Duterte to seek better conditions for OFWs in Mideast visit

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

MANILA- President Rodrigo Duterte is poised to seek deals that would guarantee better working conditions for overseas Filipino workers when he visits the Middle East this Holy Week, an analyst said Sunday.

University of the Philippines Political Science Assoc. Prof. Herman Kraft said he thinks Duterte would not question death penalty laws of countries in the Middle East given that he is an advocate of the policy himself.

“He is actually willing to respect the laws that they actually have and if that means we’re talking about death penalty, this is something that he is not going to question,” Kraft said in a phone interview on ANC’s “Dateline Philippines.”

Duterte will fly to 3 Middle Eastern countries in state visits to meet with the countries' leaders and the overseas Filipino workers there.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Hjayceelyn Quintana said the President will visit Saudi Arabia from April 10 to 12, Bahrain from 12 to 14, and Qatar from 14 to 16.

The trip aims to "strengthen efforts for the protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare of the more than 1 million of our people working in those countries, invite investors to the Philippines, and usher in progress here at home, and to forge stronger partnerships by elevating our political and economic cooperation with these countries to new heights."

Duterte will also meet with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

"He will discuss with these leaders matters relevant to the welfare and dignity of the Filipinos living in their countries as well as explore avenues for economic and political cooperation."

During the trip, Duterte will "explore partnerships" with these countries in tourism development, Halal food security, Islamic finance, and energy security as well as investments, according to Quintana.

Just like in the President’s previous foreign trips, Kraft thinks Duterte would most likely seek partnerships in addressing terrorism and international crime.

Kraft argued that Duterte may also invite foreign businessmen to invest in the Philippines.

There are about 760,000 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, 60,000 in Bahrain, and 250,000 in Qatar, according to Quintana.

Source: ABS-CBN News, April 09 2017

Kuwaiti woman films housemaid falling from 7th floor

A woman has been detained by police in Kuwait for filming her Ethiopian maid falling from the seventh floor in an apparent suicide attempt without trying to rescue her (see video below).

The Kuwaiti woman filmed her maid land on a metal awning and survive, then posted the incident on social media, Al-Seyassah newspaper reported.

The 12-second video shows the maid hanging outside the building, with one hand tightly gripping the window frame, as she begged for help in an apparent last-minute change of mind.

The woman holding the camera is heard telling the hanging maid: 'Oh crazy, come back.'

The terrified maid is seen screaming 'hold me, hold me', just before her hand slipped and she fell down to hit the awning, which appears to soften the impact.

The employer made no reaction as she continued filming.

Later, paramedics rescued the maid and rushed her to hospital where she was found to have a broken arm as well as a bloody nose and ear.

The criminal investigation police referred the employer to the prosecution over failing to help the victim, the newspaper reported.

The reasons for the maid's attempted suicide were not revealed.

The Kuwait Society for Human Rights on Friday called on the authorities to investigate the case and refer it to court.

Source: Agence France-Presse, April 3, 2017

Warning: Graphic Content

Gabriela urges Duterte to save OFW on death row in UAE

MANILA, Philippines — Women's group Gabriela on Monday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to save Jennifer Dalquez from death row during his visit to the Middle East.

"We urge him to exhaust all measures to save OFW Jennifer Dalquez from the death row in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)," Gabriela said on a statement on Monday.

Dalquez was placed on death row in 2015 for the murder of her employer when he attempted to rape her in 2014.

The group also expressed hope that President Duterte will have enough time to visit UAE even if it is not included in his itinerary.

President Duterte is scheduled to leave for the Middle East on Monday for a state visit to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, where he will meet with the heads of state as well as with the Filipino communities in those countries.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Hjayceelyn Quintana said last week that the president's visit aims to strengthen efforts to protect the rights and promote the welfare of the Filipinos in the three countries.

Gabriela filed House Resolution 829 last month, calling on President Duterte to seek executive clemency for Dalquez.

Raul Dado, executive director of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs said that the president is expected to appeal on the case.

"There is no black and white that the president is going to take up Dalquez’s case. But knowing his concern, we have prepared the legal papers in case he makes an appeal," Dado said in a statement.

Source: philstar.com, April 10, 2017

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Singapore executes three drug mules over two days

Singapore hanged three people for drug offences last week, bringing the total number of executions to 17 this year - the highest since 2003. These come a week before a constitutional challenge against the death penalty for drug offences is due to be heard. Singapore has some of the world's harshest anti-drug laws, which it says are a necessary deterrent to drug crime, a major issue elsewhere in South East Asia. Anyone convicted of trafficking - which includes selling, giving, transporting or administering - more than 15g of diamorphine, 30g of cocaine, 250g of methamphetamine and 500g of cannabis in Singapore will be handed the death sentence.

