MANILA. Philippine police backed by commandos staged a massive raid on Tuesday and said they rescued more than 2,700 workers from China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and more than a dozen other countries who were allegedly swindled into working for fraudulent online gaming sites and other cybercrime groups.
The number of human trafficking victims rescued from seven buildings in Las Pinas city in metropolitan Manila and the scale of the nighttime police raid were the largest so far this year and indicated how the Philippines has become a key base of operations for cybercrime syndicates.
Cybercrime scams have become a major issue in Asia with reports of people from the region and beyond being lured into taking jobs in countries like strife-torn Myanmar and Cambodia. However, many of these workers find themselves trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.
In May, leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed in a summit in Indonesia to tighten border controls and law enforcement and broaden public education to fight criminal syndicates that traffic workers to other nations, where they are made to participate in online fraud.
Brig. Gen. Sydney Hernia, who heads the national Philippine police’s anti-cybercrime unit, said police armed with warrants raided and searched the buildings around midnight in Las Pinas and rescued 1,534 Filipinos and 1,190 foreigners from at least 17 countries, including 604 Chinese, 183 Vietnamese, 137 Indonesians, 134 Malaysians and 81 Thais. There were also a few people from Myanmar, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria and Taiwan.
It was not immediately clear how many suspected leaders of the syndicate were arrested.
Police raided another suspected cybercrime base at the Clark freeport in Mabalacat city in Pampanga province north of Manila in May where they took custody of nearly 1,400 Filipino and foreign workers who were allegedly forced to carry out cryptocurrency scams, police said.
Some of the workers told investigators that when they tried to quit they were forced to pay a hefty amount for unclear reasons or they feared they would be sold to other syndicates, police said, adding that workers were also forced to pay fines for perceived infractions at work.
Workers were lured with high salary offers and ideal working conditions in Facebook advertisements but later found out the promises were a ruse, officials said.
Indonesian Minister Muhammad Mahfud, who deals with political, legal and security issues, told reporters in May that Indonesia and other countries in the region have found it difficult to work with Myanmar on cybercrime and its victims.
He said ASEAN needs to make progress on a long-proposed regional extradition treaty that would help authorities prosecute offenders more rapidly and prevent a further escalation in cybercrime.
Santa Cruz, Laguna. Mahigit 1,000 mamamayan ang naserbisyuhan ng “Lab For All” Laboratoryo, Konsulta at Gamot medical caravan ni Unang Ginang Liza Araneta Marcos na inilunsad kahapon ng umaga sa Laguna Sports Complex, sa bayang ito.
Ang naturang medical caravan ayon sa Unang Ginang ay katuwang ang mga ahensya ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Technical Education and Skills and Development Authority (TESDA), PhilHealth at Department of Health (DOH) upang higit na maging matibay at ganap na maisakatuparan ang patuloy na pagtulong sa lahat ng mamamayang Pilipino lalo’t higit ang mga may sakit.
“Nais ng ating Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na maihatid ng personal sa ating mga kababayan ang tunay na serbisyong medikal kung saan hindi na kinakailangan pang lumuwas o magtungo sa mga ospital ang mga may simpleng karamdaman dahil ilalapit sa mga mamamayan ang libreng laboratoryo, konsulta at gamot para sa mga may sakit,” dagdag pa ng Unang Ginang.
Sinalubong si Gng. Marcos nina DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, TESDA Chairman Suharto Mangundadatu, DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa, at PhilHealth President Emmanuel Ledesma Jr.
Dumalo din sa naturang okasyon sina DSWD Usec. Pinky Romualdez at Usec Franz Imperial, mga kawani ng DOH, DSWD, TESDA At PHILHEALTH.
Russian authorities have announced the closure of a criminal investigation into the attempted armed rebellion led by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, stating that no charges will be pressed against him or his troops. The Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that the individuals involved in the mutiny, which lasted less than 24 hours, had ceased their activities related to the crime. This decision marks a significant development in the ongoing power struggle in Russia amid the 16-month-long war in Ukraine.
