MANILA: The Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of blocking a Filipino supply vessel and damaging it with water cannon Saturday morning off a remote and contested South China Sea reef.
The Philippine military said the nearly hour-long attack occurred off Second Thomas Shoal, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannon and collided with Filipino vessels in similar stand-offs in recent months.
The military released video clips that showed a white ship repeatedly dousing another vessel sailing alongside it with a water cannon. One clip showed two white ships simultaneously firing water at the same vessel.
It also released another clip showing a white ship marked “China Coast Guard” crossing the bow of a grey vessel it identified as the Philippine supply boat Unaizah May 4.
It said the videos were taken Saturday morning while the Unaizah May 4 was on its way to Ayungin Shoal — the Filipino name for the outcrop garrisoned by a small unit of Philippine troops that is also claimed by Beijing.
“The UM4 supply boat sustained heavy damages at around 08:52 (am) due to the continued blasting of water cannons from the CCG vessels,” the military said in a statement, without describing the nature of the damage or whether there were any casualties.
A Philippine coast guard escort vessel later reached the damaged boat “to provide assistance,” the military said.
China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said in a statement that the Philippine convoy “forcibly intruded into the area despite the Chinese side’s repeated warnings and route controls,” adding the Chinese carried out “control, obstruction and eviction in accordance with law.”
“We sternly warn the Philippine side: those who play with fire will bring shame on themselves. The Chinese Coast Guard is ready at all times to resolutely safeguard our country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” Gan added.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims from countries including the Philippines and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The latest confrontation came four days after visiting Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States stood by its “ironclad” commitments to defend longtime ally Manila against armed attack in the South China Sea.
Two days after Blinken’s visit to Manila, the China Coast Guard also tried to drive away Filipino scientists who landed on two cays near Scarborough Shoal, another contested South China Sea outcrop.
The Unaizah May 4, which was also damaged in a China Coast Guard water cannon attack off Second Thomas Shoal earlier this month, had returned to the area on Saturday escorted by two Filipino coast guard vessels and two Philippine Navy ships, a Philippine military statement said.
The Philippine soldiers stationed on the shoal live on a derelict navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, and require frequent resupplies for food, water and other necessities.
“This particular mission was set up to ensure a full troop complement on board BRP Sierra Madre after one personnel needing serious medical attention was recently evacuated,” the military added.
Four crew members had been hurt by broken glass during the previous water cannon attack on the Unaizah May 4.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, a Philippine coast guard spokesman for South China Sea issues, said in a separate statement that its escort vessel, the BRP Cabra, was “impeded and encircled” by three Chinese coast guard and other vessels early Saturday.
As a result, Cabra was “isolated from the resupply boat due to the irresponsible and provocative behavior of the Chinese maritime forces,” he added.
Philippines accuses China of water cannon attack on supply vessel
https://arab.news/2h46p
Philippines accuses China of water cannon attack on supply vessel
- Philippine military say the nearly hour-long attack occurred off Second Thomas Shoal
Gunmen kill seven barbers in Pakistan’s volatile Balochistan province
- No group has claimed responsibility, though Baloch separatists have targeted people from Punjab in the past
- The Pakistan government says it has quelled separatist insurgency, but violence in Balochistan has persisted
QUETTA: Attackers fatally shot seven barbers before dawn Thursday in a home in a volatile province in southwestern Pakistan, police and a government official said.
The killings occurred near the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan province, police official Mohsin Ali said. All of the barbers were from Punjab province and lived and worked together.
Provincial Interior Minister Ziaullah Langau condemned the killings and said police were investigating who was behind the attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Separatists in Balochistan have often killed workers and others from Punjab as part of a campaign to force them to leave the province, which for years has experienced a low-level insurgency by the Balochistan Liberation Army and other groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad. Islamist militants also have a presence in the province.
The government says it has quelled the separatist insurgency, but violence in the province has persisted.
