could be used against her in the court of law.

Ressa likes to say, “A lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.”

If Ressa keeps repeating what she told FT, it may just become the truth.

 

Protesters Demand Hong Kong To Become Administrative Region Of The Philippines

 

36444C72-707D-4B13-9AC4-751FDF7578A9HONG KONG, China (The Adobo Chronicles, Hong Kong Bureau) – Hundreds of thousands of protesters continued to take to the streets demanding that Hong Kong be made an administrative region of the Philippines.

Hong Kong as we know it today was born when China’s Qing dynasty government was defeated in the First Opium War in 1842, when it ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain. … Under the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China on 1 July 1997.

The protesters said that they have much more in common with the Philippines than with China, citing the fact that they favor Democracy over Communism. They also said that close to a quarter million Filipinos reside in Hong Kong, mostly occupying jobs as domestic workers. It is also the favorite shopping destination of many Filipinos, including former diplomats who were recently denied entry into the island.

Protesters were seen holding placards bearing the name of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is extremely popular not only in his country but across Asia and some Western countries.

No comment yet from Duterte or Chinese President Xi Jinping.