Florida | After nearly 50 years on death row, Tommy Zeigler seeks final chance at freedom

The Winter Garden Police chief was at a party on Christmas Eve 1975 when he received a phone call from his friend Tommy Zeigler, the owner of a furniture store on Dillard Street. “I’ve been shot, please hurry,” Zeigler told the chief as he struggled for breath. When police arrived at the store, Zeigler, 30, managed to unlock the door and then collapsed “with a gaping bullet hole through his lower abdomen,” court records show. In the store, detectives found a gruesome, bloody crime scene and several guns. Four other people — Zeigler’s wife, his in-laws and a laborer — lay dead.

Louisiana death row inmate freed after nearly 30 years as overturned conviction upends case

A Louisiana man who spent nearly 30 years on death row walked out of prison Wednesday after a judge overturned his conviction and granted him bail. Jimmie Duncan, now in his 60s, was sentenced to death in 1998 for the alleged rape and drowning of his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter, Haley Oliveaux — a case long clouded by disputed forensic testimony. His release comes months after a state judge ruled that the evidence prosecutors used to secure the conviction was unreliable and rooted in discredited bite-mark analysis.

Oklahoma board recommends clemency for inmate set to be executed next week

A voting board in Oklahoma decided Wednesday to recommend clemency for Tremane Wood, a death row inmate who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next week at the state penitentiary in McAlester. Wood, 46, faces execution for his conviction in the 2001 murder of Ronnie Wipf, a migrant farmworker, at an Oklahoma City hotel on New Year's Eve, court records show. The recommendation was decided in a 3-2 vote by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, consisting of five members appointed by either the governor or the state's top judicial official, according to CBS News affiliate KWTV. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Sitt will consider the recommendation as he weighs whether to grant or deny Wood's clemency request, which would mean sparing him from execution and reducing his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Vietnam | Woman sentenced to death for poisoning 4 family members with cyanide

A woman in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam was sentenced to death on Thursday for killing family members including two young children in a series of cyanide poisonings that shocked her community. The Dong Nai People's Court found 39-year-old Nguyen Thi Hong Bich guilty of murder and of illegally possessing and using toxic chemicals. Judges described her actions as "cold-blooded, inhumane and calculated," saying Bich exploited the trust of her victims and "destroyed every ethical bond within her family."

Afghanistan | Two Sons Of Executed Man Also Face Death Penalty, Says Taliban

The Taliban governor’s spokesperson in Khost said on Tuesday that two sons of a man executed earlier that day have also been sentenced to death. Their executions, he said, have been postponed because the heir of the victims is not currently in Afghanistan. Mostaghfer Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Khost, also released details of the charges against the man executed on Tuesday, identified as Mangal. He said Mangal was accused of killing members of a family.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers carry out public execution in sports stadium

The man had been convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including children, and was executed by one of their relatives, according to police. Afghanistan's Taliban authorities carried out the public execution of a man on Tuesday convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including several children, earlier this year. Tens of thousands of people attended the execution at a sports stadium in the eastern city of Khost, which the Supreme Court said was the eleventh since the Taliban seized power in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US and NATO forces.

Utah | Ralph Menzies dies on death row less than 3 months after his execution was called off

Judge was set to consider arguments in December about Menzies’ mental fitness Ralph Menzies, who spent more than 3 decades on Utah’s death row for the 1986 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, has died. Menzies, 67, died of “presumed natural causes at a local hospital” Wednesday afternoon, according to the Utah Department of Corrections. Matt Hunsaker, Maurine Hunsaker’s son, said Menzies’ death “was a complete surprise.” “First off, I’d say that I’m numb. And second off, I would say, grateful,” Hunsaker told Utah News Dispatch. “I’m grateful that my family does not have to endure this for the holidays.”

Iran carries out public hanging of "double-rapist"

Iran on Tuesday publicly executed a man after convicting him of raping two women in the northern province of Semnan. The execution was carried out in the town of Bastam after the Supreme Court upheld the verdict, the judiciary's official outlet Mizan Online reported. Mizan cited the head of the provincial judiciary, Mohammad Akbari, as saying the ruling had been 'confirmed and enforced after precise review by the Supreme Court'. The provincial authority said the man had 'deceived two women and committed rape by force and coercion', adding that he used 'intimidation and threats' to instil fear of reputational harm in the victims.

Kuwait | New Anti-Drug Law Introduces Death Penalty, Surprise Testing, and Strict Enforcement

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 26: Divorce rates in Kuwait are rising, with recent statistics indicating that addiction—particularly among wives—has become a significant contributing factor. In response, authorities are preparing to introduce surprise premarital drug testing as part of a broader set of reforms under Kuwait’s new drug law. The countdown has officially begun for the enforcement of this new legislation, which was drafted by a judicial committee formed by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef. The committee is headed by Counselor Mohammed Rashid Al-Duaij.

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