Queensland white woman who ran down and killed  an Asian cyclist in ‘sheer rage’ jailed for 10 years

Coroner previously criticised police investigation into 2012 death as ‘inadequate’ with court told driver Joanne McAuley made racial slurs against Shui Ki Chan

By Edward Era Barbacena

An unlicensed driver and A white who escaped justice for years after she deliberately ran down a cyclist, leaving him to die beside a rural Queensland highway, has been sentenced to a decade behind bars.

Joanne Marie McAuley was incensed when cyclist Shui Ki Chan flipped her the finger on the Warrego Highway near Gatton about 7.30pm on 23 August 2012.

Blinded by fury, she took two separate highway exits to hunt down the 26-year-old Hong Kong national as he rode home from his shift at a nearby restaurant.

McAuley claimed she only intended to “scare” him but could not control the vehicle and smashed into Chan.

The cyclist was thrown onto the grass verge with a fractured pelvis and succumbed to the “injuries or the elements” before his body was eventually discovered the next morning.

An autopsy could not determine what caused his death, with blood loss, shock and hypothermia identified as factors.

The crown was scathing of an “inadequate police investigation” that allowed McAuley to escape punishment before she was finally charged with murder in June this year.

In the 10 years since the fatality, McAuley boasted to multiple people – friends, family and associates – about the night she killed the cyclist.

Each version was “tailored to her audience” and became more elaborate as time wore on. She claimed to have run down Chan because he was Asian and had reversed over his body “more than once”.

“The defendant made racial slurs and remarks about the man she had struck,” Wallis said.

“The defendant’s conduct is reprehensible. She engaged in protracted and deliberate road rage. She had time for her anger to cool ... she was not affected by alcohol, drugs or mental illness. It was deliberated, calculated anger.”

After weeks of legal negotiations, McAuley pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in the Brisbane supreme court on Monday.

In sentencing, justice David Boddice savaged McAuley’s “disgraceful behaviour”.

“Because of sheer rage and nothing else you caused the death of a 26-year-old male who was simply riding a bicycle home from work,” he said.

“You deliberately drove your vehicle, which you were incapable of controlling, so close to the deceased that it was inherently likely that he would be struck.

“Your behaviour on the night evidenced a complete disregard for human life. Your behaviour in the days following and in the ensuing years showed your complete lack of remorse.” 

- A typical behavior of a  psychopath common among white people.

McAuley collapsed and wailed “no” as she was sentenced to serve 10 years in jail and declared a serious and violent offender.

She refused to leave the dock, reaching out to sobbing supporters in the gallery before being taken by prison officers from the court. The 49-year-old will be eligible for parole in July 2026.

 

Arizona State University students rally to kick Kyle Rittenhouse

Rally also calls for a multicultural center to be a safe space “from white supremacy.” 

By Edward Era Barbacena

Leftist students at Arizona State University are campaigning to get Kyle Rittenhouse kicked out of his studies — calling him a racist, “blood-thirsty murderer” even though the teen was acquitted of all charges because of his 'white tears.'

Four groups led by Students for Socialism are behind a rally planned for Wednesday to boot Rittenhouse, 18, who revealed that he was an online student at the Tucson school and would like to live a quiet life on campus.

“KILLER OFF CAMPUS,” reads the flyer, calling for the university to “protect students from a violent, blood-thirsty murderer.”

A list of four demands includes getting the 18-year-old cleared killer withdrawn from ASU, as well as for the school to “release a statement against white supremacy and racist murderer Kyle Rittenhouse.”

Kyle Rittenhouse revealed he was an online student at
Arizona State University and would like to live a quiet
 life on campus.

It also calls for a multicultural center to be a safe space “from white supremacy.” The groups also want police funding to instead go to a multicultural center and to get a CAARE “healing” center.

The protest is also backed by Students for Justice in Palestine, the Multicultural Solidarity Coalition and the Mexican American student group MEChA de ASU.

