
Manila's Mayor Returns to Office to Face Mountains of Trash
Weeks before, piles of garbage had started taking over the city, the Philippine capital. In some areas, roads became impassable for cars. Mountains of refuse lined crowded commercial areas, as well as the wide avenues leading to City Hall and the country's Supreme Court. Trash bags and discarded crates floated down streets flooded by the monsoon rains.
Litter is a fact of life in Manila, where grand colonial buildings are cramped by modern high-rises and dense shanty towns. But for weeks, the smell of rot has grown inescapable for nearly two million residents as uncollected waste stewed in the humid Southeast Asian weather.
'It hurts the eyes, it hurts the nose, and it hurts public health,' Mr. Domagoso said, speaking on a livestream on Monday, where he asked residents to store garbage in their homes until collection returned to normal. He declared a state of emergency in the city the next day.
The mayor himself, a former actor known as Isko Moreno, worked as a garbage collector before beginning his acting career.
In a speech to the City Council on Tuesday, Mr. Domagoso blamed the government of the previous mayor, Honey Lacuna, for leaving the city in debt to the garbage collectors.
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Bloomberg
7 hours ago
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Thai, Cambodian Leaders Set for Peace Talks Nudged by Trump
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Yahoo
9 hours ago
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Why are Thailand and Cambodia fighting at the border?
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Yahoo
13 hours ago
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'Any cessation of hostilities cannot be reached' while Cambodia is 'repeatedly violating the basic principles of human rights and humanitarian law,' Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Trump said he had warned the Thai and Cambodia leaders that he would not make trade deals with either country if the deadly border conflict continues. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said Sunday that his country does not want a third country to mediate but was 'thankful' for Trump's 'concern.' 'We've proposed a bilateral between our foreign ministers, to conclude what conditions (would be) for ceasefire and drawing back troops and long range firing weapons,' Phumtham said at a press conference, adding that 'soldiers will continue to do their job at full steam' until there is no danger for civilians. Thailand hit several locations in Cambodia with drones, tank fire, cluster and aerial bombs early Sunday morning local time, a spokesperson for Cambodia's defense ministry told reporters. Some of the projectiles landed near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO world heritage site in Cambodia's northern province of the same name, according to Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata. The temple complex has been at the center of previous clashes between the two nations. Cambodia slammed what it said were Thailand's 'deliberate and premeditated acts of aggression.' Those acts 'have occurred despite ongoing efforts led by President Donald Trump to seek a ceasefire, efforts that have been publicly and clearly supported by Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia,' Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said. 'Our forces are still striking back actively and are not afraid to protect the territory,' Maly Socheata said. The state-run National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT) reported that Cambodian forces had fired artillery into the Thai border province of Surin, west of Preah Vihear, damaging residential homes. Thai forces were responding, it reported. Thailand on Sunday said 19 people have been killed since hostilities began, mostly civilians. There are more than 138,000 from six provinces displaced and staying in government shelters, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Cambodia said Saturday that in Oddar Meanchey province, which borders Thailand's Surin, 13 people had been killed, including eight civilians, and 50 wounded. At least 80,000 people in Cambodia have been displaced by the fighting, according to the defense ministry. The strongman and the telecoms billionaire Ties between Thailand and Cambodia have previously been close, thanks partly to the relationship between two former leaders – Cambodia strongman Hun Sen and Thailand's telecoms billionaire and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Neither man holds office, but both remain hugely influential in their respective countries. Recent tension at border had been simmering since a clash in May, in which a Cambodian soldier was killed. Relations soured further following the release of a leaked phone call between Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra – Thaksin's daughter – and Cambodia's Hun Sen. In the call, Paetongtarn could be heard calling Hun Sen 'uncle' and appeared to criticize her own army's actions in the border dispute. Paetongtarn's comments struck a nerve in Thailand, and opponents accused her of compromising the country's national interests. She defended her actions but was later suspended by the Constitutional Court pending an ethics review and could face dismissal. Hun Sen has since taken to Facebook posting scathing remarks against Thaksin, accusing him of 'resorting to war, the ultimate consequence of which will be the suffering of the people.' Thaksin, in a post on X, accused Hun Sen of ordering Cambodian troops to fire into Thai territory. Trump diplomacy President Trump said Saturday that he had spoken with both Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and the acting Thai Prime Minister in his efforts to restore peace. 'They have agreed to immediately meet and quickly work out a Ceasefire and, ultimately, PEACE!' Trump wrote on Truth Social in a series of posts outlining his diplomatic efforts, but offering no details on the negotiations. 'They are also looking to get back to the 'Trading Table' with the United States, which we think is inappropriate to do until such time as the fighting STOPS,' Trump wrote. Earlier this month, Trump wrote letters to Thailand and Cambodia threatening a 36% tariff on most of their exports to the US, starting August 1. Cambodia and Thailand both delivered substantial offers to their US counterparts in an effort to move to the front of the line for a trade agreement, officials said at the time. In the early hours of Sunday morning local time, Hun Manet thanked Trump and said that Cambodia agreed with 'the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces.' He added that he had previously agreed to a ceasefire proposal from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. A statement from Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was more measured, saying it wished to see 'sincere intention from the Cambodian side' – but that Phumtham had also 'requested President Trump to convey …that Thailand wants to convene a bilateral dialogue as soon as possible to bring forth measures and procedures for the ceasefire and the eventual peaceful resolution of the conflict.' Bangkok and Phnom Penh have been fighting over territory disputed since colonial power France drew the border between them more than a century ago. The renewed deadly conflict pits longtime US ally Thailand, with decades of experience, against Cambodia's relatively young armed force, which has close ties to China. The United Nations has condemned the violence, with Secretary General António Guterres urging in a post on X for 'both sides to immediately agree to a ceasefire and to address any issues through dialogue.'