Deport suspected bomber& mdash;BI
The Bureau of Immigration is set to file a deportation case against suspected Indonesian suicide bomber Rezky Fantasya Rullie who was arrested in Jolo, Sulu Saturday......»»
Mandaue drug bust: P476,000 ‘shabu’ seized from HVI
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Authorities seized suspected shabu worth at least P476,000 from a 45-year-old man described as a high-value individual during an anti-illegal drugs operation in Mandaue City early on Wednesday morning, March 27, 2024. The operation took place along Realty Road in the North Reclamation Area in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City, Cebu. The.....»»
Cows in Texas and Kansas test positive for highly pathogenic bird flu
In a concerning development, wild migratory birds are suspected to have spread a deadly strain of bird flu to dairy cows in Texas and Kansas......»»
3 suspected rebels killed in clash in Philippines Batangas
MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Three suspected rebels were killed in a clash with government forces in Batangas province, south of Manila, on Tuesday, the Philippine military said. The military said a 30-minute gunfight broke out around 6:30 a.m. local time after the troops ran into a group of New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Rosario town. The troops recovered three rifles, six jungle packs, and some mater.....»»
Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, March 26
MANILA -- Three suspected rebels were killed in a clash with government forces in Batangas province, south of Manila, on Tuesday, the Philippine military said. The military said a 30-minute gunfight broke out around 6:30 a.m. local time after the troops ran into a group of New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Rosario town. (Philippines-Clash) - - - - BEIRUT -- Two people were killed and nine other civ.....»»
2 carjack suspects killed in Bulacan ‘shootout’
Two suspected carjackers were killed in an alleged shootout in Bulacan on Saturday night......»»
Drug den in Punta Princesa, Cebu City shut down, three men nabbed
CEBU CITY, Philippines — With the help of concerned citizens, law enforcers arrested three newly identified drug personalities and dismantled a suspected drug den in Sitio Tres de Abril, Barangay Punta Princesa, Cebu City on Thursday afternoon, March 21, 2024. The drug bust took place at around 1:25 p.m. in the barangay, which was previously.....»»
Putin flies on nuclear-capable bomber as Ukraine receives military support
President Joe Biden made headlines once again after referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “crazy SOB” during a fundraiser in San Francisco. This.....»»
Eyewitness says MSU gym bomber placed bag under plastic chair
'He sports curly hair that cascades down to his shoulders. After placing the bag under the chair, he proceeded to the restroom. He then left the gymnasium,' recounts the witness.....»»
White House cancels B-52s’ performance
United States First Lady Jill Biden deemed inappropriate a performance by iconic American rock band the B-52s at the state dinner for visiting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, so she canceled it. “While we had initially planned for the legendary B-52s to perform their iconic dance and party music, we are now in a time when so many are facing sorrow and pain, and we have decided to make adjustments to the entertainment portion of the evening,” Biden told reporters. The New Wave band, named after a US bomber aircraft but more famous for their beehive hairdos, will still attend the state dinner but as guests, she added. Presidential military bands will provide “instrumental music” instead. Albanese arrived at the White House on Tuesday ahead of a formal state visit on Wednesday when he is expected to discuss topics including China, Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. The state dinner originally features a guest chef, dishes including sarsaparilla-braised short ribs and design featuring US and Australian elements, plus music from band best known for the 1989 hit “Love Shack.” The post White House cancels B-52s’ performance appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rockers B-52s dropped from White House dinner due to Israel-Hamas conflict
Iconic rock band the B-52s will no longer perform at a White House dinner for Australia's premier due to the "sorrow" of the Israel-Hamas conflict, First Lady Jill Biden said Tuesday. The band, best known for the 1989 hit "Love Shack", was scheduled to play at the state dinner for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday hosted by President Joe Biden. "While we had initially planned for the legendary B-52s to perform their iconic dance and party music, we are now in a time when so many are facing sorrow and pain, and we have decided to make adjustments to the entertainment portion of the evening," Jill Biden told reporters. The New Wave band, named after a US bomber aircraft but more famous for their beehive hairdos, will still attend the state dinner but as guests, she added. Presidential military bands will provide "instrumental music" instead. Jill Biden made the announcement during a preview for the dinner, which will feature a guest chef, dishes including sarsaparilla-braised short ribs and design featuring US and Australian elements. Albanese arrived at the White House on Tuesday ahead of a formal state visit on Wednesday when he is expected to discuss topics including China, Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. The post Rockers B-52s dropped from White House dinner due to Israel-Hamas conflict appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Terror blast hits Ankara