Over the weekend, the Kremlin declared that Prigozhin and his fighters would not be prosecuted after they halted the revolt, despite previously labeling them as traitors. The swift change in the government’s stance contrasted with the harsh treatment of anti-government protesters in Russia, many of whom received long sentences in penal colonies known for their severe conditions.
The whereabouts of Prigozhin remain unknown, and the Kremlin has stated that he may be exiled to neighboring Belarus. However, neither he nor Belarusian authorities have confirmed this information. Belarusian military monitors reported the landing of a business jet associated with Prigozhin near Minsk on Tuesday morning.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, portrayed the uprising as a clash between Prigozhin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Lukashenko did not immediately address Prigozhin’s fate in a speech on Tuesday.
The rebellion, which saw the mercenaries shoot down several Russian helicopters and a military communications plane as they approached Moscow, raised questions about the lack of serious resistance faced by the rebels. National Guard chief Viktor Zolotov explained that authorities concentrated their forces near Moscow to assemble a strong defense.
In his speeches, Putin criticized the organizers of the rebellion without mentioning Prigozhin by name. He praised the unity of the Russian people and emphasized the avoidance of major bloodshed. The Kremlin has sought to project stability and authority in the aftermath of the uprising.
The Institute for the Study of War in Washington, D.C., noted that the break between Putin and Prigozhin may be irreparable and that offering Belarus as a safe haven could be a trap. The future of Prigozhin’s mercenary force remains uncertain, as Putin has given them the option to come under the command of Russia’s Defense Ministry, leave service, or go to Belarus.
The situation surrounding Prigozhin and the failed rebellion continues to evolve, with many questions remaining unanswered regarding his fate and the implications for Russia’s power dynamics in the region.
SEATTLE. After decades of limited success, scientists say research has reached a turning point, with many predicting more vaccines will be out in five years.
These aren’t traditional vaccines that prevent disease, but shots to shrink tumors and stop cancer from coming back. Targets for these experimental treatments include breast and lung cancer, with gains reported this year for deadly skin cancer melanoma and pancreatic cancer.
“We’re getting something to work. Now we need to get it to work better,” said Dr. James Gulley, who helps lead a center at the National Cancer Institute that develops immune therapies, including cancer treatment vaccines.
More than ever, scientists understand how cancer hides from the body’s immune system. Cancer vaccines, like other immunotherapies, boost the immune system to find and kill cancer cells. And some new ones use mRNA, which was developed for cancer but first used for COVID-19 vaccines.
For a vaccine to work, it needs to teach the immune system’s T cells to recognize cancer as dangerous, said Dr. Nora Disis of UW Medicine’s Cancer Vaccine Institute in Seattle. Once trained, T cells can travel anywhere in the body to hunt down danger.
“If you saw an activated T cell, it almost has feet,” she said. “You can see it crawling through the blood vessel to get out into the tissues.”
Patient volunteers are crucial to the research.
Kathleen Jade, 50, learned she had breast cancer in late February, just weeks before she and her husband were to depart Seattle for an around-the-world adventure. Instead of sailing their 46-foot boat, Shadowfax, through the Great Lakes toward the St. Lawrence Seaway, she was sitting on a hospital bed awaiting her third dose of an experimental vaccine. She’s getting the vaccine to see if it will shrink her tumor before surgery.
“Even if that chance is a little bit, I felt like it’s worth it,” said Jade, who is also getting standard treatment.
Progress on treatment vaccines has been challenging. The first, Provenge, was approved in the U.S. in 2010 to treat prostate cancer that had spread. It requires processing a patient’s own immune cells in a lab and giving them back through IV. There are also treatment vaccines for early bladder cancer and advanced melanoma.
“All of these trials that failed allowed us to learn so much,” Finn said.
As a result, she’s now focused on patients with earlier disease since the experimental vaccines didn’t help with more advanced patients. Her group is planning a vaccine study in women with a low-risk, noninvasive breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ.
