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‘NPA rebel’ caught at NAIA
A suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebel was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on Wednesday, police announced yesterday......»»
2 NPA rebels killed in Mindoro clash
Two New People’s Army rebels were killed while an NPA amazon was arrested in an encounter with police and military personnel in Gloria, Oriental Mindoro on Monday night......»»
NPA leader killed in Misamis encounter
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Soldiers killed the leader of the Sendong guerilla front of the New People’s Army and captured another during an encounter in the forested areas of Jimenez town in Misamis Occidental. The soldier also recovered several high-powered firearms at the encounter site in Barangay Carmen, Jimenez. Tabak Division Commander Maj. Gen. Gabriel Viray III said yesterday that soldiers from the 10th Infantry Battalion, operating under the Task Unit “Eradicator” of the 102nd Infantry Brigade, engaged the rebels in a firefight. Viray identified the leader of the guerilla front as Michael Cabayag, also known as “Teddy.” He was killed during the encounter. Viray also identified the arrested NPA as Armida Nabicis, alias “Yumi.” Among the high-caliber firearms recovered by the military at the encounter site were an M16 rifle with an M203 grenade launcher, one CZ rifle, and one M653 carbine. Also recovered were the personal belongings of the NPA rebels. According to Viray, soldiers acted on a report of armed men roaming around the village. Lt. Col. Jose Andre R. Monje immediately dispatched a team of soldiers to the area, and an encounter immediately ensued between the NPA and the soldiers. “Our commitment goes beyond the battlefield. We will ensure that alias Teddy is properly turned over to his family, respecting the principles of compassion and humanity in this challenging situation,” Monje said. Viray also expressed his gratitude to the concerned citizen for providing the soldiers with critical information about the NPA-Terrorist presence in their area. The post NPA leader killed in Misamis encounter appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
NPA leader killed in Misamis clash
A New People’s Army leader was killed while an NPA amazon was arrested following an encounter with soldiers in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental on Thursday......»»
Phl Army belies abduction of 3 IP advocates; insists “they were NPAs”
The Philippine Army on Thursday belied reports that soldiers abducted three individuals “falsely identified” as Indigenous People’s defenders, insisting that they were members of the New People’s Army. Bgen Randolph Cabangbang, commander of the PA’s 203rd Infantry Battalion-2nd Infantry Division lambasted the Karapatan Group for accusing the military of abducting Alia Encelo, Job Abednego David, and Peter Del Monte. Cabangbang said the Karapatan’s claims on the disappearance of supposed rights advocates are “distorted and full of lies.” Karapatan group condemned the arrest of three personalities who were conducting a probe on “human rights violations in connection to reports of bombings and shelling by the 203rd IB around the area earlier this year.” In response, Cabangbang said the three individuals "were captured and arrested” during a legitimate military operation in Barangay Lisap, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro on 23 September. He then insisted that the three individuals were members of the NPA’s Main Regional Guerrilla Unit as he cited the guerilla’s combatant profile and gallery. “During the capture, they attempted to resist and reach for some objects inside their bags and upon seeing that they have been surrounded, decided to heed the soldiers' call not to move anymore,” he said. “They were in possession of improvised landmines and grenades inside their bags that they probably planned to use in ambushing government troops,” he added. The Army official said the three would be facing charges of violating Republic Act 9516 (An act Further Amending the Provisions of PD No. 1866, As Amended, Entitled to Codifying the Laws on Illegal/Unlawful Possession, Manufacture, Dealing in, Acquisition or Disposition of Firearms, Ammunition or Explosives or Instruments Used in the Manufacture of Firearms, Ammunition or Explosives, and Imposing Stiffer Penalties for Certain Violations Thereof, and For Other Relevant Purposes) and Violation of Section 4(a) and 4(d), Republic Act No. 11479 (Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020). Cabangbang said one of the captured, Alia Encelo, 19, was an active member of Gabriela Youth prior to joining the NPA in January this year. While Job Abednego David and Peter Del Monte, both 29 years old, have been with the NPA for more than 6 years, he added. “Job, from Quezon City, is a Fine Arts student at a prestigious school, and Peter, a high school drop-out from Tondo, Manila. They were later on identified by former rebels, who have surrendered, to be NPA members," Cabangbang said. “The captured rebels claimed that they have been in hiding for months, owing to the continuous military operations, and have not eaten a decent meal for two months,” he added. The post Phl Army belies abduction of 3 IP advocates; insists “they were NPAs” appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Two dead in Bangkok mall shooting, 14-year-old boy arrested
