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Brutally cold weather reaching deep into lower United States
MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Arctic weather brought more misery to much of the United States on Saturday, especially for people unaccustomed to such bitter cold in places like Memphis, Tennessee, where residents were urged to boil water and some had no water at all after freezing temperatures broke water mains across the city. Temperatures weren’t expected.....»»
CebuPac gets aircraft support from Bulgaria Air
Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific has completed the delivery of two aircraft it leased from Bulgaria Air......»»
CEB, Bulgaria air sign deal
CEB, Bulgaria air sign deal.....»»
Cebu Pacific signs damp lease deal with Bulgaria Air
Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is turning to the European market for help to cover for the absence of grounded aircraft, signing a damp lease agreement with Bulgaria’s flag carrier for two aircraft in 2024......»»
Bulgaria placed on international money laundering grey list
Global anti-money laundering watchdog the Financial Action Task Force said Friday it added EU member Bulgaria to its "grey list" of countries subject to increased monitoring. Countries on the grey list have "strategic deficiencies" in their efforts to counter money laundering and terrorist financing, but are cooperating with the FATF to correct the problems and are subject to increased monitoring. Bulgaria joined 22 other nations on the list, while Panama and the Cayman Islands were removed. More than 200 countries and jurisdictions have pledged to implement the recommendations of the FATF, which regularly reviews their efforts to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism and weapons proliferation. The FATF also has a "blacklist" of nations that are considered high-risk jurisdictions. Countries are urged to apply countermeasures against Iran and North Korea to protect against money laundering and the financing of terrorism and weapons proliferation. Meanwhile, countries are requested to apply enhanced due diligence concerning Myanmar. The post Bulgaria placed on international money laundering grey list appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Linking Fatima-Mediatrix to Russia-Ukraine
(Author’s Note: The Marian messages quoted here are not necessarily authenticated by the Catholic Church.) There was a report years ago from a Mediatrix devotee, who requested anonymity that Our Lady of Fatima healed the aunt of Vladimir Putin and Putin himself. No details were given. The devotee said he visited Putin several times. This report by a Mediatrix devotee links Lipa and Lisbon to Russia and Ukraine. Lipa and Lisbon were linked after Fatima’s Miracle of the Sun was repeated in a Mediatrix shrine in Mindanao on the 100th anniversary of Fatima, precisely to the hour. As a child, Putin was secretly baptized into the Orthodox Church because the Communist Party banned it. The Christian in Putin may be the potential key to ending the war in Ukraine. In 1960, Pope John XXIII unsealed the Third Secret of Fatima in the presence of Cardinal Augustin Bea and his secretary, Fr. Malachi Martin. In an interview at the Art Bell Show USA in 1997, Fr. Martin hinted that, based on the Third Secret, the solution to the world’s ills would come from Ukraine and Russia. The conversion of Russia Our Lady of Fatima revealed that the triumph of her Immaculate Heart would come from the conversion of Russia. St. Pope John Paul II soon consecrated Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Vatican Mariologists attributed the consecration to the ensuing momentary era of world peace, a “Marian intervention.” In 1994, Mikhail Gorbachev visited St. Pope John Paul II, the first visit in history by the Kremlin to the Papacy. Gorbachev instituted Perestroika (reconciliation) and Glasnost (openness), leading to the opening of Christian churches inside Russia. Immediately, Ukraine announced the legalization of the Ukrainian Church (about 70 percent Orthodox), which was brutally disbanded by Joseph Stalin in 1946. The Berlin Wall then crumbled, leading to the reunification of Germany and the end of the Cold War. Gorbachev’s reforms led to the fall of the USSR. Among its former satellites were Ukraine and Belarus, now arch-enemies in the war in Ukraine. Marian’s intimacy with Ukraine On 22 January 2022, during a Ukrainian Orthodox celebration in an unspecified town, a white dove descended on top of the altar painting of the Baptism of Jesus, a warning perhaps of a Russian invasion, which happened a few days later. Ukraine was the first nation to be consecrated to the Blessed Virgin in 1037. In 1914, two weeks before World War I, the Virgin told 22 field workers near the Church of the Holy Trinity in the village of Hrushiv: “There will be a war. Russia will become a godless country. As a nation, Ukraine will suffer terribly for eighty years — and will have to live through the world wars, but it will be free afterwards.” The prophecy was fulfilled. In 1987, a year after the Chernobyl tragedy, in the same church in Hrushiv, the Virgin told 12-year-old visionary Marina Kizyn: “Do not forget those who have died. Chernobyl is a reminder and a sign that …. THROUGH THE BLOOD OF (UKRAINIAN) MARTYRS WILL COME THE CONVERSION OF RUSSIA.” A bright light filled the church where the Virgin appeared. There were daily apparitions until 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption, which attracted about 500,000 people in total. Many witnessed the apparitions. Hrushiv became an instant pilgrim center. The Virgin of Hrushiv became Our Lady of Ukraine. Our Lady appeared to KGB agents trying to