APRIL 29 (Reuters) — Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday (April 29) he was recalling the nation’s ambassador to Indonesia in protest against the execution of two Australian drug smugglers. Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were executed by firing squad along with six other drug convicts from several countries shortly after midnight on Wednesday, local media said. “These executions are both cruel and unnecessary. Cruel because both Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran spent some […]
International
Nepal quake death toll could reach 10,000 says Prime Minister; Kathmandu residents flee quake-hit city
MANY residents of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu tried to leave the city on Tuesday (April 28) amid continuous tremors and after losing their homes in the weekend quake. People tried to get out of the city by every possible means. The surging demand has led transport prices to shoot up drastically. “We are not getting tickets in any vehicles. All the operators say whenever the vehicle moves, we’ll place you in that. They want 2,000 to […]
Families of nine facing death row emotional as midnight execution by firing squad set
NINE drug traffickers held emotional farewell meetings with their families at an Indonesian prison on Tuesday, after Jakarta rejected last-ditch pleas from around the world for clemency and ordered their mass execution to proceed within hours. “I won’t see him again,” said Raji Sukumaran, the mother of an Australian who will go before a firing squad along with a fellow countryman and convicts from Nigeria, Brazil, the Philippines and Indonesia. “They’re going to take him […]
State of emergency in Baltimore after riots
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard late on Monday (April 27) as firefighters battled blazes set by looters. Baltimore erupted in violence as hundreds of rioters looted stores, burned buildings and injured at least 15 police officers following the funeral of a 25-year-old black man who died after he was injured in police custody. The riots broke out just a few blocks from the funeral of Freddie Gray […]
Activists gather at Indonesian embassy in Manila in a last-minute appeal for clemency for Veloso
Activists and supporters gathered outside the Indonesian Embassy in Manila on Tuesday (April 28) in a last-minute appeal for clemency for a Filipina facing execution. Filipina migrant Mary Jane Veloso, a mother of two children, was arrested with 2.6 kilograms of heroin at Yogyakarta Airport in 2010. Hundreds of supporters marched to the embassy gate, carrying placards and banners urging Indonesia to stop the executions. “We’re very sad, we’re very outraged that the execution is […]
Filipino family and ambulance go to prison island ahead of execution
APRIL 28 (Reuters) — Family of Mary Jane Veloso, drug trafficker facing death penalty in Indonesia, arrived at Wijaya Pura Port on Tuesday (April 28), as they prepared to bid farewell with their loved one. The family was on the way to the prison island of Nusakambangan as executions of nine drug convicts, mostly foreigners, entered its final countdown. Ambulances with coffins inside arrived at the Nusakambangan prison island in central Java, where the nine […]
Pres. Aquino urges ASEAN to keep playing a positive role in resolving regional disputes
APRIL 28 — President Benigno S. Aquino III on Monday urged members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to continue playing a positive role in resolving territorial conflicts in the region. In his intervention during the 26th ASEAN Leaders’ Retreat at the Langkawi International Convention Center, President Aquino underscored the importance of promoting regional peace and stability with a “security architecture built on the primacy of the rule of law”. This is in […]
Nepalese wait for help as quake death toll tops 4,000
APRIL 28 (Reuters) — Shock turned to anger in Nepal on Tuesday (April 28) as some of the tens of thousands stricken by a devastating earthquake, which killed more than 4,000 people, expressed frustration at what they said was their government’s slow response to the crisis. Many people across Nepal slept in the open for a third night, their homes either flattened or threatened by tremors that spread more fear among a traumatized population. In […]
Mass cremation of bodies continues in Nepal as toll rises
APRIL 28 (Reuters) — Authorities in Nepal continued mass cremation on Monday (April 27) as bodies piled up following a powerful earthquake at the weekend that has killed more than 3,900 people. A powerful earthquake struck the Himalayan kingdom with the 7.9 magnitude at midday on Saturday (April 25) followed by several aftershocks. The government of Nepal has ordered the continuous cremation of the bodies to prevent spread of diseases. Families and friends of the […]
Indonesia awaits execution of convicted drug traffickers
APRIL 28 (Reuters) — Activities in Cilacap, where the prison island of Nusakambangan is located, remained normal on Tuesday (April 28) despite increased police presence at the port area as Indonesia waited for the imminent executions of convicted drug traffickers. Indonesia has informed two Australians, one Nigerian and four other death-row drug convicts that they will be executed in a matter of days, possibly as soon as Tuesday, despite last-minute appeals for clemency from the […]
Hong Kong’s migrant workers demand pardon for Filipina on death row
APRIL 28 (Reuters) — Dozens from Hong Kong’s migrant workers community, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, joined the global plea on Monday (April 27) to spare the life of a Filipina who is due to be executed in Indonesia for trafficking heroin. About 50 protesters shouted that the mother-of-two, Mary Jane Veloso, is “a victim not a criminal” and “stop the execution”, outside of the city’s Indonesian Consulate. Indonesia this weekend informed the group […]
Unemployment increases by 0.4 percent in France
APRIL 28 (Reuters) — The unemployment rates in France increased by 0.4 percent this March, according to figures released by the government Monday (April 27). Labor ministry data showed that the number of people registered out of work increased by 15,400 last month, bringing the total number of people seeking employment to 3,509,800. Mathieu Plane, Economist at the French economic think-tank French Economic Observatory (OFCE), said that monthly data can be volatile and that despite […]
