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U.S. mass shooter still at large
An urgent police dragnet entered its second day late Thursday for a man accused of gunning down 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Maine, United States. Dozens of law enforcement agents surrounded the family home of 40-year-old suspect Robert Card, but by mid-evening agents left the property in Bowdoin, near Lewiston, to hunt for him elsewhere. A wide area around Lewiston remained locked down more than 24 hours after Card allegedly went on a rampage, culminating in the deadliest mass shooting this year in America. Thirteen people were also wounded. Authorities erected roadblocks, ordered schools and businesses closed, and told residents to stay indoors. Governor Janet Mills said the suspect was “considered armed and dangerous, and police advised that Maine people should not approach him under any circumstances.” Card was seen in surveillance footage pointing a semi-automatic rifle as he walked into the Just-in-Time bowling alley on Wednesday. News outlets broadcast footage of people fleeing in terror from the bowling alley after the shooting started Wednesday evening. Card is a member of the US Army Reserve. US media reported that he had recently been sent for psychiatric treatment after he said he was hearing voices. Hundreds of police in military-style camouflage gear and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents flooded the search zone in what Lewiston police chief David St. Pierre called “an all-hands-on-deck approach.” Biden called Maine’s governor to offer federal support, and ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff at the White House and all government buildings. The post U.S. mass shooter still at large appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Manhunt for US shooter presses on, leaving small town in fear
Thousands of anxious small-town Maine residents began a second day under lockdown Friday as police waging a sprawling manhunt struggled to find a US Army reservist accused of killing 18 people in America’s deadliest mass shooting this year. Dozens of law enforcement agents surrounded the family home of the suspect, Robert Card, 40, but by mid-evening agents left the property in Bowdoin, near Lewiston, Maine, to hunt for him elsewhere. A wide area around Lewiston remained locked down Friday, more than 24 hours after Card allegedly went on a rampage in which 13 people were also wounded. People in Lewiston were on edge, buzzing with talk of Card and the massacre. "Uneasy," said resident Jeremy Hiltz, when asked how he felt. "It's a small community . When something like this happens, everybody knows somebody" affected." Authorities erected roadblocks, ordered schools and businesses closed, and told residents to stay indoors. Governor Janet Mills said the suspect was considered armed and dangerous. Card was seen in surveillance footage pointing a semi-automatic rifle as he walked into the Just-in-Time bowling alley on Wednesday. In early evening, law enforcement agents surrounded the Card family home in Bowdoin, bringing in armored vehicles, and sending up drones and a helicopter. State police warned "please come outside" and "we don't want anyone to get hurt" over a loudspeaker near the home, but later said the warnings were routine and not confirmation that Card was inside. One longtime neighbor, Dave Letarte, said news of the shooting "floored me." "I would have never expected that from him," he told AFP of Card. Joseph Walker, a manager at the Schemengees Bar & Grille, was among those killed Wednesday night, his father, Leroy Walker, told NBC News. Walker said his family was "suffering and dying in a nightmare we don't understand." "We were up all night. We didn't know where to go, who to turn to," he said. Terror at bowling alley One survivor told television reporters that he was 15 feet (5 meters) from the gunman when he opened fire at the bowling alley. He thought at first it was a balloon popping. "And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon and he was holding a weapon, I just booked it down the lane and I slid basically into where the pins are and climbed up into the machine and was on top of the machines for about 10 minutes until the cops got there," he said. Card is a member of the US Army Reserve, but had not been deployed in any combat zone. US media reported that he had recently been sent for psychiatric treatment after he said he was hearing voices. Hundreds of police in military style camouflage gear, as well as FBI agents, flooded the search zone in what Lewiston police chief David St. Pierre called "an all-hands-on-deck approach." Republicans oppose new laws This latest shooting is one of the deadliest in the United States since 2017, when a gunman opened fire on a crowded music festival in Las Vegas, killing 60 people. Mass shootings are common in the United States, a country with more privately owned guns than people, and strong political opposition to even minor restrictions on access. The country has recorded at least 565 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nongovernmental organization that defines a mass shooting as four or more people wounded or killed. President Joe Biden called Maine's governor to offer federal support, and ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff at the White House and all government buildings. Biden added that the gun violence that plagues the United States "is not normal, and we cannot accept it," urging lawmakers to pass a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. A Maine Democrat who holds a seat in the US House of Representatives, Jared Golden, flipped on this ban, saying that after the shooting in his state his previous opposition to such a restriction, which is supported by most in his party, was a mistake. "I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war, like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime," Golden said Thursday. "The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure," he added. But in a reminder that Congress will not be considering stronger gun ownership laws anytime soon, the newly installed Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, told Fox News that the reason for so many mass shootings in the United States "is the human heart, not guns." The post Manhunt for US shooter presses on, leaving small town in fear appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hunt for ‘armed and dangerous’ US gunman who killed 18
Hundreds of police in the US state of Maine hunted Thursday for a fugitive gunman who killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar, as President Joe Biden mourned "yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting." The rampage in the small northeastern city of Lewiston also left 13 people wounded, three critically, in the deadliest shooting this year in America. A wide area around Lewiston was locked down during the tense search as authorities erected roadblocks, ordered schools and businesses closed, and told residents to stay indoors. Governor Janet Mills said the suspect was "considered armed and dangerous, and police advised that Maine people should not approach him under any circumstances." "This attack strikes at the very heart of who we are and the values we hold dear," Mills told a press conference. "This is a dark day for Maine." Police named the suspect as 40-year-old Robert Card -- seen in surveillance footage pointing a semi-automatic rifle as he walked into the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley. Police converged on the home of Card's father in nearby Bowdoin early Thursday evening, closing off roads. One longtime neighbor, Dave Letarte, said news of the shooting "floored me." "I would have never expected that from him," he told AFP of the younger Card. Joseph Walker, a manager at the Schemengees Bar & Grille, was among those killed the night before, his father Leroy Walker told NBC News. Walker said his family was "suffering and dying in a nightmare we don't understand. "We were up all night. We didn't know where to go, who to turn to," he said. Terror at bowling alley News outlets broadcast footage of people fleeing in terror from the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley after the shooting started Wednesday evening. One survivor told television reporters that he was 15 feet (5 meters) from the gunman when he opened fire. He thought at first it was a balloon popping. "And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon and he was holding a weapon, I just booked it down the lane and I slid basically into where the pins are and climbed up into the machine and was on top of the machines for about 10 minutes until the cops got there," he