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Christopher Behn, 68, admits 21 new charges of international child abuse
YANGON, Myanmar - Christopher Behn, 68, of Colchester, England, who is already serving a nine-year prison sentence for sexually abusing 11 children in Myanmar in 2016, has admitted to 21 additional counts of sexually abusing young boys while abroad. The new charges stemmed from abuse of boys aged six to eleven in Vietnam. Behn, a "committed and prolific transnational child sex offender," will be sentenced.....»»
Bayani Fernando, true public servant (2)
In a country where corruption in the government has become endemic, where many elected and appointed officials use their offices, their power, and their connections to amass wealth illegally, only a rare breed of men and women come out unscathed and untainted with dishonesty and illegal conduct while in office. There is a long list of public officials who have been prosecuted, convicted, and jailed for siphoning government coffers for themselves. Of course, there are those who escape prosecution and others who manage to get acquitted, even if they are guilty as hell. They flaunt their wealth, which was never there before they entered government service. Since government prosecutors could not show the courts the quantum of proof beyond a reasonable doubt required by law, these scoundrels go scot-free. These charlatans become the role models of those who want to follow their route and seek to emulate them by seeking public office, either by election or by appointment. Tragically, for this country, it is corruption that hinders its development and progress. It is the poison that kills the body politic, the disease that is worse than the pandemic, which devours the poor of their health, that destroys the source that will provide them their education as a tool to uplift their lives. It is the scourge that hampers the delivery of basic services. Not all, though, who enter government work are corrupted or influenced by the evil and profitable ways of the corrupt. There are a few who remain insulated from corruption, who are dedicated and fealty to their oath of office, and who serve the public instead of themselves. Bayani Fernando was one of those handful who maintained his honesty during his tenure as Mayor, Congressman, Secretary of Public Works, and Chairman of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority or MMDA. There was one political adversary of Bayani Fernando when he was Marikina Mayor, a former congressman of Marikina, long time deceased, who tried to tarnish his reputation by filing a graft complaint against him before the Office of the Ombudsman. This writer lawyered for him, and the Ombudsman dismissed the case as having no basis in fact and law. As Chairman of MMDA, he was also charged in 2016 with misuse of funds but was also exonerated. Apparently, the charges were politically motivated as he announced then that he was running for President. He eventually ran as Vice-President, but victory eluded him. The initiatives pursued by the late Bayani Fernando as a public servant produced results that benefited the people of Marikina and Metro Manila. His style of governance has been replicated by other mayors and succeeding chairmen of the MMDA. He was a role model in public service. His private life was exemplary, too. The only vice he indulged in, if it can be called one, was to spend his free time with his friends crooning every Tuesday night. He loved singing as his way of distressing himself and having clean fun with them. He and his wife Marides had only one daughter, Tala, who is married to Paul Ang, the son of business hotshot and mogul Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corporation. Bayani Fernando was a doting father to his unica hija Tala, but at the same time, he was a disciplinarian. Like all grandfathers, he was a spoiler. He loved his three grandchildren, all boys. They are his — and his wife Marides’ joy. When queried how Bayani Fernando was a husband, her wife blurted out: “Challenging!” accompanied by heart laughter. Certainly, all spouses who are married to public servants are confronted with the challenge of coping with their partners, seldom staying at home or coming home late. It’s good that former Marikina Mayor Marides Carlos-Fernando succeeded her husband for three terms as chief executive of Marikina, as she would understand the travails that every dedicated public servant goes through. His record as a public official speaks for itself. Bayani Fernando was a true public servant in the truest sense of the word. His legacy of public service lives on despite his departure from the physical plane. The post Bayani Fernando, true public servant (2) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
75 foreigners involved in online scams deported