The groups concede that Rittenhouse — who has said he supports Black Lives Matter — was cleared of all charges over the triple shooting during riots last year in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The jury agreed that he had been defending himself after getting attacked.

But the groups dismiss that as proof of a “flawed ‘justice’ system” — insisting, “Kyle Rittenhouse is still guilty to his victims and the families of those victims.”

A spokesperson for ASU’s Students for Socialism told Fox News that they do not feel safe with a “mass shooter” being “so carelessly allowed” at the school, even if he appears to be just online.

The jury’s decision to clear Rittenhouse “effectively gives right-winged individuals the license to kill other individuals who protest for human rights,” the group claimed.

“Rittenhouse took the lives of innocent people with the intent to do so—by strapping an assault rifle to himself in a crowd of unarmed citizens. That is the textbook definition of intention,” the spokesperson claimed.

“The decision made by the court is one of thousands of cases that have been influenced by biased judges, predominantly white juries, and mistakes inherent in a judicial system founded off of injustice to begin with,” the spokesperson said.

Rittenhouse has insisted his case “had nothing to do with race” but only “with the right to self-defense.” The three men he shot were all white.

He has also threatened legal action against those still making such accusations against him, and has insisted President Biden — who dubbed the teen a white supremacist — of defaming him with “actual malice.”

Rittenhouse had said he hoped to study either nursing or law at AUS, hoping to keep a low profile.

ASU did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Monday.

Texas man murdered Asian wife after she signed $250K life insurance

 

Texas white man murdered Asian wife after she signed $250K life insurance

Christopher Collins was charged in the murder of his wife Yuanhua Liang.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Texas white man is accused of murdering his Asian wife just two days after she signed a $250,000 life insurance policy, prosecutors said.

Christopher Collins, 41, is facing charges that he killed his wife Yuanhua Liang, 46, and went “to great lengths” to make it look as if she was shot and killed by a home invader.

Officials said that Collins called law enforcement on Nov. 18 and said his wife had texted him about a stranger in their home in northwest Harris County, ABC 13 reported. He then drove to his home to meet investigators, who had found Liang shot to death in the living room.

The house was strangely not ransacked, however, and investigators began to suspect that Collins’ story did not add up.

Surveillance video from the gym showed Collins pacing around for 45 minutes and only working out for five minutes before he went to the gym’s cafe and called police, officials said. Police searched a gym locker where they found Liang’s wallet — which Collins had reported missing — and cosmetic bag.

Yuanhua Liang signed a life insurance policy worth
$250,000 two days before she was killed.

Collins, a former member of the military, said that Liang, a Chinese national, was “paranoid,” which is why he took 45 minutes to return to his home after she told him there was a stranger in the house. Investigators also found security cameras installed at the home, which Collins claimed he used to check on his wife when he was out of the country. That day, he said he didn’t think to check the footage.

Officials said Liang was shot with a small-caliber handgun while wearing a sleep mask and was found with a bag over her head. Prosecutors argued that covering a victim’s face is common when the suspect doesn’t want to watch someone they know die, ABC 13 reported. 

“Which indicated the bag had been placed over her head after she had been shot,” prosecutors said in court on Thursday.

A search of the residence also yielded a life insurance policy worth $250,000 signed by Liang just two days earlier.

“Officers who searched the home found a sheet of paper on the desk inside the residence. The paper was for life insurance for $250,000. The officer stated that the defendant and the complainant had signed the paper for life insurance on Nov. 16, 2021.”

A .22 caliber live round was found in Collins’ pocket, investigators said. The medical examiner determined that a small-round handgun was used to kill Liang.

Collins is being held in jail on a $150,000 bond. He has been ordered to surrender his passport and not speak with any witnesses.

 

Archeologists discover an 800 year-old mummy in Peru

The mummy was found inside an underground structure found on the outskirts of the city of Lima.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A team of experts has found a mummy estimated to be at least 800 years old on Peru’s central coast, one of the archaeologists who participated in the excavation said on Friday.

