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New DCPO chief to focus on personnel morale, asset optimization
THE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) bid farewell to PCol. Alberto Lupaz and welcomed its new City Director, PCol. Richard Bad-ang, in a turn-over ceremony at the Camp Captain Domingo E. Leonor on March 22......»»
Over 40 defective weighing scales seized in Carbon Market
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Office of the City Markets (OCM) of the Cebu City Government has confiscated over 40 defective weighing scales in Carbon Public Market as of March 21. Led by Market Administrator Robert Barquilla, the operation, dubbed “Operation Timbangan,” aims to ensure accurate measurements for customers. Barquilla, with assistance from Task Force.....»»
Philippines arrests suspect related to Sunday s school blast
MANILA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Philippine troops have arrested a suspect related to a university gym bombing on Sunday that killed four and injured 50 others, a military spokesperson said Friday. Xerxes Trinidad, the Armed Forces of the Philippines' public affairs chief, called the male suspect "one of the accomplices." He did not elaborate on the details of the suspect's arrest. Authorities earlier identifie.....»»
MSU blast victims receive medical, burial assistance
In response to the bomb explosion at the Dimaporo Gymnasium of Mindanao State University–Main Campus in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, victims received medical and burial assistance. Officials from the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) and other Bangsamoro Government agencies, including Barmm Chief Minister Ahod “Al-Hadj Murad” Ebrahim, visited victims at hospitals. Six patients received financial aid through MSSD’s Bangsamoro Critical Assistance for Indigents in Response to Emergency Situations program. Additionally, injured patients at the MSU Infirmary received financial aid for transportation and medical needs. The MSSD workforce also visited the bereaved families of the deceased victims to provide cash assistance and support. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support will be provided for MSU-Main Campus Marawi students, and interventions for deceased victims' families will be determined by MSSD. Officials from various agencies, including the university and security sector, held a meeting and inspected the site of the incident. Related stories include the naming of MSU Marawi bombing suspects and statements from officials condemning the attack......»»
Philippines Identifies Suspects After Bombing At Sunday Mass
MANILA - Philippine police have identified at least two suspects in the bombing of a Catholic Mass that killed four people, a regional police chief said onMonday, vowing to hunt down those behind the blast, which was claimed by Islamic State militants.The bomb went off on Sunday during a service at a university gymnasium in Marawi, a city left in ruins in 2017 by a five-month military campaign to end a bl.....»»
Philippines Identifies Suspects After Bombing At Sunday Mass
MANILA - Philippine police have identified at least two suspects in the bombing of a Catholic Mass that killed four people, a regional police chief said onMonday, vowing to hunt down those behind the blast, which was claimed by Islamic State militants.The bomb went off on Sunday during a service at a university gymnasium in Marawi, a city left in ruins in 2017 by a five-month military campaign to end a bl.....»»
Climate change ‘dystopian future already here’: UN rights chief
Climate change is sparking human rights emergencies in numerous countries, the UN rights chief said Monday, stressing the need to fight the impunity of those who "plunder our environment". Speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council, Volker Turk pointed to recent examples of the "environmental horror that is our global planetary crisis". He described visiting Basra, Iraq, where date palms once lined canals, but now "drought, searing heat, extreme pollution and fast-depleting supplies of fresh water are creating barren landscapes of rubble and dust". "This spiraling damage is a human rights emergency for Iraq, and many other countries," he said in his address opening the 54th council session in Geneva. "Climate change is pushing millions of people into famine. It is destroying hopes, opportunities, homes and lives. In recent months, urgent warnings have become lethal realities again and again all around the world," Turk said. "We do not need more warnings. The dystopian future is already here. We need urgent action now." Turk was speaking after the G20 at the weekend failed to commit to a phase-out of fossil fuels, something he said was desperately needed. - 'Nonchalance' at migrant deaths - At a time when the ravages of climate change are forcing more and more people to leave their homes, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said he was "shocked by the nonchalance" seen towards surging numbers of migrant deaths. "It is evident that far more migrants and refugees are dying, unnoticed," he said, pointing to the more than "2,300 people reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean this year, including the loss of more than 600 lives in a single shipwreck off Greece in June." He also highlighted migrant deaths in the English Channel, the Bay of Bengal, in the Caribbean, along the US-Mexican border, and at the Saudi border, where he said his "office is seeking urgent clarification about allegations of killings and mistreatment". The UN rights chief also highlighted a wide range of other concerning situations around the world, including in Russia, Pakistan and the Palestinian territory. On China, he reiterated concerns raised in a report by his office a year ago about the situation in the far-western Xinjiang region, which cited possible crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. "As my Office highlighted a year ago, the concerns in the Xinjiang ... requires strong remedial action by the authorities," Turk said Monday, also voicing concern at "continued detention of human rights advocates". - 'Ecocide' - Turk also spoke about the situation in Lebanon, decrying a total lack of accountability for the 2020 Beirut port blast, that killed more than 220 people, urging "an international fact-finding mission to look into human rights violations related to this tragedy." And he mentioned the situation in Iran, one year after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody after her arrest for allegedly breaching the strict dress code for women. Turk voiced concern at a bill that would impose harsher penalties for breaching the dress code, and "renewed deployment of the morality police." Climate change and environmental degradation played a role in a number of the rights situations he mentioned, including in Africa's Sahel region. Turk insisted on the need to "counter the impunity of people and businesses who severely plunder our environment", welcoming a proposal to recognize "ecocide" as an international crime. Amid the towering problems facing the world, Turk decried "politics of deception". "Helped by new technologies, lies and disinformation are mass-produced to sow chaos, to confuse, and ultimately to deny reality and ensure no action will be taken that could endanger the interests of entrenched elites," he said. "The most apparent case of this is climate change." nl/apo/yad © Agence France-Presse The post Climate change ‘dystopian future already here’: UN rights chief appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Village chief killed in IED blast
A barangay chairman was killed while a councilman was wounded when a bomb planted by the roadside exploded in Shariff Saidona Mustapha, Maguindanao del Sur yesterday......»»
Escudero seeks P100-M budget allocation for Ayungin buildup
Senator Francis Escudero said he will propose the allocation of at least P100 million in the 2024 national budget to fund the construction of permanent structures over the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea "to strengthen the country's presence in the contested maritime territory.” "I will propose the allocation of a minimum of P100 million to fund the construction of a pier and lodging structures for our soldiers assigned in the area, and for our fishermen who might seek temporary refuge in times of bad weather," Escudero said. The senator said the structures could serve as permanent lodging for military personnel stationed at the old BRP Sierra Madre, a warship intentionally grounded in the shoal in 1999 as a Philippine military outpost. He added that the Ayungin facilities could be used as temporary shelter for foreign fishermen “who will be caught in bad weather” in the waters. “It will welcome fishermen in distress with warm accommodations and not with a blast of the water cannon. It is there to help and not to harass,” he added. The BRP Sierra Madre is currently the center of the latest tensions due to the blocking and water canon firing of China’s vessels to the Philippine ships. Escudero pressed the need to hasten the building of the structures in the Ayungin Shoal saying "Sierra Madre's greatest enemy is nature, and it will soon be lost to the sea. Kinakalawang na (Being rusted). Our soldiers should not die from tetanus.” "It's being beached there was supposed to be an ad hoc measure. After almost one-quarter it is time for a permanent solution," he said, suggesting that parts of the structure can be prefabricated on land and be brought there “so there will be no China style of fortification in which the environment is permanently damaged.” Meanwhile, Escudero noted that his proposal “is not designed to anger China or bring us closer to the brink of war.” “This is just to give the president flexibility to act as the chief architect of our foreign policy as he deems fit. Otherwise, we will have to wait another year if he decides to do so sometime next year without any budget cover," he said. In a separate interview, Escudero also expressed willingness to help the Philippine Coast Guard to augment its intelligence fund allocation in the 2024 national budget so it can help them effectively perform their duties in protecting and defending the country's territorial waters. “I will look into the fact if we can augment--not from the Capital Outlays, Personnel Services or from the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses—but from the intelligence and confidential budget already proposed by the DBM,” he said. The post Escudero seeks P100-M budget allocation for Ayungin buildup appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Islamic State claims responsibility for Pakistan blast that killed 54