A suicide bomber attacked the interior ministry building in Ankara, Turkey on Sunday wounding two police officers. The bomber died upon detonating himself near the Turkish parliament while his companion was shot dead by police. “Two terrorists arrived in a commercial vehicle at around 9:30 a.m., in front of the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of the Interior, and carried out a bomb attack,” the ministry said on social media. TV channel NTV reported gunfire in the cordoned-off district, where emergency services were in attendance. The attack happened ahead of the afternoon reopening of parliament where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will deliver a speech, according to Turkish media. WITH AFP The post Terror blast hits Ankara appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
More than 50 killed, dozens wounded in Pakistan blasts
More than 50 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Friday by a suicide bomber targeting a procession marking the birthday of Islam's Prophet Mohammed, officials said. A second suicide attack by two men at a mosque hundreds of kilometers north in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province led to a roof collapse that killed four people, officials said. While the celebration of the Prophet's birthday is accepted by the majority of Islamic sects in Pakistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world, certain denominations view it as an unwarranted innovation. In southwestern Balochistan, officials said a suicide bomber detonated a device as rallies from neighborhood mosques converged on a meeting point in Mastung, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the provincial capital, Quetta. "My feet trembled and I was thrown to the ground," said 49-year-old Hazoor Bakhsh. "As the dust settled, I saw people scattered in all directions, some screaming while others called out for help." Local hospitals were overwhelmed by the number of wounded, and provincial authorities used social media platforms to appeal for blood donors. The death toll kept climbing throughout the day. "I can confirm that the death toll has increased to 52, with over 70 individuals injured," Munir Ahmed Shaikh, the deputy inspector-general of Balochistan's police force, told AFP. Every year, mosques and government buildings are elaborately illuminated with strings of lights, and people march in processions to mark the Prophet's birthday. On the same occasion in April 2006, a suicide bomber killed at least 50 people in the port city of Karachi after detonating a device at a gathering of Sunni Muslims. Surge in violence Friday's blast comes as Pakistan prepares for an election due in January next year -- while grappling with a political crisis, a crippled economy, and a surge in militant violence inspired by the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2021. Jan Achakzai, Balochistan's minister for information, announced a three-day mourning period. Balochistan, Pakistan's least populous province, is also home to several militant groups fighting for independence or a greater share of the region's mineral resources. Hundreds of kilometres north in Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, four people were killed after the roof of a mosque collapsed following a suicide attack. "Two militants, armed with automatic firearms, hand grenades, and suicide vests attempted to breach the mosque's security," senior district police officer Nisar Ahmad told AFP. "They were intercepted at the main entrance leading to an exchange of gunfire. One of them detonated his vest, while the other managed to enter the mosque's hall through a window." Ahmad said most of those inside had managed to escape as the shooting started, but the detonation of the second bomber's vest brought the roof down, killing four people. In July, more than 40 people were killed in a suicide bombing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a religious political party's gathering. Pakistan's Taliban have stepped up attacks against military and government targets since the return to power of the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. But the group said it had nothing to do with the Balochistan attack. The regional chapter of the Islamic State group, known as Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), has also carried out attacks in the area in the past. "The attack on innocent people who came to participate in the procession... is a very heinous act," the interior ministry said in a statement. Separately, Pakistan's military said Friday four soldiers had been killed as they fought an attempt by TTP militants to infiltrate Balochistan from Afghanistan. The post More than 50 killed, dozens wounded in Pakistan blasts appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Probers: Confessed NAIA bomber a fall guy
A man who surrendered and confessed to throwing a Molotov bomb at some vehicles at the open parking lot of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) last Saturday may be a fall guy, the police Aviation Security Group (AVSEGROUP) said yesterday......»»