The mummified remains were of a person from the culture that developed between the coast and mountains of the South American country. The mummy, whose gender was not identified, was discovered in the Lima region, said archaeologist Pieter Van Dalen Luna.

“The main characteristic of the mummy is that the whole body was tied up by ropes and with the hands covering the face, which would be part of the local funeral pattern,” said Van Dalen Luna, from the State University of San Marcos.

The remains are of a person who lived in the high Andean region of the country, he said. “Radiocarbon dating will give a more precise chronology.”

The mummy was found inside an underground structure found on the outskirts of the city of Lima. In the tomb were also offerings including ceramics, vegetable remains, and stone tools, he said.

Peru – home to tourist destination Machu Picchu – is home to hundreds of archaeological sites from cultures that developed before and after the Inca Empire, which dominated the southern part of South America 500 years ago, from southern Ecuador and Colombia to central Chile.

 

Another mass shooting took place in United States leaving three dead and four injured in Nashville

By Edward Era Barbacena

Three people are dead after a shooting occurred in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday, according to the police.

The Nashville Police Department announced in a tweet Friday that a shooting occurred in an apartment that left three men dead and four others wounded. 

The apartment had no signs of forced entry and all the wounded did not sustain life-threatening injuries. 

Two guns were discovered at the scene, and the department’s homicide unit has taken over an investigation into the case.  

The Tennessee shooting follows two others that occurred on Black Friday inside of malls. 

A mall shooting occurred in Tacoma, Wash., where one person was injured. 

The Tacoma Police Department said the wounded person had serious injuries and was taken to the hospital. The mall was closed and the suspect is still at large.

Another shooting occurred at a mall in Durham, N.C., that wounded three people and injured three more, according to police, NBC News reported.

The Durham Police Department in a press conference said one of the wounded was a 10-year-boy who got hit by a bullet that ricocheted.

Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews said Friday the three that were injured were not wounded by gunshots, but police did not elaborate on the source of their injuries. 

The shooting was not random as it broke out “between two groups that knew each other" and that they "were not indiscriminately firing,” according to NBC News. 

All six people were treated for their injuries.

 

Omicron variant ravages Europe

The new variant Covid-19 is found in UK, Germany, Czech Republic

By Edward Era Barbacena

The new Omicron variant of the coronavirus has now been detected in the United Kingdom, while suspected cases have also surfaced in Germany and the Czech Republic.

UK Health Minister Sajid Javid said in a broadcast clip Saturday that two cases of the new variant were found in England, connected to travel to southern Africa, where the new variant was first detected.

One case is in Chelmsford and the other in Nottingham. The two individuals and members of their households are being re-tested and told to self-isolate while further testing and contact tracing is done.

Meanwhile, the minister in the German state of Hesse said Saturday that the Omicron variant had also probably arrived in Germany.

“Last night several Omicron-typical mutations were found in a traveler returning from South Africa,” tweeted Kai Klose.

He added that a full sequencing of the variant was being carried out.

The Czech Republic is also examining a suspected case of the Omicron variant detected in a person who spent time in Namibia, the National Institute of Public Health said Saturday.

“A lab is checking a possible find of a positive specimen of the Omicron variant. We are awaiting confirmation or refutation of the case,” spokesperson Stepanka Cechova told Reuters in an emailed statement.

The US will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other nearby countries beginning next week as fears grow over the new variant.

 

The footage was captured at a branch in London - and it's sparked disgust on TikTok

Mcdonald's worker exposes live disgusting worms inside softdrink machine in one of their branches in London

By Edward Era Barbacena

 

The video, posted on TikTok by whistleblower @McOldKentRoad, shows earthworms writhing in the drain of the machine.

The user - who doesn't speak in the video - added the word 'maggots' beneath the film.

However, officials at the huge chain say the creatures were actually worms - a clarification that won't necessarily cheer up customers.