manage the huge crowds. At that time, churches were closed, and Christianity was banned. Priests from the “underground Church” emerged from hiding and defied the KGB, saying ten Holy Masses daily outside the church. The KGB did not touch them. Hrushiv was saved from a deadly cholera epidemic in 1855, with not a single death in the village, after the people offered Mass at a spring that suddenly came out of the ground. The Virgin demonstrated her love for the Ukrainian people when she said: “I have come on purpose to thank the Ukrainian people because you have suffered the most for the Church of Christ in the last 70 years. I have come to comfort you and tell you that your suffering will soon end. Ukraine will become an independent state.” (Source: oclarim.com.mo, 6 July 2018) Does Putin have a role in the “conversion” of Russia and the end of the war in Ukraine? Will peace be attained through the blood of Ukrainians as martyrs? These remain to be seen. eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post Linking Fatima-Mediatrix to Russia-Ukraine appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
150 dead as ‘catastrophic’ storm floods hit east Libya
At least 150 people were killed when freak floods hit eastern Libya, officials said Monday, after storm "Daniel" swept the Mediterranean, its torrential rains earlier lashing Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece. Images filmed by residents of the Libyan disaster area showed massive mudslides, collapsed buildings and entire neighborhoods submerged under muddy water. "At least 150 people were killed as a result of flooding and torrential rains left by storm Daniel in Derna, Jabal al-Akhdar region and the suburbs of Al-Marj," said Mohamed Massoud, a spokesman for the Benghazi-based administration in Libya. "This is besides the massive material damage that struck public and private properties," he told AFP. Hundreds of residents were still believed to be trapped in difficult-to-reach areas as rescuers, backed by the army, were trying to come to their aid. East Libyan authorities had "lost contact with nine soldiers during rescue operations", Massoud said. He said the prime minister of the east-based government, Oussama Hamad, and the head of a rescue committee as well as other ministers had travelled to Derna to evaluate the extent of the damage. Hamad's government -- which in war-battered Libya rivals an UN-brokered, internationally recognized transitional administration in Tripoli -- on Monday declared Derna a "disaster area". Libya's western government under Abdelhamid Dbeibah, during an extraordinary ministerial meeting broadcast live on television, announced three days of national mourning and emphasized "the unity of all Libyans" in the face of the disaster. The National Petroleum Company, whose main oilfields and terminals are in eastern Libya, declared "a state of maximum alert" and suspended flights between production sites where activity was drastically reduced. Experts have described storm Daniel -- which killed at least 27 people when it struck parts of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria in recent days -- as "extreme in terms of the amount of water falling in a space of 24 hours". 'Severe weather' A Derna city council official described the situation in the city as "catastrophic" and in need of "national and international intervention", speaking to the local TV channel Libya al-Ahrar. He reported the collapse of four main bridges and two buildings in Derna, a city of 100,000 people that lies in a river wadi 900 kilometers (560 miles) east of the capital Tripoli. The storm struck eastern Libya on Sunday afternoon, hitting especially the coastal town of Jabal al-Akhdar but also Benghazi, where a curfew was declared and schools closed for several days. The United Nations mission in Libya on Monday said on X, formerly Twitter, that it was "closely following the emergency caused by severe weather conditions in the eastern region of the country". It expressed its condolences over the deaths and said it was "ready to support efforts by local authorities and municipalities to respond to this emergency and provide urgent humanitarian assistance". Libya, sitting on Africa's largest known oil reserves, was plunged into chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed former dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Two rival governments based in the west and east have been vying for power, with deadly conflict occasionally erupting. The French ambassador to Libya, Mostafa Mihraje, also offered his condolences and expressed his "solidarity with the Libyan people in this ordeal", also in a message on X. In neighboring Egypt, authorities called for caution on the northern coast which borders eastern Libya, and announced they were beginning preparations to minimize the impact of Storm Daniel. The weather forecast predicted more heavy rain in coming days there. As the world warms, the atmosphere contains more water vapor which increases the risk of heavy precipitation in some parts of the world. Combined with other factors such as urbanization and land-use planning, these more intense rainfall events contribute to flooding. The post 150 dead as ‘catastrophic’ storm floods hit east Libya appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘I’d never work in Hollywood’: Mexico star director Michel Franco