More vaccines that prevent cancer may be ahead too. Decades-old hepatitis B vaccines prevent liver cancer and HPV vaccines, introduced in 2006, prevent cervical cancer.
In Philadelphia, Dr. Susan Domchek, director of the Basser Center at Penn Medicine, is recruiting 28 healthy people with BRCA mutations for a vaccine test. Those mutations increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The idea is to kill very early abnormal cells, before they cause problems. She likens it to periodically weeding a garden or erasing a whiteboard.
Others are developing vaccines to prevent cancer in people with precancerous lung nodules and other inherited conditions that raise cancer risk.
“Vaccines are probably the next big thing” in the quest to reduce cancer deaths, said Dr. Steve Lipkin, a medical geneticist at New York’s Weill Cornell Medicine, who is leading one effort funded by the National Cancer Institute. “We’re dedicating our lives to that.”
People with the inherited condition Lynch syndrome have a 60% to 80% lifetime risk of developing cancer. Recruiting them for cancer vaccine trials has been remarkably easy, said Dr. Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, who is leading two government-funded studies on vaccines for Lynch-related cancers.
“Patients are jumping on this in a surprising and positive way,” he said.
Drugmakers Moderna and Merck are jointly developing a personalized mRNA vaccine for patients with melanoma, with a large study to begin this year. The vaccines are customized to each patient, based on the numerous mutations in their cancer tissue. A vaccine personalized in this way can train the immune system to hunt for the cancer’s mutation fingerprint and kill those cells.
But such vaccines will be expensive.
“You basically have to make every vaccine from scratch. If this wasn’t personalized, the vaccine could probably be made for pennies, just like the COVID vaccine,” said Dr. Patrick Ott of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
The vaccines under development at UW Medicine are designed to work for many patients, not just a single patient. Tests are underway in early and advanced breast cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer. Some results may come as soon as next year.
Todd Pieper, 56, from suburban Seattle, is participating in testing for a vaccine intended to shrink lung cancer tumors. His cancer spread to his brain, but he’s hoping to live long enough to see his daughter graduate from nursing school next year.
“I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, either for me or for other people down the road,” Pieper said of his decision to volunteer.
One of the first to receive the ovarian cancer vaccine in a safety study 11 years ago was Jamie Crase of nearby Mercer Island. Diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer when she was 34, Crase thought she would die young and had made a will that bequeathed a favorite necklace to her best friend. Now 50, she has no sign of cancer and she still wears the necklace.
She doesn’t know for sure if the vaccine helped, “But I’m still here.”
Research scientist Kevin Potts uses a multichannel pipette to dissociate ovarian cancer cells with the enzyme trypsin at UW Medicine’s Cancer Vaccine Institute Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Seattle. Once dissociated, the cells can then be either analyzed or re-seeded to conduct additional experiments. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Kailangan pa ring mag-angkat ng karne ng baboy sa kabila ng pag-apruba ng bakuna laban sa African swine fever (ASF), ayon sa Department of Agriculture (DA) nitong Lunes, Hunyo 26.
Kamakailan lamang ay inirekomenda ng Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) ang Vietnamese-manufactured na bakuna para sa approval ng Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Sa supply natin, kailangan pa rin nating mag-import ng ilang karne ng baboy hanggang matapos ang taon. Pero dahil sa pag-develop ng bakuna, makakaasa tayo na magpapatuloy ang ating programa para sa repopulation,” pahayag ni DA assistant secretary Arnel De Mesa.
“Batay sa aming mga datos, hindi na natin kailangang mag-import ng ganun karaming karne kumpara noong nakaraang taon,” dagdag pa niya.
Ayon kay Arlene Vytiaco, Assistant Director ng BAI, kapag naaprubahan na ang bakuna, magiging available ito sa iba’t ibang packaging. Mayroong 5 at 10-dose packaging para sa mga maliit na backyard farmers at 50-dose packaging naman para sa mga commercial growers.