A 14-year-old boy was arrested Tuesday after a shooting at a packed Bangkok mall that left two people dead and five wounded, and sent hundreds of panicked shoppers running in terror into the streets. Witnesses told AFP of chaotic scenes as shots rang out at the upmarket Siam Paragon mall in the heart of the Thai capital around 4:30 pm (0930 GMT). The shooting comes just days before the first anniversary of the deadliest massacre in modern Thai history, when an ex-policeman armed with a gun and knife attacked a nursery in the country's north, murdering 24 children and 12 adults. National Police Chief Torsak Sukwimol told reporters that two women -- one Chinese, one from Myanmar -- were killed in the mall shooting, and five other people wounded. He said the 14-year-old suspect was in custody but was too confused to undergo questioning. "He is a mental patient at Rajavithi hospital and he has not been taking his medication," Torsak said. "He said it felt like someone told him to 'go shoot people'. It's like there's another him. This is what we got from the initial talk with him." Video footage showed a long-haired boy wearing a black shirt, glasses and a cap with a US flag motif being taken into custody by police. Yuthana Srettanan, director of the Erawan Emergency Centre, told reporters that all but one of those who were shot were women. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin visited the scene of the shooting as well as calling on the wounded in hospital. Srettha posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he had spoken to the Chinese ambassador and offered condolences. "From now on, the Thai government will implement the highest safety measures for the safety of all tourists," Srettha wrote. Thailand is keen to attract more Chinese visitors as it rebuilds its tourism industry after the pandemic, but numbers are lower than hoped, partly because of safety fears. A private school called The Essence, just metres from Siam Paragon, confirmed the suspect was one of their students and offered condolences to the victims' families. "We will collaborate with the authorities and investigators for the benefit of those involved," Wiwat Catithammanit, director of the $4,000-a-term school said in a statement. 'Multiple gunshots' Witnesses described scenes of panic as the attack unfolded at Siam Paragon, one of Bangkok's top shopping destinations, hugely popular with tourists and Thais alike. "At around 4:30 pm, I heard loud gun noises, continuously, about 10 times," Thanpawasit Singthongkham, 31, who works at a Japanese restaurant in the mall, told AFP. "Then the department store announced that there was a shooting. The emergency sign was turned on and everyone ran to get out." In footage shared with AFP, he recorded a scrum of terrified shoppers scrabbling under metal security gates blocking shop entrances, before they fled down emergency stairwells as sirens blared. In another video, shared on Facebook and verified by AFP, scores of people can be seen in the mall's basement car park being directed by loudspeakers. Dozens of police vehicles and a number of ambulances could be seen outside one of the shopping centre's main entrances in the wake of the shooting. "I heard multiple gunshots -- about three times -- and saw people running around towards the exits," Nattanon Dungsunenarn, who was shopping in a branch of Boots pharmacy, told AFP. "It was very chaotic and seemed like many people didn't know what exactly was going on." 'Terrified' "We didn't know what was happening, then staff from a shop asked us to go inside and said there was a shooter," Chinese tourist Xiong Ying, 41, told AFP. "Everyone was trying to find a place to hide. So many people were terrified, just like a scene in the zombie movies. "I now feel quite scared. It happened just like two minutes after we left by crossing the bridge. We even took photos there." Almost a year on from the October 6 nursery massacre, the mall shooting will raise fresh questions about gun control in Thailand, which has one of the highest rates of firearm ownership in the region. In 2020, a former army officer went on a rampage in a shopping mall in Korat, murdering 29 people and wounding scores more. The post Two dead in Bangkok mall shooting, 14-year-old boy arrested appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
State troops net 27 insurgents
ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Joint Task Force Central on Tuesday announced that state troops arrested at least 27 members of the New People’s Army during a series of decisive military operations in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. JTF-Central commander Major General Alex Rillera narrated that they conducted a three-day decisive military operations which began on 23 September 2023 after receiving information about the presence of NPAs in Barangays Lamlahak and T’kunel, both in Lake Sebu. However, Rillera declined to identify those who were arrested by the soldiers pending the filing of appropriate charges against them. The arrested NPAs were later turned over to village chief Rudy Tomas of Barangay T’kunel, and personnel from the Lake Sebu Municipal Station. Armed Forces of the Philippines-Western Mindanao Command chief Maj. Gen. Steve Crespillo commended the soldiers of JTF-Central for the successful operations against the NPAs in Lake Sebu. “Rest assured that we will continue to work hard to prevent the terror group remnants from creating havoc in peaceful communities,” Crespillo said. The post State troops net 27 insurgents appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Three wounded in Bangkok mall shooting, attacker arrested: Thai PM