He has piled up awards and looks set for even greater acclaim with a moving new drama starring Jessica Chastain, but Michel Franco has no interest in being lured to Tinseltown. "Memory", which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Friday, packs more moral conundrums into its 100 minutes than many directors manage in an entire career. Featuring Chastain as a recovering alcoholic who meets a dementia patient, played by Peter Sarsgaard, it tackles buried trauma, the weakness of memory, and the rights of disabled people to control their own lives. Franco wrote and produced "Memory", as he has all his films. Still just 44, he has covered a wide range of vital topics in his work, from a nightmarish military coup in "New Order" (which won the Grand Jury prize in Venice in 2020) to terminal illness in "Chronic" (best screenplay at Cannes in 2015), to teenage bullying in "After Lucia" (winner of the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2012). The latter attracted renowned actor Tim Roth ("Pulp Fiction"), who has since appeared in two of Franco's films, "Chronic" and "Sundown". But despite now working with one of Hollywood's biggest stars in Chastain, Franco is determined not to follow fellow Mexican directors like Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu to Los Angeles. "Where I feel comfortable is in Mexico City. There are fewer rules," Franco told AFP in Venice. "What is very interesting about the United States are the actors. In Mexico, there are good actors, but the big leagues are in New York, in Los Angeles," he explains. "I would never work in Hollywood," he said. "I would never work for a studio where I don't have the final cut of my film." Nor is he a fan of streaming services, which he describes as "the enemies of cinemas". Insecurities, fears Speaking ahead of the premiere of "Memory", Franco told AFP he had to delve deep into his anxieties for the script. "One of my biggest fears is losing my mind. That's why I'm interested in exploring dementia," Franco told AFP. But he insists his films are not born from a desire to tackle a particular theme. "'Chronic' came out from seeing the nurse who cared for my grandmother, I had her right there in front of me every day." For "Memory", the initial spark was imagining someone being followed home from a high school reunion, which is how the main characters meet. "I didn't know why or who they were. But that was the first thing that occurred to me," Franco said. Parents often fail their children in Franco's films, but he says: "I try not to see them as villains because then it's uninteresting. "I am interested in broken people, who have not completely finished inventing themselves. People with insecurities, with fears, give me more confidence than those who think they have everything clear," he added. His scripts are brutally precise but never weighed down with explanatory dialogue, preferring to let performances and visual details do the work. "The more I can achieve without dialogue, the better. The rule is 'less is more'," he said. The post ‘I’d never work in Hollywood’: Mexico star director Michel Franco appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Huge rescue effort in Greek villages after deadly storms
Helicopters and lifeboats have been deployed to reach hundreds of stranded villagers in central Greece, as the death toll from deadly flooding rose to seven, authorities said Friday. Firefighters worked alongside the army to reach villages cut off by rising water levels, which have transformed roads into rivers and left houses submerged in the central Thessaly region. "We almost died yesterday, we didn't have drinking water or electricity", Mina Mprakratsi told AFP from a lifeboat, after being evacuated from her flooded house on Friday. Fierce storms have battered Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria following a period of extreme heat and devastating wildfires -- the kind of extreme weather climate experts say is becoming more frequent because of human-induced climate change. Two elderly women and a 69-year-old man were reported dead Thursday, bringing the death toll to seven after torrential rains lashed parts of central Greece from Monday evening to Thursday. "It's one of the most difficult moments of my life, the water came into the house yesterday evening (Wednesday), the children are with a neighbour", local farmer Eleftheria Kotarela told AFP. At least six people were reported missing in the Magnesia and Karditsa areas, 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of Athens. "It is almost certain that other people will be found dead", said Christodoulos Makris, a farmer who fled to a neighboring village by tractor on Thursday. 'Extreme phenomenon' Storm Daniel, which has lashed the country for several days, has been called an "extreme phenomenon" by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Flooding affected the port city of Volos, and the towns of Karditsa and Trikala further inland and several villages, after more than a year's worth of rain fell in 24 hours this week. Nearly 200 tourists stranded in central Greece have been evacuated by boat in recent days, firefighters said. The heavy rains and flooding follow devastating fires in Greece this summer that killed at least 26 people. As the world warms, the atmosphere contains more water vapor which increases the risk of heavy precipitation in some parts of the world, notably in Asia, Western Europe and Latin America. Combined with other factors such as urbanization and land-use planning, these more intense rainfall events contribute to flooding. Severe flooding in neighboring Turkey and Bulgaria this week left 12 people dead. The post Huge rescue effort in Greek villages after deadly storms appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Slain physician laid to rest, confessed killer face murder case
Relatives and friends buried on Saturday morning the cremated remains of a popular physician brutally killed here last July 23 by his staff who had confessed to the crime, now under police custody......»»