The drinks station was closed immediately and a deep clean was carried out, they said.

The spokesperson told MyLondon: "We take cleanliness and hygiene extremely seriously.

"Unfortunately, a number of weeks ago we were made aware of an issue in the drain serving the drinks station at our Old Kent Road restaurant.

"We immediately closed the drinks station and our hygiene team identified the cause of the issue which was fixed before a deep clean was carried out.

"The area was inspected by external specialists and no drinks were served to customers until we were sure that the issue was fully resolved.”

CUSTOMERS' DISGUST

The video has been viewed 400,000 times on TikTok.

And many of those who watched it have spoken of their disgust.

One user said they eat at the restaurant "at least once a week" - to which the original poster replied: "Don't."

Another said: "I come here everyday."

And a third joked: "There's a reason why it's the cheapest property on Monopoly."

Others said the film was like "something out of Stranger Things."

The gross video was filmed after maggots were reportedly seen dropping from the ceiling of McDonald's in Beckton, East London.

One diner filmed wriggling larvae on the table and floors last week.

 

Rozalba Maria Grime was convicted of killing Flavia Godinho Mafra and stealing her unborn baby from her womb.

Brazilian woman kills pregnant friend and steals baby from womb

Rozalba Maria Grime was convicted of killing Flavia Godinho Mafra and stealing her unborn baby from her womb.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Brazilian woman has been sentenced to 57 years behind bars for beating her pregnant friend to death with a brick and stealing her unborn child from her womb, according to a report.

Rozalba Maria Grime, 27, lured Flavia Godinho Mafra, a 24-year-old teacher, on Aug. 27, 2020, to an old pottery site in the town of Canelinha, where she struck her several times on the head with a brick, killing her, Newsflash reported.

Grime then used a utility knife to slice open her friend’s belly and pull out the baby, before hiding the mom-to-be in a kiln when she died of a hemorrhage, the outlet reported. Mafra was 36 weeks pregnant.

Flavia Godinho Mafra was killed when she was
36 weeks pregnant.

After committing the heinous crime, Grime went with her partner — who believed she had been pregnant — to a hospital, where she told staff she had just given birth. But they were suspicious of her account and called the police.

Her partner, who was considered a suspect, was acquitted of any involvement on July 27.

During the 15-hour trial, Grime told the court how she had planned the crime and had researched how to remove the unborn child from the woman’s womb – as well as how to simulate the symptoms of pregnancy and childbirth.

Grime used a utility knife to cut the unborn baby out
of Mafra.

Grime was convicted of aggravated murder, attempted murder of a baby, concealment of a corpse, obstruction of justice, abduction of a minor and denying the rights of a newborn.

 

Indiana man stabs another man at Thanksgiving celebration in front of horrified guests

Brett Rowans, 34, was arrested on charges of intimidation and battery

By Edward Era Barbacena

An Indiana white man was charged Thursday after he stabbed another guest at a Thanksgiving celebration, according to local reports and police records.

Brett Rowans, 34, of Evansville, allegedly knifed the man in the back in front of other horrified guests after the two began arguing, police told 14News.

Rowans' girlfriend tried to intervene, and he allegedly threatened to kill her, according to the outlet. Meanwhile, the host was busy preparing the turkey for the doomed holiday meal.

Rowans had already fled when police arrived a little after 2:45 p.m. He was arrested at his home, where he denied stabbing the man. It wasn't clear what the argument was over. 

He spent the remainder of Thanksgiving locked up on charges of intimidation and battery committed with a deadly weapon, court records show. He was held on $750 bond, according to the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. 

 

Cebu league of municipal mayors endorses Marcos for president in 2022 polls

By Edward Era Barbacena

Cebu's league of municipal mayors has endorsed presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. in the 2022 elections.

Christina Frasco, president of the League of Municipal Mayors - Cebu, expressed their support for Marcos during the former senator's visit to the Visayas region on Friday.

