Maniolas

The Empire State Building dimmed its lights and the Eiffel Tower went dark Saturday as iconic landmarks across the world observed Earth Hour, the global climate change awareness campaign. The usually glittering nighttime majesty of the Empire State Building was set to “faint sparkle” in New York, while theaters on Broadway also toned down the neon. Millions of people around the world were taking part in the annual Earth Hour organized by conservation group WWF, with a string of well-known sights plunging into darkness globally. Take a look at how different countries all over the world participated in this year’s Earth Hour:  COLOMBIA People light candles during Earth Hour environment campaign at the Jardin Plaza mall in Cali, Valle del Cauca department, Colombia, on March 28, 2015. Millions are expected to take part around the world in the annual event organised by conservation group WWF, with hundreds of well-known sights set to plunge into darkness. AFP VATICAN CITY Activists of World Wide Fund (WWF) have set up pandas near St Peter’s square as part of the Earth Hour campaign on March 29, 2014 at the Vatican. Lights went off in thousands of cities and towns across the world on today for the annual Earth Hour campaign, which is aiming to raise money via the Internet for local environmental projects. AFP PORTUGAL A boy with his face decorated with luminous ink poses for a photograph with others during the symbolic switching off of the lights known as Earth Hour, Saturday, March Read More …

The Philippines dismissed concerns by China over Manila’s plan to repair military facilities in the South China Sea, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Saturday, insisting Manila has sovereign rights over territories in the disputed areas. The possible repair “is no way comparable to China’s massive reclamation activities, which not only violate international law…but also unnecessarily raise regional tensions”, spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement. “China’s recent statement expressing concern over what the Philippines plan to do should not distract us from the real issues in the South China Sea, which are China’s illegitimate ‘nine-dash line’ claim,” Jose said. Maritime lawyers note Beijing routinely outlines the scope of its claims with reference to the so-called nine-dashed line that takes in about 90 percent of the 3.5 million square kilometers South China Sea on Chinese maps. The South China Sea is believed to be rich in oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan lay claim to parts of the sea, where about $5 trillion of ship-borne trade passes every year. The territorial dispute is seen as one of Asia’s hot spots, carrying risks that it could spiral out of control and result in conflict as countries aggressively stake their claims. On Friday, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said it was “seriously concerned” by the remarks by Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario on the possible resumption of repairs on an airstrip on Thitu Island. “This is not only a serious infringement of China’s sovereignty, but it Read More …

Women’s groups staged a joint peace parade in Quezon City on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Signed in March 2014, the CAB is a new framework to achieve peace in Mindanao, a landmark document born out 17 years of negotiations. The two merged parades, “Women’s March for Peace” and “SUROY-SUROY SA KALINAW: Kapayapaan sa Mindanao, Kapayapaan Nating Lahat,” were initiated respectively by civil society organization WE ACT 1325 and the Philippine National Police. “Ang laban para sa kapayapaan ay laban ng mga kababaihan. Panahon na upang iparinig natin sa buong sambayanan ang samang-samang tinig ng mga kababaihan,” proclaimed government peace panel chair Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer during the start of the event held at the Quezon City Memorial Circle, where the women gathered before marching to the streets. Ferrer, who has stood by the peace agreement even amid the public uproar that stemmed from the bloody Mamasapano incident, stressed that women are among those most affected by the armed conflict in Mindanao.   At least, 60 were killed in the Mamasapano clash last January 25, including 44 police commandos, who were on a covert anti-terror mission in Maguindanao. The bloodbath has threatened the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, which defines the structure and powers of the Bangsamoro entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). “Bagama’t walang pinipili ang giyera, isang katotohanan Read More …

Philippine convicted drug smuggler on death row Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, is escorted by Indonesian police as she arrives at the court in Sleman in central Java island for a hearing of judicial review on March 3, 2015 after a plea for clemency was rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. AFP JAKARTA, Indonesia–The Supreme Court guaranteed on Friday that all justices would expedite hearings on case-review petitions filed by several convicts on death row, as the international community was observing the process. The court decided on Wednesday to reject a second case review petition filed by Philippine national Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, a drug convict in the second batch of executions to take place. Two other drug convicts – Serge Areski Atlaoui of France and Martin Anderson alias Belo of Ghana – are still challenging their death penalty rulings via case-review petitions. Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo praised the court’s decision to reject Veloso’s second case review petition, adding that the decision helped clear the way for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to carry out the second batch of executions. Supreme Court spokesman, justice Suhadi, said hearings in lower courts took up most of the time in the case-review process. Suhadi later pledged that all court justices handling the cases would prioritize them. “It is automatic. All justices know what to do [in prioritizing] those cases because it has drawn so much public attention,” he said on Friday. “Rest assured, we are working professionally.” The Criminal Law Procedures Code stipulates that Read More …

MANILA, Philippines—Indonesia is preparing to move a Filipino death row inmate for execution after she lost her appeal in the Supreme Court earlier this week, the attorney general’s spokesperson said on Friday. The planned executions of Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso and nine other mostly foreign drug traffickers have drawn international criticism after repeated pleas for mercy from the United Nations and various governments have gone unheeded by President Joko Widodo. Veloso will be moved from the city of Yogyakarta to the maximum security prison on Nusakambangan Island in Central Java, where the rest of the group awaits execution by firing squad. ‘Case is done’ “We can say that (Veloso’s) case is done,” the attorney general’s spokesperson Tony Spontana told reporters. “There will be preparations to move her soon because the plan to execute all (10 convicts) at once hasn’t changed.” The attorney general’s office has yet to announce a date for the executions. Indonesia has harsh penalties for drug trafficking and resumed executions in 2013 after a five-year gap. But Philippine officials have not lost hope for Veloso despite its Supreme Court ruling denying an appeal for a judicial review of the case. “Our initial appeal for judicial review was denied. Nonetheless, we will continue to exhaust all possible legal means to save the life of Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso,” said Assistant Secretary Charles Jose, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson. According to the English-language newspaper Jakarta Post, a panel of three justices ruled on Wednesday that Veloso’s petition failed Read More …