Philippines Prepares to Fight Alone

This news flew under the radar. It may have been overlooked eight months ago, yet it still matters today.

If war breaks out, General Romeo Brawner Jr. (left), chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) declared his country will fight alone. Tayo muna ang lalaban, he had said on November 04, 2025. 

Addressing troops at the opening of the ⁠AJEX DAGIT-PA military exercises, Brawner clarified the military's strategy under the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

But there's a caveat. It's only for 20-30 days. The Philippines believes its allies – the USA under the ⁠Mutual Defense Treaty, along with Japan and Australia – will have rushed to the Perla del Mar de Oriente by then to save them! 😅😅😅

The AFP chief has been regularly talking up war with China, his country's declared threat. I prefer to call a spade a spade. China is his foe, period.

Thirteen Argentina followers are roaming the streets of Buenos Aires proudly sporting their team’s jersey – but they’re not on two legs, they’re on all fours, letting out the occasional bark. 

As Argentina rides World Cup fever, a dog walker has added his pack to the local fanbase. 

Thirty-three-year-old Nahuel Meneghini, walks the streets of the capital’s city center with the dogs wearing the team’s jerseys, leashes and collars in support of La Albiceleste. 

“I did it out of love for them and for Argentina. And for the World Cup”, said Meneghini – known as “Nano” – while speaking to The Associated Press on Thursday during a walk with the canine group. The dog walker, also dressed head-to-toe like a fan, skilfully managed all the leashes, guiding the dogs along the narrow sidewalks of the capital’s San Cristóbal neighborhood. 

FYI, Argentina defeated Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time on Friday, in the Round of 32 clash at the ⁠2026 FIFA World Cup.

While I'm mostly indifferent to the World Cup, I still keep an eye on the results. 😉

Two Malaysian Cities Win Jean Paul L’allier Heritage Prize Award

Melaka and Georgetown, Penang have won the ‘Jean Paul L’allier Prize For Heritage’ award organized by the Organisation of World Heritage Cities. 

The award given out every two years is aimed at recognizing and appreciating cities that had distinguished themselves by their achievements in the conservation, enhancement or management of property inscribed on the World Heritage List.

This proves that the two Malaysian cities are still sitting pretty at the top of the list in terms of heritage cities. 

Other cities that have won the ‘Jean Paul L’allier Prize For Heritage’ are Cidade Velha (Cape Verde), Cuenca (Ecuador), Hue (Vietnam), Krakow (Poland), Kutna Hora (Czech Republic), Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Mexico City (Mexico), Queretaro (Mexico) and Safranbolu (Turkey). 

Celtic had needed loads of perseverance before they could secure a hard-fought Scottish Premiership win against a stubborn Ross County in yesterday’s game. 

They had to wait until the 64th minute, when debutant centerback Cameron Carter-Vickers' long-range strike deflected over the helpless Staggies’ goalie and into the net. This was followed six minutes later when Albian Ajeti headed in to kill the game, before nodding in a third in the eighty-fifth minute. 

The brace certainly put some gloss on the scoreline – but the fact is Celtic had nearly 80 percent possession and just one shot on target. Still the 3-0 triumph earned them a very precious 3 points to move them up to fifth place.