Spaniard in Makati scuffle blacklisted
The 49-year-old Spaniard who figured in a scuffle with a police officer in a subdivision in Makati City over alleged quarantine violations last March has been blacklisted by the Bureau of Immigration, an official said yesterday......»»
Makati mall to hold Pabasa
The Filipino Lenten tradition of pabasa or chanting the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will be held at a shopping mall in Makati City......»»
Envi group urges Senate to probe Samal-Davao bridge project
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 15 January) – The Sustainable Davao Movement has called on the Senate to investigate the implementation of the Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) project due to the ties of the government’s winning contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), to the China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), which the United States government blacklisted in […].....»»
Globe blocks 400k malicious sites
Wireless giant Globe Telecom Inc. has blacklisted more than 400,000 sites involved in malicious activities, such as child pornography and illegal gambling......»»
Bureau of Immigration: No entry ban on ICC probers
Unless they are blacklisted by the courts or deemed as undesirable aliens, investigators from the International Criminal Court (ICC) looking into the conduct of the war on drugs under Rodrigo Duterte are free to enter the country......»»
BI to blacklist over 400 aliens for being petitioned by fake companies
AT LEAST 400 foreign nationals are set to be blacklisted after having been found to be petitioned by fake companies while four immigration lawyers are also under investigation in relation to the modus. This was announced by Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco, who said that the move is part of the agency’s campaign […].....»»
BI nabs ‘blacklisted’ Chinese man at NAIA 3
“The Bureau of Immigration remains vigilant and steadfast in ensuring that individuals complying with our laws are welcomed, while those who violate our regulations are held accountable.” Thus stressed Bureau of Immigration (BI) chief Norman Tansingco, as he announced the arrest of a Chinese man who, while being blacklisted in the country, attempted, to depart […].....»»
MECO wants placement firm blacklisted
The Manila Economic and Cultural Office yesterday sought the blacklisting of a placement agency for allegedly defrauding Taiwan-bound Filipino scholars......»»
Hamas masterminds top Israel’s ‘dead man walking’ hit list
Israel has threatened that every Hamas member faces death when it invades Gaza but two accused masterminds of the October 7 attacks are at the top of its hit list. Military strategist Mohammed Deif and political leader Yahya Sinwar have already spent time in Israeli or Palestinian jails and been the targets of multiple attempts to kill them. The hunt for the two most senior Hamas leaders in the besieged Gaza Strip will be fierce this time. In the war of words leading up to the impending ground offensive, Israel has said that Sinwar is "a dead man walking" after Hamas fighters killed about 1,400 people and abducted more than 200 in the worst attacks suffered by Israel since its creation 75 years ago. Israel has responded with a withering bombardment of Gaza that has killed more than 3,700 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and with a volley of deadly warnings. "Hamas terrorists have two options: Be killed or surrender unconditionally. There is no third option," Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said. Hamas spokesmen have responded that the Palestinian Islamist group is "not scared". Security sources outside Gaza say Deif and Sinwar are now embedded in a network of tunnels built to resist the bombing campaign launched after the brutal attacks on communities and military bases near the border shook Israel to its core. But the pair have spent years operating in the shadows. Israel has singled out the 61-year-old Sinwar, who was elected Hamas leader in Gaza in 2017 after Ismail Haniyeh became the movement's supreme leader. Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht called Sinwar the "face of evil" and declared him a "dead man walking". Sinwar was a founding member of Hamas in 1987 during the first Palestinian intifada or uprising and rose through the ranks as a fierce advocate of armed struggle. A graduate of the Islamic University in Gaza, he learned Hebrew during 23 years in Israeli jails. Sinwar was serving four life terms for the killing of two Israeli soldiers when in 2011 he became the most senior of 1,100 Palestinians released in exchange for French-Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. In the shadows Sinwar and Deif were both born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Gaza and added to the United States' list of most wanted "international terrorists" in 2015. Hamas is blacklisted as a "terrorist organisation" by the European Union as well as the United States. Much less is known about Deif, Israel's number one public enemy for the past two decades during which he has been accused of organising suicide attacks, kidnappings and other raids. There is only one known full-face photo of