said. Card is a member of the US Army Reserve. US media reported that he had recently been sent for psychiatric treatment after he said he was hearing voices. Hundreds of police in military-style camouflage gear and FBI agents flooded the search zone in what Lewiston police chief David St. Pierre called "an all-hands-on-deck approach." "We continue to work tirelessly in bringing the situation to an end," he told reporters, vowing "to locate and hold the person accountable." Biden called Maine's governor to offer federal support and ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff at the White House and all government buildings. "Once again, our nation is in mourning after yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting," he said. Biden added that the gun violence that plagues the United States "is not normal, and we cannot accept it," urging lawmakers to pass a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Daily mass shootings Police and rescuers reportedly arrived at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley at about 7:15 p.m. in response to an active shooter, and then received reports of another shooting at the Schemengees Bar & Grille. In surveillance images of Card at the bowling alley, he appeared calm and composed as he moved through the doorway with his rifle raised. Officers located a "vehicle of interest" -- a white sport utility vehicle -- in Lisbon, a town around eight miles (12 kilometers) from Lewiston. The shooting is one of the deadliest in the US since 2017, when a gunman opened fire on a crowded music festival in Las Vegas, killing 60 people. Mass shootings are alarmingly common in the United States, a country with more guns than people, and attempts to clamp down on their spread are always met with stiff resistance. The country has recorded at least 565 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nongovernmental organization that defines a mass shooting as four or more people wounded or killed. Efforts to tighten gun controls routinely 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. The post Hunt for ‘armed and dangerous’ US gunman who killed 18 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trial of disgraced crypto star Bankman-Fried begins
The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of one of cryptocurrency's biggest exchanges, began Tuesday with a jury set to determine if he committed massive fraud by stealing billions of dollars from clients. The 31-year-old -- once one of the most respected figures in crypto -- now faces decades in prison and could see his name stand alongside Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes as the era's most prominent fraudsters. The first day of the trial was devoted to jury selection for a case that is set to last about six weeks. Bankman-Fried faces seven counts including wire fraud, securities and commodities fraud, and money laundering. He risks more than 100 years behind bars if he is found guilty on all charges. Bankman-Fried entered the courtroom alone -- without being escorted by security guards -- uncuffed, and took his place alongside his lawyers, an AFP journalist observed. Dressed in a dark suit and striped tie, his usually long curly hair was cut short, reportedly by a fellow inmate at the Brooklyn jail where he is being detained. "You have the right to testify in your defense in this case. The decision is up to you," US District Judge Lewis Kaplan told Bankman Fried. In just a few years, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate turned his FTX platform into the world's second-biggest crypto exchange, making him a tech world billionaire wunderkind. FTX became a global name through a marketing campaign that included celebrity partnerships with stars such as supermodel Gisele Bundchen and basketball legend Stephen Curry, and buying the naming rights for the home arena of the Miami Heat basketball club. Bankman-Fried also stepped in as a kind of savior of the industry when other crypto companies faced difficulties, with FTX swooping in to offer a financial lifeline. At the height of his career, Bankman-Fried was thought to be worth $26 billion as he attracted droves of small investors to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. But his steep rise was matched by his ignominious downfall, which saw him escorted last year by police from his luxury apartment in the Bahamas and extradited to face charges in the United States. 'Gambling at own casino' His empire began to crumble last November when a news report pointed to unhealthy ties between the FTX platform and Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried's personally owned-trading company. The revelations kept growing and major investors pulled their money out of FTX, sinking it swiftly into bankruptcy. Once the dust had settled, some $8.7 billion in client funds was still unaccounted for and Bankman-Fried was accused of using FTX deposits to buy luxury real estate or donate more than $100 million to US politicians through Alameda. "He was gambling in his own casino and it created conflicts of interest," Michael Lewis, an author who followed Bankman-Fried closely during the period, told CBS. Everything "unravels because the depositors at FTX want their money back and it's not all there," the author of "Liar's Poker" and other titles added. The climax of the trial is expected to be when his former friends and colleagues take the stand, including Carlonie Ellison, his one-time romantic partner and Alameda executive, and Gary Wang, his closest associate. Ellison and Wang have also been indicted in the case and agreed to cooperate with US authorities, which may prove Bankman-Fried's undoing. After his spectacular arrest in the Bahamas, Bankman-Fried was initially held under house arrest but was ordered behind bars in August over alleged attempts at witness intimidation. According to prosecutors, while holed up at his parents' home in California, Bankman-Fried spoke regularly to journalists and passed documents to The New York Times in an effort to influence the testimony of Ellison. The post Trial of disgraced crypto star Bankman-Fried begins appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DENR suspends Socorro Bayanihan’s protected area agreement
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Friday said it ordered the suspension of the Protected Area Community-Based Resource Management Agreement of the controversial organization Socorro Bayanihan Services Incorporated. DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga issued a Letter of Suspension to SBSI pending further investigation into its alleged gross violations of the terms and conditions of the PACBRMA. Based on DENR records, the SBSI originated from the “Tinabangay” group of Socorro, Surigao del Norte who were organized as early as 1974 by the late Don Albino Taruc. The group was incorporated and registered as a People’s Organization with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 20 December 1980. SBSI applied and was subsequently awarded a PACBRMA by virtue of the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992, implemented by DENR Administrative Order 2004-32, issued on 31 August 2004. The agreement, signed on 15 June 2004, covers 353 hectares of land located in the northeast part of Barangay Sering, overlooking the northeast portion of Bucas Grande Island. A PACBRMA is a legal instrument between the DENR and tenured migrant groups to develop and conserve a portion of a Protected Area for a 25-year period. Under the provisions of the PACBRMA, SBSI was granted certain rights and privileges over the awarded area within its established Multiple-Use Zone. Together with the DENR, SBSI developed its Community-Based Resource Management Plan, which was affirmed in 2013. In 2019, the DENR began its investigation of alleged SBSI activities that violated the PACBRMA, including restriction of entry into the area; establishment of checkpoints and military-like training; the resignation of teachers, uniformed personnel and barangay officials; and establishment of structures within the PACBRMA area. Inter-governmental efforts were also made to address the concerns raised against SBSI and to get them to comply with the terms of the PACBRMA. In 2019, SBSI submitted its updated CBRMP but was disapproved by the DENR due to non-compliance with certain provisions under the agreement. SBSI has not been able to resubmit its CBRMP. In 2021 and 2022, the DENR called the attention of SBSI on recurring violations. In both instances, there was no response from SBSI, triggered the issuance of a Letter of Suspension on Friday, 29 September 2023. Loyzaga said the DENR will work with the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, the Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte and other authorities to ensure the smooth and peaceful enforcement of the suspension notice and the possible resettlement of the occupants. The post DENR suspends Socorro Bayanihan’s protected area agreement appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Senate committee cites Socorro ‘cult’ leader, 3 others in contempt
Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. leader Jey Rence Quilario alias Senior Agila and three others were cited in contempt by the Senate committee during a public hearing on Thursday. Senator Risa Hontiveros made the motion after Quilario and the others repeatedly denied that forced marriages of minors happened and were facilitated by the Socorro Bayanihan Service Inc. despite the testimonies of child witnesses present at the hearing. “I respectfully move to cite in contempt Jey Rence Quilaro, Mamerto Galanida, Janeth Ajoc and Karren Sanico,” Hontiveros said. With no objection from the members of the committee, Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, ordered the detention of the four individuals at the Senate premises. Speaking at the hearing, a member of the alleged cult group, alias Jane, narrated how she was forced to marry a fellow member at the age of 14. Jane directly pointed to Quilario as the one who chose her 18-year-old husband. She added they were forced to have sex after being married, or they would be accused of disobeying God. Jane likewise said her mother, despite being married to her father, was forced to marry another member. She said she decided to run away from the village due to the unwanted marriage and forced labor she had experienced throughout her stay in Sitio Kapihan under Quilario's leadership. Another member, Lovely Novie Savandal, also narrated how her 12-year-old sister was forced to marry someone she didn’t know personally. Savandal said Quilario was forcing every married couple to have sexual intercourse under pain of punishment. Quilario denied that forced marriages were happening in their group. “Hindi po, hindi po nangyayari (no, that did not happen),” he said. Ajoc also denied that there were child marriages, although a witness in the hearing earlier said that Ajoc's own child was among those who were married at the age of 12. Galanida, meanwhile, said he was not aware of such happenings. “I do not know anything about mayroong ganyang nangyayari sa Kapihan… Walang child marriages kasi po kung meron man, meron dapat ‘yung parents mismo ‘yung magko-complain,” he said. The panel’s investigation came after Hontiveros filed Proposed Senate Resolution 797 seeking a Senate investigation into the cases of rape, sexual abuse, forced labor and child marriage allegedly perpetrated by the group. Dela Rosa also introduced Senate Resolution 796, which aims to look into the alleged presence and operation of a shabu laboratory and a heavily armed private army at the group's premises in Surigao del Norte. The post Senate committee cites Socorro ‘cult’ leader, 3 others in contempt appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Red-tagged individuals have only themselves to blame
These human rights groups and activists have been haranguing the government for every perceived action that threatens their democratic space or their existence as an organization. They are always at the forefront, slamming the government and its officials who do not conform to their progressive and radical views. They rev up people into a frenzy and rally them against certain policies and programs that will neutralize the revolutionary activities of the armed left and its front organizations. They organize protest marches and rallies and call on the people to reject government initiatives to eradicate the more than 50-year-old communist urgency, like the establishment of the NTF-ELCAC, which has successfully stopped the resurrection of the communist rebels. The NTF-ELCAC is an ingenious program commenced in the previous Duterte administration, institutionalizing the government’s “whole of nation” approach in confronting the ongoing communist rebellion and against groups that are front organizations of the Communist Party of the Philippines or CPP. The socio-economic program of the NTF-ELCAC at the barangay level succeeded in dismantling the communist hold on the depressed and neglected barangays. It led to hundreds of NPAs surrendering and returning to the law’s fold. These left-leaning individuals and aggregations exhibit their nationalist pretensions by embroiling themselves with national issues related to the people’s needs and sufferings, picturing themselves as victims of human rights violations committed allegedly by the government against them. They use social media to whip up support for them and use compelling political propaganda subjects like alleged summary killings, unlawful arrests, tortures, and harassment of political activists and progressive groups. Their comrades in Congress who managed to be elected have become effective political mouthpieces against the government. They are good at using the mass media, which is just too happy to accommodate them to boost their sales. Some have infiltrated the government bureaucracy and used their positions and offices to advance their political ideologies in the guise of good government. They have been successful, too, in recruiting young students of impressionable minds to embrace their causes, who end up either young NPA rebels, leading student activists, or dead resulting from government clashes with government troops. These self-proclaimed nationalists have peppered the air with accusations of extrajudicial killings against the government and have defended suspected terrorists and subversives when arrested and prosecuted. They readily proclaim their innocence. They have taken the cudgels of citizens murdered by common criminals or political warlords — but they are deathly silent when the communist armed rebels waylay, ambush, and murderously assault military men and women as well as civilians engaged in humanitarian missions during the occurrence of natural disasters. Even when they are confronted with this telling inconsistency and dared to condemn these terrorist atrocities, these leftists remain tight-lipped. They have never condemned the New People’s Army for its terroristic and undemocratic activities. Given this implied but glaring support to the enemies of the state by their deafening silence, can we reasonably accuse the government officials of classifying or describing them as supporters of the NPA or closeted members of the armed rebellion? Certainly not. They have only themselves to blame for being tagged as red supporters. Why should they be afraid, ashamed, or embarrassed to be called communists or communist supporters? The Anti-Subversion Law, where being a member of the CPP is a crime, has long been repealed. So why the fear or shame of being called a communist advocate or supporter? These democratic pretenders must unclothe themselves of their camouflage and join the parliamentary struggle. They should publicly articulate the virtues of communism against democracy and seek elective posts based on their true ideological selves. They should not use the Bill of Rights to undermine the authority of the constituted authorities, remaining as secret enemies of democracy while masquerading as its champions. It is about time they unmask themselves and be proud of their ideological beliefs. They should put an end to their pretense. They should be principled enough to present themselves as ideologues of communism — own to their loyalty to such ideology — and profess it publicly. Let the people judge who — and what they are — and not what they pretend to be. The post Red-tagged individuals have only themselves to blame appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Mediatrix controversy