Police said they believe the attack on the barbers was not related to their jobs. Last month, the Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for killing nine people from Punjab province who were abducted from a bus on a highway in Balochistan, saying it had information that spies were on the bus.
Separatists have also targeted people from Punjab working on coal-mine projects in Balochistan.
In January, gunmen killed six barbers in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the country’s northwest near the Afghanistan border. Pakistani militants years ago banned the trimming of beards and haircuts in Western styles.
Oil Updates – prices rise on US crude storage draw, China imports show year-on-year gain
SINGAPORE: Oil prices rose on Thursday as falling US crude inventories amid rising refinery intake and a year-on-year increase in Chinese imports last month supported higher demand expectations for the world’s two largest crude consuming nations, according to Reuters.
Brent crude futures for July rose 27 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $83.85 a barrel by 9:50 a.m. Saudi time. US West Texas Intermediate crude for June was up 34 cents, or 0.4 percent to $79.33 per barrel.
“Oil markets were buoyed by a larger-than-expected draw in the US inventory data. The improved China’s trade balance data added to the upside momentum,” said Tina Teng, an independent market analyst, adding that crude prices may continue to track economic factors looking ahead.
Crude inventories in the US, the world’s biggest oil user, dropped last week by 1.4 million barrels to 459.5 million barrels, according to the Energy Information Administration, more than analysts’ expectations for a 1.1 million-barrel draw. Stockpiles fell as refinery activity increased by 307,000 barrels per day in the period.
This caused gasoline stocks to swell by more than 900,000 barrels to 228 million barrels, while distillate stockpiles including diesel and heating oil rose by 600,000 barrels to 116.4 million barrels.
“The market shrugged off the builds in gasoline and distillate fuels as refiners ramp up for the upcoming driving season,” analysts at ANZ Research said in a note on Thursday.
Shipments of crude in April to China, the world’s biggest oil importer, were 44.72 million metric tons, or about 10.88 million bpd, according to China’s customs data released on Thursday. That was up 5.45 percent from the relatively low 10.4 million bpd imported in April 2023.
Hopes for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict Gaza kept oil prices from moving higher. The US said earlier in the week that negotiations should be able to close the gaps between Israel and Hamas.
“While there may be some short-term relief for oil prices, it may be difficult to return to April’s high above the $90 per barrel level, where geopolitical tensions were at its peak,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG.
Egypt’s headline inflation slowed to 32.5% in April
CAIRO: Egypt’s annual urban consumer price inflation rate decreased to 32.5 percent in April from 33.3 percent in March, slowing slightly more than analysts had expected, data from the country’s statistics agency CAPMAS showed on Thursday.
Month-on-month, prices rose by 1.1 percent in April, up from 1.0 percent in March. Food prices declined in April by 0.9 percent, though they were 40.5 percent higher than a year ago.
A poll of 17 analysts had expected annual inflation to dip to a median 32.8 percent, continuing a slowing trend that started in September when inflation reached a peak of 38.0 percent.
The central bank has tightened its monetary policy, hiking interest rates by 600 basis on March 6, the same day it signed a $8 billion financial support package with the International Monetary Fund and let the currency plummet.
Egypt promised the IMF in the March agreement it would resume tightening if necessary to prevent further erosion of the purchasing power of households.
The government last month also increased the price of a range of petrol, diesel and other fuels, as part of a commitment made to the IMF.
Inflation has been elevated for the past year, driven largely by rapid growth in the money supply.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s non-oil private sector continued its contraction in April, with the S&P Global Purchasing Managers’ Index for the country edging down to 47.4 from 47.6 in March. This marks the 41st consecutive month below the 50.0 threshold, which separates growth from contraction.
The employment sub-index slipped to 49.7 in April from 50.8 in March, stated the rating agency.
However, the output sub-index climbed to 44.8 in April from 44.5 in March and the new orders index improved to 45.5 from 45.0. Business sentiment also improved, with the future output expectations index climbing to 55.3 in April from 52.2 in March.