the commander of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing. It is at least 20 years old. The others show him either in a mask or standing in the shadows to avoid identification. An audio message from Deif was transmitted by Hamas media on the morning of the attacks dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. "The rage of our people and our nation is exploding," he said. Deif was born Mohammed Diab al-Masri in 1965. His assumed name means "Guest" in Arabic and he reportedly never spends more than one night in the same place. Enemies have dubbed him the "cat with nine lives" as he has survived at least six attempts to kill him. Deif's wife and at least one child were killed in an Israeli air strike during the 2014 Gaza war. Deif has reportedly lost one eye and been left disabled by the attempts on his life but it has not weakened his influence. He has been involved with Hamas since the 1980s and was arrested at the start of the second intifada but escaped, or was released, from a Palestinian Authority prison in 2000. He became head of the Hamas military wing in 2002 and has been Israel's bete noire ever since. Israel has sent repeated warnings to the Hamas leadership since October 7. "Every member of Hamas is a dead man," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But experts say that eliminating Sinwar and Deif would severely weaken but not crush Hamas, which is Israel's declared aim. "Sinwar and Deif are clearly first priority leadership, the loss of which would damage Hamas, but one presumes that the group has contingencies about their loss," said H.A. Hellyer, an international security specialist at the Royal United Services Institute in London. The post Hamas masterminds top Israel’s ‘dead man walking’ hit list appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DOJ: BI agents offer P150,000 escort fee
Persons who are blacklisted from entering and departing the country can still do so as some agents of the Bureau of Immigration are reportedly offering escort services in exchange for P150,000, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla......»»
A Chinaman’s chance
(Lest anyone take quick offense, let me say at the outset that I am not a racist. My use of the term is simply for purposes of this column and for context.) Before people became overly sensitive about perceived racist remarks, we used to say — when someone had only a remote chance of succeeding at something — “he doesn’t have a Chinaman’s chance.” I was reminded of that phrase recently when Huawei, one of China’s biggest phone companies, released two weeks ago the Mate 60 Pro, its latest flagship phone, without much fanfare. And never had such a quiet launch made so much noise around the globe. For a bit of context, during the Trump administration, an oppressive trade sanction was put in place by the United States against the selling of advanced microprocessors to Chinese companies, in order to prevent the Chinese from catching up with the US in 5G technology. Not only was the ban imposed on American manufacturers, but pressure was also brought to bear on chip makers in other countries allied with the US. The first to dutifully comply was Korean electronics giant Samsung, which must have regretted its decision, seeing as how it lost 60 percent of its sales almost overnight. For a while, Huawei was in a panic, as it halted the production of 5G phones when stockpiles of the banned chips ran out; for a while, it was reduced to selling mobile phones with obsolescent technology. But the Americans and their cronies did not count on the resilience of the Chinese people, a relentlessness that has helped its civilization survive after more than 2,000 years of foreign intervention. Forced to do without imported chips, Huawei focused all its efforts on developing a substitute. In a couple of years, its team of hundreds of technology experts, mathematicians, engineers, and metallurgists did the seemingly impossible: They created a 5G chip without any help from anyone. One could, therefore, not fault Huawei for releasing its 5G phone at the very same time that US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was in Beijing on an official visit — as if to say, “In your face, America!” This Chinese triumph is but one of many instances where US attempts to undermine Chinese trade backfired big time on America. In 2011, China was banned by the US Congress from joining the Space Station program of NASA. China promptly built its own space station, the Tiangong, 10 years later. Sometime after, when America was developing the Global Positioning System, it also shut out China, which then launched its own satellites to power its own positioning system. The West also demonized China for being the “world’s biggest carbon polluter,” so its factories started working on lithium-ion batteries (90 percent of whose raw materials are mined in China) and now it dominates the electric car market worldwide. Using the status of the dollar as a world currency, the West imposed other trade sanctions on China, thus impelling it to put up its own version of the World Bank and organizing the BRICS countries that will no longer use the dollar as a medium of exchange. A total of 721 big Chinese companies