Author’s note: In the last column, I wrote that the 1951 Pius XII decree that said the Mediatrix apparitions had “no supernatural character or origin” is not binding because it was never promulgated officially. Pope Francis recently appointed a new Prefect of the Dicastery, Cardinal-to-be Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, SJ. Like his predecessor, Fernandez is a Jesuit and an Argentinian. He is the “theological alter ego” of Pope Francis. How will controversial Archbishop Fernandez handle the 70-year-old Mediatrix issue? Will the current Dicastery, which is vehemently anti-Mediatrix, under the helm of Archbishop Fernandez tone down its stance? As a background, there was a decree of the Dicastery but not of Pope Pius XII. The Dicastery of 1951, whose members have died, claimed Pope Pius XII directly approved its decision (not to recognize the Mediatrix apparitions), but it was never formally entered into the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the official Vatican publication, a requirement of Canon Law for it to take effect. What are the implications if the 1951 Pius XII decree is in truth non-existent? Under the domino principle, this implies that technically all subsequent declarations and orders of the Dicastery for 70 long years are also not binding, including the latest, wherein Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera was ordered by the Dicastery to ban all celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Mediatrix apparitions. However, the Dicastery never authenticated the Mediatrix apparitions, so the apparition celebrations are rightfully banned. But there is a contradiction that must be resolved — since the original 1951 Pius XII decree is in question. The members of the Dicastery in 1951 were caught in a lie because then apostolic administrator Bishop Rufino Santos stated in his decree of 12 April 1951 that he was still awaiting the Vatican decision regarding Lipa — when the Dicastery reported in its Protocol 226/1949 that a decision had been made, contradicting Bishop Santos. Archbishop Fernandez has to resolve this issue because the evangelization of Asia, which is the focus of Pope Francis, is at stake. Pope Francis looks to the Philippines, the only Christian nation in Asia, as the launch pad for the evangelization of Asia and the “conversion” of China. Conversion means stopping the persecution and massacre of Christians in China, permitting churches there to open, reuniting the Underground Church (who are the target of assassinations) and the Vatican-led Church, and finally, changing China’s belligerence to benevolence in the South China Sea to prevent a full-blown US-China confrontation. The Virgin can bring peace to Asia better than any military solutions. A well-publicized message of Our Lady Mediatrix of All Grace was a warning about China: “Pray hard for China’s dream is to invade the whole world. The Philippines is one of its favorites.” (17 October 1949). There is a Mediatrix shrine in a chapel in a small village near Nanjing that was built by Metropolitan Bank when it was commissioned by the Chinese government to develop two villages. This “foothold” in China is evidence the Virgin Mediatrix is fulfilling her mission of evangelization and conversion. Archbishop Fernandez and Pope Francis must be informed of the history of the Mediatrix to sharpen their perspectives on its geopolitical ramifications. The continued suppression of Mediatrix devotion and of the entire Philippine Church may hamper the Church’s efforts to evangelize Asia. In truth, Satan is scared of the Mediatrix, that is why, in his panic, he tortured Mediatrix visionary Sr. Teresing Castillo, as she wrote in her second diary that the Vatican failed to destroy but which is now available on the Internet. Is Satan behind the suppression of the Mediatrix by using Cardinals in the Vatican without them knowing it? For centuries, Satan has been penetrating the sacred halls of the Vatican and using the Cardinals without their being aware of it. That Satan works in the Vatican is nothing new. Historically, the Spanish Inquisition in the Middle Ages beheaded on mere suspicion about a thousand “heretics.” The ongoing “apostasy” (civil war) within the Vatican, which Fatima prophesied, is another sign of Satan’s works. It is thus in the interest of the Vatican to consider the Marian evangelization that it is suppressing — to have a change of heart. In the end, the Virgin will triumph over the Vatican, if need be, as revealed in the Bible. The Lord said, “I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the Woman (Mary), and between your offspring (demons) and hers (Jesus). Her offspring will crush your head and you will bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15. “A huge red dragon stood before the Woman about to give birth, to devour her Child. She gave birth to a Son destined to rule all nations. In utter rage, the serpent waged war against the rest of her offspring, those bearing witness to the Son born of Her womb.” Revelation 11:1-17 (excerpts). *** eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post Mediatrix controversy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Red-tagged individuals create their own classification (1)
It is amusing to read about individuals or groups protesting about being tagged as New People’s Army or NPA supporters, or even communists themselves. At least one of them filed a civil suit for damages against two anchors of a program in SMNI for allegedly tagging him as a communist sympathizer and his mother as a closeted communist. Red-tagging has become a whipping boy of leftist organizations and their sympathizers. The dwindling number of left-leaning party-list representatives who survived the electoral debacle of their comrades have become the mouthpiece. They have been regularly and constantly attacking the government officials who described them as supporters of the communist rebels. This protesting sector of our society has described red-tagging as “the act of labeling individuals or groups as “communist fronts,” “communist terrorists,” or communist sympathizers.” They have likened such acts to “McCarthyism” in the 1950s in the United States. The American Heritage Dictionary defines McCarthyism as “1. The political practice of publicizing accusations of disloyalty or subversion with insufficient regard to evidence; and 2. The use of methods of investigation and accusation regarded as unfair, to suppress opposition.” McCarthyism is known as the “second Ref Scare” in the United States. It was an era of “political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of alleged communist and Soviet influence on American institutions and Soviet espionage in the United States during the late 1940s through the 1950s.” Joseph McCarthy, a Wisconsin Senator, started what appeared to become a national witch-hunt in the United States in the late forties and early fifties. He rose to national prominence in the US after an alleged three-year undistinguishable stay in the US Senate, after delivering a speech in Congress where he claimed to have a list of “members of the communist party and members of a spy ring employed in the US State Department.” As a result of McCarty’s speech, congressional hearings were conducted by the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities that led to the imprisonment of 10 Hollywood screenwriters and directors. Likewise, hundreds of their colleagues in the movie industry were placed on the “blacklist.” The so-called human rights groups in the Philippines claim that red-tagging is often done without evidence. A human rights alliance group, Karapatan, slammed the NTF-ELCAC for gaining “notoriety in the red-tagging, harassing and intimidating political activists and other government critics and for instigating mass surrenders of civilians alleged to be supporters of the revolutionary movement.” Karapatan alleged, “Many of the victims of NTF-ELCAC’s red-tagging campaigns had ended up arrested and detained on trump-up charges, while others have been killed by vigilante groups or in armed encounters staged by the military.” There is a whale of a difference between the red-baiting in the United States during the McCarthyism period and the so called red-tagging in the Philippines. For one, those who have been red-tagged, if they feel they have been unjustly classified as communist supporters or secret members of the NPA, can always resort to civil suits for damages, just like one of them did. Unlike the late Senator McCarty, the perceived violators of their human rights are not immune from lawsuits. McCarty was immune from being sued when he red-tagged suspected members of the communist party because he enjoyed parliamentary immunity when he delivered the red-tagging speech. The claim that those red-tagged by government officials led to their deaths is just a claim. The human rights groups have not produced any proof of that. As to those arrested and jailed, it only means there was probable cause for the crimes they have been charged with — hence, the courts issued warrants for their arrest. As to the claim of trump-up charges, there have been instances where the courts have dismissed those criminal cases filed against them because the prosecution failed to produce the quantum of proof required by law in court. They can seek judicial redress by filing malicious criminal prosecution against those who made up the false charges plus damages. (To be continued) The post Red-tagged individuals create their own classification (1) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
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......»»
