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Teves, cohorts facing charges for Degamo slay; warrants out soon
Criminal charges have been filed against suspended Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. and four of his cohorts for the killing of Governor Roel Degamo and nine others in an ambush attack in March. This was confirmed by Department of Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano in a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday. Clavano said murder, frustrated murder, and attempted murder cases were filed before the Manila Regional Trial Court on 18 August while the warrant of arrest against Teves is expected to be out “in the next few days.” Teves was tagged as the mastermind of the crime against Degamo. “‘Yung Degamo case po ay na-i-file na rin po sa Manila. ‘Yun po ay nasa korte na rin at hinihintay na lang po natin ang (The Degamo case has already been filed in Manila. It’s in the court already and we are awaiting the issuance of a) warrant of arrest,” Clavano said, noting that similar criminal cases were already filed against eleven other suspects last July. In 2019, criminal charges were also filed before the Bayawan City RTC Branch against Teves and others due to the number of social injustices and killing incidents in Negros Oriental. Following the investigation of the brutal attack against Degamo and nine others in his residence in Pamplona town as well as other political killings in the province, the Anti-Terrorism Council recently designated Teves and 12 others as “terrorists.” Clavano said the DoJ is requesting the transfer of the trial venue in Manila. “Gusto natin na neutral ground ang magiging venue para sa kaso (We want the venue for the case to be in a neutral ground),” he said. The post Teves, cohorts facing charges for Degamo slay; warrants out soon appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump arrested in Georgia racketeering case
Former US president Donald Trump was arrested at a Georgia jail on Thursday on racketeering and conspiracy charges for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in the southern state. During a brief session lasting less than 30 minutes, the 77-year-old Trump was booked on 13 charges at Atlanta's Fulton County Jail, according to records published by the sheriff's office. Trump's height was listed by the jail as six foot three inches (1.9 meters), his weight as 215 pounds (97 kilograms) and his hair color as "Blond or Strawberry." Other defendants in the racketeering case who have surrendered to the Georgia authorities in recent days have had a mugshot taken. The billionaire has been criminally indicted four times since April, setting the stage for a year of unprecedented drama as he tries to juggle multiple court appearances and another White House campaign. In posts on his Truth Social platform shortly before leaving his New Jersey golf club for the flight to Atlanta, Trump said he was being arrested for "having the audacity to challenge a RIGGED & STOLLEN (sic) ELECTION." "This is yet another SAD DAY IN AMERICA!" he added. Trump was able to dodge having a mugshot taken during his previous arrests this year: in New York on charges of paying hush money to a porn star, in Florida for mishandling top secret government documents, and in Washington on charges of conspiring to upend his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. But Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat said standard procedure in Georgia is to take a defendant's photograph before they are released on bond -- set at $200,000 in Trump's case. The arrest comes one day after Trump spurned a televised debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring eight of his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination -- all of whom lag well behind him in the polls. He still stole the spotlight, though, with all but two of the candidates saying they would support him as the party's nominee even if he were a convicted felon. During a pre-recorded interview with former Fox News talk show host Tucker Carlson -- which aired on social media at the same time as the debate -- Trump dismissed the criminal cases filed against him as "nonsense." Trump said the Justice Department had been "weaponized" under Biden to hamstring his White House bid. Court dates in election race A tight security perimeter was set up for Trump's booking at the Fulton County Jail, which is under investigation for a slew of inmate deaths and deplorable conditions. Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who filed the sweeping racketeering case, had set a deadline of noon (1600 GMT) on Friday for Trump and the other 18 defendants to surrender. Trump and 11 others have turned themselves in so far. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows surrendered on Thursday and was released on $100,000 bond. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as Trump's personal lawyer when he was in the White House and vigorously pushed the false claims that Trump had won the 2020 election, was booked and released on Wednesday. John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who is accused of drawing up a scheme to submit a false slate of Trump electors to Congress from Georgia instead of the legitimate Biden ones, has also been booked and released. A few dozen supporters of the former Republican president gathered outside the jail, including Sharon Anderson who spent the night in her car. "I think this is a political persecution and now that's turned into a political prosecution," Anderson told AFP. Trump is the first US president in history to face criminal charges. His various trials, if they take place next year, may coincide with the Republican presidential primary season, which begins in January, and the campaign for the November 2024 White House election. Special counsel Jack Smith has proposed a January 2024 start date for Trump's trial on charges of conspiring to overturn the last election with a lie-fueled campaign that culminated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters. Trump's attorneys have countered with a suggested start date well after the election -- April 2026. Willis, the Georgia district attorney, initially proposed that the racketeering case begin in March next year, the same month Trump is scheduled to go on trial in New York on charges of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels. On Thursday, after one of the defendants asked for a speedy trial, she proposed that it begin for all 19 in October of this year, a move met with an immediate objection from Trump's lawyers. The Florida case, in which Trump is accused of taking secret government documents as he left the White House and refusing to return them, is scheduled to begin in May. The post Trump arrested in Georgia racketeering case appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Paris court gives Canada-based professor life for 1980 synagogue bomb
A Paris court on Friday sentenced a Lebanese-Canadian sociology professor to life in prison in absentia for the 1980 bombing of a synagogue in the French capital that left four people dead. The court followed the prosecutor's request for the maximum possible punishment against Hassan Diab, now 69 and a resident of Canada, a decision that was met with silence in court. Some victims and their families could be seen embracing at the end of three weeks of proceedings during which the suspect's box remained empty throughout. Prosecutors had said in their closing arguments Thursday that there was "no possible doubt" that Diab, the only suspect, was behind the attack. Diab, speaking to reporters in Ottawa, called the verdict "Kafkaesque" and "not fair." "We'd hoped reason would prevail," he said, adding that he expects Canada not to send him back to France to serve the sentence. In the early evening of October 3, 1980, explosives placed on a motorcycle detonated close to a synagogue on the Rue Copernic in Paris's chic 16th district, killing a student passing by on a motorbike, a driver, an Israeli journalist, and a caretaker. Forty-six others were injured in the blast. The bombing was the first deadly attack against a Jewish target on French soil since World War II. No organization claimed responsibility but police suspected a splinter group of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. French intelligence agents in 1999 accused Diab of having made the 10-kilogram (22-pound) bomb. They pointed to Diab's likeness with police sketches drawn at the time and handwriting analyses that they said confirmed him as the person who bought the motorbike used in the attack. They also produced a key item of evidence against him -- a passport in his name, seized in Rome in 1981, with entry and exit stamps from Spain, where the attack plan was believed to have originated. In 2014, Canada extradited Diab at the request of the French authorities. However, investigating judges were unable to prove his guilt conclusively during the investigation and Diab was released, leaving France for Canada as a free man in 2018. Three years later, a French court overturned this earlier decision and ordered Diab should stand trial on charges of murder, attempted murder, and destruction of property in connection with a terrorist enterprise. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference after the verdict was announced that "we will look carefully at next steps, at what the French government chooses to do, at what French tribunals choose to do". "But we will always be there to stand up for Canadians and their rights," he said. Denials Most of the evidence presented against Diab was based on intelligence sources, and his lawyers had again argued the case should be thrown out. "I'm in front of you to avoid a miscarriage of justice," celebrity defense lawyer William Bourdon told the court Thursday, saying that an acquittal was "the only judicial decision possible". Diab has claimed he was sitting exams in Lebanon at the time of the attack, backed up by statements from his ex-partner and former students. His conviction means he will now again become the subject of an arrest warrant, which risks stoking diplomatic tensions between France and Canada after his first extradition took six years. David Pere, a lawyer for some of the people present in the synagogue at the time of the bombing, said his clients were "not motivated by vengeance nor looking for a guilty person's head to stick on a pike... they want justice to be done". Diab has won some backing from NGOs, including Amnesty International, who said his assertion that he was in Lebanon at the time of the attack was credible The post Paris court gives Canada-based professor life for 1980 synagogue bomb appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Degamo slay ‘main player’ nabbed; case ‘99% solved’
The murder case of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo is “99 percent solved,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said yesterday as he announced the arrest of a “main player” in the deadly attack......»»
