Cops, civilians, security guards nabbed for random firing of guns – PNP

 News
Dec 312014
 

At least 10 people, including cops and security guards, were arrested for indiscriminate firing of guns in the run up to the New Year’s Eve revelries, the Philippine National Police revealed on Thursday.

In a phone interview, PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor disclosed that 10 arrests have been made from December 16 to December 30. Those arrested include four policemen, three security guards, and three civilians. 

Four of the arrests happened in the National Capital Region, two in Calabarzon, two in Central Luzon, and two in Region 1.

The police is now consolidating its data on indiscriminate firing of guns during the holidays, Mayor said.

In a separate interview, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla said no indiscriminate firing of guns was recorded among soldiers in the countdown to 2015. 

So far, the PNP recorded 14 stray bullet injuries in the run up to the New Year’s eve celebrations.

Some two years ago, Stephanie Nicole Ella, 7, died from a celebratory bullet.

Mayor said that the case of Ella Nicole has not been forgotten.

“We don’t forget cases. One case is one too many for us,” he said.

Ballistics system technology remains the top tool for identifying the firearm used by perpetrators of celebratory gunshots, the PNP official added. – VS, GMA News

Wesley So sweeps Las Vegas chess tourney

 News
Dec 312014
 
Wesley So sweeps Las Vegas chess tourney

Chess grandmaster Wesley So. PHOTO BY SUSAN POLGAR LAS VEGAS. Nevada — Wesley So defeated grandmaster Tsegmed Batchuluun of Mongolia in the ninth and final round Tuesday, December 30, to easily capture the $10,000 first prize in the 24th North American Open chess championships at Bally’s Casino Resort. With several hours rest, the fresh-looking So prevailed in 46 moves to score his seventh win against two draws to close out with eight points in the five-day tournament in which he was not threatened in any game. In the eighth round, he settled for a quick 18-move draw with grandmaster Julio Becerra, a Cuban defector now based in the United States, allowing him some rest in the hectic nine-round tournament in which two rounds were played each day Draws It was the second draw for the top-seeded So. In the seventh round, he also drew with Chinese GM Xiangzhi Bu after a marathon 89 moves. So was so dominating his closest pursuers, which included Bu, and Becerra only had 6.5 points. The victory capped a successful 2014 for the 21-year-old So, who won in three other prestigious tournaments, including the Millionaire Chess Open in the nearby Planet Hotel & Casino, in which the $100,000 first prize was the richest in chess history. He ended the year with a live rating of 2770.7, good for No. 10 best in the world. FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri. FACEBOOK Nouri keeps winning Eight-year-old Alekhine Nouri, meanwhile, continued his winning ways, emerging champion in the blitz Read More …

Justice ‘one step closer’ for abused Filipina

 General
Dec 312014
 
Justice ‘one step closer’ for abused Filipina

popular Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera’s kin arrive at church for ‘royal wedding’ 6 bodies retrieved in AirAsia crash Air travelers at Naia advised to rebook or cancel flights during Pope Francis’ visit Outstanding cops to get as much as P30,000 performance-based bonus Filipino chess prodigy making waves in Vegas tourney; So keeps lead Old peso bills going out of circulation With voice of reason, BSP hopes to avert property crash Senator Binay hoping for a better year for family, Filipinos videos Chris Brown a no-show 2 Bocaue fireworks stores shut down for violations 40th MMFF Awards Night 2014 MMFF New Wave PM leads remembrance ceremony marking 10th anniversary of tsunami PROOF OF ABUSE: Nenita showing a photograph of her taken at the hospital after she was rescued by policemen. (The Star Online-Asia News Network) MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Embassy in Malaysia on Wednesday said a Filipino domestic helper was “one step closer” to attaining justice after her employer admitted in court that she had hit her. “The admission of guilt by Nenita Elcamel’s employer brings her one step closer to attaining justice for the physical and mental abuse she suffered,” the embassy in Kuala Lumpur said. Because of this action by her Malaysian employer, the embassy headed by Ambassador Eduardo Malaya was optimistic Elcamel would be awarded “full compensatory damages.” “There is no justification for the infliction of cruelty and violence against a fellow human being irrespective of status or line of work,” the embassy said in a statement. It said Read More …