Meanwhile, global ratings agency Fitch last week revised Egypt’s outlook to positive from stable.
The agency affirmed Egypt’s rating at ‘B-,’ citing reduced external financing risks and stronger foreign direct investment.
Foreign investors have poured billions of dollars into Egyptian treasury bills since the country announced the IMF loan program. After the investment in the country’s foreign portfolio and the support from the UAE, Egypt’s net foreign assets deficit shrank by $17.8 billion in March.
Fitch said that initial steps to contain off-budget spending should help to reduce public debt sustainability risks.
KSrelief provides shelter, aid to people in flood-hit Yemen
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has distributed emergency shelter and other support to people across Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
The agency provided nearly 200 tents, more than 600 shelter bags, and food to those affected by the recent flooding in the Hadramout governorate and the Al-Masila district of Al-Mahra governorate.
KSrelief continues to help vulnerable people in war-torn Yemen.
Simi, Haze Khadra on why the Middle East is ‘a huge goal’ for their beauty brand
- The US-Palestinian entrepreneur twins toured Saudi Arabia and the UAE
DUBAI: US-Palestinian beauty entrepreneurs Simi and Haze Khadra went on tour in the Middle East last week for the regional launch of SimiHaze Beauty. Their travels included stops in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
While in the region, the 31-year-old identical twins — who were raised by Palestinian parents between Riyadh, London and Dubai — shared insights about their brand with Arab News.
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The pair, who are also DJs, explained that they initially launched the brand out of “pure functionality,” creating products they wanted and needed to fit their own makeup routines.
Every product they develop undergoes the same rigorous process of ensuring functionality, they stressed.
“We are constantly thinking of new ideas and ways to make makeup easy and fun to apply,” Simi told Arab News.
The pair launched their US-based cosmetics brand in 2021 with a range of stick-on makeup designs that can be placed on the face for a bold beauty look achievable within seconds.
The sticker book features an array of edgy designs inspired by their favorite DJ looks from the past, including chrome wings, neon negative space eyeliner and holographic cat eyes.
SimiHaze Beauty has since expanded to include lipsticks, bronzing powders, a lifting mascara, and more.
Simi and Haze believe they were “actually late bloomers to the beauty world.”
“We only started becoming interested in it when we were around 18,” Haze said. “We started SHB from just a single product we wanted but couldn’t find in the market, which is our Velvet Blur lipstick.
“We loved a matte lip for every day at the time but couldn’t find one that wasn’t drying, so we created it.”
The twins developed an interest in eye makeup when they began DJ-ing.
“We weren’t the best at applying eyeliner, so, again, we just created our perfect solution which became the eye stickers,” Haze said.
To the sisters, launching the brand in the Middle East “felt so surreal.”
“This market has been such a huge goal of ours since we started, because we grew up here,” Simi said. “We’re so happy that our products are finally accessible to our amazing followers here, because they have been such huge supporters since the beginning.
“Now people are finally able to really see and touch and feel the products, which is so important to us, because you will never get the experience and vision of SHB unless you actually hold the product and feel the texture, curves, and ergonomics of it. The online experience doesn’t do it any justice.”
The sisters said that they personally oversee the development of every product. They visit their lab in Italy for a few days at least twice a year to test and create new formulas.
“It takes a while and a lot of back and forth because, after we create something, it gets tested on our whole family from my grandma to my mom to my little sister and also all my friends with different skin tones,” Simi said.
“My friends are used to me calling them and saying: ‘Can I come over and try some blush colors on you?’ So, by the end of it, we know what formulas and shades work best on the widest range of people.”
While visiting the Middle East, the sisters observed a prevailing trend in the region: skincare.
“I’ve seen so much good skin here and I can tell people really care about skincare here,” Haze said. “We’ve also been increasingly obsessed with it. Our products are all infused with skin-loving ingredients, because we’re personally super-paranoid about anything that’s clogging or could cause irritation.”