Davao police clueless on Quiboloy’s whereabouts
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 March) — Police authorities in the Davao region claim they are still clueless on the whereabouts of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy. The Senate had earlier ordered the arrest of Quiboloy for his continued refusal to attend its investigation of alleged human trafficking and child abuse. Police major Catheine Dela Rey, Police […].....»»
7 dead after Davao City Mayor Duterte declares war vs. drugs
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 26 March) – Two more drug suspects died in separate buy-bust operations in Toril District here before dawn Tuesday, after they allegedly resisted arrest, a police official said. This brought the number of fatalities to seven since Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte declared a “war” on illegal drugs last March […].....»»
PRO-7 warns against use of marijuana-flavored vapes
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) has issued a stern warning against the use and proliferation of marijuana-flavored vape products. Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, the PRO-7 spokesperson, said that they will arrest individuals who sell vapes mixed with marijuana oil. The sale and use of marijuana remains.....»»
PRO-Davao awaiting order from Senate’s sgt-at-arms to arrest Pastor Quiboloy
THE Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-Davao) has confirmed that they have not deployed law enforcers to arrest Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, a long-time religious fugitive in the country as they are awaiting a direct signal from the Office of Sergeant-at-Arms (Osaa) in the Senate......»»
TIMELINE: The arrest and detention of director Jade Castro, companions
In this timeline, Rappler lists down all the events and developments in the Jade Castro case.....»»
Cebu City drug bust: 5 persons nabbed, P102,000 ‘shabu’ seized
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A Cebu City drug bust led to the arrest of a man, who was once arrested for a drug case and released on bail, and his nephew and 3 others after a buy bust in Barangay Basak-San Nicolas, Cebu City on Thursday evening, February 15, 2024. The operation, which was initiated.....»»
Muslim leaders condemn MSU bomb attack
Muslim leaders and peace activists condemned the bombing during a Catholic mass at the Mindanao State University gymnasium in Marawi City last Sunday and demanded that the police and the military identify and arrest the perpetrators......»»
Haiti leader’s killer gets life sentence
A United States court on Friday sentenced to life in prison a retired Colombian military officer suspected as the leader of a mercernary group that assassinated Haiti’s president in 2021. The US says it has jurisdiction in the case because it alleges the plot to kill president Jovenel Moise was hatched in part in the country. German Rivera, considered one of the leaders of the mercenary squad that shot and killed Moise in his residence outside Port au Prince, appeared before Judge Jose Martinez to hear the sentence. Rivera, a retired captain, pleaded guilty last month to taking part in the plan. On Friday, dressed in brown prison garb, with his feet and wrists bound, Rivera passed on an opportunity to address the Miami court before the sentence was read out. He was the second person convicted in the US over the assassination, which plunged Haiti -- already plagued by poverty, gang violence, natural disasters, epidemics and a weak government — further into crisis. In June, another member of the conspiracy, Haitian-Chilean Rodolphe Jaar, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison for his role in supplying weapons to carry out the assassination. The 53-year-old Jovenel was gunned down on 7 July 2021 at his private residence by a hired group of about 20 military-trained Colombians. His security detail did not intervene to protect him. In February, US Attorney Markenzy Lapointe told a new conference that underlying the attack on Jovenel was a lust for money and power. Lapointe said two managers of a Miami security firm, CTU, devised a plan to kidnap Moise and replace him with Christian Sanon, a Haitian-American citizen who wanted to become president of the Caribbean country. In exchange for toppling Moise, they were promised lucrative contracts to build infrastructure and provide security forces and military equipment in a future government led by Sanon, also indicted in the US, prosecutors said. The plot at first was aimed at kidnapping Moise, but then evolved to assassination, according to court filings. In Haiti a probe into the assassination has not led to anyone being put on trial. WITH AFP The post Haiti leader’s killer gets life sentence appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Comatosed teen dies
