MANILA – Islamic militants in the Philippines have beheaded the German hostage they were holding for ransom, the government in Manila said Monday.
A video posted by the Abu Sayyaf group, which was monitored by intelligence group SITE, showed Jurgen Kantner being killed by a knife-wielding man.
Shortly after the video appeared, government envoy Jesus Dureza confirmed the German’s death.
“We grieve as we strongly condemn the barbaric beheading of yet another kidnap victim,” Dureza said in a statement.
“Up to the last moment, many sectors including the Armed Forces of the Philippines exhausted all efforts to save his life. We all tried our best. But to no avail,” said Dureza.
Military officials in the south said they had not yet found the German’s body.
The Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history, had demanded a ransom of 30 million pesos (S$840,000) be paid by Sunday to spare the 70-year-old.
The group had previously released videos showing a haggard Kantner appealing for payment of the ransom.
Kanter was abducted from his yacht, the Rockall, off the southern Philippines last year.
The vessel was found drifting on November 7, with the body of Kantner’s female companion Sabine Merz with a gunshot wound.
The couple had been kidnapped and held for 52 days in Somalia in 2008 before they were freed, reportedly after a huge ransom was paid, press reports said.
Despite his ordeal in Somalia, Kantner told AFP in 2009 that he still intended to keep sailing into perilous waters.
“I know it’s dangerous sailing off into Somali waters and I have no private security guarding me, but I pray to God that pirates won’t get me again. It’s a little bit like suicide,” he said after being freed.
The Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, have been kidnapping foreigners and Christians for decades and holding them for ransom in the jungles of the strife-torn southern Philippines.
They have frequently killed hostages if their demands are not met, and last year murdered two Canadians.
Apart from Kantner they are now holding at least 19 foreigners and seven Filipino hostages, military spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said.
The group, formed from seed money provided by a relative of Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden in the 1990s, also carried out the bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that claimed 116 lives in the country’s deadliest terror attack.
The military had been pressing an assault against the Abu Sayyaf, attacking their camps and bombing their hideouts just before Kantner was killed.
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HOLLYWOOD – PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm responsible for tabulating Oscar ballots, apologized for an “error” in the announcement of the best picture award Sunday, admitting Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were handed the wrong envelope.
The embarrassing mix-up saw the Oscar incorrectly given to musical “La La Land” before the actual winner, coming-of-age drama “Moonlight,” was finally handed the prize.
“We sincerely apologize to ‘Moonlight,’ ‘La La Land,’ Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture,” the company said in a statement.
“The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and, when discovered, was immediately corrected,” it added.
“We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred,” it said, hailing the “grace” with which all concered handled the situation.
The mistake made for a chaotic end to the film industry’s biggest night, on which “La La Land” went home with six awards including best director, actress, score and song, to three for “Moonlight.
BANDUNG – Indonesian police shot dead a suspected militant linked to the Islamic State (IS) group during a firefight at a government office Monday after a small bomb was set off nearby.
Witnesses described terrifying scenes as the attacker stormed into the building brandishing a dagger and began yelling at staff and starting fires. TV footage showed heavily armed police firing on the office through clouds of smoke.
But no one apart from the attacker was hurt in the incident in the city of Bandung on Java island, which started with a pressure cooker bomb exploding in a park before the gun battle erupted in the office opposite.
Police said the attacker was a former terror convict from an IS-supporting network called Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, which has been blamed for a series of recent attacks in Indonesia including an assault in Jakarta last year.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, has long struggled with Islamic militancy and hundreds of radicals from the country have flocked to fight with IS, sparking fears that weakened extremist outfits could get a new lease of life.
After the blast at about 8:30 am (0130 GMT), the attacker fled into a building belonging to local authorities opposite the park and set it ablaze.
Police exchanged fire during an hour-long standoff with the man, who threw a second bomb at officers during the gun battle.
They eventually shot him in the stomach and he died later in hospital.
Everyone was evacuated from the building unhurt. Police seized guns and two backpacks carried by the attacker but did not say what they contained.
National police chief Tito Karnavian said the attacker belonged to Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) and had demanded that authorities release his associates from prison.
Indonesian security forces have arrested hundreds of militants during a sustained crackdown in recent years.
“He belongs to the group JAD – it is a main supporter of ISIS,” Karnavian told reporters, using a different name for IS.
“He asked for his friends to be released from prison.”
