Low turnout mars oil-rich Iraq’s early election
BAGHDAD — Preliminary turnout figures Monday showed many citizens boycotted Iraq’s parliamentary election, held a year early to appease protestors, in an oil-rich country riddled by corruption and beholden to armed factions. “Get out there and vote, change your reality, for Iraq and for your future,” said Kadhemi, casting his ballot. The preliminary turnout falls below even that recorded in 2018, when 44.5 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. Viola von Cramon, who heads a team of EU observers, had late Sunday lamented the turnout, as partial data emerged. Another major force is the Fatah Alliance, the bloc representing many Iran-backed Shiite armed groups, which is expected to roughly retain its share of seats.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 11, 2021 05:48 UTC
PDP-Laban Cusi wing: Decision to field Bato as standard bearer isn’t last minute
MANILA, Philippines — The PDP-Laban faction’s decision to field Senator Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa as its standard bearer in the 2022 elections is not “last minute,” an official of the political group said Monday. He said this type of process was involved in picking Dela Rosa, which Duterte even agreed and endorsed the senator as the party’s standard bearer. Not a placeholder for other candidatesThe PDP-Laban also denied claims that Dela Rosa is only a “placeholder” for other candidates, particularly Davao City mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. However, an earlier interview, Matibag said that this is not yet with finality since substitutions are still possible until Nov. 15. (Cast it in stone that Senator Bato is the PDP-Laban’s candidate for president.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 11, 2021 04:41 UTC
4 nabbed for ‘theft, fencing’ of P1.3M cyclone wires in Tarlac
MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga––Police arrested a junk shop owner, two security guards, and another person in Capas town, Tarlac for alleged theft and fencing of some P1,330,000 worth of cyclone wires, authorities said Monday, Oct. 11. In a statement, the Tarlac police identified the suspects as Michael Cunanan, a junk shop owner in Cut-cut I village in Capas; security guards Christian Gamesira and Ace Jamandron; and one Mark Anthony Bulawan. ADVERTISEMENTIt said an inventory of materials by officials of VT Lao Construction in Cut-cut I village on Oct. 8 showed that 380 rolls of cyclone wires were missing. When the police inspected Cunanan’s junk shop, they allegedly found 38 rolls of the missing cyclone wires. The police said the junk shop owner had confessed that he had bought the cyclone wires from Gamesira, Jamandron, and Bulawan.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 11, 2021 03:56 UTC
Bato, told to run 2 hours before COC deadline, says willing to drop for Sara
Bato, told to run 2 hours before COC deadline, says willing to drop for SaraSen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa (right) holds his certificate of candidacy for president in the 2022 national elections. MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, standard-bearer of the administration-led faction of PDP-Laban, indicated Monday his willingness to drop his race should Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio decide to run for the country's top post. Speaking to reporters at a press briefing Monday morning, the police chief-turned-senator said that he was told to file his COC with hours left in the filing period on Friday. "If she will accept the offer to be PDP-Laban’s standard-bearer, then by all means, I will withdraw my COC," Dela Rosa said of the possibility that Duterte's daughter decides to run. Dela Rosa is among those charged for crimes against humanity in the complaint filed before the International Criminal Court.
Source:Philippine Star
October 11, 2021 03:56 UTC
'Maring' naging severe tropical storm na; Signal no. 2 itinaas sa 9 lugar
'Maring' naging severe tropical storm na; Signal no. 2 itinaas sa 9 lugarMANILA, Philippines — Lalo pang nag-ibayo ang lakas ng bagyong "Maring" habang kumikilos ito pakanluran sa Babuyan Islands, ulat ng state weather bureau. Ayon sa ung PAGASA, Namataan ang mata ng Severe Tropical Storm Maring 240 kilometro silangan ng Aparri, Cagayan bandang 10 a.m. ngayong Lunes. Posible ang mga kalat-kalat na flash floods at pagguho ng lupa sa mga lugar na "highly susceptible" sa ganitong mga pangyayari batay sa hazard maps. "This tropical cyclone may reach typhoon category tomorrow afternoon or evening over the West Philippine Sea," patuloy ng gobyerno.
Source:Philippine Star
October 11, 2021 03:54 UTC
Korea's Im shoots sizzling 62 to win Shriners Children’s Open by four shots
Korea's Im shoots sizzling 62 to win Shriners Children’s Open by four shotsKorean star Sungjae Im produced a scintillating final round of 9-under 62 to charge to a four-shot victory at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas on Sunday (Momday, Manila time) for his career second PGA Tour title. I know I won my first win on my 50th start, and to win my second PGA Tour win on my 100th start, that in itself is a pretty amazing stat. It was very tough to win the first one and I thought the second would be harder and harder. Wolff, who was chasing his second Tour victory, tipped his cap to the winner. I'm just in a really good spot and happy with where my game is at and my head's at.”Korea’s K.H.
Source:Philippine Star
October 11, 2021 03:33 UTC
Philippines gets new donated Pfizer doses from US
Philippines gets new donated Pfizer doses from USWorkers inspect the crates containing the Philippines' additional supply of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, which arrived on October 10, 2021MANILA, Philippines — The United States has sent 918,450 more donated doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to the Philippines that was coursed through the COVAX Facility. The National Task Force against COVID-19 said the latest shipment is part of the 1.8 million doses Washington has pledged to Manila. This brought the country's total supply of Pfizer vaccine to 18.92 million doses, according to Philstar.com's monitoring. Most of that came from the global initiative COVAX or at 10.81 million doses, while 8.10 million were procured by the national government. Some 26.48 million have since received an initial dose, with 49.67 million doses administered overall.