Iranian teenager Armita Garawand died on Saturday a month after falling into a coma following a disputed incident on Tehran’s metro, media in the Islamic republic said. “Armita Garawand, a student in Tehran, died an hour ago after intensive medical treatment and 28 days of hospitalization in intensive care,” reported the Borna news agency affiliated with the youth ministry. The 16-year-old ethnic Kurd was hospitalized in Tehran after she fell unconscious on the metro. Her case was first reported on 3 October by Kurdish-focused rights group Hengaw, which said she had been critically wounded during an incident on the underground train network. Authorities say she suffered a sudden drop in blood pressure and denied that any “physical or verbal altercations” had taken place between her and other passengers. But rights groups have said the teen was critically wounded during an alleged assault by members of Iran’s morality police. It came just over a year after the death of Mahsa Amini, also a young Iranian Kurd, following her arrest by the morality police for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women in an incident that sparked mass protests across the Islamic republic. On Saturday, Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted doctors as saying that Garawand had “suffered a fall resulting in brain damage followed by continued convulsions, a decline in brain oxygen and a cerebral edema after a sudden drop in blood pressure.” WITH AFP The post Comatosed teen dies appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Colombian gets life sentence in US over killing of Haiti’s president
A US court sentenced a retired Colombian military officer to life in prison for his role in the assassination of Haiti's president in 2021. The United States says it has jurisdiction in the case because it alleges the plot to kill President Jovenel Moise was hatched in part in the US. German Rivera, considered one of the leaders of the mercenary squad that shot and killed Moise in his residence outside Port au Prince, appeared before Judge Jose Martinez to hear the sentence. Rivera, a retired captain, pleaded guilty last month to taking part in the plan. On Friday, dressed in brown prison garb, with his feet and wrists bound, Rivera passed on an opportunity to address the court before the sentence was read out. He was the second person convicted in the United States over the assassination, which plunged Haiti -- already plagued by poverty, gang violence, natural disasters, epidemics, and a weak government -- further into crisis. In June, another member of the conspiracy, Haitian-Chilean Rodolphe Jaar, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison for his role in supplying weapons to carry out the assassination. The 53-year-old Jovenel was gunned down on 7 July 2021 at his private residence by a hired group of about 20 military-trained Colombians. His security detail did not intervene to protect him. In February, US Attorney Markenzy Lapointe told a new conference that underlying the attack on Jovenel was a lust for money and power. Lapointe said two managers of a Miami security firm, CTU, devised a plan to kidnap Moise and replace him with Christian Sanon, a Haitian-American citizen who wanted to become president of the Caribbean country. In exchange for toppling Moise, they were promised lucrative contracts to build infrastructure and provide security forces and military equipment in a future government led by Sanon, also indicted in the United States, prosecutors said. The plot at first was aimed at kidnapping Moise, but then evolved to assassination, according to court filings. In Haiti a probe into the assassination has not led to anyone being put on trial. Haiti has spiraled into deeper chaos since Moise's death. No election has been held and he has not been succeeded. Gangs control around 80 percent of the Haitian capital, and violent crimes such as kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery and carjackings continue to escalate in the impoverished Caribbean nation. The post Colombian gets life sentence in US over killing of Haiti’s president appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US police launch huge manhunt for shooter who killed at least 22
A massive manhunt was under way Thursday for a gunman who a local official said killed at least 22 people and wounded "many" more in mass shootings in the US state of Maine, the deadliest such incident this year. Police said Robert Card -- seen in surveillance footage pointing a semi-automatic weapon with an extended clip as he walked into a bowling alley in the town of Lewiston -- "should be considered armed and dangerous." Card is a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserve, CNN reported, citing law enforcement sources. Lewiston city councilor Robert McCarthy told CNN that law enforcement had "confirmed 22 dead, many, many more injured", with local media reporting shootings had occurred at multiple locations. Swathes of Lewiston were locked down, with businesses urged to shutter and people ordered to shelter in place, as the scourge of horrifying gun violence once again ripped through an American community. Maine public safety official Mike Sauschuck said he was not prepared to give a death toll, calling it "a very fluid situation." He told reporters police were flooding the streets as they sought the gunman. "We have literally hundreds of police officers working around the state of Maine to investigate this case, to locate Mr. Card," he told reporters. Rescue vehicles rushed in from around central Maine to tend to the wounded, city councilor McCarthy said, and the two Lewiston hospitals "have called in every off-duty staff member that they could to deal with this." President Joe Biden made calls -- stepping away from a state dinner honoring Australia's prime minister -- to Maine's governor, its two senators and a local congressman to offer federal support, the White House said. Early on Thursday, armed police were seen guarding the Central Maine Medical Center, where some of the wounded were being treated. Several Maine school boards and educational institutions, including Bates College, said they would not be holding