He said the attacker, whom he did not name, had been jailed over his involvement with militant training in Jantho in Aceh province.
Jantho was the location of a notorious Islamic extremist training camp, which was closed down by authorities in 2010.
Last month the United States designated JAD a terrorist organisation, saying the network was an umbrella group for about two dozen Indonesian extremist outfits.
Last year’s gun and suicide attack in the capital left four attackers and four civilians dead, and was the first assault claimed by IS in Southeast Asia.
JAD has also been blamed for a firebomb attack on a church that killed a toddler and a foiled plan to launch a Christmas-time suicide bombing.
Numerous recent IS-linked plots in Indonesia have been botched or foiled, with analysts saying that many of the country’s militants lack the capacity to launch serious attacks.
Indonesia has suffered a series of Islamic militant attacks in the past 15 years, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
A sustained crackdown weakened the most dangerous networks but the emergence of IS has proved a potent new rallying cry for radicals.
The public have spoken, openly venting their grouses and opinions on various media channels about how poorly organised the logistics was at last Saturday’s Guns N’ Roses concert.
And now a vendor at the concert has jumped on the bandwagon, stating categorically what lead to the bungle, particularly with topped-up credits on RFID wristbands issued to concert-goers.
In a press statement, Sandpiper Digital Payments (SDP), the company that provided the wristbands used for cashless payment at the concert, highlighted the “many issues that hampered the success” of their technology that day.
LAMC Productions was the concert organiser behind the American rock band’s first-time gig here which drew 50,000 people at the Changi Exhibition Centre.
It said that while SDP supported LAMC based on the requirements provided, it also took steps to inform the company that “their plans were inadequate”.
“This pertains to entry, cashless signage, pre-event top up collection, top-up stations, F&B fulfillment, etc,” said the statement.
Sandpiper Asia director Mr James Kane wrote: “We proposed to use RFID as a multipoint check-in solution to streamline between venues, point-of-sales and different ticketing accounts.
“It would help create greater community. Unfortunately, the full value of our system could not spin off at Changi Exhibition Center and the advantage and marketing opportunity across venues failed.”
SDP felt that the six entry queues for Pen A and Pen B would not be adequate for an event of size over 30,000 people.
“However, it is the final decision of the organisers and their team to follow or ignore our recommendations,” said the statement.
Prior to the concert, ticket-holders could preload the amount they had wanted to spend at the concert up to 48 hours before the concert date.
SDP said: “The majority of pre-top up funds had been assigned to the RFID wristband, up until the decision was made by the organiser to stop scanning tickets. Customers were assisted to the RFID Information Counter to activate their funds.”
During the event day itself, concert-goers could top up their RFID wristbands at the venue.
SDP pointed out that “the organiser provided space for two top-up stations consisting of eight cashiers for cash and credit card top-ups, which in retrospective did not cover the demand.
“On the exterior where the crowd was, there were planned two stations for the general public, but due to the slow setup by the onsite infrastructure they did not materialise.”
As for the point-of-sales for the food and beverages, SDP said “the RFID process for payment fulfillment worked as planned.” However, a shortage of outlets led to queues forming.
SDP said that it had informed LAMC that there was a large number of people who had topped up credits prior to the event and recommended to them to have obvious signages to direct concert-goers to present their tickets, have them scanned and to add credits to the wristband.
But it appears as if their advice fell on deaf ears, SDP said.
The statement said: “The suggested requirements which SDP had presented to the organiser was not followed, and the lack of proper signage left guests uninformed about the processes onsite.
“Without proper signs, pre top-up customers were mixed into the normal queues. These customers were given the opportunity to have their ticket scanned, hence SDP cannot identify them and issue them the credits at the concert.”
SDP said they can “identify those who have set up their eWallet with unspent credits and refund it back to them directly.”
As for those who did not set up their eWallet, and have unspent balances, SDP said “rest assured that SDP are working with the event organiser on the best solution for them to issue refunds. The refund will be secured via LAMC’s website.”
In an interview with Bandwagon, LAMC Productions co-owner Mr Ross Knudson said he takes full responsibility for all the gaffes that happened that evening.
Sagetdao Petpayathai is one of the most decorated Muay Thai champions in recent memory. The 30-year-old known as “Deadly Star” has won the prestigious Lumpinee Stadium championship belt an incredible four times, as well as the Rajadamnern and WBC titles, amongst others.
Now, he is following a path similar to his Evolve MMA teammate, former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, and making a full-fledged transition from Muay Thai to mixed martial arts.
Sagetdao has been inspired by “the challenge,” as he puts it, and professed that he wanted to test his Muay Thai skills in a different arena.
The Thai legend’s first test happens on Saturday Night, 11 March. He will make his highly-anticipated MMA debut against unbeaten newcomer Kelvin “Ice Man” Ong at ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM, which takes live at the Impact Arena in his old stomping grounds of Bangkok, Thailand.
The Malaysian Ong, who trains out of Borneo Tribunal Squad with the likes of A.J. “Pyro” Lias Mansor and Ann Osman, had his first and only career fight last July, prevailing by TKO.
“From what I have seen, he is a strong fighter. I look forward to meeting him in the cage, and I will be expecting a good challenge. I feel I have the edge because of my Muay Thai experience,” Sagetdao states. “I do not envision it ending in a certain way, because I know anything can happen in a fight. That said, I am confident of getting the victory.”
That confidence and burning desire to achieve victory has motivated him ever since he first laced up a pair of gloves. In fact, he used his love for Muay Thai as a way to escape poverty and provide his family with a better future.
Raised primarily by his grandmother in Maha Sarakham in Northeast Thailand, a young Sagetdao and his two siblings lived a simple country lifestyle. They went to school, played football, and survived on very little. Their parents worked in Bangkok at a textile factory, and would send money back home whenever they could.
By the time he was 7 years old, he had discovered Muay Thai on television, and fell in love with it. He often watched it with his uncle and soon enough, he wanted to give it a try.
“Muay Thai is a challenging sport that I enjoy. I like the fact that because it is an individual sport, the fighter controls and is responsible for his success and failure,” Sagetdao recalls.
“Training was hard. Getting to the gym was even more difficult. I remember riding on the back of a motorcycle for about eight kilometers, just so I could train. Still, it was fun. I liked that destiny was in my own hands — to do whatever it takes to achieve what you want.”
At first, Sagetdao had trouble maintaining his aggressive style beyond two rounds, and often felt depleted of his energy. But as he matured and fine-tuned his game, the man known as “Deadly Star” transformed into an unstoppable Muay Thai sensation and lived up to his billing.
Throughout the course of his Muay Thai career, he had over 200 fights, winning an impressive majority of them, and defeated luminaries such as Saenchai Sor Kingstar. He also claimed every major accolade in the Muay Thai world, some of them multiple times in different weight classes. More importantly, on top of it all, he was able to financially support his family.
“During my whole career, I only ever kept a small bit of my winnings for living costs — most of my winnings went to my family,” he reveals. “Being able to put my sister through university and have a brighter future is something I really am proud of.”
Sagetdao secured his future even more when he relocated to Singapore in 2014 to teach Muay Thai at the famed Evolve MMA. But while he was sharpening the skills of young competitors and educating a new generation on “the art of eight limbs,” he noticed the emergence of MMA, and he wanted to get in on the action.
“It has been a fun challenge, trying to get better every day,” he says. “It is also exciting learning a new skill set. Some Muay Thai clinch concepts translate a little to the ground game. I am lucky and thankful to train with so many great world champions at Evolve MMA.”
Sagetdao will have the opportunity to showcase that new skill set when he returns to Bangkok to face Ong on 11 March. Although this is a new path and a natural progression in his ever-evolving martial arts journey, he has cherished the ride, and is motivated to triumph in his new career.
“Martial arts has given me everything I have in life. I owe everything I have — all my success — to Muay Thai. It has helped me become more disciplined, and it has taught me the value of hard work,” he says.
“The need to escape poverty was the driving force, and to give my family a better future. Now, knowing that my future is all up to me, if I work hard, I can control my destiny.”
In what has to be one of the most awkward moments in Oscar history, presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway initially announced that the romantic musical “La La Land” had won. As the casts of both films stood awkwardly on stage, Beatty explained he had been given the wrong envelope to open. “I want to tell you what happened. I opened the envelope and it said, “Emma Stone, ‘La La Land.'”
WATCH: Moment where crew/cast of ‘La La Land’ realizes a mistake had been made and ‘Moonlight’ actually won Best Picture. #Oscarspic.twitter.com/WCCopwsJ66
With North Korea accused of having used a banned toxin in the murder of Kim Jong-nam, Seoul is poised to highlight the Kim Jong-un regime’s unbridled breaches of international law and inhumane activities at the UN this week.
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Sunday left for Geneva to attend the UN Human Rights Council and the Conference on Disarmament from Monday to Tuesday.
Through a keynote speech at the HRC session, he will express concerns about the “unprecedentedly grave” rights situation in North Korea and the regime’s “inhumane and brutal” acts against its people as shown in the Feb. 13 assassination, ministry officials said.
“North Korea’s recent missile launch (on Feb. 12) and the murder of Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia represent a serious violation of international norms on peace and human rights,” the top diplomat told reporters shortly before his departure.
Photo: AsiaOne
“The murder, in particular, has prompted international condemnations as an act against humanity and human rights, given that it involved the use of a chemical weapon barred by international law.”
The ministry initially planned to send a vice minister to the gathering as usual. But Yun decided to go following Malaysia’s revelation last week that VX, a nerve agent considered a chemical weapon, had been employed in killing Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the officials said.
Pyongyang, which denies its role in the murder, has not yet introduced its representative to the meeting. Its former Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong had turned up from 2015-2016 to defend international criticism against the North. If the incumbent Minister Ri Yong-ho attends this year’s edition, it would mark his debut.
The council is predicted to adopt a fresh resolution on the issue as early as Thursday, but it remains unknown whether this year’s draft addresses the assassination issue.
Yun is also expected to bring up the North’s use of VX at the disarmament meeting, while calling for the international community’s united front to restrain Pyongyang’s growing nuclear programme.
The oily liquid is known to be one of the most lethal and fast-acting substances in chemical warfare, far stronger than sarin. It is prohibited under the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.
Malaysian Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said Saturday the chemistry department’s findings corroborated the earlier autopsy result that suggested the VX “caused very serious paralysis” and led to death “in a very short period of time.”
CCTV footage showed two women rubbed Kim Jong-nam’s face at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and he was believed to have passed out shortly. He was pronounced dead on his way to a nearby hospital.
Following a two-hour check at the airport early Sunday, Malaysian police said they found no traces of any toxin and declared it a “safe zone.”
The authorities assess that several North Koreans including Hyon Kwang-song, a second secretary at its embassy in Malaysia, are implicated in the case, and have arrested one of them. They said Saturday they would issue an arrest warrant for Hyon despite his diplomatic immunity, urging the embassy’s co-operation.
The arrested man, Ri Jong-chol, is reportedly suspected to have been engaged in the production or acquisition of the chemical agent.
The two women — a Vietnamese and Indonesian — once again claimed they took part in what they thought was a “prank” for a reality show, the two countries’ foreign ministries confirmed after respective interviews Saturday.
The Malaysian authorities are awaiting an analysis result over “various chemicals” seized during a Thursday raid on a condo, which is close to Ri’s home and believed to have been rented by four North Korean suspects who fled the country. They are also probing whether the substances were produced locally or brought in from abroad, local news reports said Sunday, citing Selangor police Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abdul Samah Mat.
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Half-brother of N Korean leader assassinated in Malaysia
In the wake of Kim’s assassination, a planned meeting between senior Pyongyang envoy Choe Son-hui and former Washington officials was called off after the US denied a visa for her, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. The two-day talks, which would have been the first contact after US President Donald Trump took office, were scheduled to begin on March 1 in New York.
Meanwhile, calls are rising for a re-designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. The US blacklisted the country in 1988 after its midair bombing of a Korean Air passenger plane which killed all the 115 aboard, but removed it in 2008 as part of nuclear negotiations.
Pyongyang is believed to have 2,500-5,000 tons of chemical weapons, according to the South Korean Defence Ministry’s 2016 defence white paper. The regime began its VX production in the 1990s for “assassination purposes” by securing related technology and materials from Central Asian nations, Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reported Saturday, citing a senior-official-turned-defector.
In Washington, US Defence Department spokesperson Jeff Davis slammed the North’s chemical weapons programme Friday, calling it a “real threat.”
“Chemical weapons can be attached to anything — from a mortar shell or artillery shell to a missile,” he was quoted by Kyodo News as telling reporters, noting VX is “not particularly difficult to make.”
“We recognise that North Korea has a history of producing and maintaining chemical weapons.”
A bipartisan bill calling for the North to be put back on the blacklist has already been proposed to the US House Foreign Affairs Committee. However, the possibility remains slim because it requires meticulous proof for a state’s terror-related activities.
The murder and re-designation issues are likely to be raised again during a meeting of the chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea, the US and Japan, set for Monday in Washington.
“The re-designation is a step that can be taken by the US, though it is an issue of the international community,” Seoul’s Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam told the National Assembly on Thursday. “Of course our government will have necessary consultations with the US side in an active manner.”
From chart-topping solo singers to rising female bands, the K-pop scene will be rife with returning female acts this week.
K-pop group Lovelyz dropped its second album “R U Ready?” on Sunday with the title track “WoW!”
Photo: Instagram/Lovelyz
Power vocalist Ailee, whose original sound track for “Guardian: The Great And Lonely God,” “I Will go to You Like the First Snow” is enjoying popularity here, is set to return Monday with a new track titled “Old Longing” (unofficial translation).
Photo: Instagram/Gugudan
Gugudan is also set to drop Monday its second EP “Act. 2 Narcissus,” inspired by the famed Caravaggio painting depicting Narcissus staring at his reflection.
The title track “A Girl Like Me” is a bubble-gum synth pop tune.
Photo: S.M. Entertainment
Meanwhile, Taeyeon, the lead vocalist of Girls’ Generation, is releasing her first solo LP “My Voice” on Tuesday.
The title track will be “Fine,” a soulful alternative pop track, according to S.M. Entertainment.
Photo: Instagram/Skuukzky
Singer-actress Suzy will also be releasing a new track Tuesday — a duet song with singer Park Won titled “Don’t Wait for Your Love.”
Prostate cancer in Indian males, according to ICMR and various state cancer registries, is the second most common cancer in the country.
Delhi Cancer registry shows cancer of the prostate is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in Delhi accounting for about 6.78 per cent of all malignancies.
The incidence rate of prostate cancer in India is 9-10/100000 population which is higher than in other parts of Asia and Africa, but lower than USA and Europe.
Prostate is the second leading site of cancer for four Population Based Cancer Registries (PBCRs) namely Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram, third leading site of carcinoma in cities like Bangalore and Mumbai and this organ is among the top ten leading sites of cancers in India.
Almost all regions of India are equally affected by this cancer. The incidence rates of this cancer are constantly and rapidly increasing in all the PBRCs. The cancer projection data shows that the number of cases will be doubled by 2020.
Alarm bells are ringing, for according to a study by International Agency for Research on Cancer, the worldwide Prostate Cancer burden is expected to grow to 1.7 million new cases and499 000 new deaths by 2030 simply due to the growth and aging of the global population. India has its own share of prostrate health problems and needs urgent action.
The government has already made it mandatory to get the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) examination which highlights the seriousness towards the disease.
Medical treatment for this cancer requires money but screening and treatment at central government hospitals like RML, AIIMS and Safdarjung is free.
“Over 85 per cent of the cancer can be cured by medicine while10 per cent-15 per cent can be cured by surgery. Benign Prostatic enlargement is a normal physiological process in which prostate size grows with age, commonly after 40 years, and may cause symptoms of LUTS (Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms),” according to Prof (Dr) Anup Kumar, Head of Department, Department of Urology and Renal Transplant, VMMC and Safdarjang Hospital.
Prof (Dr) P N Dogra, Head of Department, Urology, AIIMS said, “Sedentary lifestyle with obesity can trigger the chances of getting prostate cancer although it is mainly genetically driven. Presently, we cannot prevent the prostate cancer practically. However, a vigil on prostrate health can help. If detected early in localised stage and definitive treatment is given, the patient can be cured.”
“It is also promising to note that new drugs are available for metastatic prostate cancer like Enzalutamide, Abiraterone… The trials have shown that finasteride taken for long duration can prevent prostate cancer.Similarly, lycopene has been shown beneficial in some studies to prevent prostate cancer. Presently, research is going to develop prostate cancer tumour vaccines to prevent cancer,” he added.
Experts advise all male patients more than 50 years of age presenting with symptoms of LUTS to go far annual PSA testing. In case of positive family history, screening starts at age of 40 years annually.
According to the experts, if the present trends of increasing lifeexpectancy continue, given the current age-specific incidence, morbidity, and mortality rates o0f prostate cancer, this disease will become a far greater public health problem in the future.
