THE first SONA of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. added to the legislative agenda of the 19th Congress the need to amend the National Defense Act of 1935 and change the military structure of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to one that is more responsive to the current and future non-conventional security threats to the country s territorial integrity and national sovereignty. Hence, various bills have been filed in the 19th Congress calling for the amendment of the National Defense Act, foremost of which is for the chain of command (COC) to explicitly include the Secretary of Defense, not just a mere alter ego and push for a self-reliant defense posture revitalization. In the Senate, there are four amendatory bills and four focusing on revitalization, while in the House of Representatives, a total of 29 bills are pending in standing committees.
France toughens language requirements for migrants chinadaily.com.cn - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chinadaily.com.cn Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday approved plans to pardon former President Park Geun-hye's aides, including former chief of staff Kim Ki-choon and former national security adviser Kim Kwan-jin, ahead of Seollal, or South Korea's Lunar New Year holiday. The special pardon announcement came less than a week after both aides' prison terms were finalized by the courts. The ex-chief of staff's two-ye.
Following an amendment to the Health Insurance Act that goes into effect on April 3, foreign nationals and overseas South Koreans must reside in the country for at least six months to receive health insurance coverage as dependents of the actual subscribers. The new measures, however, will allow children under the age of 19 or spouses of foreign workers to be covered by the national health insurance before residing i.
The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a special act on investigating the 2022 crowd crush that killed 159 people in central Seoul s Itaewon, upon the majority-holding main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) initiative.