North Korean leader switches war mode to offensive
North Korea’s stepped up war preparations is now on offensive mode as ordered by leader Kim Jong Un, the state media reported on Thursday. The Korean Central News Agency said Kim made the order at a meeting of the Central Military Commission. The meeting saw Kim discussing with top generals “major military actions” against South Korea. Kim called for “all the munitions industrial establishments to push ahead with the mass-production of various weapons and equipment,” the report said. “He also called for actively conducting actual war drills to efficiently operate (the) newly deployed latest weapons and equipment,” it added. The meeting comes as Seoul and Washington prepare for major joint drills later this month, which the North views as rehearsals for invasion and has repeatedly warned could trigger “overwhelming” action in response. At the meeting, Kim also dismissed chief of the general staff Pak Su Il, replacing him with Vice Marshal Ri Yong Gil, KCNA said without giving further details. Pak, who was promoted to the post late last year, may have been dismissed “because he did not demonstrate sufficient competence in the field of military operations,” according to Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute. “Kim Jong Un has shown a tendency to quickly replace officials when they are judged to be lacking in the ability to control and perform their duties,” he said. Ri may have been the “most suitable person” to replace Pak, as he has previously held the position for a long time, Cheong added. WITH AFP The post North Korean leader switches war mode to offensive appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Myanmar faces war crimes case
United Nations investigators are building a war crimes case against Myanmar military and militia officials after gathering evidences of mass executions and sexual violence in the country. The UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar also found evidence of indiscriminate aerial bombardments, the burning of villages and mass killings of civilians and detained combatants, as well as torture. “Every loss of life in Myanmar is tragic, but the devastation caused to whole communities through aerial bombardments and village burnings is particularly shocking,” IIMM chief Nicholas Koumjian said in the statement. “Our evidence points to a dramatic increase in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country, with widespread and systematic attacks against civilians, and we are building case files that can be used by courts to hold individual perpetrators responsible,” he added. The IIMM was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018 to collect evidence of the most serious international crimes and prepare files for criminal prosecution. While the team has never been permitted to visit Myanmar, it said it had engaged with over 700 sources and had collected “over 23 million information items,” including witness statements, documents, photographs, videos, forensic evidence and satellite imagery. The team — already cooperating with the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court — said it “plans to accelerate its collection of evidence of the most serious international crimes.” The investigators said they were particularly looking for “linkage evidence” demonstrating responsibility of specific individuals, especially high-level officials. WITH AFP The post Myanmar faces war crimes case appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Prince Harry lawsuit against The Sun tabloid set for trial
Prince Harry's lawsuit against The Sun tabloid alleging unlawful information gathering can go to trial but will not include phone hacking claims, a High Court judge ruled on Thursday. Harry, 38, whose official title is Duke of Sussex, is suing several UK newspapers over alleged unlawful information-gathering, including News Group Newspapers -- publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World tabloids. NGN is part of Rupert Murdoch's global publishing empire and had asked the High Court in London to throw out the claims -- filed by Harry alongside actor Hugh Grant -- arguing they were out of time. But judge Timothy Fancourt ordered that Harry's case can go to trial, concluding NGN had "succeeded in part on its application" related to time limits around alleged phone hacking but "failed on the remaining part". Hugh Grant learned in May that he had won his court bid to bring to trial his claim against NGN, while other high-profile claimants are also pursuing the newspaper group. "A trial of the claims of the Duke and many other claimants is scheduled to start in January 2024," Fancourt wrote in a 19-point summary of his ruling. The judge decided the prince "has a realistically arguable case at trial" over claims the tabloid unlawfully sourced "confidential information from third parties" in part through private investigators. He noted his judgement does not conclude whether they had been made in time, "only... that it is not sufficiently clear at this stage that it was issued too late". However, on phone hacking accusations dating back to the 2000s, Fancourt sided with NGN that a six-year "limitation period" had expired before Harry filed his claim in 2019. The judge also rejected submissions by Harry that he had delayed initiating such a lawsuit due to a "secret agreement" between the royal family as an institution and the publisher. He said that claim "did not reach the necessary threshold of plausibility and cogency", adding "there was no witness or documentary evidence to support what the Duke claimed". Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, has had a rocky relationship with the media, particularly since he and his American wife Meghan left the royal family in early 2020. Since then, they have both launched litigation against British newspaper publishers, including for privacy and copyright breaches, and libel. The prince last month accused Mirror Group Newspapers of "industrial scale" phone hacking, as he became the first British royal in over a century to take to the witness stand. The judge in that lawsuit is yet to reach a decision. The post Prince Harry lawsuit against The Sun tabloid set for trial appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea's military said Thursday, shortly after Pyongyang warned of an "inevitable" response to ongoing US-South Korea joint military drills. South Korea and the United States, which have ramped up defense cooperation in response to growing threats from the nuclear-armed North, are currently carrying out joint large-scale live-fire "annihilation" exercises. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected the launch of "two short-range ballistic missiles from the Sunan area into the East Sea between 19:25 and 19:37 (1025 to 1037 GMT)," referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. "We have stepped up monitoring in case of further provocations and are maintaining readiness in close coordination with the United States," the military said. Tokyo also confirmed the missile launches, with a defense ministry official telling reporters that the two missiles had landed in waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone. "The missiles may have flown on irregular trajectories," Japan's top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters, adding that one had flown 850 kilometers (530 miles) and the other around 900 kilometers at altitudes of 50 kilometers, before landing in Japan's EEZ. In a joint statement, the United States, South Korea, and Japan condemned the launches, saying they violated UN Security Council resolutions and demonstrate the threat "unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs pose to the region." And in a separate move, Washington on Thursday imposed sanctions against two North Koreans based in Beijing over their alleged connection to Pyongyang's weapons program. "The DPRK's development of its missile programs directly threatens regional and international security, and the United States will continue to take action to curtail activities in support of those programs," State Secretary Antony Blinken said in a statement, using the acronym for North Korea's official name. 