“Sa aking kaalaman, mayroong tatlong packaging. Isang five doses, isang 10 doses, at isang 50 doses. Maaaring magkakahalaga ito ng mga 600 pesos kada dosis,” pahayag ni Vytiaco.
Nilinaw rin ni Vytiaco ang mga ispekulasyon na hindi kakayanin ng bansa ang sapat na bakuna para sa populasyon ng mga baboy. Sinabi niya na hindi lahat ng baboy ay babakunahan.
“Ang mga bakuna ay maaaring ibigay lamang sa mga baboy na may edad na 6 hanggang 10 linggo, partikular na sa mga growers,” paliwanag ni Vytiaco.
“Ang bilang na 600,000 ay para sa taong ito. Sa susunod na tatlong taon, bibigyan tayo ng isang milyong dosis kada taon,” dagdag pa niya.
MINA, Saudi Arabia. Some 2 million Muslim pilgrims officially began the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Monday, making their way out of Mecca after circling Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba, and converging on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert for a day and night of prayer.
One of the largest religious gatherings in the world has returned to full capacity this year for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago.
For pilgrims, it is a deeply moving spiritual experience that absolves sins, brings them closer to God and unites the world’s more than 1.8 billion Muslims. Some spend years saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the journey.
The rituals during Hajj largely commemorate the Quran’s accounts of Ibrahim, his son Ismail and Ismail’s mother Hajar.
Pilgrims have been doing the ritual circuit around the Kaaba since arriving in Mecca over recent days. As the last ones performed it Monday, the pilgrims made their way by foot or by bus to Mina, where they will camp in one of the largest tent cities in the world. They will pray throughout the day and night before traveling on Tuesday to Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his final sermon.
Mina is vast and open, with little respite from the desert heat and blazing sun. Soldiers sprayed pilgrims with water to cool them down.
Egyptian businessman Yehya Al-Ghanam said he was at a loss for words to describe his feelings upon arriving at Mina.
“Tears will fall from my eyes out of joy and happiness,” he said. “I do not sleep. I have not slept for 15 days, only an hour a day,” overwhelmed by the magnitude of the emotions surrounding his pilgrimage.
After Arafat, pilgrims collect pebbles from a site known as Muzdalifa to be used in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil back in Mina. The final three days of the Hajj coincide with the festive Eid al-Adha holiday, when Muslims around the world slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor.
Muslim pilgrims rest and read the Quran, the Muslims holy book, at the Mina tent camp during the Hajj, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, Monday, June 26, 2023. Muslim pilgrims are converging on Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca for the largest hajj since the coronavirus pandemic severely curtailed access to one of Islam’s five pillars. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Rizal, Laguna. Arestado ang isang guro na nanghalay sa 15 anyos na estudyante sa isinagawang manhunt operation sa Brgy. Laguan, sa bayang ito.
Kinilala ang suspek na si Joven Ramos Intia, 24 anyos na binata at residente ng Brgy. Pauli 1 sa nabanggit na bayan.
Ayon sa ulat na inihain ni Police Col. Randy Glenn Silvio, direktor ng Laguna Police Provincial Office kay PB General Carlito Gaces, hepe ng pulisya sa Calabarzon, si Joven, na nagtuturo sa Liceo de Calamba sa Calamba City, ang suspek sa panghahalay sa isang second year high school student noong ika-18 ng Pebrero, taong kasalukuyan. Ang krimen ay naganap sa loob ng silid-aralan ng guro.
Sa mga pahayag naman ni Police Captain Rolly Dahug, hepe ng pulisya sa Rizal Laguna, matapos magsumbong sa barangay ang biktima kasama ang kanyang mga magulang, nagtago agad si Intia.
Isang concerned citizen ang kusang tumungo sa himpilan ng pulisya at ibinahagi ang impormasyon tungkol sa kinaroroonan ng suspek.
Agad na isinilbi kay Joven ang warrant of arrest na inisyu ni Judge Ave Zurbito Alba ng Branch 8 ng Family Court ng Calamba City, Laguna.
