Category Archives: Philippines

Philippine troops rescue Indonesian hostages and kill top Abu Sayyaf militant

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Military says Majan Sahidjuan, a mastermind in several kidnappings by Abu Sayyaf, died after a gun battle

Philippine troops have killed a leader of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group and rescued four Indonesian hostages held since last year, the military said on Sunday.

Majan Sahidjuan, alias Apo Mike, was severely wounded in a gunbattle with the marines on Saturday night in Languyan town in southern Tawi-Tawi province, and later died, said lieutenant general Corleto Vinluan Jr.

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Coronavirus live news: Scott Morrison and chief medical officer get second vaccine dose; US administers first vaccine dose to more than 100m

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Germany warns cases could hit Christmas peak by April; Australia records first local Covid case in more than two weeks; Poland reports rise in daily cases

In Australia a person who works in two Sydney quarantine hotels has tested positive to Covid-19.New South Wales health said it was notified of the new infection late last night. Urgent genomic testing is underway to determine the source of the infection, and the person’s close contacts have also been tested. It is the first locally-acquired case in 55 days in NSW. It’s not counted in today’s numbers but will be included in tomorrow’s.

NSW Health was notified late last night of a new case of COVID-19 in a person who works at two Sydney hotels which provide hotel quarantine for returned travellers. This case will be included in tomorrow’s numbers. pic.twitter.com/seNuUfBHBD

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Hong Kong activists and plight of the Uighurs: human rights this week in photos

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A roundup of the coverage on struggles for human rights and freedoms, from Colombia to the Sahara

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Amal Clooney decries ‘legal charade’ after journalist Maria Ressa charged again with libel

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High-profile barrister says 10th arrest warrant for Duterte critic showed the Philippines was trying to silence Ressa

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has accused the Philippine government of an “increasingly transparent campaign” to silence Maria Ressa after the journalist was charged with cyber libel for the third time.

Ressa, one of the Philippines’ most prominent journalists, already faces a series of legal charges that could lead to about 100 years in prison.

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Philippine tradition of ‘long Christmas’ survives Covid and typhoons

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Festive season usually last four months but this year as well as the pandemic there have been three strong storms

The strains of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer echo around a popular shopping mall in Quezon City, Manila. A band of mechanical snowmen, dressed in Santa hats, sway back and forth to the music, as shoppers – socially distanced – browse stacks of baubles and Christmas lights.

In the Philippines, a majority Catholic country, festive preparations are well and truly under way already. The country has one of the longest Christmas periods in the world, with celebrations beginning at the start of September and, for some, lasting as late as Valentine’s Day.

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Typhoon Vamco: extensive damage in the Philippines seen from sky – video

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Coastguard footage shows extensive flooding triggered by the typhoon in the northern Isabela province. Dozens of people were killed and thousands were rescued from fast-flowing floodwater, as the Magat Dam released water in the region.

Though waters have mostly receded since Wednesday, rescue teams continued to help people in places where waters remained high

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Typhoon Vamco: torrential rains force evacuations in Philippines – video

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Torrential rains from Typhoon Vamco have lashed the Philippines' main Luzon Island, causing flooding and widespread damage.

People sought shelter on higher ground due to flash floods on Thursday, and have been asked to move to evacuation centres in the capital, Manila, despite fears of the spread of Covid-19.

Vamco is the 21st such storm to hit the Philippines this year, following close after Super typhoon Goni which devastated the east of the nation in early November

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Journalist killed in Philippines in second attempt on his life

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Virgilio Maganes shot outside his home in what NUJP says is 18th such killing under Duterte

A Filipino journalist who survived a previous attempt on his life by pretending to be dead has been killed outside his home, police have said..

Virgilio Maganes, 62, who was a commentator for DWPR radio station in the northern province of Pangasinan, died instantly after he was shot six times by motorcycle-riding gunmen, Major Christian Alucod told AFP.

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Typhoon Goni kills at least 10 as it hits eastern Philippines

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Volcanic mudflows bury houses before powerful winds weaken as storm blows towards Manila

A powerful super typhoon has slammed into the eastern Philippines, killing at least 10 people and causing volcanic mudflows to bury houses before weakening as it blew towards Manila, where the capital’s main airport was shut down, according to officials.

Typhoon Goni hit the island province of Catanduanes at dawn on Sunday with sustained winds of 140mph (225km/h) and gusts of 174mph. It was heading west towards densely populated regions, including Manila, and rain-soaked provinces still recovering from a typhoon last week that left at least 22 people dead.