classes on Thursday, according to statements. Multiple locations Police and rescuers reportedly arrived at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley at about 7:15 pm local time (00:15 Thursday GMT) in response to an active shooter, and then received reports of another shooting at the Schemengees Bar & Grille, according to the Sun Journal local newspaper. Police issued a number of photographs of 40-year-old Card at the bowling alley, where he appears calm and composed as he moves through the doorway with his rifle raised. "Please contact law enforcement if you are aware of his whereabouts," they said. Sauschuck said officers had located a "vehicle of interest" they had been looking for -- a white sport utility vehicle (SUV) -- in Lisbon, a town around eight miles (12 kilometers) from Lewiston, where residents had also been warned to stay off the streets. Card was not in the vehicle, reports said. Law enforcement "are investigating two active shooter events," the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Department said on social media. "We are encouraging all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate. The suspect is still at large." Maine Governor Janet Mills said she was "aware of and have been briefed on the active shooter situation in Lewiston." CNN reported that at least 50 people were wounded in the incidents, citing multiple law enforcement sources, but said it was unclear how many of the injuries were the result of gunfire. It was unclear if initial reports of shots being fired at a third site, a Walmart distribution center, were accurate. My hometown Maine Congressman Jared Golden wrote on social media that "like all Mainers, I'm horrified by the events in Lewison tonight. This is my hometown." "Right now, all of us are looking to local law enforcement as they gain control of the situation and gather information. Our hearts break for those who are affected," he said. Distraught citizens flocked to local hospitals. "I'm just overwhelmed. I've been here trying to spread, you know, some kind of comfort, some kind of support," Cynthia Hunter, a local resident, told CBS affiliate WGME. The shooting is one of the deadliest since 2017, when a gunman opened fire on a crowded music festival in Las Vegas, killing about 60 people. Gun violence is alarmingly common in the United States, a country where there are more guns than people and where attempts to clamp down on their spread are always met with stiff resistance. The United States has recorded over 500 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a non-governmental organization that defines a mass shooting as four or more people wounded or killed. Wednesday's attack was the deadliest mass shooting in 2023 so far, according to the GVA's data. Efforts to tighten gun controls have for years run up against opposition from Republicans, staunch defenders of the constitutional right to bear arms. The political paralysis endures despite widespread outrage over recurring shootings. Lewiston is the second most populous city in Maine located some 30 miles north of the largest city, Portland. The post US police launch huge manhunt for shooter who killed at least 22 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Palestinian arrested in Belgium over talk of suicide attack
According to the Belga press agency, the young man was arrested around midday Wednesday in a Brussels hotel following a large-scale search operation. In early afternoon, the Brussels public prosecutor's office announced the arrest of an individual in the Belgian capital, without confirming that it was the individual who had been sought. The terrorist threat level in Belgium was raised last week from two to three, the second-highest level and considered "serious". This followed an attack in the Belgian capital in which two Swedish nationals were shot dead, and another injured, by a radicalised Tunisian. The attacker was shot dead by Belgian police on October 17, the day after the attack. Adding to the fears is the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas which was prompted by the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli territory on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians. More than 220 others were kidnapped amid the attack, according to Israeli officials. Israel declared a war to "annihilate" Hamas, and has been relentlessly pounding the Gaza Strip. More than 6,500 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry in Gaza. Against this backdrop, the threats made on Tuesday by the young Palestinian exile were taken very seriously. "We can't allow the slightest lapse in our precautions," said the informed source. The post Palestinian arrested in Belgium over talk of suicide attack appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Criminal case filed vs Pura Luka Vega