Three people were wounded in a shooting at a major Bangkok shopping mall on Tuesday, the Thai prime minister said, adding that the shooter had been arrested. Multiple videos circulating on social media showed people running from the Siam Paragon mall, one of the Thai capital's top shopping destinations, which is hugely popular with tourists and locals alike. Premier Srettha Thavisin told reporters that three people had been wounded in the incident, and that the attacker had been arrested. "Police are clearing the scene. The situation is easing," Srettha told reporters. The shooting comes just days before the one-year anniversary of one of the bloodiest days in recent Thai history, when an ex-police officer armed with a knife and gun attacked a nursery, murdering 24 children and 12 adults. Thailand has high rates of gun ownership and has a long and violent history of firearm incidents, both small and large. In 2020, a former army officer went on a rampage in a shopping mall in Korat, murdering 29 people and wounding scores more. The post Three wounded in Bangkok mall shooting, attacker arrested: Thai PM appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Decree dissolves Nagorno-Karabakh statelet by January
The separatist republic of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan will cease to exist by 1 January as more than 65,000 people from the Armenian enclave have fled. The separatist leader of Nagorno-Karabakh ordered on Thursday the dissolution of all state institutions by the end of the year, saying the separatist statelet “ceases to exist” from 1 January 2024. An Azerbaijani court then placed Ruben Vardanyan in pre-trial detention after charging him with financing terrorism and other crimes. A Baku court ruled that Vardanyan, a businessman who headed the ethnic Armenian region from November 2022 until February this year, should be arrested and placed in pre-trial detention for four months, Azerbaijan’s state security service said. Meanwhile, Yerevan said Thursday the exodus continued from the breakaway enclave which Azerbaijan recaptured last week in a lighting offensive. By Thursday morning, “65,036 forcefully displaced persons crossed into Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh,” Armenian government spokesperson, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, said in a statement. Some 120,000 ethnic Armenians were estimated to be living in the territory before Baku’s offensive to retake the territory. “The state is providing suitable housing to all those who do not have a predetermined place of residence,” she said. On Sunday, Azerbaijan reopened the sole road linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, the Lachin corridor policed by Russian peacekeepers — four days after Armenian separatist forces agreed to lay down arms and disband their army. The return of the Armenian-populated separatist enclave under the control of the central government in Baku has led to a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians. Internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh, which broke away from Baku three decades, was at the center of two wars between mostly Christian Armenia and predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan. The post Decree dissolves Nagorno-Karabakh statelet by January appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Motorbike-riding duo with handguns nabbed
Operatives of the Manila Police District -Ermita Police Station 5 in a roving patrol duty arrested two individuals aboard a motorcycle carrying hand guns early morning Wednesday in Malate, Manila. Police identified the two as Chris Jefferson Sevilla y Quindara, 24 years old, single, jobless and resident at #2643 P. Zamora Street, Pasay City, and Rudolf (not his real name), 17 years old, single, student and resident of Pasay City. The two riding in tandem was arrested along Vasquez corner Nakpil Streets, Barangay 697, Malate, Manila at around 6:30 a.m. The report showed that while police were conducting motorized patrol they spotted the duo aboard a white and black motorcycle without plate number. The responding police officers saw the back rider “Rudolf” holding in his right hand the one unit .45 caliber without serial number, and later discovered that the said firearm was loaded with five pieces of .45 caliber cartridge. The arresting police officers accosted the suspect and confiscated the said firearm, hence the arrest. Subsequently, the other arresting police officers noticed that the butt of one unit of Colt.45 caliber 1911 US ARMY with serial number 37612, loaded with four pieces of .45 caliber cartridge accidentally protruded in the right waist of driver suspect Sevilla. They likewise confiscated the said firearm. The two suspects are presently detained at the MPD-PS5 and will be charged for Violation of 10591(Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition) in relation to B.P. 881 Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines and will be presented to the Manila Prosecutor’s Office for inquest proceeding. The post Motorbike-riding duo with handguns nabbed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Suspected NPA rebel nabbed in Taguig
A suspected member of the communist New People’s Army was arrested in Taguig City on Monday......»»