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Monday for a suicide bomb blast in Pakistan that killed at least 54 people, including 23 children, at a political party gathering ahead of elections due later this year. The blast has raised fears Pakistan could be in for a bloody election period following months of political chaos prompted by the ousting of Imran Khan as prime minister in April last year. Around 400 members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) party -- a key government coalition partner led by a firebrand cleric -- were waiting Sunday for speeches to begin when a bomber detonated a vest packed with explosives and ball bearings near the front stage. "I was confronted with a devastating sight -- lifeless bodies scattered on the ground while people cried out for help," Fazal Aman, who was near the tent when the bomb went off, told AFP. Shaukat Abbas, a senior official with the counter-terrorism department (CTD) told AFP that 54 people had been killed, including 23 under the age of 18. On Monday the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. "A suicide attacker from the Islamic State... detonated his explosive jacket in the middle of a crowd" in Khar, the jihadist group's news arm Amaq said in a statement Monday. The attack occurred in the town of Khar in the northwestern Bajaur district, just 45 kilometers from the Afghan border, in an area where militancy has been rising since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021. Parliament is likely to be dissolved after it completes its term in the next two weeks, with national elections to be held by mid-November or earlier. The local chapter of the jihadist Islamic State group has in the past targeted JUI-F rallies and leaders. Shattered family On Monday, blood-stained shoes and prayer caps littered the site, along with ball bearings and steel bolts from the suicide vest. Pieces of human flesh could still be seen, blasted 30 meters (100 feet) from the stage where the bomber detonated his device. Thousands of mourners attended the first funeral ceremonies, including for two young cousins aged 16 and 17. "It was not easy for us to lift two coffins. This tragedy has shattered our family," said Najib Ullah, the brother of one of the boys. "Our women are profoundly shocked and devastated. When I see the mothers of the victims, I find myself losing my own courage." JUI-F's leader, cleric Fazl-ur-Rehman, started political life as a firebrand Islamist hardliner, and while his party continues to advocate for socially conservative policies, he has more recently forged alliances with secular rivals. He has operated in the past as a facilitator for talks between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a rival of the jihadist Islamic State group. Last year, IS said it was behind attacks against religious scholars affiliated with JUI-F, which has a huge network of mosques and schools in the north and west of the country. The jihadist group accuses the JUI-F of hypocrisy for being a religious party while supporting secular governments and the military. JUI-F officials hit out at the government for failing to provide security in areas where militants operate. "The state has not fulfilled its responsibilities. I think the state has failed regardless of who is in power," said Shams uz Zaman, deputy general secretary of its Bajaur branch. "For God's sake take notice of the situation." While Rehman's party never musters more than a dozen or so seats in parliament, they can be crucial in any coalition and his ability to mobilize tens of thousands of religious school students allows him to punch above his weight. "It is important to consider why workers of a religious inclined political party could have been subjected to such bestial violence," Dawn newspaper said in an editorial Monday. "However ultra-conservative the JUI-F's worldview, the party has chosen to contest power and operate within the parameters set by the Constitution of Pakistan." A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell said the blast was "an attempt to weaken democracy". Rise in attacks Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban surged back to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. In January, a suicide bomber linked to Pakistan's Taliban blew himself up in a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing more than 80 officers. The militant assaults have been focused in regions abutting Afghanistan, and Islamabad alleges some are being planned on Afghan soil -- a charge Kabul denies. Analysts say militants in the former tribal areas have become emboldened since the return of the Afghan Taliban. The blast coincides with a visit to the country by a senior delegation of Chinese officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng, who arrived in the capital Sunday evening. The post Islamic State claims responsibility for Pakistan blast that killed 54 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Fireworks warehouse blast kills 10