were blacklisted from trading with US corporations; the Chinese started trading with most of the emerging economies and became the second largest economy in the world. It would appear that it still hasn’t sunk in with the American leaders that their days of global hegemony are long over. There is a new challenger on the scene whose government is more committed to making it stronger economically, militarily, and diplomatically. As the new generation of Americans struggles with questions of pronouns, transitioning, decriminalizing robbery and drug use, and legalizing abortion, the young people of China are concentrating on mastering math and technology, becoming part of a disciplined army, building their GDP, and making their society orderly and crime-free. If this keeps up, it will be America that will, ironically, not have a Chinaman’s chance to prevail. The post A Chinaman’s chance appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Woody Allen says supports 'MeToo as 50th film shows at Venice
After a critical mauling for Roman Polanski, there was a warmer reception at the Venice Film Festival on Monday for another blacklisted director -- Woody Allen -- who insisted he supported the #MeToo movement "when it's beneficial". The festival also saw the dark side of Elvis Presley with Sofia Coppola's well-received biopic of the rocker's wife, "Priscilla". But there was particular adulation for Allen's 50th film, "Coup de Chance" ("Stroke of Luck"), underlining that he is now far more popular in Europe than the United States. His first movie entirely in French is a classic Allen morality tale about love, infidelity and murder. Most reviews called it his best work in a decade, following a weak run of films from the prolific director. "I thought to myself: it's my 50th film and I love Paris so much that I'll make it in French... And then I could think I'm a genuine European filmmaker," he told reporters. The 87-year-old has been shunned by Hollywood since the #MeToo movement emerged, due to allegations he molested his adopted daughter in the 1990s, which he says were fabricated by his ex-partner Mia Farrow. He told Variety that he backed #MeToo "where it does something positive. "I read instances where it's very beneficial... for women," he said, but added: "When it's silly, it's silly." Cancelled himself The festival has drawn flak for including Allen and Polanski, who has a child sex conviction and faces other unresolved assault allegations, in its out-of-competition section. Allen's film fared far better than Polanski's slapstick comedy "The Palace", which was torn to shreds by critics after its premiere on Saturday. Set in a fancy Swiss hotel at the turn of the century, and with jokes that include a dog humping a penguin, critics called "The Palace" a "laughless debacle" (Variety) and "soul-throttlingly crap" (The Telegraph). "It beggars belief, but, at the age of 90, Polanski may have actually cancelled himself with a film that will probably never see the light of day in any English-speaking countries," wrote Deadline. American myth Meanwhile, Priscilla Presley joined Coppola on the red carpet for the biopic of her life. There were strong reviews, though many said it made disturbing viewing, showing Elvis wooing a 14-year-old when he was 24 -- "an insecure narcissist fixated on a teenage girl and unwilling to allow his young wife any independence," according to The Independent. Priscilla herself told reporters "Sofia did an amazing job", but added: "It's very difficult to sit and watch a film about you, about your life and your love." She defended their relationship, saying they"never had sex" when they were first together during Elvis's military service in Germany. "He was very kind, very soft, very loving, but he also respected the fact that I was 14-years-old," she said. Coppola won the top prize Golden Lion in Venice in 2010 for "Somewhere" -- controversially awarded by her ex-boyfriend, Quentin Tarantino. Her new film stars Cailee Spaeny ("Mare of Easttown") as Priscilla, and Jacob Elordi, famous as the heartthrob in Netflix show "Euphoria", as the rock'n'roll legend. There are 23 films competing for the Golden Lion, to be announced on Saturday. Frontrunners include "Poor Things", with Emma Stone as a sexually voracious reanimated corpse, and "Maestro", in which Bradley Cooper transforms into legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. David Fincher's "The Killer", starring Michael Fassbender as a cold-blooded assassin losing control, and Michael Mann biopic "Ferrari", were also well-received by critics. Many of the stars have been unable to attend the festival due to strikes by Hollywood actors and writers, primarily over pay in the streaming era and the potential threat of AI. The post Woody Allen says supports #MeToo as 50th film shows at Venice appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US raises concern on Chinese firm in Manila Bay reclamation
The United States embassy in Manila has raised with the Philippine government its concerns over ongoing reclamation projects in Manila Bay and the project ties with a Chinese firm blacklisted for helping Beijing construct and militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea......»»