Red-tagged individuals have only themselves to blame
These human rights groups and activists have been haranguing the government for every perceived action that threatens their democratic space or their existence as an organization. They are always at the forefront, slamming the government and its officials who do not conform to their progressive and radical views. They rev up people into a frenzy and rally them against certain policies and programs that will neutralize the revolutionary activities of the armed left and its front organizations. They organize protest marches and rallies and call on the people to reject government initiatives to eradicate the more than 50-year-old communist urgency, like the establishment of the NTF-ELCAC, which has successfully stopped the resurrection of the communist rebels. The NTF-ELCAC is an ingenious program commenced in the previous Duterte administration, institutionalizing the government’s “whole of nation” approach in confronting the ongoing communist rebellion and against groups that are front organizations of the Communist Party of the Philippines or CPP. The socio-economic program of the NTF-ELCAC at the barangay level succeeded in dismantling the communist hold on the depressed and neglected barangays. It led to hundreds of NPAs surrendering and returning to the law’s fold. These left-leaning individuals and aggregations exhibit their nationalist pretensions by embroiling themselves with national issues related to the people’s needs and sufferings, picturing themselves as victims of human rights violations committed allegedly by the government against them. They use social media to whip up support for them and use compelling political propaganda subjects like alleged summary killings, unlawful arrests, tortures, and harassment of political activists and progressive groups. Their comrades in Congress who managed to be elected have become effective political mouthpieces against the government. They are good at using the mass media, which is just too happy to accommodate them to boost their sales. Some have infiltrated the government bureaucracy and used their positions and offices to advance their political ideologies in the guise of good government. They have been successful, too, in recruiting young students of impressionable minds to embrace their causes, who end up either young NPA rebels, leading student activists, or dead resulting from government clashes with government troops. These self-proclaimed nationalists have peppered the air with accusations of extrajudicial killings against the government and have defended suspected terrorists and subversives when arrested and prosecuted. They readily proclaim their innocence. They have taken the cudgels of citizens murdered by common criminals or political warlords — but they are deathly silent when the communist armed rebels waylay, ambush, and murderously assault military men and women as well as civilians engaged in humanitarian missions during the occurrence of natural disasters. Even when they are confronted with this telling inconsistency and dared to condemn these terrorist atrocities, these leftists remain tight-lipped. They have never condemned the New People’s Army for its terroristic and undemocratic activities. Given this implied but glaring support to the enemies of the state by their deafening silence, can we reasonably accuse the government officials of classifying or describing them as supporters of the NPA or closeted members of the armed rebellion? Certainly not. They have only themselves to blame for being tagged as red supporters. Why should they be afraid, ashamed, or embarrassed to be called communists or communist supporters? The Anti-Subversion Law, where being a member of the CPP is a crime, has long been repealed. So why the fear or shame of being called a communist advocate or supporter? These democratic pretenders must unclothe themselves of their camouflage and join the parliamentary struggle. They should publicly articulate the virtues of communism against democracy and seek elective posts based on their true ideological selves. They should not use the Bill of Rights to undermine the authority of the constituted authorities, remaining as secret enemies of democracy while masquerading as its champions. It is about time they unmask themselves and be proud of their ideological beliefs. They should put an end to their pretense. They should be principled enough to present themselves as ideologues of communism — own to their loyalty to such ideology — and profess it publicly. Let the people judge who — and what they are — and not what they pretend to be. The post Red-tagged individuals have only themselves to blame appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Red-tagged individuals create their own classification (1)