Thai authorities have counted 10 fatalities from a powerful fireworks warehouse explosion as of Sunday. “We have identified 10 people and found parts of two bodies which we cannot identify yet,” Narathiwat provincial governor Sanan Pongaksorn told a press conference Sunday. Police said of the original 115 injured in the blast, some 106 people had been discharged. The condition of those remaining in hospital was not known. The governor also said police are seeking the owner of the unlicensed warehouse after it exploded on Saturday. “We have issued a summons to the owner of the factory with the charge of negligence, which caused the accident,” Colonel Suthawet Thareethai, police chief in Muno district, said. Authorities suspect that the blast in the town of Sungai Kolok was caused by welding during construction work. The blast detonated from roughly 1,000 kilograms of gunpowder, he said, causing two holes roughly two meters deep and six meters wide. The fire was brought under control late Saturday. The army would assist in the recovery and clean-up operation, southern army commander Lieutenant General Santi Sakhutanark said. Officials said a command center had been established not far from the incident, and authorities had already received 365 complaints from those who had been injured, or had their homes and property damaged. WITH AFP The post Fireworks warehouse blast kills 10 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Key events in the war in Ukraine
From the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February last year to the armed rebellion Saturday of the pro-Kremlin Wagner paramilitary group, here is a timeline of the main events. The biggest attack on a European country since World War II has killed or wounded over 150,000 people, according to Western estimates. February 2022: invasion Russian President Vladimir Putin announces a "special military operation" in Ukraine on 24 February, saying he wants to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" the country as well as protect the predominantly Russian-speaking east from "genocide". A full-scale invasion starts, with missile strikes on several Ukrainian cities that sparks a refugee crisis. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stays in the capital Kyiv to lead the resistance. The West imposes unprecedented sanctions on Russia and the European Union and United States send Ukraine weapons and aid. March: Russian advances Russian forces make gains in the south, seizing the city of Kherson, close to the Moscow-annexed Crimea peninsula. Russian forces also attempt to surround Kyiv and take Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv in the northeast but meet fierce resistance. A month into the fighting, Russia withdraws from the north to focus on the eastern industrial Donbas region, partly held by Moscow-backed separatists, along with the south. April: war crimes revealed In early April, AFP discovers the bodies of at least 20 civilians lying on a single street in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha -- the first of several grisly discoveries in towns that Russian forces had occupied which spark an international outcry and war crimes investigations. May: Mariupol falls On 21 May, Russia announces the fall of the southeastern port city of Mariupol, which had been relentlessly bombed, after the last Ukrainian troops holding out at a steelworks surrender. Sweden and Finland request membership of NATO, fearing they could be future targets of Russian aggression. June: Donbas battle rages In June, Russia takes the Donbas city of Severodonetsk after one of the bloodiest battles of the war, followed soon after by the neighbouring city of Lysychansk. July: gas supplies cut On 22 July, Kyiv and Moscow sign a deal to resume grain exports from Ukraine, in a bid to relieve a food crisis aggravated by Russia's blockade of the country's ports. Russian gas giant Gazprom slashes its supply to Europe through the Nord Stream pipeline, fuelling fears of gas shortages in Europe. August: battle for Bakhmut Kyiv launches a major offensive to retake Kherson as a bitter battle begins for the eastern town of Bakhmut, spearheaded on the Russian side by the Wagner mercenary group. Wagner claims to have wrested total control of Bakhmut in May. September: annexation Ukraine retakes hundreds of towns and villages in a lightning counter-offensive around Kharkiv. Putin launches a partial draft of 300,000 reservists, sparking an exodus of young Russian men of military age. On 30 September, he formally annexes the Ukrainian regions of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. October: power supply hit On 8 October, an explosion causes major damage to a bridge linking Crimea to the Russian mainland -- a symbol of Moscow's annexation of the peninsula. Putin blames Ukrainian secret services for the attack. Russian forces retaliate with a barrage of strikes on energy infrastructure in Kyiv and other cities, leaving millions without power in what becomes its new modus operandi throughout the winter. November: retreat from Kherson On 9 November, Moscow orders its troops to retreat from Kherson in the face of advancing Ukrainian