A criminal charge has been filed against Pura Luka Vega by the Kapisanan ng Social Media Broadcasters ng Pilipinas Inc. for their controversial “Ama Namin” performance posted on social media in July. Leo Alarte of the KSMBPI submitted their organization’s complaints to the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office on Monday. The case filed by the group was in connection with violation of Article 133 of the Philippine Constitution, which talks about “offending religious feelings,” as well as Section 6 of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The group said the complaints were in relation to Pura’s controversial “Ama Namin” performance, which the group described as “pambabastos sa Panginoon.” The KSMBPI said they were hurt by Pura Luka Vega’s Ama Namin performance, especially since the Philippines is among the Christian countries of the world. To recall, Pura was arrested and was held under the custody of the Manila Police District Station 3 in Quiapo, Manila, after the devotees of the Black Nazarene, Hijos del Nazareno, filed a complaint. Pura was released after posting bail after three days of being incarcerated. He expressed surprise to be served the arrest warrant as they did not receive the subpoena summoning them to court. They said the document was delivered to another address. Pura also reiterated that their “Ama Namin” performance was not meant to be disrespectful to people of faith. The post Criminal case filed vs Pura Luka Vega appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Attack on Phl would elicit U.S. response — State Dep’t
The United States warned on Monday that any armed attack on Philippine armed forces and Philippine Coast Guard civilian vessels could trigger its 72-year-old Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines. “The United States reaffirms that Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, and aircraft — including those of its Coast Guard — anywhere in the South China Sea,” the US Department of State said in a statement. The statement came a day after a China Coast Guard ship collided with a Philippine resupply vessel that was conducting a routine resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal. During the same resupply mission, a Chinese maritime militia vessel also bumped the BRP Cabra, one of the PCG ships that were escorting the boat contracted by the AFP. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said the collisions, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered investigated by the PCG, were “intentional.” For its part, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said further study is needed to invoke the MDT due to the incident. “The matter of filing another case is something that is still being studied by the government. But, of course, all incidents like these will actually bolster the case that it is not the Philippines that is the aggressor but the other party, which is China,” DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said. “It’s a provocation on the side of China but at this point, whether it will constitute an armed attack that would allow the invoking of the MDT is something that needs to be studied,” she added. The Philippines and the US agreed under the MDT, signed in 1951, that an armed attack on either of the parties would be considered an attack on the other, necessitating common or joint actions. Ambassador summoned The Philippines on Monday summoned China’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian, to explain the “blocking maneuvers” conducted by its vessels. China has insisted on its territorial rights over the Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, which is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Swarms of CCG ships and Chinese maritime militia vessels had been monitored in the WPS, which Philippine officials said was a blatant disrespect of the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea. In July 2016, the Philippines won the arbitral case it lodged against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The US said it stands with the Philippines in the face of China’s “dangerous and unlawful actions obstructing” a 22 October resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. “By conducting dangerous maneuvers that caused collisions with Philippine resupply and Coast Guard ships, the PRC Coast Guard and maritime militia violated international law by intentionally interfering with the Philippine vessels’ exercise of high seas freedom of navigation,” the US State Department said. “The PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) conduct jeopardized the Filipino crew members’ safety and impeded critically needed supplies from reaching service members stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre. Obstructing supply lines to this longstanding outpost and interfering with lawful Philippine maritime operations undermines regional stability,” it added. Citing the 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea, the US noted that China’s territorial claims to Ayungin Shoal, a low-tide elevation outside the territorial sea of another high tide feature, were unfounded. Unsafe moves “The unsafe maneuvers on 22 October and the PRC water cannoning of a Philippine vessel on 5 August are the latest examples of provocative PRC measures in the South China Sea to enforce its expansive and unlawful maritime claims, reflecting disregard for other states lawfully operating in the region,” the State Department stressed. Aside from the US, Japan, France, Canada, Australia and Germany also condemned China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea. In a separate statement, Canada condemned what it described as “unlawful and dangerous conduct” of the People’s Republic of China in the WPS, which “provoked two collisions with Philippine vessels engaged in routine operations inside the Philippine exclusive economic zone, in the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal.” “The PRC’s actions are unjustified. China has no lawful claim to the West Philippine Sea. Its actions are incompatible with the obligations of a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” the Canadian Embassy in Manila