LTO assures no backlog in releasing driver's license, plates;
King Charles hands Prince William military title in rare joint appearance;
Russia using hybrid approach to grow arctic presence
King Charles hands Prince William military title in rare joint appearance;
Russia using hybrid approach to grow arctic presence
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00:00 Good day, I am William Theo and this is PTV News Now.
00:03 President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. presided a sectoral meeting earlier today at the Kalayaan
00:10 Hall in Malacañan Palace that focuses on updates from the LTO. LTO Chief Attorney Vigor Mendoza
00:18 assured the president that there would be no more backlogs in the release of driver's license cards
00:23 and plates starting this July. The LTO embarks on a comprehensive plan focusing on clearing
00:30 the remaining backlog and prioritizing current demand post June 30, 2024.
00:35 Production of licensed plates grew to 48,600 following its intensified operational efforts
00:46 by shifting to a 24-hour, three-shift operation. In other news, Britain's King Charles handed over
00:54 a senior military role to his son Prince William. This marks a rare joint appearance for the pair
01:01 as the King ramps up his return to public duties after his cancer diagnosis. King Charles presented
01:09 William with the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, a position the 75-year-old monarch
01:16 held for 32 years in front of an Apache helicopter and watched by service personnel at the Army
01:24 Flying Museum in southern England. The visit was Charles' latest engagement since he returned to
01:30 work at the end of April, almost three months after Buckingham Palace announced he was being
01:35 treated for an unspecified type of cancer. King Charles said he was sadly saying goodbye,
01:41 but the Army Air Corps would not, from strength to strength, under his son.
01:46 Analysts say Russia is adopting a so-called hybrid approach to growing its strategic influence in
01:55 the Arctic through research, increased maritime activities and tourism. Henry Wilkins reports.
02:03 Norwegian companies dominate the tourism industry,
02:06 an archipelago approximately 600 kilometres north of the mainland. One company, Brim Explorer,
02:15 is at the cutting edge, using hybrid electric engines for some of its vessels, among the first
02:20 in the world to do so for tourism at sea. But Russia has also got its eyes set on the island's
02:26 tourism industry. Because of Svalbard's unusual legal framework, countries other than Norway
02:33 that are signatories to the century-old Svalbard Treaty are allowed to carry out economic activity
02:39 here. Russia announced in April it would be sending its own boat, carrying tourists to the
02:44 island. Asked how it could affect their business, Agnes Arnadottir, CEO of Brim Explorer, said.
02:51 "I don't think it will affect us, but of course I understand that the Russian settlements want to
02:58 keep up their activity on the tourism side. Geopolitically, it's important to maintain
03:03 activity in Svalbard." Norway's presence in Svalbard means it could potentially deny Russia's
03:09 northern fleet access to the Atlantic in the event of a conflict. For that reason, analysts say,
03:16 Russia maintains a presence on the island, which it's entitled to, primarily in the form of
03:21 Barentsburg, a town of some 400 mostly Russian and Ukrainian people. Most military activity on
03:28 Svalbard is banned under the treaty, but analysts say Russia is adopting a so-called hybrid approach
03:35 to growing its influence here. That means gradually developing legitimate activities like
03:41 research, industry and tourism, and increasing its maritime presence, ultimately for strategic aims.
03:49 One academic says some have noticed this around Svalbard too.
03:55 - Well, first of all, there have been these declarations, an official Russian declaration,
04:01 which have been very critical on Norway, alleging that Norway is militarizing the islands,
04:11 running NATO's errands, and so on. Quite strong wording, which is, of course,
04:18 interpreted by people as very hostile. - John Fidgerhoffmann, an assistant to the
04:23 governor of Svalbard, a member of Norway's police security service, told VOA there are
04:29 frequent minor infringements of regulations by Russians on the island, including misuse of
04:35 helicopters, which should only be used to assist mining, and...
04:39 - They're driving around with vehicles in Barentsburg with Russian number plates
04:44 instead of the Norwegian official number plates that they are supposed to have.
04:49 - In May of 2023, inhabitants of Barentsburg organized a Russian Victory Day procession,
04:56 which many locals here say had militaristic overtones. This year, Svalbard's governor
05:01 said celebrations were significantly more subdued after last year's caught global media attention.
05:06 - Whether this is because they figured that out themselves, or if somebody has, from Moscow, said
05:15 that it's better to have a more modest celebration, we don't know.
05:23 - The Russian special consul in Barentsburg, who, according to a 2023 investigation by the
05:29 Norwegian broadcaster NRK, is an operative for Russian military intelligence, declined a request
05:35 for interview. With Russia working to grow its influence across the Arctic, and its bases in the
05:42 region now outnumbering NATO's three to one, its proposed tourist boat to Svalbard is likely just
05:49 the tip of the iceberg. Henry Wilkins, VOA News, Longyearbyen, Norway.
05:58 This is William Theo. Stay informed, get ahead, get the news right here.