‘As long as we have AC’: Phoenix heat shows gap between US rich, poor
Melanie Floyd took her kids to the zoo in Phoenix in the morning, when temperatures in the heat wave roasting the city and much of the US southwest were still bearable. Standing before a turtle exhibit, she downplayed this extreme weather event in a world grappling with climate change. "As long as we have AC and as long as everyone is making smart choices," this stay-at-home mother aged 32 told AFP, "staying hydrated, going in the shade, staying cool, not overexerting themselves, I think it's tolerable." At her home it is, indeed, nice and cool. She keeps the air conditioning between 75 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit (23 and 26 degrees Celsius) so she can look after her kids, aged two and six, comfortably as they play with coloring books and crafts. Outside, day after day for more than three weeks, the temperature in Phoenix is surpassing a hard-to-fathom 110F. The heatwave affecting much of the southwest and southern United States -- including the record temperatures in Phoenix -- is igniting debate on how fast global warming is moving. For Floyd, this particular weather event is no big deal. "You have to fluctuate as the weather fluctuates, so you have to be flexible with it," Floyd said. In this desert city many people that spoke to AFP expressed similar views about the rising frequency of brutally dangerous heat as global warming caused by human activity grinds on: One must learn to live with it. - Living without AC - For many of them life is a series of mad dashes from offices to restaurants to shops, all with air conditioning cranked up good and frosty. In the city center and well-to-do suburbs, people do not think twice about leaving their car running while they get out to do an errand, so as to keep it cool for when they come back. But in less wealthy areas, heat like this is another thing altogether. "If the temperatures go on like this, many people will not be able to cope," said Rosalia Licea, 37, who is raising five kids on her own. She lives in a mobile home park where most of the trailers are from the 1950s. Early in this heat wave her air conditioning broke down. For two days the temperature inside their mobile home hit 97F. The whole family had to take refuge in the room of the eldest child, which had a window AC unit. One of the smaller kids started having headaches. Licea, who hails from Mexico, works several low-paying jobs to make ends meet. She does not have the $2,000 it would cost to buy a new AC system. So she came up with a makeshift solution: spend $800 to fix the broken one. "I had no choice, what with my kids," she said. "It was the priority, more than buying groceries or paying my rent." Even with the new motor in the old AC unit, one of the air conduits is broken so the cold does not reach her living room. That is something else she will have to pay to have fixed. - AC going full blast - Licea tried but failed to qualify for aid offered by the city or some utility companies for people to upgrade their air conditioning units. A study in 2022 by Arizona State University found that while mobile homes make up five percent of all housing in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and its suburbs, they account for 30 percent of indoor heat-related deaths in the city. "It is easy to say 'we can adapt' when you have access to everything," Licea said. "It is different for us." A fire broke out some days ago at her mobile home park, where the residences are hooked up directly to electrical pylons through shoddy connections. One mobile home was destroyed. The fire is believed to have started because of an electrical overload, with washing machines, dryers, fridges and full-blast air conditioning all operating at once. After 19 years in Arizona, Licea lives in fear of an electrical short circuit. So she mainly prepares salads for meals and tries to avoid turning on the lights to keep her electricity consumption, and the temperature, as low as possible. "If I could move to a state that is not so hot I would do it," Licea said. rfo/dw/bfm © Agence France-Presse The post ‘As long as we have AC’: Phoenix heat shows gap between US rich, poor appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Hot and dangerous weekend’: US bakes under relentless heat dome
Brutally high temperatures threatened tens of millions of Americans Saturday, as numerous cities braced to break records under a relentless heat dome that has baked parts of the country all week. The National Weather Service warned of an "extremely hot and dangerous weekend," with daytime highs routinely ranging between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal in the US West. Residents of central and southern California, for example, could expect to see thermometers peaking at 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (38 to 43 degrees Celsius), it said. By mid-day Saturday, California's famous Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, had reached a sizzling 119F (48C), with Sunday's peak predicted to soar as high as 130F (54C). Even overnight lows there could exceed 100F (38C). The heat is forecast to remain anchored over the West for the weekend, "growing hotter in the South by early next week." Authorities have been sounding the alarm for days, advising people to avoid outdoor activities in the daytime and to be on the watch for signs of dehydration, which can quickly become fatal in such temperatures. In the hardest-hit areas, residents face a daily endurance marathon against the sun. The Arizona state capital of Phoenix has recorded 16 straight days above 109F (43C). It had reached 111F by noon Saturday, en route to an expected 115F. Las Vegas, Nevada was broiling amid similar temperatures. In Texas, the border city of El Paso had seen 29 consecutive days of temperatures topping 100F (38C). At a construction site outside Houston, Texas, a 28-year-old worker who gave his name only as Juan helped complete a wall in the blazing heat. "Just when I take a drink of water, I get dizzy, I want to vomit because of the heat," he told AFP. "I need something else, a Coca-Cola, a Gatorade -- and cold -- just to be able to keep going." Residents of the Texas metropolis have been asked to conserve energy from 2:00 to 10:00 pm Saturday through Monday by provider Reliant Energy, in an attempt to mitigate high demand. One local news station in the city, KPRC, heralded the prospect of "finally seeing an end to this heat wave" -- by Sunday of next week. 'Not typical' Heat waves are occurring more often and more intensely in major cities across the United States, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, with a frequency of six per year during the 2010s and 2020s compared to two per year during the 1960s. "This heatwave is NOT typical desert heat," the National Weather Service's Las Vegas branch tweeted, specifying that "its long duration, extreme daytime temperatures, & warm nights" were unusual. In Canada, which is suffering from warm temperatures combined with months of below-average rainfall, the amount of land burned by devastating wildfires climbed to 24.7 million acres (10 million hectares) so far this year on Saturday. The prior all-time high occurred in 1989, when 18 million acres were burned over the course of an entire year, according to national figures. "We find ourselves this year with figures that are worse than our most pessimistic scenarios," Yan Boulanger, a researcher at Canada's natural resources ministry, told AFP. Smoke from the wildfires was meanwhile creating unhealthy air quality conditions in parts of the upper-central United States -- similar to episodes in June when blazes in the Canadian province of Quebec cloaked the US East Coast in a noxious haze. While it can be hard to attribute a particular weather event to climate change, scientists insist that global warming -- linked to humanity's dependence on fossil fuels -- is responsible for the multiplication and intensification of heat waves in the world. The US heat wave comes after the EU's climate-monitoring service said the world saw its hottest June on record last month. bfm/mdl/bbk/acb © Agence France-Presse The post ‘Hot and dangerous weekend’: US bakes under relentless heat dome appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The Philippines DoT doesn’t know
