Indonesian authorities transferred two convicted Australian drug traffickers on Wednesday (March 4) to a maximum security prison inNusakambangan Island of central Java province. The prisoners were transferred despite pleas for mercy from the government ofAustralia. The executions threaten already fragile relations between at times uneasy neighbours Australia and Indonesia. Australians Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31, were transferred with tight security of ten armed security personnel for each person. The prisoners are among 11 […]
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Federal agents raid 20 suspected ‘maternity hotels’ in California
Federal agents raided about 20 Southern California locations on Tuesday (March 03) suspected of involvement in “maternity tourism” schemes offering travel and lodging services to pregnant foreign women seeking to give birth in the United States, U.S. immigration officials said. Authorities say the so-called maternity hotels targeted in the sweep catered largely to women from China who paid $15,000 to $50,000, depending on services provided, in hopes of obtaining U.S. citizenship for their children. The […]
Sandiganbayan allows Revilla to visit son at Asian Hospital; visit becomes emotional
Security at the Asian Hospital in Alabang, Muntinlupa was tight as Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., visited his son, Cavite Vice-Governor Jolo Revilla who accidentally shot himself while cleaning his Goc 40 caliber pistol at his home. Sen. Revilla was allowed by the Sandiganbayan to visit his son Tuesday, March 3, at the hospital for only five hours – from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. The senator arrived at around 2:15 p.m. According to Atty. […]
Maguindanao now under state of calamity; more than 40,000 individuals displaced by fighting
Maguindanao has been placed under a state of calamity after more than 40,000 people have been displaced in the province due to intense fighting between the government soldiers and members of rebel groups such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) According to figures from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao humanitarian emergency action response team (HEART), at least 8,236 families or 41,180 individuals were forced to feel their homes because of the government’s ongoing […]
Bill Gates tops Forbes rich list, Michael Jordan joins
Bill Gates stands atop Forbes magazine’s annual list of the world’s richest people, as Facebook Inc’s Mark Zuckerberg joined the top 20 and basketball starMichael Jordan plowed new air by making the list for the first time. Gates’ net worth rose to $79.2 billion from $76 billion a year earlier, putting the Microsoft Corp co-founder at the top for the 16th year in the last 21, Forbes said on Monday (March 2). Mexico telecommunications mogul […]
Obama, Israel’s Netanyahu clash over Iran diplomacy
President Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu clashed over Iran nuclear diplomacy on Monday on the eve of the Israeli prime minister’s hotly disputed address to Congress, underscoring the severity of U.S.-Israeli strains over the issue. Even as the two leaders professed their commitment to a strong partnership and sought to play down the diplomatic row, they delivered dueling messages. In an exclusive interview with Reuters, U.S. President Barack Obama tried to lay to rest any […]
Obama seeks freeze on Iran nukes
Iran must commit to a verifiable freeze of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear activity for a landmark atomic deal to be reached, but the odds are still against sealing a final agreement, U.S. President Barack Obama told Reuters on Monday (March 2). Interviewed at the White House, Obama moved to dial back tensions over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned speech to Congress on Tuesday opposing the Iran deal, saying it was a […]
Sea of people in central Moscow as thousands march in memory of murdered Boris Nemtsov
Tens of thousands of Russians marched through central Moscow on Sunday (March 1), carrying banners declaring “I am not afraid” and chanting “Russia without Putin” in memory of murdered Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov. Families, the old and young walked slowly, with many holding portraits of the opposition politician and former deputy prime minister who was shot dead while walking home from a nearby restaurant on Friday (February 27) night. The authorities have suggested the opposition itself […]
‘Jihadi John’ part of network linked to failed London bombers: court papers
(Reuters) – Islamist militant Mohammed Emwazi, identified as ‘Jihadi John’, was a member of a network in contact with one of the men convicted of trying to bomb the British capital’s underground railway in 2005, according to the government. The man dubbed by British media “Jihadi John” has fronted Islamic State videos from Syriathat showed either the killing or bodies of victims including British, U.S. and Japanese citizens and Syrian soldiers. U.S. security sources last […]
Samsung unveils sleek new Galaxy phones to take on Apple
(Reuters) — Samsung Electronics Co Ltd unveiled its latest Galaxy S smartphones on Sunday (March 1) featuring a slim body made from aircraft-grade metal, in a bid to reclaim the throne of undisputed global smartphone leader from Apple Inc. Designed from scratch in an operation dubbed “Project Zero”, the Galaxy S6 and its curved-edges variant are critical for Samsung’s plans to reverse plunging smartphone revenues that led to its first annual earnings fall in three […]
Nokor’s neighbors condemn firing of short-range missiles off coast
Both South Korea and Japan condemned Pyongyang firing of two short-range missiles off its east coast on Monday (March 2), a move seen as a protest against annual military exercises between the South and the United States that were due to start hours later. The missiles hit the sea early on Monday morning after traveling for about 490 km (305 miles), according to the South’s Defence Ministry. “North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into […]
LAPD shoot and kill a homeless man during confrontation
Los Angeles Police Department officers shot and killed a homeless man Sunday (March 1) during a confrontation on a downtown city street. Officials says the officers encountered the man while responding to a robbery call. Local media quote police as saying the man was resisting arrest, and tried to grab one of the officers weapons. The officer then shot the man. “During that altercation at least one less than lethal device, a taser, was deployed. However […]