The Bureau of Immigration confirmed the deportation of 75 foreign nationals on 22 September at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco shared that those foreigners departed on Friday afternoon via a Royal Air flight RW410 bound for Nanning, Guangxi. These deportees, according to Tansingco, are the first group of foreign nationals to be kicked out of the country for engaging in scams while posing as an online gaming customer care provider. They are part of the group arrested in an operation led by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC) against SA Rivendell Global Gaming Corporation located in Pasay City. They were later charged by the BI for undesirability after being tagged as part of a scam syndicate. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which made the arrests, kept custody of the aforementioned foreigners throughout their deportation procedures. The deportees allegedly took part in bitcoin and love schemes that preyed on Westerners. The BI chief said that the initial count of deportees was 76, but the airline offloaded one of them—identified as He Zeng Ming—due to a medical issue after he purportedly complained about chest symptoms. All deportees have been added to the BI's blacklist; thereby, prohibiting them from returning to the country. “The strong partnership of the BI with PAOCC as well as IACAT member agencies led to this massive arrest and deportation of foreign nationals abusing their stay in the country,” said Tansingco. “This is in line with the President’s directive for government agencies to work closely together, in unity, to achieve greater results,” he added. -----anthony ching----- The post 75 foreigners involved in online scams deported appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The legal woes of Donald Trump
Former US president Donald Trump is facing four criminal indictments, all filed since March -- with the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 White House race possibly navigating a series of trials as he campaigns. On Thursday, he was formally arrested on 13 counts in the southern state of Georgia in connection with his alleged efforts to interfere with the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has already been indicted in federal court in connection with election interference in multiple states, and over his handling of classified documents, making him the first former US president to face federal criminal charges. The twice-impeached Trump has also been charged in New York with making election-eve hush money payments to a porn star. Here are the key cases involving the 77-year-old one-term president -- and others that could materialize: Georgia election meddling Trump stands accused in Georgia of pressuring state officials to overturn Biden's election victory -- incidents that were also referred to in a federal indictment. Evidence includes a taped phone call in which he asked Georgia's then-secretary of state to "find" enough votes to reverse the result. Fulton County's top prosecutor Fani Willis has charged Trump with 13 felony counts including violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as six conspiracy counts over alleged efforts to commit forgery, impersonate a public official and submit false statements and documents. Eighteen co-defendants also were indicted, including Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, for pressuring local legislators over the result after the election, and Trump's White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows. 2020 election interference Special Counsel Jack Smith had already slapped Trump with four federal charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, as well as conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of an official proceeding -- the January 6, 2021, meeting of a joint session of Congress held to certify Biden's election victory. He is also charged with conspiracy to deny Americans the right to vote and to have one's vote counted. The indictment mentions six co-conspirators but none are identified -- Trump, currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is the only named defendant. Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress met to certify the presidential election results. Before what was ultimately a deadly attack, Trump delivered a fiery speech urging the crowd to "fight like hell." Classified documents Trump, in another indictment brought by Smith, is accused of endangering national security by holding onto top secret nuclear and defense documents after leaving the White House. Trump kept the files -- which included records from the Pentagon, CIA, and National Security Agency -- unsecured at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and thwarted official efforts to retrieve them, according to the indictment. Trump was initially charged with 31 counts of "willful retention of national defense information," each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A count was added related to a classified document "concerning military activity in a foreign country." He also faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements, and other offenses. The federal judge in the case has set a trial date of May 20, 2024, at the height of the presidential campaign. Stormy A New York grand jury indicted Trump in March over alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors say the money was paid prior to the 2016 election to silence Daniels over claims she had a tryst with Trump in 2006 -- a year after he married Melania Trump. Late in the campaign, Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen arranged a payment of $130,000 to Daniels in exchange for her pledge of confidentiality, prosecutors said. That case, in which he faces 34 felony counts, is due to go to trial next March, in the middle of the Republican primary election season. Other probes Trump was found liable in a civil case for sexually abusing and defaming a former magazine columnist, E. Jean Carroll, in 1996, and ordered to pay her $5 million in damages. In New York, state Attorney General Letitia James has filed a civil suit against Trump and three of his children, accusing them of fraud by over-valuing assets to secure loans and then under-valuing them to minimize taxes. James is seeking $250 million in penalties as well as banning Trump and his children from serving as executives at companies in the city. Trump has denied all wrongdoing. The post The legal woes of Donald Trump appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Thirty-five more people charged after fatal stabbing of Greek football fan