'Inevitable' response Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, with diplomacy stalled and the North's leader Kim Jong Un declaring his country an "irreversible" nuclear power, as well as calling for ramped-up weapons production, including tactical nukes. North Korea has conducted multiple sanctions-busting launches this year, including test-firing its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles, and last month attempting to put a military spy satellite into orbit. In response, the hawkish administration of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has bolstered defense cooperation with the United States and Japan, including expanding joint drills, which had been scaled back because of Covid-19, and during a bout of ill-fated diplomacy. Yoon personally watched South Korean and US troops take part in the live-fire exercises Thursday. All such drills infuriate Pyongyang, which regards them as rehearsals for invasion. North Korea slammed the drills, saying they were escalating military tensions in the region. "Our response to this is inevitable," the defense ministry said in a statement Thursday carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. "Our armed forces will fully counter any form of demonstrative moves and provocation of the enemies." Lawsuit On Wednesday, South Korea filed a lawsuit seeking damages from North Korea for the 2020 demolition of a liaison office. The office was established in 2018 with funding from Seoul at an industrial zone near the border in North Korean territory, as South Korea's then-president Moon Jae-in pressed for a diplomatic breakthrough with Pyongyang. But after that process collapsed and relations deteriorated, North Korea demolished the building in June 2020. Seoul describes the demolition as a "clearly an illegal act" and is seeking 44.7 billion won ($35 million) in damages. North Korea is likely to ignore any ruling by the court, but there is precedent in South Korea and the United States for damages being awarded against its government. "Given the timing, the launch seems like the North's expression of discontent or protest at Seoul's legal action seeking compensation (for) the North's demolition of the Kaesong office," Choi Gil-il, professor of military studies at Sangji University, told AFP. The post North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘What oral arguments re Taguig-Makati dispute?’
Upscale Bonifacio Global City belongs to Taguig City, the Supreme Court has ruled. SC spokesperson Brian Keith Hosaka yesterday said he was not aware of an order supposedly issued by the Supreme Court setting oral arguments in the territorial dispute between the cities of Taguig and Makati. The dispute had already been settled with finality by the SC in favor of Taguig, handing to its control and jurisdiction the 729-hectare Fort Bonifacio military reservation, where the thriving Bonifacio Global City business and commercial district is situated. Some other barangays contested by Makati were also recognized by the court as being under the jurisdiction of Taguig. “I have no information about this,” Hosaka said in a text message to journalists in response to the alleged oral arguments order. Hosaka noted that there was already an entry of judgment in the case which meant the decision was final and executory. He said that if the SC had indeed issued such an order, it would have been published on the website and social media account of the high court. “(The) SC has shut down all efforts of Makati City to revive the land dispute as the resolution ordered to no longer entertain pleadings, letters, motions, or any other communication regarding the case,” Hokasa said. “The ruling also enjoined Makati from exercising jurisdiction over, making improvements on, or treating as part of its territory the area comprising Fort Bonifacio,” he added. Hosaka noted that there was already an entry of judgment in the case which meant the decision was final and executory. The statement was issued by Hosaka following Makati City Mayor Abby Binay’s pronouncement that the Makati City Legal Office had received a document saying that the SC was set to conduct oral arguments on the territorial dispute. “As far as the document that we received, they actually even set it for hearing. That means it’s not yet final. Because in our omnibus motion there was still no action so as far the city is concerned there is still a pending motion,” Binay said. “These are oral arguments because part of our motion is to go before the en banc and have oral arguments. This is a very important issue that would affect 200,000 residents,” she said. The Taguig City government said it had not received a notice or any document about the setting of oral arguments. The post ‘What oral arguments re Taguig-Makati dispute?’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
India train mishap kills nearly 300
BELASORE, India — At least 288 people were killed and more than 850 injured in a train crash in India on Friday night. The crash occurred near Balasore, in the eastern state of Odisha, when two passenger trains and a goods train collided. The impact of the crash caused carriages to be lifted into the air, twisted, and then smashed off the tracks. Rescue workers used metal cutting tools to pry open gaps in the torn sides of carriages in a desperate search to reach those trapped inside. By Saturday morning, they had pulled out 288 bodies and more than 850 injured passengers. The death toll is expected to rise, as many of the injured are in critical condition. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Residents and volunteers rushed to help the injured, providing food, water, and blankets. They also helped to carry the injured to hospitals. The crash has caused widespread disruption to train services in the region. All train trips between Balasore and Bhubaneswar have been canceled, and others were running late. The government has announced compensation of 500,000 rupees (about $7,000) for the families of each of the victims. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and has ordered a full investigation into the crash. Chronology of rail disasters With hundreds killed and more injured in a three-train collision in India, AFP looked back on some of the worst rail disasters of the last 10 years: Greek collision. On 28 February 2023, a head-on collision between a freight train and a passenger train on the route between Athens and Thessaloniki claimed 57 lives, in the country’s worst rail accident; Stowaways derailed. On 10 March 2022, a freight train loaded with stowaways derailed in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Lualaba province, killing at least 75 people and injuring 125 others. A month later, at least eight people died when a goods train derailed in the same area; Pakistan farmlands. On 7 June 2021, at least 63 people died when a train hurtling through farmland derailed and collided with another passenger service in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province; Taiwan tragedy. On 2 April 2021, at least 49 people were killed and 200 injured when a passenger train collided with a truck that slid down an embankment near the city of Hualien — the island’s worst rail disaster in decades; Pakistan pilgrims. At least 74 people died and more than 40 were injured on 31 October 2019, when a fire broke out on an overcrowded passenger train carrying pilgrims to a religious gathering near Lahore; Crowds on tracks. A speeding train ran over revelers watching fireworks during a Hindu festival in northern India on 19 October 2018, killing at least 60 people; Indian Express disaster. At least 146 people died when an Indore-Patna Express train with around 2,000 people on board derailed in Uttar Pradesh on 20 November 2016, sending carriages crashing into each other; Speeding Cameroon train. A train traveling from the capital Yaounde to the economic hub of Douala derailed on 21 October 2016, killing at least 79 people and injuring around 550 others. It was traveling “abnormally” fast before the crash, the investigation into the crash concluded; Congo accident. A goods train carrying hundreds of illegal passengers flew off the rails in a swampy and inaccessible part of the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo on 22 April 2014, killing at least 136 people. Many had to be buried in mass graves nearby; and Spain derailing. About 80 people were killed and 140 injured when a high-speed train slammed into a concrete wall near the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela on 24 July 2013. The train had been approaching a curve at more than twice the speed limit. The post India train mishap kills nearly 300 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
A month into Sudan’s brutal war, no end in sight
One month since Sudan's conflict erupted, its capital is a desolate war zone where terrorized families huddled at home as gun battles rage, while the western Darfur region has descended into deadly chaos. Residents of Khartoum have endured weeks of desperate food shortages, power blackouts, communications outages, and runaway inflation. The capital of five million, long a place of relative stability, has become a shell of its former self. Charred aircraft lie on the airport tarmac, foreign embassies are shuttered and hospitals, banks, shops, and wheat silos have been ransacked by looters. Violence also renewed in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, leaving hundreds killed and the health system in "total collapse", medics said. Fighting continued on Monday, with loud explosions heard across Khartoum and thick smoke in the sky while warplanes drew anti-aircraft fire, according to witnesses. "The situation is becoming worse by the day," said a 37-year-old resident of southern Khartoum who did not wish to be named because of safety concerns. "People are getting more and more scared because the two sides... are becoming more and more violent." Another witness reported "clashes with various types of weapons" in Omdurman, the capital's twin city. Battles erupted on 15 April between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). What remains of the government has retreated to Port Sudan about 850 kilometers (500 miles) away, the hub for mass evacuations. The United Nations says more than 700,000 people have been internally displaced by the fighting, and nearly 200,000 have fled Sudan for neighboring countries. There are fears for the stability of the wider region. "We're left on the street, in the sun," complained Hamden Mohammed, who escaped the Khartoum area for Port Sudan. "We want the organizations to evacuate us from Sudan because the country is totally devastated. There's no food, no work... nothing." Around 1,000 people have been killed, mainly in and around Khartoum as well as the ravaged state of West Darfur, according to medics. Violence on Friday and Saturday in El Geneina, the West Darfur capital, killed at least 280, according to the Sudanese doctors' union. "There was still heavy shelling on Sunday that hit my home, damaging a part of it and injuring one of my sisters," said one El Geneina resident. "Other houses around us were completely destroyed." After a month of war, Burhan declared he was freezing the assets of the RSF which, analysts say, has interests in Sudan's gold mines. Burhan dismissed the central bank governor and the police director general, while Daglo threatened in an audio recording that the army chief would be "brought to justice and hanged" publicly. History of coups Neither side has been able to establish dominance on the battlefield, and experts have forecast a protracted conflict. The army, backed by Egypt, has the advantage of air power while Daglo is, according to experts, supported by the United Arab Emirates and foreign fighters. Daglo commands troops that stemmed from the notorious Janjaweed militia, accused of atrocities in a war that began in Darfur two decades ago. The scorched-earth campaign killed up to 300,000 people and uprooted more than 2.7 million, the UN said. Many were still living in Darfur's displacement camps as war returned to the region. Multiple truce deals in the current conflict have been violated. Sudan has a long history of military coups, but hopes had risen after mass protests led to the ouster of Islamist-backed strongman Omar al-Bashir in 2019, followed by a shaky transition toward civilian rule. As Washington and other foreign powers lifted sanctions, Sudan was slowly reintegrating into the international community, before the generals derailed that transition with another coup in 2021. The security breakdown has extended beyond Khartoum and Darfur to other regions. Ethnic violence last week killed more than 50 people in West Kordofan and White Nile states, according to the UN. Poorer for longer The fighting has deepened the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, where one in three people already relied on humanitarian assistance before the war. Since then, aid agencies have been looted and at least 18 of their workers killed. Diplomatic facilities have also been targeted. Jordan on Monday issued condemnation after its Khartoum embassy building "was stormed and attacked." Across the Red Sea, in the Saudi city of Jeddah, envoys from both sides have been negotiating. By May 11 they had signed a commitment to respect humanitarian principles and allow in badly needed aid. "Scarcely had the two warring parties signed the Jeddah Agreement on Thursday night when chaos erupted once again in Geneina," according to William Carter, the Norwegian Refugee Council's country director. Doctors Without Borders said food shortages in Darfur displacement camps mean "people have gone from three meals a day to just one". The fighting has caused "the partial deindustrialization" of the country, said Aly Verjee, a researcher at Sweden's University of Gothenburg, meaning "any future Sudan will be much poorer for much longer." The post A month into Sudan’s brutal war, no end in sight appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pakistani troops, Khan supporters face off
Supporters angry of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest and trial for alleged corruption are facing troops deployed by the government to quell their violent protests. The cabinet Wednesday approved deployment of the army in two provinces and the capital to restore peace, a statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said. The decision follows clashes in Pakistan’s largest city Karachi, where security forces fired tear gas to disperse supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Similar clashes and mass arrest of protesters occured in Islamabad and other cities. Khan was arrested Tuesday during a routine hearing in the capital Islamabad and whisked away to an unknown location overnight before appearing behind closed doors in a specially convened anti-graft court at police headquarters. Ali Bukhari, a lawyer for Khan, told Agence France-Presse by phone that the court had approved eight days of physical remand of the former cricket star demanded by the country’s top graft agency. Some protesters took out their wrath on the military, torching the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and pelting the army’s general headquarters in Rawalpindi with stones. Hundreds of police officers have been injured across Pakistan, while in the populous province of Punjab nearly 1,000 people have been arrested. The post Pakistani troops, Khan supporters face off appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump found liable for sexually abusing writer