said. “Continuing acts of intimidation and coercion undermine safety, stability, and security across the region, and increase the risk of miscalculation,” it added. France, Japan, Germany, too France expressed its “deep concern” over the dangerous maneuvers of the CCG against Philippine vessels “engaged in the Philippine exclusive economic zone.” “France calls for respect of the freedom of navigation guaranteed by international law and recalls its attachment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the decision rendered by the Arbitral Court on 12 July 2016,” the Embassy of France to the Philippines said. Japan, likewise, stressed that it was “seriously concerned” and “alarmed” about the collision of Chinese vessels with Philippine vessels. “Seriously concerned about and alarmed by the collision between Chinese and Philippines vessels,” Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko said in a tweet. Koshikawa said Japan “strongly opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.” “Germany is very concerned about recent confrontations in the SCS involving Chinese coast guard ships and maritime militia vessels in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines,” German Ambassador to the Philippines Andreas Pfaffernoschke said in a separate tweet. The post Attack on Phl would elicit U.S. response — State Dep’t appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
2 Koreans wanted for telecom, wire fraud arrested
Two fugitives were captured by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) after being sought by South Korea and the US for their involvement in fraud-related operations. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco confirmed the arrests of the two South Korean fugitives, who were identified as Kwon Junyoung, 38, and Seok Jongmin, 48. The two were arrested last Saturday in Brgy. Cuayan, Angeles City, Pampanga, by the BI Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) operatives. Tansingco said that the operation was conducted in collaboration with the South Korean authorities, government intelligence groups, and the Angeles City Police Station. According to the South Korean authorities, Kwon is wanted for telecommunications fraud in South Korea, while Seok is wanted in Texas for engaging in wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. The BI chief said that as the BI board of commissioners has already issued summary deportation orders against them, soon they will be deported to face the crime they committed. Tansingco added that their names were also placed on the bureau’s blacklist of undesirable aliens, so they are now banned from re-entering the Philippines, the BI chief added. According to information obtained from Interpol's National Central Bureau (NCB) in Manila, the Suwon District Court in Korea issued an arrest order for Kwon on 12 December 2019. Authorities claimed that Kwon was part of a telecom fraud syndicate operating in Dalian, China, that used voice phishing to call random victims. Based on reports, the callers impersonated investigators from the Seoul Central Prosecutor's Office in order to harass the victims and trick them into transferring money to the syndicate's accounts. In contrast, the NCB revealed that Seok is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the US district court in Western Texas. He is accused of conspiring to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, conspiring to commit money laundering, and three counts of aggravated identity theft. Seok is accused of working with other suspects to gain access to the websites of the US Departments of Defence and Veterans Affairs using thousands of US military veterans' stolen personal identification information (PII), depriving the victims of their benefits. The BI-FSU also reported that Seok was arrested after posting bail at the Angeles City regional trial court, where he was charged with robbery and extortion, and will be transferred to the BI’s facility in Bicutan, Taguig. While Kwon will remain in the custody of the Angeles City police due to his ongoing local case, he will continue to be under the BI’s legal custody for deportation proceedings. The post 2 Koreans wanted for telecom, wire fraud arrested appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
3 wanted persons arrested in Pasay
Members of the Pasay City police warrant and subpoena section on Friday arrested three wanted persons, one of them a woman, for pending cases. Pasay City police chief Col. Froilan Uy identified the suspects as certain George, Melanie and Frederick. George, tagged as the number one wanted person under station level and district level for a murder case, was arrested in Don Carlos, Barangay 190, Pasay City. Uy said the suspect was arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Marjury Almojera Madrid-Songgadan of Pasay Regional Trial Court Branch 117 on 26 September without bail. Police arrested Melanie arrested at around 8 p.m. on F. B. Harrison Street in Barangay 70, Pasay City for light threats. Judge Jose Cordero Jr. of Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 11 recommended a bail of P3,000 for her temporary liberty. Uy said suspect Frederick who is facing a robbery case was nabbed at around 8:50 p.m. in Don Carlos Village, Barangay 190, Pasay City. The suspect was arrested by virtue of warrant issued by Judge Edilwasif T. Baddiri of Pasay City RTC Branch 115 on 14 July 2023. The post 3 wanted persons arrested in Pasay appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»