Greek prosecutors on Sunday charged 35 more people in connection with the fatal stabbing of a young Greek football fan before a Champions League game, taking the total to face charges over the incident to 105. Of that number, 102 are from Croatia and suspected of links with the 'Bad Blue Boys', hardline supporters of Dinamo Zagreb who traveled to Greece last Monday, the day before their side's Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens. The others are two Greeks and an Albanian. Authorities are hunting for another Greek national, also suspected of being involved in the fatal attack, according to the same judicial source. Michalis Katsouris, 29, died after being stabbed in a mass brawl that erupted on the streets of the Greek capital. Following his death, UEFA postponed Tuesday's third-round qualifier between the two sides until 19 August. Those remanded in custody have all denied involvement in the death of Katsouris. Charges they face include murder, involvement in a criminal organization, and illegal possession of weapons. The post Thirty-five more people charged after fatal stabbing of Greek football fan appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Girl ‘raped, pimped’ by FB friend
A man was arrested at the crack of dawn Friday in North Caloocan for allegedly raping and pimping a 16-year-old woman. According to the victim’s mother, her child left their house only to fall victim to the man who lived in the house where she stayed. Police learned that after sexually abusing the minor repeatedly, the man then sold her to other men for sex. “She was crying that she was not only raped by the man in that house, but that she was also peddled to other men. He was the one taking the payment for the sex,” the mother averred. The mother said her daughter was threatened by the man that she’d be planted with illegal drugs and jailed by a police officer friend of the suspect. When arrested, the 22-year-old suspect denied the accusations, saying he and the girl got to know each other through Facebook. He’ll be charged with violating the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003. The PNP North Caloocan Women and Children Protection urged parents to be observant and to be on guard with the people their children meet via social media platforms. “Those gadgets are serving as avenues for exploitation of children,” P/Cpl. Katrina Paran said in warning parents to be watchful of their children’s activities. The post Girl ‘raped, pimped’ by FB friend appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Japan Agency Issues Sex Assault Apology
Japan’s top boyband agency has issued an apology over sexual assault allegations against its late founder Johnny Kitagawa, with fans demanding Monday that the firm “fully investigate” the matter. Last month, Japanese-Brazilian singer Kauan Okamoto said he was repeatedly molested by Kitagawa, who established the entertainment empire Johnny and Associates. Okamoto alleged that Kitagawa, who died of a stroke aged 87 in 2019, assaulted him during his four-year stint with the agency until 2016, starting when he was 15 years old. He is one of the few to publicly address the star-maker’s long-alleged history of sexual abuse against young boys, a controversy that resurfaced after a recent BBC documentary. Kitagawa was never criminally charged over the accusations. Julie Fujishima, Kitagawa’s niece and the current president of Johnny and Associates, addressed the matter in a video and written statement published Sunday evening. In the video, she apologized “sincerely” for the trouble caused in connection to the allegations, and to the accusers. “Obviously, we do not believe there was no problem. As a business and as an individual, I absolutely do not tolerate these acts,” her written statement said, referring to the documentary and Okamoto’s testimony. The post Japan Agency Issues Sex Assault Apology appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Allan Albano laying foundation for FEU s continued contention
UAAP boys basketball, in the last decade, has been dominated by Nazareth School of National University and Ateneo de Manila High School. In the last 10 years, the Bullpups and the Blue Eaglets have won all but two championships. That one and only other team to have won it all? Far Eastern University-Diliman. And while the Baby Tamaraws have not been as bejeweled as National U or Ateneo in recent history, they have competed with them year in and year out just the same. In fact, the last time the green and gold's high school squad missed out on the playoff bus was Season 77. That means a five-season streak of making the playoffs - not that far from their kuya Tamaraws who have charged to the next round from Season 75 to now. Safe to say, all in all, the healthiest basketball program - at least in both the men's and boys' side - in the UAAP is FEU's. Their continued contention is, apparently, all because they start them young. "I think most of the credit should go to our high school coaches like coach Allan Albano," active consultant