Rizal and the taho at The Goose Station

 Entertainment
Dec 312014
 
Rizal and the taho at The Goose Station

Coconut, crab and fermented mango: Rizal writes, “One who does not know where he came from will never get to his destination.” MANILA, Philippines – Once a French chef had our 10-course Kapampangan menu in Bale Dutung, which hubby Claude aptly called “decathlon.” “This is degustation,” I said. “Non,” the Frenchman said, “this is an exaggerated degustation.” “Oh,” I said, “Filipinos will never be happy with your French degustacion.  Nothing is more than a spoonful; no sauces on the dishes but instead brushed like rainbow of oil paint on the sides of the plate. That will never happen to Filipino food. We want our food oozing with sauce that we put on rice. We want to rip the whole quail and entire chicken wing.  Never mind if there is still the barbecue stick on it. We want everything big like our American brothers.  And somehow we don’t have the patience to sit and dine for hours nibbling.  We want to gobble our food.” One of the most-asked questions about Filipino food is why presentation is not as “beautiful” as other cuisines. Many foodies have given their two cents’ worth about it but I like my historian friend Ambeth Ocampo’s answer most of all. He said, “It is because we have no court food to follow or imitate.” He further pointed out to me that the food for the family and food for the helpers are served the same way, except the family may be using porcelain or stoneware. Another often-asked Read More …

Top 10 fave foodie moments of 2014

 Entertainment
Dec 312014
 
Top 10 fave foodie moments of 2014

Home-smoked salmon with foie gras and goat cheese by chef Cyrille Soenen: Daringly but successfully paired with Chateau Figeac Food for me has never really just been about taste… my story with food is beyond simple eating but is a sensual and emotional encounter. Sometimes a dish is made better by good company, other times by good wine and on those rare occasions, something is just so amazing it transcends everything else and can hold its own. I have always been wary of claiming things to be the best, because taste is so subjective. Case in point, this year was a very special one for me, half of it I was extremely pregnant and as a result was a rather picky eater for its entire duration. As hormones would have it, my preferences changed, my taste buds morphed and I would be extremely upset if I was disappointed by my food rendering me a rather unadventurous diner. The other half was characterized by a voracious appetite with rather extreme food restrictions brought about by nursing my baby. Thankfully, however, I was able to create a frozen stockpile of milk, earning me a little bit of freedom.  Despite all of this it was a good food year with some amazing highlights both here and abroad.  Here are my Ten  Favorite Foodie Moments of 2014 in no particular order and here’s to your 2015 being filled with good food and even better company! Happy New Year!  1. Sushi Yoshitake, Tokyo — A Read More …

IT-BPM ‘continues to do well’

 General
Dec 312014
 
IT-BPM ‘continues to do well’

TOP TECH INVESTOR Dave McClure of 500 Startups (center) was in Cebu for Geeks On A Beach. With McClure are TechTalks.ph founder Tina Amper (left) and IdeaSpace founder Earl Valencia. Geeks On A Beach was one of the biggest tech events to be held in Cebu this year.  (SUN.STAR FILE) CONSIDERED one of the top growth drivers of Cebu and Central Visayas, the information technology and business process management industry has transformed many lives of locals. Although consistently showing huge growth numbers, the Cebu Educational Foundation for Information Technology (Cedf-IT) and the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) believe the official figures are still lower than what the industry produces. Cedf-IT and Neda 7 are teaming up to better understand the local IT-BPM industry and validate actual employment and revenue figures being produced. According to the Neda 7, the first quarter of 2014 employed 29,000 new workers while the second quarter employed about 30,000.However, these figures were culled from firms registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza). “There are many IT-BPM companies that are not located in IT parks and are not part of the official reports right now,” said Neda 7 Director Efren Carreon. Employment figures He said there are legally registered, small-scale companies scattered about but are not included in the final reports because of their locations. He admitted these companies may be small, but he said even a startup with two to three employees could serve a large market and earn a substantial amount in revenue. He hopes, Read More …

