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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/voters-approve-muslim-self-rule-in-philippines-troubled-south MANILA • Voters have decisively approved a new Muslim-led region in the Philippines' south, which is hoped will bring a measure of peace after decades of fighting killed thousands and mired the area in poverty. The results, announced yesterday, will begin the process of the Catholic-majority nation's largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), laying down its weapons and assuming political power. About 150,000 people were killed in the rebellion that began in 1970s and aimed to push the government to grant independence to a Muslim minority concentrated on the southern island of Mindanao. As part of the peace process, the MILF has joined the government in battling the hardline factions aligned to terror group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) waging guerilla campaigns in the southern Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte, himself from Mindanao, has been a staunch supporter of Bangsamoro and signed the law last year paving the way for the vote. Under the terms of the law which lays out the region's powers, Bangsamoro will get US$950 million (S$1.29 billion) in development funds over the next 10 years, as well as a chunk of the tax revenue generated within its borders and national receipts. Manila will keep control over the police, but it is hoped that close cooperation on security with Bangsamoro's leaders will help get a handle on the region's endemic lawlessness. Muslim rebels have long been battling for independence or autonomy on Mindanao, which they regard as their ancestral homeland dating back to when Arab traders arrived there in the 13th century. The Bangsamoro region will expand and supersede an existing Muslim-led region which struggled to govern effectively due to limited powers and was hamstrung by alleged corruption. After voters' approval, the rebels are to immediately demobilise a third of their fighters, which the group said number about 30,000. MILF has begun an inventory of its weapons, which will not be destroyed but rather placed in a depot guarded by former MILF fighters and government security forces. Laying down their guns may prove to be a delicate process for rebels living in a region with extremely limited rule of law, where being armed is also a way to protect oneself and family from crime. Transitioning from rebellion to governance also promises to carry challenges for rebels who have limited experience in the difficulties of politics and bureaucracy. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Pick this up at HWZ. Bring it here for discussion. In my dept, about 80% married. And my impression of MCFer regulars, most are married. That's why find the stats alarming.. Source http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/singapore...-035606362.html 76% of men and 56% of women remained unwed. According to SingStat, between 2001 and 2011, the proportion of singles increased particularly among younger males and females. Here's more from SingStat: Among those aged 25-29 years, 76 per cent of the males and 56 per cent of the females were single in 2011, up from 65 per cent and 41 per cent respectively in 2001. A relatively high proportion of males and females in their thirties were also never-married in 2011. Among those aged 30-34 years, 38 per cent of the males and 25 per cent of the females remained single in 2011, compared to the 31 per cent for males and 19 per cent for females in 2001.