China imposes export curbs on critical metals, drones
Chinese controls on exports of two metals critical to making semiconductors came into force on Tuesday, a day after Beijing imposed curbs on the foreign sales of some drones. The Biden administration has in recent months stepped up measures to restrict Chinese companies' access to the most advanced semiconductors. China, which seeks to become self-sufficient in semiconductor design, says those measures are aimed at maintaining US supremacy in the field. From Tuesday, Chinese companies seeking to export gallium or germanium will need to obtain a license, according to a directive from the Ministry of Commerce. Under the new rules, they will also need to provide information on the final recipient and give details about their end use. China accounts for 94 percent of the world's production of gallium -- used in integrated circuits, LEDs and photovoltaic panels -- according to a report by the European Union published this year. For germanium, essential for fiber optics and infrared, China makes up 83 percent of production. The export curbs "send a clear signal that China holds all of the power in this dangerous game", analyst James Kennedy told AFP, calling the curbs "an unambiguous message" to the United States. "If the US chooses further escalation, China's next response will have consequences." For now, he said, China "aims to cause a minimum of damage" to the United States, because their needs in gallium and germanium are "low" and the metals can be acquired elsewhere. The measures come as the Biden administration mulls fresh curbs on Chinese access to high-tech chips, as well as on outbound US investments in China. Drone export ban They also follow curbs by Beijing on the exports of certain types of unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones. As of September 1, exporters will require a license laying out their end use as well as other details before they can be sold overseas. A China commerce ministry spokesperson said the move was not aimed at "any specific country or territory". But they did cite the risk of drones "being converted for military use" in justifying the restrictions. China is a major exporter of drones, with the US-blacklisted DJI representing more than 70 percent of global market share, according to CNBC. The company's drones are reported to have been used extensively by both sides in the war in Ukraine. In April 2022, DJI said it was temporarily suspending business in both Russia and Ukraine while it "internally reassess(ed) compliance requirements". The United States has accused China of mulling arms shipments to support Russia's campaign -- claims Beijing has strongly denied. A US intelligence report last week said Beijing likely supplied Moscow with dual-use civilian-military equipment employed in Ukraine, but noted that it is "difficult to ascertain the extent to which (China) has helped Russia evade and circumvent sanctions and export controls". The post China imposes export curbs on critical metals, drones appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Italy to lift flight ban on Libyan carriers: interim PM
Air travel between Libya and Italy will resume in September after a nearly decade-long suspension following an EU ban, the head of the Tripoli-based UN-backed government said on Sunday. "The Italian government has informed us of its decision to lift the air embargo imposed on Libyan civil aviation for 10 years," interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said on Twitter. The Italian government did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation from AFP. The Italian embassy in Tripoli said however in a tweet that the head of Italy's civil aviation authority, Pierluigi Di Palma, discussed the resumption of flights with Libyan officials in Tripoli. Flights between the two countries were halted in 2014 after the European Union blacklisted Libyan airlines and banned them from flying over European airspace. Dbeibah said on Sunday that flights between Tripoli and Rome are expected "to resume in September" but he did not specify if Libyan carriers would be removed from the EU blacklist. Malta is the only other European country to have resumed flights with Libya. Oil-rich Libya plunged into years of chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed strongman Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Since then, the North African country has been divided, with one administration based in Tripoli and the other in the east where it is backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar. Armed groups have exploited the turmoil to fund their activities through fuel smuggling and the illegal trafficking of migrants. European countries suspended flights to Libya in 2014 after a coalition of mostly Islamist militias called "Fajr Libya" seized Tripoli following weeks of fierce fighting that caused massive damage to Tripoli's international airport. The post Italy to lift flight ban on Libyan carriers: interim PM appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden to host Swedish PM for talks on NATO, Ukraine