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Philippines orders thousands of evacuations ahead of 2020’s strongest storm

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System with 265km/h winds is expected to make landfall on Sunday on main island of Luzon, home to Manila

Philippine officials have ordered evacuation of thousands of residents in the southern part of the main Luzon island as a category-5 storm that is the world’s strongest this year approaches.

Typhoon Goni, with 215km/h (133 mph) sustained winds and gusts of up to 265km/h (164 mph), will make landfall on Sunday as the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines since Haiyan, which killed more than 6,300 people in 2013.

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‘We have a right to be at the table’: four pioneering female peacekeepers

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Twenty years after a landmark UN resolution, leading figures share insight on women’s vital role in mediating conflict

In October 2000, the UN security council adopted resolution 1325 – the first resolution that acknowledged women’s unique experience of conflict and their vital role in peace negotiations and peacebuilding. Twenty years on, we speak to four women helping keep the peace around the world.

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Les misérables nouveau: the lives of Filipina workers in the playground of the rich

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Thomas Morel-Fort went undercover to capture the lives of undocumented workers toiling inside the Paris and Côte d’Azur homes of the wealthy

At first glance, French photographer Thomas Morel-Fort’s work has all the trappings of a modern-day fairytale: princesses in lavish Parisian mansions; holidays in hilltop villas on the Côte d’Azur; promises of wealth and prosperity.

But his photographs reveal a grittier reality. Morel-Fort’s lens instead alights on the unseen Cinderellas, the Filipino women hired to cook, clean, iron, babysit and obey any commands that come their way, completely beholden to the whims of their demanding, powerful employers.

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UN accused over failure to investigate ‘war on drugs’ killings in the Philippines

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Human rights groups calling for a probe into president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics crackdown say abuses continue

The UN human rights council has been accused of a “collective failure” over its decision not to call for an investigation into the tens of thousands of killings alleged to have occurred under Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs”.

Human rights groups and UN experts had repeatedly called for an inquiry into the anti-narcotics crackdown, launched by the president after he won the 2016 election on a promise to rid the country of drugs.

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Young people resume global climate strikes calling for urgent action

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Greta Thunberg leads protests as Covid rules restrict numbers compared with last year

School pupils, youth activists and communities around the world have turned out for a day of climate strikes, intended to underscore the urgency of the climate crisis even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Social distancing and other Covid-19 control measures dampened the protests, but thousands of activists posted on social media and took to the streets to protest against the lack of climate action from world leaders. Strikes were scheduled in at least 3,500 locations around the globe.

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Some wipeout: Hawaii big wave surfer’s board floats 8,000km to Philippines

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More than two years after disappearing in a huge swell at Waimea Bay, Doug Falter’s board was found near the remote island of Sarangani

When big wave surfer Doug Falter lost his board in a wipeout in Hawaii, his best hope was for a local fisherman to pick it up. He never imagined it would be found more than 8,000km (5,000 miles) away in the southern Philippines.

But more than two years after watching his pale blue custom-shaped board disappear in the huge swell of Waimea Bay, Falter was alerted via social media that it had been found near the remote island of Sarangani.

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Duterte pardons US marine jailed for killing transgender woman Jennifer Laude – video

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The Philippine president pardoned a US marine on Monday in a surprise move that will free him from imprisonment for the 2014 killing of a transgender Filipino woman. Rodrigo Duterte said he had decided to pardon L/Cpl Joseph Scott Pemberton because the marine was not treated fairly after opponents blocked his early release for good conduct in detention. The case had led to calls from some in the Philippines to end the US military presence in the country, a former US colony with which Washington has a mutual defence treaty

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Philippines pardons US Marine for killing transgender woman

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President’s move to free Joseph Scott Pemberton condemned as ‘shameless mockery of justice’

The Philippine president has pardoned a US Marine in a surprise move that will free him from imprisonment for the 2014 killing of a transgender Filipino woman that sparked anger in the former American colony.

Teodoro Locsin Jr, the Philippine foreign secretary, tweeted that Rodrigo Duterte had “granted an absolute pardon” to L/Cpl Joseph Scott Pemberton “to do justice”, but did not elaborate. Duterte was to deliver televised remarks on Monday night where he would discuss Pemberton’s case, a presidential spokesman, Harry Roque, said.

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Revealed: the final call home made by captain of cattle ship that sank off Japan

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Dante Addug called his partner as water entered the Gulf Livestock 1 cargo ship but family has not heard from him since

The last time the captain of the Gulf Livestock 1 spoke to his partner, Typhoon Maysak was battering the ship and water was already flowing in. It was 8.30pm on Tuesday.

“He informed her that water had entered the ship. The last thing he said was he will go to the bridge to check the situation,” Maya Addug-Sanchez, the captain’s sister, told the Guardian. Addug’s family hasn’t heard from him since.

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