Here is something that should uplift our spirits following the scandalous copy-pasted video that cost the Department of Tourism a whopping P50 million. This comes free and already must be luring foreign tourists to the Philippines. Here’s the reason why, and it would be good if Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco takes note and harnesses these factual data released recently by Numbeo. According to Wikipedia, Numbeo is the biggest Internet database on the cost of living, housing indicators, and other information about cities and countries. Here are among the reasons why Secretary Frasco should celebrate and maybe think of just consigning that slogan to the garbage bin. Let me quote Numbeo verbatim in its midyear report on the 10 Cheapest Countries in the World to Live In: “If you are one of those people who want to escape the dreaded daily routine that you are stuck in, then currently the cheapest countries that offer affordable living in gorgeous scenery and amazing experiences are the Philippines, Portugal, Vietnam, South Africa, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Mexico, Indonesia, and Bulgaria. “The Philippines is filled with over seven thousand islands. Yes, you heard that right — seven thousand islands! It is known as a tropical paradise, and living in paradise doesn’t sound too bad now, does it? “Well, you can do that at very affordable prices if you are thinking about moving to the Philippines.” From the time we set foot in school, we had been taught and molded to love our native land. So not only is the DoT slogan so banal but it lacks the essentials of a slogan that would attract foreign tourists to the Philippines. Numbeo describes the Philippines as a tropical paradise. Secretary Frasco should take a hint from this and proceed to present to the world in living color why. Instead of promoting other countries’ sceneries at our expense, DoT personnel, including its regional offices, should be more creative, leave their air-conditioned offices and video-graph and take stock footage of the beautiful sceneries around the country that are veritable proof that indeed we are THE tropical paradise in this universe. Just an add-on: Davao City remains to be the most livable city in the Philippines with the lowest crime rate and cost of living index. To sum up, Davao is the safest city in the country. Three cities with the highest crime rates are found in Metro Manila and these are Manila, Quezon City and Makati. On this score, we give our snappy salute to our law enforcers. The Davao region on the whole has been declared insurgent-free. Davao City has varied mountain resorts and among the most famous beach resorts and dive sites, all within 30 minutes of your hotel. Davao City, too has several festivals that are real magnets for domestic and foreign tourists. This August we are celebrating the Kadayawan Festival which showcases the most colorful tribal ensembles, fruits and flowers in grand displays and parades. It is a celebration of the indigenous people of Davao City and is also participated in by various tribes of Mindanao. Now, you would wonder why despite all this wealth of unique sights and festivities, the Department of Tourism has not come out with even a bit of viable propaganda for the Kadayawan Festival. So how can one claim he or she loves the Philippines when she is not even aware of what is going on in this tropical paradise? If the DoT can spend millions for that shabby slogan and mediocre visuals maybe it can allocate time and funds to support local festivals. Despite the magma of criticism against Secretary Frasco, I personally believe she has what it takes to present to the world our country as indeed a tropical paradise because she loves the Philippines. The post The Philippines DoT doesn’t know appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Worker rights abused amid cost-of-living crisis: unions
Workers in nine out of 10 countries have seen their right to strike violated over the past year as they battle the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades, the International Trade Union Confederation warned Friday. A decade after launching its first annual Global Rights Index, the ITUC said the results for 2023 provided "a sobering confirmation of its founding purpose". Eighty-seven percent of the 149 countries reviewed in the index violated the right to strike between April 2022 and March 2023, the union group said. Seventy-nine percent of countries violated the right to collective bargaining, with companies for instance refusing to comply with collective agreements or rejecting established trade unions, it added. "As workers have felt the full force of a cost-of-living crisis, governments have cracked down on their rights to collectively negotiate wage rises and take strike action against employer and government indifference to the impacts of spiralling inflation upon working people," the union group said in a report. Ecuador and Tunisia were highlighted by the IUTC, joining its list of the 10 worst countries for workers in 2023. Mass protests in Ecuador for democracy and collective rights were brutally repressed, it said. "In Tunisia, President Kais Saied has continued to tighten his hold on power, undermining workers’ civil liberties and democratic institutions," it added. Nineteen trade unionists around the world have been murdered, compared to 17 in the previous comparable period. Luc Triangle, the ITUC's acting general secretary, said this year saw an "urgent need for action" by unions as workers are slammed by rising costs in the aftermath of the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, the index shows "a steady attack on workers who dare to demand fair pay for their labour", he said, adding this was seen "across economic and geographical regions". "Politicians have continued to hold wages down, have refused to honour negotiations with unions, have restricted strike action and have attempted to quash protests claiming that a wage-price spiral must be avoided," Triangle said in the foreword to the index. Many countries are grappling with cost-of-living crises because wages are not keeping up with inflation prompting central banks to raise interest rates to try to tame the rise in prices. The post Worker rights abused amid cost-of-living crisis: unions appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
At Ground Level | Two similar killings, two decades apart
In the early 2000s, government soldiers brutally killed a couple, Expedito and Manuela Albarillo, in a surprise attack on their home in San Teodoro, Mindoro Oriental. Their bodies, mutilated by the intense gunfire, were dragged out of their house by the perpetrators, later identified as Philippine Army soldiers commanded by then Col. Jovito Palparan Jr. The post At Ground Level | Two similar killings, two decades apart appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
Two similar killings, two decades apart
In the early 2000s, government soldiers brutally killed a couple, Expedito and Manuela Albarillo, in a surprise attack on their home in San Teodoro, Mindoro Oriental......»»