Binanggit din ni Gaces na si Intia ay isa sa mga most wanted na suspek sa buong Calabarzon. Dahil dito, walang inirekomendang piyansa ang korte para sa pansamantalang kalayaan ng akusado.
The leader of the Wagner mercenary group defended his short-lived insurrection in an audio statement Monday, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first public appearance since the uprising that demanded his ouster, in a video aimed at projecting a sense of order after the country’s most serious political crisis in decades.
But uncertainty still swirled about his fate, as well as that of rebellion leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his private army, the impact on the war in Ukraine, and even the political future of President Vladimir Putin.
In an 11-minute audio statement, Prigozhin denied trying to attack the Russian state and said he acted in response to an attack on his force that killed some 30 of his fighters.
“We started our march because of an injustice,” Prigozhin said in a recording that gave details about where he is or what his future plans are.
A feud between the Wagner Group leader and Russia’s military brass that has festered throughout the war erupted into a mutiny that saw the mercenaries leave Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city and roll seemingly unopposed for hundreds of miles toward Moscow, before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.
The Kremlin said it had made a deal for Prigozhin to move to Belarus and receive amnesty, along with his soldiers. There was no confirmation of his whereabouts Monday, although a popular Russian news channel on Telegram reported he was seen at a hotel in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.
Russian media reported a criminal probe against Prigozhin continued, and some lawmakers called for his head.
In a return to at least superficial normality, Moscow’s mayor announced an end to the “counterterrorism regime” imposed on the capital Saturday, when troops and armored vehicles set up checkpoints on the outskirts and authorities tore up roads leading into the city.
The Defense Ministry video of Shoigu came as Russian media speculated that he and other military leaders have lost Putin’s confidence and could be replaced.
Shoigu was shown in a helicopter and then meeting with officers at a military headquarters in Ukraine in video broadcast on Russian media, including state-controlled television. It was unclear when it was shot.
General Staff chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov, also a main target of Prigozhin’s ire, has not appeared in public.
It was unclear what would ultimately happen to Prigozhin and his forces under the deal purportedly brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Though his mutiny was brief, it was not bloodless. Russian media reported that several military helicopters and a military communications plane were shot down by Wagner forces, killing at least 15. The Defense Ministry has not commented. Prigozhin denied there were any casualties on his side, but media reports indicated the airstrikes hit some Wagner vehicles, and messaging app channels featured images of the damage.
The U.S. had intelligence that Prigozhin had been building up his forces near the border with Russia for some time, suggesting the revolt was planned. That conflicts with Prigozhin’s claim his rebellion was a response to a Friday attack on his field camps in Ukraine by the Russian military, which he said killed a large number of his men. The Defense Ministry denied that.
Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency cited unidentified sources in the Prosecutor General’s office as saying the criminal case against Prigozhin hasn’t been closed, despite earlier Kremlin statements. The Interfax news agency carried a similar report.
Should the case continue, Prigozhin’s presence in Belarus — a staunch Kremlin ally — would offer little protection against arrest and extradition.
It was unclear what resources Prigozhin has to draw on, and how much of his substantial wealth he can access. Police searching his St. Petersburg office on the day of the rebellion found 4 billion rubles ($48 million) in trucks outside the building, according to Russian media reports confirmed by the Wagner boss. He claimed the money was intended to pay his soldiers’ families.
Russian media reported that Wagner offices in several Russian cities had reopened on Monday and the company had resumed enlisting recruits.
Several Russian lawmakers called for tight regulations of private military companies under a new law set to be considered — and some argued that Prigozhin must be punished.
Andrei Gurulev, a retired general and current lawmaker who has rowed with the mercenary leader, said Prigozhin and his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin, a former military officer who runs Wagner, deserve “a bullet in the head.”
“I firmly believe that traitors in wartime must be executed,” he said.
Prigozhin appeared nonchalant in some of the last video taken during the rebellion. As a convoy carrying him in an SUV drove out of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don after its brief occupation Saturday, he was asked how he viewed the result of his revolt, according to footage posted on Russian social media.