Nash Racela said on Coaches Unfiltered. "Kumbaga, kami nina coach Olsen , naghihintay na lang kami doon sa mga produkto na meron si Coach Allan." Albano was the shot-caller in the Baby Tamaraws' pleasant surprise of a title in Season 79. There, he introduced the world to the all-around force that was L-Jay Gonzales who was backstopped by the likes of RJ Abarrientos, Royce Alforque, Jun Gabane, Jack Gloria, Kenji Roman, and Xyrus Torres. If many of those names sound familiar, that's because they have only moved on up to starring in the Srs. "FEU has always been known as yung program na akala mo walang player. I think yung player development is very crucial lalo na ngayong most of our players come our high school," Tamaraws head coach Olsen Racela said. Coach Olsen went on to say that while the FEU Srs.'s last championship was led by Mac Belo and Roger Pogoy, players who sharpened their saws first with Team B, their current core has been harvested from their crop in Diliman. Indeed, lead guard Gonzales, go-go guard Alforque, sharpshooter Torres, and stretch forward Brandrey Bienes are all proud products from the Baby Tamaraws. Add prized prospects coming in Abarrientos and Cholo Anonuevo and already half of the green and gold's team for UAAP 82 has been homegrown. "Maganda lalo ngayon yung relationship ng high school sa college namin. I think that's very important for our program na imbis na umaalis yung players mo towards supposedly greener pastures, nag-stay sila," Coach Nash said. With that, FEU is all-set to continue walking this way. "Now, ang recruitment talaga namin is focused in high school, yung younger players," its active consultant said. With that, FEU is all-set to continue entrusting its future in the more than capable hands of Albano and assistants Mark Isip, Denok Miranda, and Vic Pablo. And without a doubt, because Allan Albano is hard at work laying the foundation, the Baby Tamaraws and the Tamaraws aren't going away anytime soon. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @riegogogo......»»
PH media slam Chinese foreign ministry’s claims of manipulating WPS reports
Philippine media groups criticized the Chinese foreign ministry for suggesting that recent reports on Chinese harassment of Filipino vessels in the West Philippine Sea involved video manipulation and sensationalism to portray the Philippines as a victim. The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap) and National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) expressed offense.....»»
In Papa’s footsteps
The late Lope Sarreal Sr. is the only Filipino who wasn’t a fighter inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York......»»
Creamline still team to beat
Creamline’s dramatic, come-from-behind 26-28, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 16-14 win over Cignal Tuesday night at the PhilSports Arena showed that it’s still the superpower in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.....»»
Jollibee invests $28 million in beverage tech firm
Filipino-owned Asian food conglomerate Jollibee Foods Corp. is investing $28 million for a 10 percent stake in beverage technology company Botrista Inc. to support the growth of its coffee and tea business......»»
Roque: Xi, Duterte agreed to keep West Philippines Sea status quo
The Philippines under former president Rodrigo Duterte had a “gentleman’s agreement” with China to keep the status quo in the West Philippine Sea, a former Cabinet official said yesterday, as fresh tensions surround the WPS due to recent incursions by Beijing that targeted a Filipino resupply mission and a research team......»»
The significance of Holy Thursday
In the Christian world, there are three very popular scenes found in many Filipino homes......»»
Eala advances in W75 Croissy-Beaubourg tennis tilt
Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala has gone into the next round of the W75 Croissy-Beaubourg tournament in France after sweeping hometown bet Emeline Dartron, 6-3, 6-4, late Tuesday night (Manila time)......»»
Rest of PVL catching up to perenially dominant Cool Smashers?
Creamline’s dramatic come-from-behind 26-28, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 16-14 win over Cignal Tuesday night at the PhilSports Arena showed it remained the team-to-beat in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference......»»
Will Smith, Vanessa Hudgens back in Bad Boys 4, trailer drops
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back for another round as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett following the dropped trailer for a fourth "Bad Boys" movie, officially titled "Bad Boys: Ride or Die.".....»»
K-pop group Unis releases debut mini-album, Superwoman MV
After surviving the reality show "Universe Ticket," the eight-member K-pop group Unis, with Filipino members Gehlee and Elisia and Filipino-Korean Jin Hyeonju, launched its mini-album......»»
Philippine scientists harassed by China helicopter
Another case of harassment at sea by the Chinese has been reported – this time near Pag-Asa Island last Saturday – involving a helicopter, which hovered dangerously close to a group of Filipino scientists doing research work on a sand bar called Sandy Cay, causing minor injuries......»»
Van Sickle, Petro Gazz pummel Capital1
Petro Gazz used hammer, Brooke Van Sickle and sword as it overpowered Capital1 Solar Energy, 25-11, 25-19, 25-14, Tuesday to revive its semifinal hopes in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.....»»