US President Joe Biden will host Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson next week to talk about transatlantic security cooperation and the war in Ukraine, the White House said Saturday. The two leaders "will review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement about the Wednesday meeting. Sweden asked to join NATO in May 2022, three months after Russia invaded Ukraine, but its membership bid, which must be ratified by all 31 member states, has been blocked by Turkey and Hungary. Western officials had hoped to formally welcome Sweden into the bloc by the time a NATO summit is held in Lithuania on July 11-12. But earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced Sweden for allowing a protest during which a man burned pages from the Koran, further clouding the Nordic nation's chances of quickly joining the military alliance. "I am delighted that President Biden is inviting us to a meeting next week, before the NATO summit in Vilnius the following week," Kristersson said in a statement. "The focus of the visit will be on Sweden's NATO accession." The White House said Biden and Kristersson will also "discuss our shared commitment to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia's brutal war of aggression." They will additionally talk about transatlantic coordination on China, climate change and emerging technologies. Western officials had hoped Erdogan would soften his position on Sweden's bid to join NATO after he secured a hard-fought reelection in May. Western allies and Stockholm have insisted that Sweden has met the terms of a deal agreed with Ankara last year. That accord includes a commitment to crack down on opposition Kurdish movements, such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK, blacklisted by Ankara which considers them "terrorist" groups. Top diplomats from Turkey and Sweden will meet on Thursday, the day after Kristersson's White House visit, at NATO headquarters in Brussels for talks on Stockholm's bid to join the alliance. Turkey dropped objections to Sweden's Nordic neighbor Finland joining earlier in the year and Helsinki became a NATO member in April. Meanwhile, Hungary's parliament had been expected to vote on Sweden's bid by the end of its "extraordinary summer session" on July 7, but did not list it as an order of business for the session. md/ssy/nro/acb © Agence France-Presse The post Biden to host Swedish PM for talks on NATO, Ukraine appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BSP intensifies campaign vs illegal money changers
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas continues to intensify its fight against illegal money service businesses as it blacklisted six more unregistered entities operating in Pasay, Makati and Pampanga......»»
NEA warns ECs against blacklisted contractors
The National Electrification Administration has warned all electric cooperatives nationwide against blacklisted contractors to prevent delays in the implementation of subsidy-funded projects......»»
Russia issues ban on 500 Americans, warrant for ICC prosecutor
Moscow has banned 500 Americans, including former president Barack Obama, and issued an arrest warrant for the International Criminal Court prosecutor who charged Russian President Vladimir Putin with war crimes. Russia’s foreign ministry said Friday the entry ban on 500 Americans is in retaliation to the United States’ sanctions on Russian individuals and companies over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “Washington should have learned a long time ago that not a single hostile step against Russia will be left unanswered,” the foreign ministry said, according to Agence France-Presse. Aside from Obama, Russia’s ban list includes television hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers; CNN anchor Erin Burnett; and MSNBC presenters Rachel Maddow and Joe Scarborough. Also blacklisted were senators, congressmen and members of think tanks “involved in the spread of Russophobic attitudes and fakes” and the heads of companies that “supply weapons to Ukraine.” Meanwhile, Karim Khan, the British prosecutor at the Hague-based ICC, is now wanted in Russia for issuing an arrest warrant against Putin in March, Al Jazeera reported citing reports by TASS news agency. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which handles major crimes, said in March that Khan was being probed for the criminal prosecution of a person known to be innocent “in reference to the war crime charges against Putin,” according to Al Jazeera. The ICC charge against Putin stemmed from his alleged unlawful deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia. Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, also was ordered arrested for the same charge as Putin’s. Kyiv claimed that more than 19,000 Ukrainian children, including 4,000 orphans, have been deported to Russia since February 2022, Al Jazeera reported. The post Russia issues ban on 500 Americans, warrant for ICC prosecutor appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Russia bans entry to 500 US nationals including Obama