forces, marking a stunning defeat in one of the regions it annexed. Jubilant residents hail Ukrainian forces as liberators. December: Zelensky goes to Washington On 22 December, Zelensky visits Washington on his first overseas trip since the war began. He meets President Joe Biden and addresses Congress. January 2023: tanks on the way Russia suffers its biggest single loss of life since the invasion in a Ukrainian attack on a temporary base in the eastern town of Makiivka on 1 January. Moscow says 89 soldiers were killed in the hit. On 25 January, Germany finally agrees to send Ukraine some of its powerful Leopard tanks. The United States follows, announcing that it will provide 31 Abrams tanks. On 19 May, Biden authorises the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv. In April, Ukraine also receives anti-missile Patriot defence systems from Washington. 6 June: dam destroyed A blast at the Kakhovka dam in Russian-annexed Crimea inundates vast areas of the Kherson region, forcing thousands to flee and sparking fears of an environmental disaster. Kyiv accuses Moscow of blowing up the dam on the Dnipro River, while Russia blames Ukraine. June: Ukraine counter-offensive A long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive begins, aided by the supply of Western arms, according to analysts. Russia brands it a failure but Kyiv says it has retaken several areas. 24 June: Wagner rebellion Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, leading a mutiny to bring down Moscow's top brass, says his fighters have captured the army HQ in Russia's Rostov-on-Don "without firing a single shot" and claims to have the support of locals. Putin warns that treason against his rule threatens Russia with civil war and accuses the Wagner boss of a "stab in the back". The post Key events in the war in Ukraine appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Soldier dead, 3 others hurt in Albay NPA mine blast
LEGAZPI CITY - A soldier died while three others were wounded on Wednesday when the New People's Army (NPA) detonated anti-personnel mines in Barangay Ramay in Oas, Albay.Capt. Frank Roldan, 9th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office (DPAO) chief, said the incident occurred around 9 a.m. af.....»»
Duterte vows justice for death of footballer Keith Absalon, cousin
President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed that justice will be served to the family of a university star footballer and his cousin who died in a landmine blast perpetrated by armed rebels, Malacañang said Thursday. Presidential spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque said the Chief Executive promised the family members of Keith Absalon, a 21-year-old football player of […] The post Duterte vows justice for death of footballer Keith Absalon, cousin appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cop, village dad hurt in IED blast
By TARA J. YAP ILOILO CITY – A policeman and a barangay councilor were wounded when New People’s Army (NPA) rebels detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) in Barangay Pugahan, Lambunao, Iloilo Friday. “The intention was intended for ambush,” said Police Col. Gilbert Gorero, chief of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), about the incident. […].....»»
NASA chief “all in” for Tom Cruise to film on space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is rolling out the International Space Station’s red carpet for Tom Cruise to make a movie in orbit. The space agency’s administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said before Wednesday’s planned launch of two NASA astronauts aboard a SpaceX rocket that Elon Musk’s company is already getting customers eager to blast off. […] The post NASA chief “all in” for Tom Cruise to film on space station appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Church visits are allowed only until 10 p.m. – Police chief
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Church visits on Maundy Thursday will only be allowed until 10 p.m. the chief of the Cebu City police announced on Thursday, March 28. Police Colonel Ireneo B. Dalogdog, City Director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) said that the public is not allowed inside religious places past 10:00 p.m......»»
Pentagon chief reaffirms support after latest China aggression in WPS
Austin emphasized US support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in a phone call with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Wednesday. .....»»
7 nanlaban drug suspects dead after Baste Duterte declares drug war
Less than a week after Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte declared a "war on drugs" in the city, at least seven drug suspects were killed during a buy-bust operation in the city — violence that highlights the seriousness of the mayor's recent threat of outright killing persons caught using illegal drugs......»»
CHR alarmed by war vs drugs in Davao City
THE Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is alarmed by Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s “war against drugs”, as seven drug users were killed from different barangays in the city over the weekend, just a few hours after his declaration......»»