A New York jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing and defaming an American former magazine columnist and ordered the ex-president to pay her $5 million in damages. The nine jurors rejected E. Jean Carroll's accusation of rape but unanimously upheld her other complaints in the closely watched civil trial, following less than three hours of deliberations. It marks the first time Trump has faced legal consequences over a string of sexual assault allegations dating back decades -- and the former leader immediately rejected the verdict as a "disgrace." Carroll, 79, sued Trump last year, alleging that he raped her in the changing room of the luxury Bergdorf Goodman store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue in 1996. The former columnist for Elle magazine also claimed that Trump defamed her when he called her "a complete con job" after she went public with the allegation in 2019. Trump, the 76-year-old frontrunner for the Republican nomination in next year's presidential election, called her case a "hoax" and "a lie." The jury determined that Carroll had proved sexual abuse -- effectively sexual contact without consent -- by a preponderance of the evidence and awarded her $2 million. The six men and three women on the jury also said Trump should pay Carroll nearly $3 million for defamation. Following the verdict, Carroll left the Manhattan federal court smiling but did not speak to reporters. "We're very happy," said her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan. Trump slammed the outcome on his social media platform Truth Social. "I have absolutely no idea who this woman is," he wrote, using all capital letters. "This verdict is a disgrace -- a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time." Trump's 2024 campaign team said in a statement that the case was a "political endeavor" intended to derail Trump's bid to regain the White House, and that he would appeal. Carroll told the two-week-long civil trial that the assault had left her feeling "ashamed" and unable to have romantic relationships. She said it took her more than 20 years to go public because she was "frightened" by Trump. Her lawyers called to the witness stand two other women who testified that Trump sexually assaulted them decades ago. Former businesswoman Jessica Leeds said that Trump groped her in the business class section of a flight in the United States in the 1970s. Journalist Natasha Stoynoff said Trump kissed her without her consent during an interview at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2005. Around a dozen women accused Trump of sexual misconduct ahead of the 2016 election that sent him to the White House. He has denied all the allegations and has never been prosecuted over any of them. No criminal case can stem from Carroll's lawsuit. Trump did not testify during the proceedings, nor did his defense team call any witnesses. A video of a sworn deposition he gave in October was played to the jury. In it, Trump called Carroll "a liar" and "really sick person." His lawyers argued that Carroll invented the allegation "for money, for political reasons, and for status." She filed her lawsuit under a New York law that gave victims of sexual assault a one-year window to sue their alleged abusers decades after attacks may have occurred. The burden of proof in civil proceedings is lower than in criminal trial cases when prosecutors must prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. The case was one of several legal challenges threatening to complicate Trump's bid to regain the presidency -- although the Republican's supporters have broadly stayed loyal to their champion up until now. Last month, Trump pleaded not guilty to criminal charges related to a hush-money payment made to a porn star just before the 2016 vote -- allegedly to cover up an affair. Trump is also being investigated over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the southern state of Georgia, his alleged mishandling of classified documents taken from the White House and his involvement in the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. The post Trump found liable for sexually abusing writer appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The Tiamzons, dead or alive? (1)
A puzzling statement was issued that couple Benito and Wilma Tiamzon were dead. It was not an assumption but a confirmation made by the faceless spokesperson of the Communist Party of the Philippines, Marco Valbuena, on Thursday that their top-ranking leaders did not die from a sea encounter in Catbalogan, Samar but were tortured and killed by the military. Ahead of DNA test results on human remains believed to be the Tiamzons, Valbuena made a premature claim. Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., said the PNP Forensic Group has yet to release its official DNA report which is also being awaited by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Tiamzons were traveling with eight members of a guerilla group on a boat off Catbalogan City when they figured in a firefight with Joint Special Operations Task Force Trident and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on 22 August 2022. The military believed the group perished after their boat exploded. Human remains were found in the water in the succeeding days but were not identified. Who really are the Tiamzons? Benito, 71, National Democratic Front consultant, was the vice chairman, executive committee member, and political bureau member of the CPP–New People’s Army-NDF. Wilma, 70, was CPP secretary general and, like her husband, was a member of the executive committee and political bureau of the CPP-NPA-NDF. She was also NDFP negotiating panel national consultant and the National Finance Commission secretary. The couple were arrested on 22 March 2014 and detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Camp Crame, Quezon City. Two years after, they were granted bail when the peace talks with the government resumed under the Duterte administration in August 2016. When the peace talks collapsed in 2017, the couple refused to surrender and went into hiding until a Quezon City court ordered their re-arrest in 2018. On 27 November 2020, Benito and Wilma were sentenced to up to 40 years in prison after being convicted of the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of Lt. Abraham Claro Casis and three other Army officers in Quezon in 1988. They were also ordered arrested for 15 counts of murder, issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 32 in Manila on 17 September 2017, in connection with the alleged 1985 purge in Leyte of communist rebels accused of being military informants, known as the “Inopacan massacre.” After running around headless since the death of its ideological founder in December 2022, timing is everything for the orphaned communist groups. Yes, everything happens at the perfect time. And, yes, the NDF’s 50th anniversary on Monday, 24 April is the perfect time. According to security forces, on occasions like this, CPP-affiliated organizations are expected to continue propagating issues and propaganda to portray them as still winning against the government and to expedite their recruitment of new revolutionaries. This is their strategy to portray the AFP as the primary violator of human rights in the country; and that the Philippine and American governments are conspiring to execute the apprehended terrorists. True enough, their digital spokesperson, whose face is always left to everyone’s imagination, announced that at the break of dawn on 24 April, all NPA units have been ordered to stand in formation and silently perform a 21-gun salute to pay respects and give the highest salute to the Tiamzon couple — their heroes for a day. (To be continued) The post The Tiamzons, dead or alive? (1) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»