Russia on Friday said it banned entry to 500 Americans, including former president Barack Obama, in response to sanctions imposed by Washington. "In response to the anti-Russian sanctions regularly imposed by the Biden administration... entry into the Russian Federation is closed for 500 Americans," the foreign ministry said, adding that Obama was among those on the list. On Friday, the United States added hundreds more companies and individuals to its sanctions blacklist as it broadened efforts to choke off Russia's economy over the Ukraine offensive. "Washington should have learned a long time ago that not a single hostile step against Russia will be left unanswered," the foreign ministry said. Among those listed were television hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers. CNN anchor Erin Burnett and MSNBC presenters Rachel Maddow and Joe Scarborough were also included. Russia said it blacklisted senators, congressmen, and members of think tanks "involved in the spread of Russophobic attitudes and fakes" and the heads of companies that "supply weapons to Ukraine." In the same statement, Russia said it had denied a consular visit to detained US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested in March on claims of spying. The refusal was triggered by a refusal from Washington to issue visas to journalists traveling to the United Nations with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in April. The post Russia bans entry to 500 US nationals including Obama appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Solon seeks probe vs alleged NIA’s ‘institutional corruption’
Senator Raffy Tulfo lambasted several incomplete projects of the National Irrigation Administration due to alleged “institutional corruption” by its contractors, causing trouble to the country’s irrigation program. Amid corruption issues, Tulfo is urging his colleagues to conduct an inquiry on NIA’s “wastage of billions of pesos” for irrigation development and restoration. “I won’t hesitate anymore and I will expose that the government is wasting billions of pesos with NIA,” said the senator on Wednesday. He also stressed that the government-owned and controlled irrigation corporation has been given a total budget of P121 billion for the past six years. Tulfo lamented NIA has started several projects with its contractors in the last five years and yet, despite having the Notice to Proceed, none was ever completed until now. While NIA said it did not release the full amount to contractors, Tulfo said there was no reason for the department to hold the budget intended for addressing the needs of the farmers such as farm machinery, fertilizer subsidies, and livelihood capital. “Aside from this, NIA did not publicize some contracts,” said Tulfo, stressing the importance of public bidding as he criticized the underperformance of the NIA’s contractors despite continuously awarding them with projects for irrigation projects. “This is an undeniable red flag of institutional corruption. We give these contractors the people’s tax money and they just give us falsified reports of their accomplishment to help them in corruption,” Tulfo said. The lawmaker identified the four contractors allegedly being favored by NIA which include Oscar Sarmiento Construction Inc. (Sta. Mesa, Manila), R.D. Interior Junior Construction (Quezon City), J.D. Construction and Supply (Makati City), and Brostan Construction (Caloocan City). “These are just among contractors that have been continuously awarded with projects by NIA despite not finishing their contracts,” said the senator. Tulfo said some of these contractors were even put on the blacklist by NIA. He said his office obtained documents, revealing that these contractors are just changing their company names which allow them again to join in the government’s bidding process after being blacklisted. He added there are also “ghost projects” worth P890 million, mostly in Mindanao, that were funded by the government, yet even a groundbreaking never happened. “There appears to be a wide-scale corruption scheme that has persisted for far too long,” said Tulfo, adding that there is a need to investigate the matter and make responsible individuals accountable for the corruption. “Our government is fighting for every peso of revenue, and we keep on increasing taxes for everyone, while we waste so many funds feeding corruption and ‘padrino systems’ in government infrastructure programs,” Tulfo said. The post Solon seeks probe vs alleged NIA’s ‘institutional corruption’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»