Kim leaves Russia with token drones
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Russia on Sunday aboard his armored train, taking home with him Russian drones and a bullet proof vest as tokens from his hosts. A “departure ceremony” was held at the Artyom-Primorsky-1 station, where Kim’s train left for the border 250 kilometers away, according to a video broadcasted by Ria Novosti. In the footage, Kim is seen waving goodbye from the train to a Russian delegation led by Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, before the Russian march “Farewell of Slavianka” is played as the train rolls. Kim had been given five explosive drones, a reconnaissance drone, a bulletproof vest and “special clothing not detectable by thermal cameras” as gifts from a regional governor, TASS news agency reported. One of the drones was a “Geran-25” reconnaissance drone capable of vertical takeoff. The North Korean leader was in Far East Russia since Tuesday, meeting President Vladimir Putin and touring military equipment and facilities. The Kim-Putin meeting is believed to be a formality for a trade in arms and technology, though Moscow denied that an agreement to that effect was signed by the two leaders. He capped his visit with a meeting with Russian defense minister and inspection of bomber planes and a hypersonic missile system in Vladivostok on Saturday. In Seoul, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lashed out at Kim in an interview published Sunday, calling the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia “illegal and unjust.” WITH AFP The post Kim leaves Russia with token drones appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Suspected Syria bomber jumps to death from building
A man suspected of bombing a Shiite shrine in Syria last month died after he jumped from the seventh floor of a building where he was allegedly hiding from pursuers. Wissam Dalla, a Syrian in his early twenties, “threw himself from the seventh floor” of a building where he had been staying with relatives “after learning his location had been discovered,” Hezbollah said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse. Dalla was “responsible for the explosion in the Sayyida Zeinab area” south of the Syrian capital last month, the Shiite Muslim group added. AFP was unable to independently confirm the allegations against Dalla. Hezbollah was pursuing Dalla late Friday south of the Lebanese capital, the Iran-backed group said. The group had pursued Dalla amid fears he could carry out another attack, the statement added, saying he was taken to hospital but died. “Relevant bodies” in Hezbollah were informed that he had entered Lebanon secretly, the statement said. The apparent suicide took place in Hay al-Sellom, an impoverished neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs — a Hezbollah stronghold. Shiite shrines are a frequent target of attacks by Sunni Muslim extremists, not only in Syria but also in neighboring Iraq. WITH AFP The post Suspected Syria bomber jumps to death from building appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Suicide bomber attacks political gathering, kills 44
A suspected suicide bomber attacked a political rally in northwesst Pakistan on Sunday killing at least 44 people and injuring more than 100 others. “There was utter confusion, with human flesh, limbs, and body parts scattered throughout the area, alongside lifeless bodies,” witness Abdullah Khan said after the attack on 400 supporters of the the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F party in the town of Khar, near the Afghan border. “I found myself lying next to someone who had lost their limbs. The air was filled with the smell of human flesh,” Sabeeh Ullah, a 24-year-old party supporter who had his arm fractured by the blast, said. Images from the blast site circulating on social media showed bodies strewn around, and volunteers helping blood-soaked victims to ambulances. Riaz Anwar, the health minister for Khyber Pakht unkhwa province — told Agence France-Presse late Sunday that the bomber detonated himself in close proximity to the stage. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the blast Sunday on social media, offering condolences to the victims and vowing to punish those responsible. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but police said Monday their initial investigation suggested that the local chapter of the Islamic State was behind the bombing, according to Geo News. District Police Officer Nazir Khan said three suspects had been arrested, Geo News reported. The JUI-F is a major ally of the coalition government of Sharif, which is preparing for the November national elections. Last year, IS said it was behind violent attacks against religious scholars affiliated with the party, which has a huge network of mosques and madrassas in the north and west of the country. The jihadist group accuses JUI-F of hypocrisy for being an Islamic group while supporting hostile governments and the military. WITH AFP The post Suicide bomber attacks political gathering, kills 44 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Islamic State claims responsibility for Pakistan blast that killed 54