It is amusing to read about individuals or groups protesting about being tagged as New People’s Army or NPA supporters, or even communists themselves. At least one of them filed a civil suit for damages against two anchors of a program in SMNI for allegedly tagging him as a communist sympathizer and his mother as a closeted communist. Red-tagging has become a whipping boy of leftist organizations and their sympathizers. The dwindling number of left-leaning party-list representatives who survived the electoral debacle of their comrades have become the mouthpiece. They have been regularly and constantly attacking the government officials who described them as supporters of the communist rebels. This protesting sector of our society has described red-tagging as “the act of labeling individuals or groups as “communist fronts,” “communist terrorists,” or communist sympathizers.” They have likened such acts to “McCarthyism” in the 1950s in the United States. The American Heritage Dictionary defines McCarthyism as “1. The political practice of publicizing accusations of disloyalty or subversion with insufficient regard to evidence; and 2. The use of methods of investigation and accusation regarded as unfair, to suppress opposition.” McCarthyism is known as the “second Ref Scare” in the United States. It was an era of “political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of alleged communist and Soviet influence on American institutions and Soviet espionage in the United States during the late 1940s through the 1950s.” Joseph McCarthy, a Wisconsin Senator, started what appeared to become a national witch-hunt in the United States in the late forties and early fifties. He rose to national prominence in the US after an alleged three-year undistinguishable stay in the US Senate, after delivering a speech in Congress where he claimed to have a list of “members of the communist party and members of a spy ring employed in the US State Department.” As a result of McCarty’s speech, congressional hearings were conducted by the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities that led to the imprisonment of 10 Hollywood screenwriters and directors. Likewise, hundreds of their colleagues in the movie industry were placed on the “blacklist.” The so-called human rights groups in the Philippines claim that red-tagging is often done without evidence. A human rights alliance group, Karapatan, slammed the NTF-ELCAC for gaining “notoriety in the red-tagging, harassing and intimidating political activists and other government critics and for instigating mass surrenders of civilians alleged to be supporters of the revolutionary movement.” Karapatan alleged, “Many of the victims of NTF-ELCAC’s red-tagging campaigns had ended up arrested and detained on trump-up charges, while others have been killed by vigilante groups or in armed encounters staged by the military.” There is a whale of a difference between the red-baiting in the United States during the McCarthyism period and the so called red-tagging in the Philippines. For one, those who have been red-tagged, if they feel they have been unjustly classified as communist supporters or secret members of the NPA, can always resort to civil suits for damages, just like one of them did. Unlike the late Senator McCarty, the perceived violators of their human rights are not immune from lawsuits. McCarty was immune from being sued when he red-tagged suspected members of the communist party because he enjoyed parliamentary immunity when he delivered the red-tagging speech. The claim that those red-tagged by government officials led to their deaths is just a claim. The human rights groups have not produced any proof of that. As to those arrested and jailed, it only means there was probable cause for the crimes they have been charged with — hence, the courts issued warrants for their arrest. As to the claim of trump-up charges, there have been instances where the courts have dismissed those criminal cases filed against them because the prosecution failed to produce the quantum of proof required by law in court. They can seek judicial redress by filing malicious criminal prosecution against those who made up the false charges plus damages. (To be continued) The post Red-tagged individuals create their own classification (1) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ukraine war recruiters arrested in Cuba
Cuban authorities have arrested 17 people suspected of recruiting locals and nationals in Russia to fight in Ukraine. Cesar Rodriguez, who is heading the investigation of the trafficking ring, announced the arrest in Havana on national television on Thursday. He said one person was suspected of being an “organizer of these activities” while two others were suspected recruiters. The father of two young men recruited by the alleged ring appeared on state television, saying that one of his sons left Cuba in July while the other is still on the island and is being investigated. Last week, Miami’s America TeVe newspaper published what it described as testimonies from two teenagers who said they had been tricked into working alongside the Russian army on construction sites in Ukraine. Another Cuban man told the media outlet that he had signed up with Moscow’s armed forces hoping to legalize his status in Russia. The Cuban government announced Monday the crackdown on the trafficking ring that was incorporating recruits into the military forces operating in Ukraine. The Attorney General’s Office said judicial authorities were considering charges of “human trafficking, mercenarism (and) hostile acts in a foreign state,” which could carry sentences of up to 30 years in jail, life imprisonment or even the death penalty. The Cuban government has categorically denied any complicity with Russia in the alleged trafficking. WITH AFP The post Ukraine war recruiters arrested in Cuba appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Militiaman nabbed for guns, ammunition
A member of the Army’s CAFGU Active Auxiliary was arrested for keeping loose firearms, during a search operation conducted by the police in R.T Lim town, Zamboanga Sibugay on Saturday......»»