Hong Kong police detain more than 20 on Tiananmen anniversary
Hong Kong police on Sunday detained more than 20 people, including key pro-democracy figures trying to commemorate the anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown, as hundreds in Taiwan mourned the dead with a vigil. For years, tens of thousands of Hong Kongers would converge on the city's Victoria Park and its surrounding neighborhood to commemorate the events of June 4, 1989 -- taking part in candlelight vigils. But since Beijing's imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 to quell dissent, the annual vigil has been banned and its organizers charged under the law. This weekend, scores of police were deployed in the area, stopping people for searches and questioning. Some found with a candle -- regarded as a symbol of the Victoria Park vigil -- were questioned and detained. More than 700 kilometers (430 miles) away on the self-ruled island of Taiwan, hundreds gathered at Taipei's Liberty Square to chant "fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong" as night fell. They lit candles in the shape of "8964" -- numerals forbidden in mainland China because it references the events of June 4, 1989. "We need to cherish the freedom and democracy we have in Taiwan," Perry Wu, 31, told AFP. "I feel really sad to see the news of people getting arrested today in Hong Kong." Hong Kong police said late Sunday they had detained 23 people between the ages of 20 to 74 who were suspected of "breaching the peace". One woman, 53, was arrested for obstructing police officers. Among the most prominent activists AFP saw bundled into police vans was Chan Po-ying, the leader of the League of Social Democrats, one of the few remaining opposition parties. The veteran activist, who was released hours later, held a small LED candle and two flowers before she was seized by police. Other recognizable figures taken were Alexandra Wong, a well-known activist nicknamed "Grandma Wong" and Leo Tang, a former leader of the now-disbanded Confederation of Trade Unions. On Saturday, Hong Kong police arrested four people for "seditious" acts and "disorderly conduct". Another four were detained on suspicion of breaching the peace. The office of UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a tweet late Sunday it was "alarmed by reports of detentions" in Hong Kong and called for the "release of anyone detained for exercising freedom of expression & peaceful assembly." 'Let the world know' Discussion of the Tiananmen crackdown is highly sensitive for China's communist leadership and commemoration is forbidden on the mainland. The government sent troops and tanks to Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989 to break up peaceful protests, brutally crushing a weeks-long wave of demonstrations calling for political change. Hundreds -- by some estimates, more than 1,000 -- were killed. Hong Kong was for decades the only Chinese city with a large-scale commemoration -- a key index of the liberties and political pluralism afforded by its semi-autonomous status. This year, Victoria Park was transformed for a "hometown carnival fair" organized by pro-Beijing groups. Erase memories Beijing has gone to exhaustive lengths to erase the 1989 event from public memory in the mainland. All mention of the crackdown is scrubbed from China's internet. Over the weekend, sites of more recent protests -- a bridge in Beijing where a "freedom" banner was unfurled, and Wulumuqi Street in Shanghai where demonstrations happened in November -- also saw heightened security. Hong Kong authorities were vigilant in the weeks before June 4, with police seizing a commemorative "Pillar of Shame" statue for a security trial and removing books on the Tiananmen crackdown from public libraries. But there were still pockets of defiance on Sunday around Hong Kong -- a shop gave away candles, while a bookstore displayed Tiananmen Square archival material. At the US consulate in the evening, dozens of candles could be seen shimmering in the large complex's windows. 'Face the consequences' Sidestepping questions about whether public mourning was allowed, Hong Kong's leader John Lee had repeatedly maintained that the public must act according to the law or "be ready to face the consequences". Vigils planned around the world, from Japan to Australia, saw people standing with candles next to images of the brutal crackdown. In London, protesters staged a re-enactment featuring a blow-up tank and women dressed in white, emulating a statue to liberty set up on Tiananmen Square in 1989. A 59-year-old poet from China's Sichuan province, told AFP at the Trafalgar Square rally that his family fled soon after brutal crackdown. "Chinese people in my generation know what happened, but the younger ones, not really," said the man, who declined to be named for fear of Chinese reprisals. "Their parents, their grandparents, need to keep up the knowledge, and we all need to remember at events overseas like this." The post Hong Kong police detain more than 20 on Tiananmen anniversary appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hong Kong police detain prominent democracy figures on Tiananmen anniversary