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Monday for a suicide bomb blast in Pakistan that killed at least 54 people, including 23 children, at a political party gathering ahead of elections due later this year. The blast has raised fears Pakistan could be in for a bloody election period following months of political chaos prompted by the ousting of Imran Khan as prime minister in April last year. Around 400 members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) party -- a key government coalition partner led by a firebrand cleric -- were waiting Sunday for speeches to begin when a bomber detonated a vest packed with explosives and ball bearings near the front stage. "I was confronted with a devastating sight -- lifeless bodies scattered on the ground while people cried out for help," Fazal Aman, who was near the tent when the bomb went off, told AFP. Shaukat Abbas, a senior official with the counter-terrorism department (CTD) told AFP that 54 people had been killed, including 23 under the age of 18. On Monday the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. "A suicide attacker from the Islamic State... detonated his explosive jacket in the middle of a crowd" in Khar, the jihadist group's news arm Amaq said in a statement Monday. The attack occurred in the town of Khar in the northwestern Bajaur district, just 45 kilometers from the Afghan border, in an area where militancy has been rising since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021. Parliament is likely to be dissolved after it completes its term in the next two weeks, with national elections to be held by mid-November or earlier. The local chapter of the jihadist Islamic State group has in the past targeted JUI-F rallies and leaders. Shattered family On Monday, blood-stained shoes and prayer caps littered the site, along with ball bearings and steel bolts from the suicide vest. Pieces of human flesh could still be seen, blasted 30 meters (100 feet) from the stage where the bomber detonated his device. Thousands of mourners attended the first funeral ceremonies, including for two young cousins aged 16 and 17. "It was not easy for us to lift two coffins. This tragedy has shattered our family," said Najib Ullah, the brother of one of the boys. "Our women are profoundly shocked and devastated. When I see the mothers of the victims, I find myself losing my own courage." JUI-F's leader, cleric Fazl-ur-Rehman, started political life as a firebrand Islamist hardliner, and while his party continues to advocate for socially conservative policies, he has more recently forged alliances with secular rivals. He has operated in the past as a facilitator for talks between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a rival of the jihadist Islamic State group. Last year, IS said it was behind attacks against religious scholars affiliated with JUI-F, which has a huge network of mosques and schools in the north and west of the country. The jihadist group accuses the JUI-F of hypocrisy for being a religious party while supporting secular governments and the military. JUI-F officials hit out at the government for failing to provide security in areas where militants operate. "The state has not fulfilled its responsibilities. I think the state has failed regardless of who is in power," said Shams uz Zaman, deputy general secretary of its Bajaur branch. "For God's sake take notice of the situation." While Rehman's party never musters more than a dozen or so seats in parliament, they can be crucial in any coalition and his ability to mobilize tens of thousands of religious school students allows him to punch above his weight. "It is important to consider why workers of a religious inclined political party could have been subjected to such bestial violence," Dawn newspaper said in an editorial Monday. "However ultra-conservative the JUI-F's worldview, the party has chosen to contest power and operate within the parameters set by the Constitution of Pakistan." A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell said the blast was "an attempt to weaken democracy". Rise in attacks Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban surged back to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. In January, a suicide bomber linked to Pakistan's Taliban blew himself up in a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing more than 80 officers. The militant assaults have been focused in regions abutting Afghanistan, and Islamabad alleges some are being planned on Afghan soil -- a charge Kabul denies. Analysts say militants in the former tribal areas have become emboldened since the return of the Afghan Taliban. The blast coincides with a visit to the country by a senior delegation of Chinese officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng, who arrived in the capital Sunday evening. The post Islamic State claims responsibility for Pakistan blast that killed 54 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Empty seats, discarded shoes remain after Pakistan bomb kills 47
Blood-stained chairs, scattered ball bearings and shoes shed by the dead, wounded and panicked bore testimony Monday to the carnage caused by a suicide bombing at a Pakistan political event. At least 47 people were killed and more than 100 wounded on Sunday when a blast ripped through a gathering of Islamic Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F party members in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The marquee hoisted in the town of Khar lay mangled and charred the morning after the explosion, partly collapsed onto blood-soaked carpets with around 400 upended red chairs strewn about. "Upon arriving at the scene, I was confronted with a devastating sight," Khar resident Fazal Aman, 29, told AFP on Monday. "Lifeless bodies scattered on the ground while people cried out for help." Party paraphernalia, including hats and scarves in JUI-F's black-and-white branding, were abandoned and trampled into the dusty ground, some flecked with dried blood. The first funerals for the victims got underway on Monday, including for a pair of cousins aged 16 and 17 where young boys wept by coffins. "These two were very serious and down-to-earth