“It’s normal, we have cheered everyone up,” the mercenary chief responded.
Before the uprising, Prigozhin had blasted Shoigu and Gerasimov with expletive-ridden insults for months, attacking them for failing to provide his troops with enough ammunition during the fight for the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, the war’s longest and bloodiest battle.
Prigozhin’s rift with the military dates back years, to Russia’s intervention in Syria, where Wagner forces also were active.
Putin stood back from the feud and Shoigu and Gerasimov remained mum, possibly reflecting uncertainty about the president’s support. Observers said that by failing to end the feud, Putin had encouraged Prigozhin to raise the stakes dramatically.
Some analysts saw Prigozhin’s revolt as a desperate move to save Wagner from being dismantled after an order that all private military companies sign contracts with the Defense Ministry by July 1.
Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said on Twitter that Prigozhin’s mutiny “wasn’t a bid for power or an attempt to overtake the Kremlin,” but a desperate move amid his escalating rift with Russia’s military leadership.
While Prigozhin could get out of the crisis alive, he doesn’t have a political future in Russia under Putin, Stanovaya said.
Alex Younger, former head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency, said “everyone comes out of this weaker.”
He told the BBC that Prigozhin “didn’t have a plan, he didn’t have enough people” to succeed, while Putin looked indecisive, first vowing to crush the rebels, then striking a deal.
Russian media and commentators speculated that Shoigu could be replaced, but that Putin, who avoids making decisions under pressure, would likely wait before announcing a shakeup.
Putin held calls Monday with the leaders of Iran and Qatar, the Kremlin said, and addressed a forum of youth engineers in a pre-recorded video message that contained no mention of the mutiny.
It was not yet clear what the fissures opened by the 24-hour rebellion would mean for the war in Ukraine, where Western officials say Russia’s troops suffer low morale. Wagner’s forces were key to Russia’s only land victory in months, in Bakhmut.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense said Monday that Ukraine had “gained impetus” in its push around Bakhmut, making progress north and south of the town. Ukrainian forces claimed to have retaken Rivnopil, a village in an area of southeast Ukraine that has seen heavy fighting.
U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders of several of Ukraine’s European allies discussed events in Russia over the weekend, but Western officials have been muted in their public comments.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told broadcaster RT that U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy contacted Russian representatives Saturday to stress that the U.S. was not involved in the mutiny and considered it an internal Russian matter. There was no immediate confirmation from the U.S., although Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that U.S. officials had “engaged” with Russia to stress the importance of protecting U.S. citizens and interests.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that “the events over the weekend are an internal Russian matter.” The U.K. said “issues of regime in Russia are for Russia to resolve, first and foremost.”
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the revolt showed that the war is “cracking Russia’s political system.”
“The monster that Putin created with Wagner, the monster is biting him now,” Borrell said. “The monster is acting against his creator.”
_
AP first reported the story.
People shout and wave a flag of the Wagner Group military company to servicemen prior to their leaving an area at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry. After the deal was reached Saturday, Prigozhin ordered his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops. (AP Photo)
Pinawalang-sala ng United Arab Emirates (UAE) ang tatlong Filipino convict na ang dalawa ay nasa death row— dalawa sa kanila ay kinasuhan ng drug trafficking at isa ay may sentensyang 15 taon dahil sa paninirang-puri, ayon sa pahayag ng Palasyo nitong Biyernes.
Ayon sa isang pahayag mula sa Malacañang, humiling ng humanitarian pardon si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. para sa tatlong ito sa dalawang magkahiwalay na liham kay UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“I am pleased to inform you that the appeal of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for three Filipinos, two of which are sentenced to death because of drug trafficking and one sentenced for 15 years for the crime of slander, has been granted for humanitarian pardon by our President,” sabi ni UAE Ambassador to the Philippines Mohamed Obaid Salem Alqataam Alzaabi.
Pinuna rin ng Sheikh ang mahalagang ambag ng humigit-kumulang 600,000 na mga Pilipino na nagtatrabaho sa Arab nation.