5 NPA rebels nabbed in Cagayan
Five New People’s Army rebels were arrested following an encounter with policemen in Barangay Niug Norte in Sto. Niño, Cagayan yesterday......»»
Iran court orders U.S. to pay 1980 coup victims $330M
A court in Tehran has ordered the United States government to pay $330 million in damages to families of several people killed in a 1980 failed coup d’etat allegedly planned and executed by Washington. Relatives of those killed in the coup filed last year a legal petition with Iran’s International Court demanding damages, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said. The petitioners claimed that a year after the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed shah, a group of mostly army officers tried to overthrow the new government. State news agency IRNA said the “insurgents” were led by Saeed Mahdiyoun, a former Iranian air force commander, and had their headquarters in Nojeh, an air base in the western Hamedan province. “Their objective was to seize control of military bases across the country and target strategic centres and residences of the revolution's leaders. However, their efforts were thwarted,” IRNA said. Several people were killed in clashes between the coup plotters and government forces, and scores of others were arrested. Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic relations since the aftermath of the 1979 revolution. In 2016, the US Supreme Court ordered that Iranian assets frozen in the country should be paid to victims of attacks Washington has blamed on Tehran, including the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon and a 1996 blast in Saudi Arabia. Tehran, which denies all responsibility for the attacks blamed on it by the United States, says that a series of US court judgments have awarded victims a total of $56 billion in damages. WITH AFP The post Iran court orders U.S. to pay 1980 coup victims $330M appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
700 Syrians caught trying to enter Lebanon in a week: army
The Lebanese army turned away around 700 Syrians attempting to cross into the neighboring country illegally over the past week, the armed forces said in a statement on Wednesday. The attempted influx coincides with days of rare protest in Syria's southern city of Sweida, as dire living conditions stoke discontent in regime-held areas. Millions of Syrians have already fled abroad since Syria's war began in 2011 following the government's repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests. Lebanon's army "prevented, over several days this past week, about 700 Syrians from crossing the Lebanese-Syrian border," the Lebanese armed forces statement said. A security official told AFP that deteriorating economic conditions in Syria had pushed more people to flee their homeland, with many hoping to reach Europe. The official couldn't give data to illustrate the increase, and it was not clear where along the border the migrants were blocked. Syrians are fleeing "because of the economic situation because the Syrian pound has further collapsed," he said, on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the press. Syria's 12-year conflict has ravaged the country's infrastructure and industry, the Syrian pound has lost most of its value against the dollar, and most of the population has been pushed into poverty. "Some hope to find work here in Lebanon, but many are hoping to flee to Europe," the source added. The protests by hundreds in Syria erupted after the government lifted fuel subsidies last week, dealing a blow to people already struggling with the war's heavy economic toll. On 12 August, Lebanon's army said it arrested 134 migrants, most of them Syrians, near the northern border with Syria after foiling their attempt to take a boat to Europe. The same day, the armed forces said they had arrested 150 Syrians who had crossed into Lebanon illegally in the same province of Akkar. Lebanon's own economic collapse has turned it into a launchpad for migrants. Lebanese are joining Syrian and Palestinian refugees clamoring to leave by taking dangerous sea routes. Authorities say Lebanon currently hosts around two million Syrians, while more than 800,000 are registered with the United Nations -- the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. Migrants departing from Lebanon head for Europe, with one of the main destinations Cyprus, only 175 kilometres (110 miles) away. Syria's war has killed more than half a million people and forced around half the country's pre-war population from their homes. The post 700 Syrians caught trying to enter Lebanon in a week: army appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ex-OPEC president Diezani Alison-Madueke charged with bribery
Former OPEC president Diezani Alison-Madueke has been charged with bribery offenses relating to her time as Nigeria's oil minister, the UK National Crime Agency said on Tuesday. Alison-Madueke, 63, has been on bail since first being arrested in London in October 2015. She will appear in court in the British capital on 2 October, the NCA said. Soon after her arrest, her family's lawyer told AFP she would strongly contest corruption allegations that have dogged her during and after her time in former president Goodluck Jonathan's government. Alison-Madueke, in office from 2010 to 2015, was the first woman to be oil minister in Nigeria and the first female president of the global oil cartel OPEC. The head of the NCA's international corruption unit, Andy Kelly, said in a statement: "We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts." The NCA said Alison-Madueke allegedly benefited from at least £100,000 ($127,000) in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties. The charges also detail financial rewards including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from top designer shops such as Cartier jewelry and Louis Vuitton goods. "Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries," Kelly said. "These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation," he added. Alison-Madueke has been living in the upmarket St John's Wood area of north London since she was first arrested, and undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer, according to her family. At the time of her arrest, the NCA said only it had detained five people in London on suspicion of international corruption, without naming those held. The Nigerian government of Jonathan's successor Muhammadu Buhari later confirmed Alison-Madueke's arrest and said its law enforcement agencies were cooperating with their British counterparts. Former army general Buhari began an anti-corruption drive after taking office. The NCA said that assets worth millions of pounds in relation to the case have been frozen as part of the investigation. In March, the agency, which targets international and organized crime, provided evidence to the US Department of Justice allowing them to recover assets totaling $53.1 million linked to Alison-Madueke's alleged corruption. The post Ex-OPEC president Diezani Alison-Madueke charged with bribery appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Egypt activist Ahmed Douma freed after presidential pardon
Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma, a leading figure in the country's 2011 uprising who has spent the past decade behind bars, walked free from prison Saturday following a presidential pardon. Douma, now 37, was a leading activist in the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak. He was arrested in the sweeping crackdown that followed the army's 2013 ouster of Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president elected after the uprising. "After 10 years in prison, I wish I could say that I am happy after being released, but I postpone any celebrations till all get freedom," Douma said after leaving Badr prison on Cairo's outskirts -- a facility that has been repeatedly criticized for its poor conditions. "I wish we can celebrate soon." Douma was originally sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2015 for clashing with security forces, but this was cut to 15 years in 2019. Later that year, Egypt's top appeals court upheld the reduced sentence, as well as a fine of six million Egyptian pounds ($372,000 at the time). In 2021, Douma published a collection of poems entitled "Curly", written while he was held in solitary confinement. The collection was displayed at that year's Cairo International Book Fair before being quickly pulled for "security reasons". In one of his poems from prison, Douma writes: "There's no time for depression, no opportunity for sadness, the flood is raging." Rising frustration Key activists from the revolution remain behind bars, including British-Egyptian pro-democracy blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has spent the better part of the past decade in jail. After Morsi's overthrow, the authorities rounded up thousands of pro-democracy campaigners as well as Islamists in mass arrests that drew international condemnation. Rights activist Hossam Bahgat welcomed the pardon for Douma, but said the decision was made "without any transparency or understanding of why some people were selected and others ignored". Fellow activist Ziad el-Elaimi, who was released ahead of Egypt's hosting of the COP-27 climate summit last year, welcomed the news that Douma was finally free after having "nine and a half years of his life stolen". "The problem remains, however. Someone is using free men as hostages... People are frightened of expressing their opinions freely," he said. The president has pardoned numerous prominent figures over the past year, but critics have noted that more people have been arrested in the meantime. "President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi... has used his constitutional powers" to pardon several prisoners including Douma, said lawyer Tarek Elawady, a member of the presidential pardons committee. Since April last year, authorities have released 1,000 political prisoners, but detained almost 3,000 more, according to Egyptian rights monitors. In July, Sisi pardoned researcher Patrick Zaki a day after he received a three-year sentence, as well as rights lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer, who was arrested in 2019 while attending an interrogation of Abdel Fattah, his client at the time. According to Bahgat, founder of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the authorities have "become well aware of rising frustration both domestically and internationally". But "the regime is showing no indication of moving towards ending the crisis of political prisoners in Egypt", Bahgat told AFP. The pardons come as Egypt conducts a so-called "national dialogue" meant to bring in an opposition that has been decimated during the decade of repression since Sisi came to power. The president announced on Wednesday he had received the first recommendations of this "dialogue", saying he had "passed them on to the competent authorities so that they can be applied within the framework granted by the legal and constitutional provisions". Next year, Egypt goes to the polls for a presidential election in which Sisi is widely expected to seek a new term. The post Egypt activist Ahmed Douma freed after presidential pardon appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»