Other News

Islamic State kills 85 more members of Iraqi tribe

(Reuters) – Islamic State has executed 85 more members of the Albu Nimr tribe in Iraq, a tribal leader and security official said on Saturday, part of a mass killing campaign launched last week to break local resistance to the group’s territorial advances. Tribal chief Sheikh Naeem al-Ga’oud told Reuters Islamic State had killed 50 members of Albu Nimr who were fleeing the group in Anbar province on Friday. A further 35 bodies were found in […]

Typhoon “Paeng,” northeast monsoon, might affect Luzon areas

MANILA, Philippines —  Typhoon “Paeng”, the latest weather disturbance to enter the country, was spotted 1,220 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora as of 4:00 am today.  It is expected to move west northwest at 13 kph. Typhoon “Paeng” (international name: Nuri)  has maximum sustained winds of 120 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph.   The current Northeast Monsoon is also affecting Northern Luzon. PAGASA said the Bicol region, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, […]

Sueselbeck apologizes, leaves country to save job in Germany

MANILA, Philippines — Marc Sueselbeck, the German fiancé of slain Filipino transgender, Jeffrey “Jennifer”  Laude, left the Philippines Saturday after apologizing to Filipinos for his behavior, saying he was not aware of the “political part” of what he had done. ”If any Philippine person felt disrespected with what I did, I first want to apologize to all Philippine people. I always respected you. I want to say sorry to you all,” Sueselbeck said before boarding […]

Burkina Faso army backs presidential guard officer to lead transition

(Reuters) – Burkina Faso’s military backed a presidential guard officer on Saturday to lead a transitional government after the resignation of President Blaise Compaore, resolving a power struggle within the armed forces by sidelining the chief of staff. Senior military officials had held talks on Saturday aimed at averting bloodshed after Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida declared himself head of state in an early morning radio address, overruling military chief General Honore Traore’s claim to lead […]

South Africa nabs two Vietnamese men with 41kg of rhino horn

(Reuters) – South African authorities have arrested two Vietnamese men in possession of 41 kg of rhino horn, the largest haul nabbed in the country battling to stave off poaching of its dwindling stock of the wild animals. The population of rhinos, indigenous to southern Africa, is being decimated by poachers who supply a demand for horns for decorative and supposed medicinal purposes especially in Asian countries. A total of 933 rhinos were killed in […]

ASEAN Enhances Customs Transit System

JAKARTA (Courtesy ASEAN Secretary News) — In order to facilitate the transport of goods by road in ASEAN, while maintaining customs controls to protect government revenue and society, a workshop on ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS) Procedures was held in Jakarta on 28-29 October. Harmonised and mutually agreed customs procedures for the movement of transit cargo is seen as a cornerstone for the successful implementation of the ACTS. This project aims to develop the customs […]

Europe won’t recognize vote in eastern Ukraine, Merkel tells Putin

(Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone that Sunday’s planned elections in eastern Ukraine were illegitimate and would not be recognised by European leaders, a Berlin government spokesman said on Friday. Merkel and Putin held a joint telephone conversation with French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Merkel’s spokesman Georg Streiter said at a government news conference. He said in the call there were diverging opinions on Sunday’s […]

Canada imposes visa ban on three Ebola-hit countries

(Reuters) – Canada will stop issuing visas to people from the three West African nations where Ebola is widespread, the government said on Friday. The federal citizenship ministry, explaining the move, said in an official document that “the introduction or spread of the disease would pose an imminent and severe risk to public health”. About 5,000 people have died in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone this year in the worst Ebola outbreak on record. Fears […]

Philippines to learn from China’s experience in hosting APEC Summit

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will try to learn from China’s experience in hosting this year’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to effectively handle the large number of delegates arriving in the country when it hosts a similar event in November next year.Filipino officials will go to China next week to accompany President Aquino and at the same time learn from China’s hosting of the APEC, Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio […]