KAKAMMPI News

By Fr. Shay Cullen, Founder since 1974 The Republic of Ireland is known as the "land of a thousand welcomes." It has welcomed 19,846 Filipinos who are now permanent residents or Irish citizens, data from the country's Census 2022 showed. Ireland's population is small: 5.127 million. The nation has never completely recovered from the devastating famine of 1845, caused by the greed and inequality under British colonial rule that left millions of Irish in dire poverty and surviving on the potato, its staple crop. The infection of potatoes by blight led to that famine and the country's population starving. As many as a million Irish died of hunger and disease from 1845 to 1851. The British government ruled Ireland with an iron fist and without concern or compassion. It failed to provide sufficient food for thousands of starving people. The wealthy English landlords in Ireland continued to export grain and cattle to their country during the famine. There was no ch...

Guided by HH the Amir, Kuwait leads ambitious strategy to solidify global status KUWAIT: Since the beginning of 2024, Kuwait has continued its efforts to enhance its international relations on both bilateral and multilateral levels, guided by Amiri directives and an ambitious strategic vision aimed at solidifying its status on the global stage and achieving tangible accomplishments across various fields, particularly in diplomacy and politics. On December 16, 2023, following the announcement of His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as the new Amir, Kuwait adopted an ambitious approach to strengthen its cooperation with international partners and global organizations while also developing its relationships with friendly and brotherly nations. The visits made by His Highness the Amir to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries at the end of January 2024 were a cornerstone in this diplomatic endeavor, especially as they marked his first official trips since assuming pow...

Russian forces now control 98.5% of Luhansk, 60% of Donetsk MOSCOW: Russian troops on Wednesday took charge of the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a bastion that had resisted intense attacks since Russia launched its full-scale assault in 2022. The advance of Moscow's forces, which control just under a fifth of Ukraine, has underlined Russia's vast superiority in men and materiel as Ukraine pleads for more weapons from the Western allies that have been supporting it. Ukraine's eastern military command said it had ordered a pullback from the hilltop coal mining town to avoid encirclement by Russian troops and "preserve personnel and military equipment". The Russian defense ministry did not mention Vuhledar in its daily battlefield report. Russian Telegram channels, however, published video of troops waving the Russian tricolor flag over shattered buildings. The town, which had a population of over 14,000 before the war, has been devastated, with Soviet-era...

ADDIS ABABA: Africa has the fewest roads and cars of any region, and yet the largest ratio of vehicle deaths, caused by the usual suspects — unsafe habits, speeding and drinking — but also poor infrastructure, scant rescuers and old cars. As everywhere, speed, alcohol and not wearing a seat belt or helmet are among the main causes of death and injury, say experts. But in Africa, where there are 620 traffic deaths every day, these problems are compounded by bad roads, outdated vehicles, minimal prosecutions and a shortage of emergency services. A recent World Health Organization report found that Africa surpassed the rest of the world, including Southeast Asia — which recorded the most road deaths — with a record ratio of 19.5 people killed per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. Home to only around four percent of the world’s automobiles, Africa accounted for 19 percent of road deaths last year. “What is worrying is the upward trend in Africa,” said Jean Todt, a former head of the Internati...

JERICHO, West Bank: A 38-year-old Gazan, the only known fatality in Iran’s missile attack against the Zionist entity, was buried on Wednesday. Sameh Khadr Hassan Al-Asali had been staying in a Palestinian security forces compound in the occupied West Bank when he was killed by falling missile debris during Tuesday’s attack, which the entity said was largely thwarted by its air defense systems. Security forces personnel carried the body draped in the red, green, white and black Palestinian flag. The crowd of about 200 mourners was made up of fellow Gazans staying in Jericho and local people. A large section of the rocket lay on the ground where it fell outside the compound. Around 700 workers from Gaza have been staying in Jericho, in the Jordan Valley, since the start of the war in Gaza almost a year ago. Unlike citizens of the Zionist entity, who went into bomb shelters after warning sirens sounded across the country, many Palestinians in the West Bank went out to watch the missiles ...

Zionist forces enter Lebanon • Hezb targets Mossad HQ • 4 killed in Tel Aviv • 37 martyred in Gaza JERUSALEM/BEIRUT: Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at the Zionist entity on Tuesday in retaliation for the Zionist entity’s campaign against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon. Alarms sounded across the Zionist entity and explosions could be heard in Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley after Zionists piled into bomb shelters. Reporters on state television lay flat on the ground during live broadcasts. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Iran had launched tens of missiles at the Zionist entity, and that if the Zionist entity retaliated Tehran’s response would be “more crushing and ruinous”. A senior Iranian official later told Reuters that the order to launch missiles at the Zionist entity was made by the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei remains in a secure location, the senior official added. The Zionist army said the Zionist entity’s airspace was ...

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Minister of State for Communication Affairs Omar Al-Omar announced on Tuesday the launch of the English version of “Sahel” app, as part of government’s efforts to digitalize and facilitate services. The announcement was made during the Cabinet’s weekly meeting held at Bayan Palace, under the chairmanship of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Providing the app in English will allow non-Arabic speakers to utilize services in an easy and efficient way, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Shareeda Al-Maousherji said in a statement after the meeting. Crown Prince UNGA speech Cabinet commended the speech delivered by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York late last month. During the speech, His Highness the Crown Prince reaffirmed Kuwait’s principle of good neighborliness, and its commitment to backing Iraq’s recovery and...

Claims of military leaders or equipment present in civilian areas ‘does not justify attacks’: HRW BEIRUT: Qassem Al-Qadhi left his home in east Lebanon this weekend to buy bread for 17 family members, but when he returned they were all dead. A Zionist air strike on Sunday hit the village of Zaboud in the Bekaa valley, killing a whole family, the national news agency NNA said. Qadhi said it was his wife, children and grandchildren. They were killed in an instant. The 57-year-old says the only member of the family who survived was his 25-year-old son Hussein, who had headed off to do his military service just before the strike. “It was 11 am. We were all sitting in front of the house and then I went to buy them bread,” he told AFP by phone. While he was at the bakery he heard a loud explosion, he said. “I tried to call them, then rushed home but there was no one left. Just body parts,” Qadhi said. “Seventeen people — including my son’s fiancee and her mother, my wife, my three sons a...

Envoy hails countries and companies divesting from the Zionist entity GENEVA: The Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the United Nations and International Organization in Geneva Ambassador Nasser Al-Hain condemned Wednesday the international silence on the crimes committed by a “rogue state in defiance of international law” against the Palestinian people, warning that this silence amounts to “complicity” if immediate and effective steps are not taken to stop these violations. This came in a speech delivered by Hain at the 57th Human Rights Council under Item 7 of the agenda dedicated to discussing the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories. He warned that the continued impunity and disregard for these violations undermine respect for international law and weaken the credibility of international institutions. Hain expressed his regrets over attempts to change the true narrative and exonerate the perpetrators and encourage them to ignore all interna...

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT: The Zionist entity said on Wednesday eight of its soldiers were killed in combat in south Lebanon as its forces thrust into its northern neighbor in a campaign against Hezbollah. The losses were the deadliest suffered by the Zionist military on the Lebanon front in the past year of border-area clashes between the Zionist entity and its Iranian-backed Lebanese foe. Hezbollah said its fighters were engaging Zionist forces inside Lebanon on Wednesday, reporting ground clashes for the first time since Zionist forces pushed over the border. Hezbollah said it had destroyed three Zionist Merkava tanks with rockets near the border town of Maroun El Ras. The Zionist military said regular infantry and armored units were joining its ground operations in Lebanon, a day after Iran fired 200 missiles into the Zionist entity, a barrage which raised concerns that the oil-producing Middle East could be caught up in a wider conflict. Zionist military strikes across the Gaza Strip kil...

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...

JERUSALEM, undefined — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel had "settled the score" with the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike in Beirut. "We settled the score with the one responsible for the murder of countless Israelis and many citizens of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of French," he said in his first statement since Nasrallah's death on Friday. He was alluding to 1983 bombings in Beirut that killed 63 people at the US embassy and 241 US marines and 58 French paratroopers at their barracks. Netanyahu said that as long as "terrorist" Nasrallah was alive, he "would quickly restore the capabilities we had eroded from Hezbollah" in a series of recent operations. "So, I gave the order -- and Nasrallah is no longer with us." The Israeli premier said his country was on the cusp of "what appears to be a historic turning point" in the fight agai...

Courtesy photo through Defense Visual Information Distribution Service MANILA, Philippines — Two Chinese warships shadowed the Philippines’ joint drills with the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand in the West Philippine Sea on Saturday, September 28. The military saw the People's Liberation Army Navy vessels “tailing” and "monitoring" the joint sail of the five countries without outright interfering with the maritime drills, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Sunday, September 29. The Chinese ships got as close as around half a nautical mile ("1,000 yards") to 14 nautical miles, but showed “no aggressive maneuvers," said Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea. "[The Chinese ships] acted in a professional manner," Trinidad said, adding that the incident proves China "behaves" during similar maritime drills. The joint drills — the fourth overall and the first with N...

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam's foreign ministry condemned on Wednesday China's "brutal behavior" during a violent attack on Vietnamese fishers in the disputed South China Sea. The 10 fishermen were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars' worth of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands -- an archipelago in the resource-rich waterway claimed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. Vietnam "resolutely protests the brutal behavior of Chinese law enforcement forces against Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels operating in the Hoang Sa archipelago of Vietnam", foreign ministry spokesperson Vietnam Pham Thu Hang said in a statement, using the Vietnamese term for the Paracel Islands. "The above actions of Chinese law enforcement forces seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty" over the archipelago, the statement said. Four of the Vietnamese crew were taken to hospital on Monday...

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure that taxes foreign digital services, which includes overseas-based e-commerce firms and popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, HBO and Disney. Republic Act 112023 imposes a 12% value-added tax (VAT) on digital services provided by resident and non-resident digital service providers, regardless of whether they have a physical presence in the Philippines. The bicameral conference committee of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives passed the reconciled version of the measure in June. It was also tagged as a priority legislation of the Marcos administration. What the law changes. The law adds a provision in the Tax Code which states that digital services delivered by foreign digital service providers are considered performed or rendered in the Philippines if the digital services are consumed in the Philippines. Proponents of the House and Senate versions said the measure aims to l...

PRESS RELEASE League of Filipino Students September 25, 2024 REFERENCE: Lloyd Manango, National Chairperson (09168637239) Zero tolerance, not ‘maximum leniency’ for VP Sara’s arrogance, corruption The League of Filipino Students is outraged by VP Sara Duterte’s extreme arrogance and contempt in the face of legitimate concerns of the people over her anomalous use of public funds. The sitting VP has wasted the people’s time and resources yet again by snubbing the House budget deliberations for her office last Monday. VP Sara is currently under fire for her questionable use of P125 million in OVP confidential funds and P12.3 billion under DepEd. Her latest no-show at the last budget session, which caused lawmakers a 17-hour wait, reveals that she has no interest in answering to the people. “Binigyan ng House leadership ng extension si VP Sara para harapin ang taumbayan, pero ubos na ang pasensya ng mga kabataang Pilipino. Kailangang ipatupad ang zero tolerance, hindi ‘maximum len...

Tens killed, thousands injured • Iranian envoy wounded • Hezb vows revenge as Zionists expand war BEIRUT: Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon Tuesday, killing at least eight people and wounding Tehran’s ambassador in Beirut in blasts the Iran-backed militant group blamed on the Zionist entity. Pagers also exploded in Syria, killing at least seven people. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was not harmed in the spree of pager blasts, a senior Hezbollah source told Reuters on Tuesday. There was no immediate comment from the Zionist military on the blasts, which came just hours after the Zionist entity announced it was broadening the aims of the war in Gaza to include its fight against Hezbollah along its border with Lebanon. Among the dead were the son of a Hezbollah lawmaker and the 10-year-old daughter of a member of the group. The girl was killed when her father’s pager exploded as she was standing beside him, her family and a source close to Hezbolla...

Amir hails efforts of Kuwaiti scientists, calls for scientific research KUWAIT: Under the patronage and in the presence of HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, a ceremony was held at Bayan Palace on Wednesday to launch a national space science center. HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and senior state officials attended the event. HH the Amir arrived at the venue and was warmly welcomed by Director General of Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) Dr Ameenah Rajab Farhan and board members. HH the Amir was apprised of Kuwaiti satellite images and listened to a detailed explanation from the Director of the National Satellite Project Dr Hala Al-Jassar. Addressing the event, HH the Amir commended the efforts of Kuwaiti creative and distinguished researchers in serving their country. He underlined that supporting scientific research is the key to advancement...

BEIRUT: A second wave of device explosions killed nine people and wounded more than 300 in Hezbollah strongholds of Lebanon on Wednesday, officials said, stoking fears of an all-out war in the region. A source close to Hezbollah said walkie-talkies used by its members blew up in its Beirut stronghold, with state media reporting similar blasts in south and east Lebanon. AFPTV footage showed people running for cover when an explosion went off during a funeral for Hezbollah militants in south Beirut in the afternoon. Nine people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the latest attacks, the health ministry said, also describing the devices targeted as walkie-talkies. It came a day after the simultaneous explosion of hundreds of paging devices used by Hezbollah killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded up to 2,800 others across Lebanon, in an unprecedented attack blamed on the Zionist entity. There was no comment from the Zionist entity, which only hours before Tuesday’s at...

Blinken makes 10th trip to the region since the start of the war Cairo: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday in Cairo that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza would be the best way to stop violence from spreading in the Middle East. This marks Blinken’s 10th trip to the region since the start of the war that was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. His visit aimed to salvage stalled negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the conflict. No other regional stops, including Israel, were on his itinerary. “We discussed the importance of getting this deal across the finish line, something we’ll continue to pursue with our Qatari counterparts,” Blinken told journalists in a joint press conference alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. “We all know that a ceasefire is the best chance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to address risks to regional stability,” he added. Following the meeting...

We are at the start of a new phase in the war, says Israeli defence minister Gallant Jerusalem: The defence minister of Israel, which has been fighting Hamas in Gaza for nearly a year, said on Wednesday the war's "centre of gravity" was moving north, where Israel has clashed daily with Lebanon's Hezbollah. "The centre of gravity is moving northward - resources are being allocated," Yoav Gallant said during a visit to an Israeli air base. "We are at the start of a new phase in the war - it requires courage, determination and perseverance on our part," he said, according to a statement issued by his office. Gallant said the military had not "forgotten" its goals in Gaza. "We have not forgotten the hostages and we have not forgotten our missions in the south," he said, adding that it was now time to ensure that those displaced from the north would be able to return to their homes. "Operations are carried out by a...

Group to host recruitment events on September 20-21 to hire over 100 real estate agents Metropolitan Group, a leading real estate firm in the UAE, has launched a recruitment campaign to attract more than 100 talented agents across its various brands, including Metropolitan Premium Properties, Metropolitan Homes, Penthouse.ae and Metropolitan Capital Real Estate in Abu Dhabi to support the group’s growth and expansion across the UAE. The recruitment campaign underscores Metropolitan Group’s commitment to identifying top agents and developing future team leaders in the industry, while solidifying its position as a top employer of choice in the UAE. The group was recently recognised as a top workplace in Asia by Great Place to Work. The company was ranked 17th Best Large Workplaces in Asia 2024 and 6th in the Large Business category in the Best Workplaces in the Middle East 2024. Additionally, earlier this year, it was ranked the third Best Workplace in the UAE in the Large Business c...

TORONTO, Canada - Canada is further reducing the number of study permits it will grant to foreign students and tightening eligibility for work permits in a bid to cut down on the number of temporary residents in the country, the government said on Wednesday. The announcement comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government, trailing in the public opinion polls and coming off a major by-election loss this week, seeks to reduce the number of temporary residents - including international students and foreign workers - in the country. The issue has become one of the most contentious in Canadian politics with a federal election due no later than October, 2025. The changes announced on Wednesday would reduce the number of international study permits issued to 437,000 in 2025. Canada approved 509,390 in 2023, according to immigration department data, and 175,920 in the first seven months of 2024. The changes would also limit work permit eligibility for spouses of some stude...

A Filipino cruise ship employee was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a court in Florida for the crime of producing child pornography, according to the US Attorney's Office - Southern District of Florida. Arvin Joseph Mirasol, a stateroom attendant who serviced passenger cabins, was sentenced by US District Court Judge Melissa Damian after previously pleading guilty to producing child pornography. Mirasol's crime was discovered on February 25 after a guest aboard the cruise ship discovered a hidden camera affixed to the counter under the sink in the guest's bathroom. The guest reported the camera to ship security. Security officers of the ship detained Mirasol and turned him over to authorities when the ship docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on March 3. "Once the ship docked, on March 3, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel boarded the ship and began their investigation," the US Attorney's...

Overseas Filipino workers who were repatriated by the Philippine government arrived from Kuwait and United Arab Emirates on Friday. According to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, 74 OFWs and eight minors who came from Kuwait were personally welcomed by OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. The OFWs were given financial assistance as well as food and transportation assistance and hotel accommodation as needed. Meanwhile, 61 OFWs and two children comprising the first batch of OFWs who availed of the amnesty program of UAE arrived on Friday. They were given immediate financial assistance by the Department of Migrant Workers. "All of them will receive reintegration services and other forms of support from the government," the DMW said in a Facebook post. "The repatriation of the OFWs was through the joint efforts of the Philippine Embassy in UAE, DMW Migrant Workers Offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and OWWA,...

LOS ANGELES, California - A former worker of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) led by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy called on other alleged victims to step forward and take advantage of the government’s offer of help. Arlene Stone, spokesperson for former KOJC members now residing in the US, made this appeal, emphasizing that now is the opportune time to leave the church and seek assistance. In a message to GMA Integrated News, Stone expressed confidence that the collapse of KOJC is imminent following Quiboloy's arrest. He is currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame in Quezon City facing multiple charges in Quezon City and Pasig Regional Trial Courts. “To all KOJC full-time workers, this is the perfect time to open your eyes and leave. Pastor Quiboloy and other leaders are now in jail. The foundation of your organization is collapsing,” Stone stated. Stone also disclosed that many alleged victims of Quiboloy remain inside KOJC, based ...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) at the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) has recorded, in just the first 12 days of the UAE government’s ongoing two-month amnesty program, 146 cases of children who do not have birth certificates because they were born to unwed, overstaying mothers. “As of Sept. 12, we have 146 cases – 37 finished cases and 109 still ongoing,” Labor Attaché John Rio Bautista, MWO head, told GMA News Online. These were cases of children who do not have birth certificates because their parents were not married, he said. “They were born out of wedlock,” the labor attaché said. Officials said the figure may go up as the amnesty for overstayers still has more than a month and a half to go. Meanwhile, Bautista said 17 of the “finished cases” were funded by MWO. “The rest were for guidance only. ‘Finished cases’ meaning we have completed the necessary documentation. ‘Funded’ meaning MWO shouldered all expenses, including tickets for repa...