individuals in our family," said 24-year-old shopkeeper Najeeb Ullah. "This is a great injustice on our land." Mound of sandals Remnants of human flesh and hair could be seen as far as 30 meters (100 feet) from a shattered stage, the apparent epicenter of the blast near Khar's main bazaar. Gulistan Khan, a 40-year-old farmer being treated at a nearby hospital, said he was in the third row when the bomb detonated as local JUI-F leaders arrived to crowds chanting slogans. "I was thrown backwards as if lifted off the ground," he said. "The blast was powerful. Flames coming out were very high so I couldn't see anything." A mound of about 40 sandals and shoes had been piled in the shade behind a cordon of yellow police tape as zebra-striped JUI-F flags fluttered in the breeze. Investigators in rubber gloves and facemasks picked through the scene on Monday morning, one using a trowel to scoop up a sample from a dark patch on the floor of the stage. The site was swarmed by security forces carrying assault rifles and surrounding roads were peppered with police checkpoints. Regional counter-terrorism deputy inspector general Sohail Khalid told AFP the bomber used around 40 kilograms (90 pounds) of explosives, bound up with ball bearings to cause maximum carnage. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but the local chapter of the Islamic State group has recently targeted JUI-F, a key government coalition partner led by a firebrand cleric. The post Empty seats, discarded shoes remain after Pakistan bomb kills 47 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Algeria battles raging wildfires that have killed 34
Algerian firefighters were Tuesday battling blazes that have killed 34 people across the tinder-dry north, destroyed homes and coastal resorts and turned vast forest areas into blackened wastelands. Witnesses described fleeing walls of flames that raged "like a blowtorch", and TV footage showed charred cars, burnt-out shops and smoldering fields and scrubland as thousands of residents were evacuated. Severe fires raged through the mountain forests of the Kabylia region on the Mediterranean coast, fanned by hot winds amid blistering summer heat that peaked at 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) Monday. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sent his condolences to the families of those killed -- among them 10 soldiers trapped by flames at Beni Ksila, in Bejaia province, according to the defense ministry. Authorities reported progress in fighting back the almost 100 fires reported in recent days, having mobilized more than 8,000 civil defense personnel, over 500 fire trucks and multiple chartered aircraft. "Out of 97 declared fires, only 15 remained" at 8:30 am (0730 GMT) Tuesday, including two in worst-hit Bejaia, civil defense information officer Karim Belhafsi said on national television. The interior ministry expected to soon announce "the total extinction of all fires", he said, as the public prosecutor of Bejaia ordered an investigation into the causes of the fires and possible perpetrators. An unknown number of people suffered injuries from burns to smoke inhalation, and more then 1,500 were evacuated as the fires hit 15 provinces, especially Bejaia, Bouira and Jijel. Climate change and drought Much of the water-scarce northern African region has been hit by serious drought, severe summer heat and regular wildfires, a trend expected to worsen as climate change intensifies. Serious fires have also raged in recent days in neighboring Tunisia, especially the northwestern Tabarka region. An AFP team there witnessed significant damage and saw helicopters and Canadair water bombers in action. More than 300 people were evacuated from the coastal village of Melloula by boat and overland. Northern and eastern Algeria battle forest fires every summer. In August last year, 37 people were killed by fires in the northeastern El Tarf region, a year after 90 died, mostly in Kabylia. To prepare for this year's fire season, Algerian authorities deployed observation drones and created multiple helicopter landing sites. The government in May announced the purchase of a large water bomber aircraft and the rental of six others from South America. Algeria also placed an order with Russia for four water bombers, but reported that their delivery was delayed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The post Algeria battles raging wildfires that have killed 34 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Kyiv suicide bomber wounds 2 cops
A man attending a hearing at a court in Kyiv, Ukraine blew himself up in an apparent suicide bombing on Wednesday. The blast wounded two police officers who responded to the initial blast at the Shevchenkivskyi district court, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on social media. “Their lives were saved by their shields,” he said. The suspect was identified as Igor Gumenyuk. He was detained in 2015 in connection with the deaths of four national guardsmen. Kyiv City Military Administration said an explosion occurred at 17:20 p.m. local time while a defendant was being escorted by law enforcement to the courtroom. The General Prosecutor’s Office said that a man who had been taken to a court hearing had detonated an explosive device as he attempted to “escape from custody” when he was in a restroom. The court was cordoned off and there were a number of ambulances outside, an Agence France-Presse reporter at the scene said. Two ambulances were seen leaving the court building. Around 20 armed policemen in helmets were seen entering the premises. WITH AFP The post Kyiv suicide bomber wounds 2 cops appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»