Samantala, nagpasalamat si Marcos sa kanyang UAE counterpart sa desisyon na ito.
“That’s the least we can do,” ang sabi ni Marcos sa Sheikh. “Then the usual things about having stronger relations and I said my part about the very good treatment of Filipino nationals in UAE.”
Sa isang pahayag noong Sabado, sinabi ni OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino na ipinapakita ng pardon ang kahalagahan ng interbensyon ng pamahalaan sa mga kaso ng mga OFW na nahatulan ng krimen na may parusang kamatayan at naghihintay ng araw ng bitay sa ibang bansa.
Noong Enero, naghain ng resolusyon ang mambabatas na nanawagan sa mga naaangkop na komitiba sa House of Representatives na magsagawa ng imbestigasyon sa kalagayan ng mga OFW na nasa ganoong sitwasyon, pati na rin upang suriin ang tulong na ibinibigay ng estado upang matukoy ang posibleng mga pagpapabuti.
“Habang may panahon pa, gugulin natin ang lahat ng posibleng aksyon upang maisalba ang buhay ng ating mga OFWs,” sabi ni Magsino.
Ayon sa kanya, nagko-coordinate ang Kongreso sa Department of Migrant Workers at Department of Foreign Affairs kaugnay ng mga OFW na nasa death row pa rin sa UAE, Malaysia, China, Saudi Arabia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, at Japan.
Samantala, sinabi ng Malacañang na muling ibinigay ng pangulo ng UAE ang imbitasyon nito kay Marcos na dumalo sa 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference sa Dubai, isang kahilingan na unang ipinadala isang linggo na ang nakalipas sa panahon ng courtesy call ng UAE Ambassador sa Malacañang noong nakaraang linggo.
Sa kanyang bahagi, inimbitahan ni Marcos si Sheikh Mohamed na bumisita sa Pilipinas, ayon sa kanya ay laging malugod na tinatanggap ang UAE lider sa pagbisita sa bansa.
TAIPEI, Taiwan. Russia said on Sunday that China threw its support behind President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to stabilize the country after an aborted rebellion against the Kremlin by an army of mercenaries.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said China declared support for the leadership in Moscow during a previously unannounced trip to Beijing by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko.
“The Chinese side expressed support for the efforts of the leadership of the Russian Federation to stabilize the situation in the country in connection with the events of June 24, and reaffirmed its interest in strengthening the unity and further prosperity of Russia,” the Russian statement said.
Rudenko met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to discuss “international and regional issues of common concern,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on its website.
Rudenko’s visit came just a day after Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of private mercenary army Wagner Group, ordered his troops to march on Moscow in the greatest challenge to Putin’s more than two decades in power. Prigozhin later on Saturday reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into
It was unclear whether Rudenko’s visit to China was in response to the rebellion.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Sunday that the uprising was “Russia’s internal affair.”
“As a friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner in the new era, China supports Russia in maintaining national stability and achieving development and prosperity,” it said, without explicitly referencing Russia’s leadership.
The United States and other Western powers have urged Beijing not to supply Russia with arms that could be used in the Ukraine conflict. China in May sent an envoy to Ukraine and Russia in an attempt to mediate talks to end the war.
While in Beijing, Rudenko also held talks with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu. The two sides pledged to “strengthen solidarity and cooperation” and promote the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security-focused regional group that both Russia and China belong to, according to a readout of the talks by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“Under the complex and severe international situation, it is necessary to … communicate in a timely manner, ensure the stable and long-term relationship between the two countries and safeguard the common interests of both sides,” Ma said.
Although short-lived, analysts say the Wagner Group revolt exposed further weaknesses of Putin, whose image has already been badly bruised by the Ukraine war, which has dragged on for 16 months and claimed huge numbers of Russian troops.
Members of the Wagner Group military company load their tank onto a truck on a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023, prior to leaving an area at the headquarters of the Southern Military District. (AP Photo, File)
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