Hong Kong police on Sunday detained several key pro-democracy figures attempting to commemorate the anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen crackdown, as hundreds in democratic Taiwan mourned the dead in a candlelight vigil. For years, tens of thousands of Hong Kongers would converge on the city's Victoria Park and its surrounding Causeway Bay neighborhood to commemorate the events of 4 June 1989 -- taking part in candlelight vigils. But since Beijing's imposition of the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 to quell dissent, the annual vigil was banned, and the organizers were charged under the law. This weekend, scores of police were deployed in the area, stopping people to search their belongings and question them. An armored vehicle was sighted parked near a shopping center. Anyone found with a candle -- regarded as a symbol of the Victoria Park vigil -- was questioned and even detained, while police appeared to cast a broad net on what was deemed offensive. More than 700 kilometers (430 miles) away, nearly 500 people gathered at Taipei's Liberty Square to chant "fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong" as night fell. They lit candles in the shape of "8964" -- numerals that are forbidden in mainland China because it references the events of 4 June 1989. "We need to cherish the freedom and democracy we have in Taiwan," Perry Wu, 31, told AFP. "I feel really sad to see the news of people getting arrested today in Hong Kong." By evening, AFP reporters in Hong Kong had witnessed more than a dozen people taken away by police in vans. Among the most prominent was Chan Po-ying, the leader of the city's League of Social Democrats, one of the last few remaining opposition groups. The veteran activist was holding a small LED candle and two flowers before she was seized by police. Other recognizable figures detained were Alexandra Wong, a well-known activist nicknamed "Grandma Wong", former chairwoman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association Mak Yin-ting, and Leo Tang, a former leader of the now-disbanded Confederation of Trade Unions. At Victoria Park, a man sitting on a bench holding an unlit candle was surrounded by cops. As he was led to a police van, he said, "I raised a candle... I was (taken) for just sitting there." The swift removal of people comes a day after police arrested four for "seditious" acts and "disorderly conduct". Another four people were detained on suspicion of breaching the peace. 'Let the world know' Discussion of the Tiananmen crackdown is highly sensitive for China's communist leadership and commemoration is forbidden on the mainland. The government sent troops and tanks to Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989 to break up peaceful protests, brutally crushing a weeks-long wave of demonstrations calling for political change. Hundreds -- by some estimates, more than 1,000 -- were killed. For decades, Hong Kong was the only Chinese city with a large-scale commemoration -- a key index of the liberties and political pluralism afforded by its semi-autonomous status. But after the vigil was banned since 2020, the park was barricaded with metal barriers. This year, Victoria Park was transformed for a "hometown carnival fair" organized by pro-Beijing groups. "The pro-Beijing camp wants to... occupy the venue to exclude the mourners," said Chiu, a 68-year-old retiree, who sat on a park bench with an unlit candle by him in quiet defiance -- a short distance from the fair. Erase memories Beijing has gone to exhaustive lengths to erase the 1989 event from public memory in the mainland. All mention of the crackdown is scrubbed from China's internet. Over the weekend, sites of more recent protests -- a bridge in Beijing where a "freedom" banner was unfurled, and Wulumuqi Street in Shanghai where demonstrations happened in November -- also saw heightened security. Hong Kong authorities were vigilant in the weeks before June 4, with police seizing a commemorative "Pillar of Shame" statue for a security trial and removing books on the Tiananmen crackdown from public libraries. But there were still pockets of defiance Sunday around Hong Kong -- a shop gave away candles, while a bookstore displayed Tiananmen Square archival material. 'Freedom to mourn' Sidestepping questions about whether public mourning was allowed, Hong Kong's leader John Lee had repeatedly maintained that the public must act according to the law or "be ready to face the consequences". Vigils planned around the world, from Japan to Sydney, saw people stand solemnly with a candle next to images of the 1989 crackdown. Hong Kong activist Wong Yat-chin, currently in prison for a national security charge, said he mourned the "loss of the freedom to mourn". "It's not a crime to remember a day," he said on his Instagram page Sunday. The post Hong Kong police detain prominent democracy figures on Tiananmen anniversary appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US Navy probe finds major problems with SEAL training
A US Navy investigation released Thursday identified major concerns with the brutally difficult training that produces members of the elite SEALs special forces. The probe -- which was launched following the February 2022 death of Seaman Kyle Mullen during training -- found "failures across multiple systems that led to a number of candidates being at a high risk of serious injury." It highlighted problems including insufficient oversight by leadership, lack of risk assessment, a medical system "not trained, organized, integrated, or drilled to ensure continuous effective medical monitoring or care," and performance-enhancing drug use. Mullen died of what was ultimately diagnosed as pneumonia just after completing "Hell Week" -- during which candidates are pushed to their physical limits while being deprived of sleep -- while other members of his training class were hospitalized, the investigation found. He and other class members received medical care for respiratory issues during "Hell Week," but that information was not provided to the clinic that conducted the final medical check following its conclusion, and it cleared him to rest in the barracks. In the barracks, he was monitored by "junior watchstanders with no medical or emergency care training" -- one of whom did however call a duty medical officer as Mullen's condition worsened. The medical officer said the seaman could go to the hospital if he was in "bad shape" but that all candidates would be evaluated in the morning, and Mullen repeatedly declined to do so. Mullen only received medical treatment after a class officer later called 911 when told by the watchstanders that the seaman's condition was declining. The Navy SEALs have carried out some of America's most dangerous and storied raids, including the May 2011 killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. SEAL is an acronym for Sea, Air, Land, reflecting their specialized capabilities. The post US Navy probe finds major problems with SEAL training appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pinoys among those evacuated as Sudan fighting enters 2nd week
Sudan's Rapid Support Forces said Sunday it had "coordinated with" American troops to evacuate Washington's embassy in the country, where fighting between the paramilitary group and the army entered a second week following a brief lull. More than 150 people from various nations had already reached the safety of Saudi Arabia in the first announced evacuation of civilians. Foreign countries have said they are preparing for the potential evacuation of thousands more of their nationals, even though Sudan's main airport remains closed. "The Rapid Support Forces Command has coordinated with the U.S Forces Mission consisting of 6 aircraft, for evacuating diplomats and their families on Sunday morning," said a tweet by the heavily armed paramilitary group. The RSF pledged "full cooperation with all diplomatic missions, and providing all necessary means of protection, and ensuring their safe return to their countries". The group previously said it was ready to "partially" open "all airports" in Sudan to evacuate foreign citizens. It was not possible to verify which airports the RSF controls. Fighting has left hundreds dead and thousands wounded, while survivors cope with shortages of electricity and food. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry announced the "safe arrival" of 91 of its citizens along with nationals from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada and Burkina Faso. As the kingdom's naval forces transported the civilians, including diplomats and international officials, across the Red Sea from Port Sudan to Jeddah, fighting resumed in Sudan's capital Khartoum after a temporary truce saw gunfire momentarily die down on Friday, the first day of Eid al-Fitr. Eid is normally a major celebration for Sudanese marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This year it is marked by fear, grief and hunger. Earlier on Saturday, Sudan's army said its chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had received calls from leaders of multiple countries to "facilitate and guarantee safety for evacuating citizens and diplomatic missions". It noted that the evacuations were expected to begin "in the coming hours", adding that the US, Britain, France and China were planning to airlift their nationals out of Khartoum using military planes. Burhan told Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV that the army was in control of "all airports, except for Khartoum airport" and one in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. Urban warfare began on 15 April between forces loyal to Burhan and those of his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. Daglo commands the RSF, which emerged from the Janjaweed fighters unleashed in Darfur by former strongman Omar al-Bashir, drawing accusations of war crimes. The former allies seized power in a 2021 coup but later fell out in a bitter power struggle. On Saturday morning, heavy gunfire, loud explosions and fighter jets were heard in many parts of the capital, according to witnesses. The army announced Friday agreement to a three-day ceasefire. Daglo said in a statement he had "discussed the current crisis" with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and was "focused on the humanitarian truce, safe passages, and protecting humanitarian workers". Five humanitarians, including four from UN-linked agencies, have so far been killed. Two 24-hour ceasefires announced earlier in the week were also ignored. In Khartoum, a city of five million people, the conflict has left terrified civilians sheltering inside their homes. Many have ventured out only to get urgent food supplies -- stocks of which are dwindling -- or to flee the city. While Khartoum has seen some of the fiercest battles, they have occurred across the country. Late Friday, the army accused the RSF of attacks in the capital's twin city of Omdurman where they released "a large number of inmates" from a prison, accusations the group denies. Battles have raged in Darfur, where Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the city of El Fasher said their medics had been "overwhelmed" by the number of patients with gunshot wounds, many of them children. More plans are being made to evacuate foreigners, with South Korea and Japan deploying forces to nearby countries, and the European Union weighing a similar move. The German ministers of defence and foreign affairs held a crisis meeting Saturday on a possible evacuation, after three military transport planes had to turn back Wednesday, according to German weekly Der Spiegel. The World Health Organization (WHO) said 413 people had been killed and 3,551 wounded in the fighting across Sudan, but the actual death toll is thought to be higher. More than two-thirds of hospitals in Khartoum and neighbouring states are now "out of service", and at least four hospitals in North Kordofan state were shelled, the doctors' union said. The World Food Programme said the violence could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where one-third of the population needs aid. Burhan and Daglo's dispute centred on the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army, a key condition for a deal aimed at restoring Sudan's democratic transition after the military toppled Bashir in April 2019 following mass citizen protests. In October 2021, Burhan and Daglo joined forces to oust a civilian government installed after Bashir's downfall. Daglo now says the coup was a "mistake", while Burhan believes it was "necessary" to include more groups into politics. The post Pinoys among those evacuated as Sudan fighting enters 2nd week appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»