Source:Philippine Star
October 11, 2021 03:33 UTC
New Zealand reports fall in local COVID-19 cases, all in Auckland
New Zealand on Monday reported a slight easing in new COVID-19 cases, all of them in the country’s biggest city of Auckland, as authorities look to step up the pace of vaccination efforts to contain an outbreak of the Delta variant. A total of 35 new cases were reported, down from 60 on Sunday, taking the total cases in the current outbreak to 1,622. About 2.4 million New Zealanders have so far been fully vaccinated, or about 53% of the eligible population. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyFor more news about the novel coronavirus click here. For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 11, 2021 03:00 UTC
US says Taliban talks in Doha were ‘candid and professional’
WASHINGTON — The United States said on Sunday the first face-to-face meeting between senior U.S. and Taliban officials since the hardline group retook power in Afghanistan was “candid and professional” and that the U.S. side reiterated that the Taliban would be judged on their actions, not just their words. Biden administration officials told Reuters on Friday the U.S. delegation would press the Taliban to release kidnapped American Mark Frerichs. Another top priority would be to hold the Taliban to their commitment not to allow Afghanistan to again become a hotbed for al Qaeda or other extremists. The U.S. officials said the weekend meeting was a continuation of “pragmatic engagements” with the Taliban and “not about granting recognition or conferring legitimacy” to the group. Washington and other Western countries are grappling with difficult choices as a severe humanitarian crisis looms large in Afghanistan.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 11, 2021 02:37 UTC
PDP- Laban Cusi wing: ‘Bato’ not best presidential bet, but he’s available
ADVERTISEMENT“He [Dela Rosa] is the one who is available. Matibag said Dela Rosa was only an alternative for Go, whom they thought was the “most qualified” in the aspect of the “continuity” of President Duterte’s legacy. The processThe PDP-Laban official said that the decision to pick Senator Dela Rosa followed the party’s process and had President Duterte’s endorsement. ADVERTISEMENTThe PDP-Laban Cusi action earlier nominated and proclaimed Senator Bong Go as its presidential candidate with President Rodrigo Duterte as his running mate in the 2022 elections. In a surprise move on Oct. 2, however, Go instead filed his certificate of candidacy for the vice president, while President Duterte announced that he will retire from politics at the end of his term next year.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 11, 2021 02:26 UTC
US Navy engineer, wife charged with selling submarine secrets
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Navy nuclear engineer and his wife have been charged with selling secret information about nuclear submarines to an undercover FBI agent who posed as an operative for a foreign country, the Justice Department said on Sunday. ADVERTISEMENTJonathan Toebbe and his wife, Diana, were arrested on Saturday in West Virginia and charged with violating the Atomic Energy Act, the Justice Department said in a statement. They are scheduled to appear in a West Virginia federal court on Tuesday. The memory card contained “militarily sensitive design elements, operating parameters and performance characteristics of Virginia-class submarine reactors,” according to a federal court affidavit. Another memory card was concealed in a chewing gum package, the Justice Department said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 10, 2021 18:33 UTC
Death toll from Russian alcohol poisoning incident rises to 34
ADVERTISEMENTMOSCOW — The death toll from a mass poisoning linked to illegal alcohol in southwest Russia rose to 34 on Sunday, and 24 more people were being treated in hospital, local authorities said. Investigators in the Orenburg region opened criminal cases after people began dying of alcohol poisoning this week. Police have since detained 10 people in probes into the production and sale of illegal alcohol, TASS news agency reported. “There are 67 known victims of surrogate alcohol in the region, 34 of whom have died,” Orenburg’s local government was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. Seven of the people being treated in hospital were in a bad condition and four of them were on ventilators, it said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 10, 2021 18:33 UTC
Lebanon restores power supply after complete halt
DUBAI — Lebanon’s power supplies were back to normal on Sunday after a blackout the previous day when the country’s two biggest power stations shut down because of a fuel shortage, the Energy Ministry said. The closure piled further hardship on Lebanese struggling with job losses, soaring prices, and hunger wrought by the country’s worsening financial meltdown. On Saturday, Lebanon’s two largest power stations, Zahrani and Deir Ammar plants shut down due to fuel shortages, bringing the Lebanese power network to a complete halt. Lebanon has been paralyzed by an economic crisis that deepened as supplies of imported fuel have dried up. Many Lebanese normally rely on private generators that run on diesel, although that is in short supply.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 10, 2021 18:00 UTC
Shades of pink
Shades of pinkThe color pink evokes memories of my high school days when we girls wore baby pink polo-cut blouse and navy blue pleated skirt for uniform. However, a battle for the pink color between two most bitter rivals in the past elections is brewing. Both wearing pink attires as their campaign signature color, the battle for pink erupted between Vice President (VP) Leni Robredo and ex-Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. But it was former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando who popularized the color pink. The only difference now is the shades of pink that VP Robredo and Marcos wear.
Source:Philippine Star
October 10, 2021 15:56 UTC
Senate partial Pharmally report out this week
Senate partial Pharmally report out this weekThe committee, chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon, may also be holding its 12th and last hearing tomorrow, days after President Duterte issued a controversial memorandum barring officials from participating in the inquiry that senators and legal experts say was risking a constitutional crisis. MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Blue Ribbon committee may release this week a partial report on its investigation into the alleged anomalies in the procurement of P42 billion worth of COVID-19 supplies by the Duterte administration. Yang allegedly financed some of the transactions of Pharmally. Gordon also earlier indicated that the panel may ask the Anti-Money Laundering Council to look into possible criminal liabilities of Pharmally officials. He said there is a possibility that illicit or even drug money was used to finance the deals.
Source:Philippine Star
October 10, 2021 15:56 UTC