Japanese tycoon cleared in Pagcor bribery case

 Economy
Dec 312014
 
Japanese tycoon cleared in Pagcor bribery case

Design of the proposed Manila Bay Resorts by Universal Entertainment chaired by Kazuo Okada, among Japan’s richest men. Universal Entertainment/Released MANILA, Philippines — Billionaire Japanese gaming magnate Kazuo Okada who controls Universal Entertainment Corp. was cleared from a bribery case by Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, the firm said. The gaming corporation, affiliate of Philippine company Tiger Resorts Leisure and Entertainment Inc., said that no sufficient evidence was found against Okada in bribery charges linked to the construction of $2-billion Manila Bay Resorts casino project. Arellano reportedly asked Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to terminate the investigation into the “groundless suspicion” that Universal offered bribes to officials of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor). “It was decided on Dec. 16, 2014 not to institute prosecution against Mr. Kazuo Okada, chairman of the board of the company against whom a criminal complaint and charge had been filed b ysomeone with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office for bribery to public officials,” Universal said in a filing to Jasdaq on Monday. Okada was under investigation by the Department of Justice, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and Nevada’s gaming agency for bribery. Complaints alleged that Okada offered about P5 million worth of payments and gifts to Pagcor officials. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 RELATED: Pagcor chief urges Okada to resolve cases before casino opens

Body found in car ID’d as missing pregnant Fil-Am woman

 News
Dec 302014
 
Body found in car ID’d as missing pregnant Fil-Am woman

popular Will you be lucky in the Year of the Sheep? Air travelers at Naia advised to rebook or cancel flights during Pope Francis’ visit Property sector remains bullish, says UBS Marian Rivera walks down aisle to wed Dingdong Dantes Cebu Pacific execs grilled over holiday chaos at Naia 3 Items resembling slide, plane door seen in AirAsia search Outstanding cops to get as much as P30,000 performance-based bonus Body found in car ID’d as missing pregnant Fil-Am woman videos 2 Bocaue fireworks stores shut down for violations 40th MMFF Awards Night 2014 MMFF New Wave PM leads remembrance ceremony marking 10th anniversary of tsunami Thousands protest in Mexico City over missing students Aubrey Andrews, 20, was found dead. SACRAMENTO, California — Police confirmed December 24 that the body found inside a car near Sacramento was that of missing pregnant Filipino American, Aubrey Andrews. The 20-year -old Andrews was nine months pregnant when she went missing on December 6. The Sacramento County Coroner’s office also declared that her baby died at the same time she did. Andrews had filed for divorce In May from her husband Edward. A domestic violence claim filed almost a year ago resulted in a restraining order against Edward Andrews, court documents showed. The Prius belonging to Andrews was found Monday night in Elk Grove, but authorities did not identify the body at the time. An investigation is under way, which authorities said could take up to eight months. RELATED STORY Body found in car of Read More …

Old tensions arise as Germany welcomes skilled immigrants 

 News
Dec 302014
 
Old tensions arise as Germany welcomes skilled immigrants 

Yves Pierre is one of thousands of new immigrants to Germany, which is facing massive demographic shifts now reshaping the European nation. See a video of Pierre discussing his experiences in Berlin. BERLIN, Germany — Yves Pierre, 34, traveled around the world for over a decade looking for a land of opportunity — a place to live where he could have steady work in order to support his family back in Haiti. When he found a job with a multinational cruise line based in Berlin, he embraced Germany as his new home. BERLIN, Germany — Yves Pierre, 34, traveled around the world for over a decade looking for a land of opportunity — a place to live where he could have steady work in order to support his family back in Haiti. When he found a job with a multinational cruise line based in Berlin, he embraced Germany as his new home. He’s now been here for five years. He has an apartment in a neighborhood he loves, and German friends he hangs out with on weekends. “I really like it here – the social life, the arts,” says Pierre, who speaks five languages, including German. “I find it [very] international.” He also sees career opportunities. He just established a small fashion company, and he dreams of expanding to New York and Paris. But wherever his work may take him, he says, he knows that he wants Berlin to remain his home. Facing an enormous demographic shift, with an aging Read More …

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