"In behalf of all the 44 mayors of the province of Cebu, particularly to the mayors of the 5th district, as well as my fellow mayors in the Visayas, for whom I am the national vice president, we hereby express our unequivocal support to you, for your candidacy and we will do everything in our power to ensure an unequivocal victory in the coming elections," said Frasco, who's also the spokesperson of Marcos' running mate - Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Frasco added that there is "no other presidential candidate [who] possesses the competence and experience" that Marcos have, given his previous experiences in holding various public offices that have "prepared him for the most difficult job in our country."

In response, Marcos described the endorsement as a tremendous help for his and his running mate's candidacies.

"I welcome it very much and I thank all of those mayors in Region 7 who gave me and Inday Sara their support," he said.

On Thursday, the political parties of three former presidents teamed up to express their support for the Marcos-Duterte tandem. 

Marcos said he is also having discussions with other major political parties to gather more support for next year's elections.

Florida man charged with 1,200 counts of sexual assault and incest with minor

 

Florida white man charged with 1,200 counts of sexual assault and incest with minor

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Florida white man has been charged with 1,200 counts of sexual assault and incest involving a minor.

Robert Cota, 31, of Pensacola, was charged with 600 counts of sexual assault on a victim between the ages of 12 and 18 and 600 counts of incest that allegedly took place over the last six years.

Cota was reported to police by a local pastor, who told deputies that Cota had approached him last Sunday saying he “had issues with one of the beliefs” outlined in the church guideline book. He specifically pointed to the word “incest,” according to arresting documents obtained by WEAR-TV.

After further conversation, the pastor told Cota that he needed to report himself to authorities. The pastor later provided Cota’s information to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the arrest report, the victim told authorities that she had sexual encounters with Cota since she was 7 years old. The girl said Cota told her that the sexual acts were how to show affection.

In September 2020, the victim’s mother confronted Cota about having a sexual relationship with the girl, according to the arrest report. In response, Cota pointed a gun at the girl and was arrested for aggravated assault and domestic violence while authorities began investigating the sexual assault and incest allegations.

Both Cota and the victim reportedly told the mother of the sexual relationship before taking back their statements after the incident, police said.

When deputies arrived to arrest Cota for sexual assault and incest, he reportedly told them he was not surprised about the accusations.

He was booked at the Escambia County Jail, where his bond has been set at $3,000,000.

 

Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan.

All three white men Gregory and Travis McMichael and William Bryan involved in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery found guilty of murder

By Edward Era Barbacena

Three white men were found guilty of murder Wednesday in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, the Black man who was just normally jogging empty-handed through a Georgia subdivision when the white strangers chased him, trapped him on a quiet street and blasted him with a shotgun.

The video of the shooting of Arbery while he was jogging in Brunswick, Georgia, in 2020 caused national outrage.

Ahmaud Arbery

The February 2020 slaying drew limited attention at first. But when video of the shooting leaked online, Arbery’s death quickly became another example in the nation’s reckoning of racial injustice in the way Black people are treated in their everyday lives.

A jury handed down a guilty verdict Wednesday for all three white men involved in the killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. The jurors had been deliberating since Tuesday on the charges against Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William ‘Roddie’ Bryan Jr.

They’ve all been found guilty of felony murder, along with other charges, and face life in prison. All three have also been indicted on federal hate crime and attempted kidnapping charges.

After roughly 10 and a half hours of deliberation, a jury in Glynn County, Georgia, decided that father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan were guilty in the fatal shooting of Arbery on February 23, 2020.

The McMichaels and Bryan originally faced the same nine charges: one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment and one count of criminal intent to commit a felony.

Travis was found guilty on all nine charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal intent, while Greg was found guilty of eight and Bryan Jr guilty of six. The trio still face federal hate crime charges.

 

Another mass shooting took place in the United States that injured 6 students in Colorado

By Edward Era Barbacena

A 15-year-old boy is facing attempted murder charges in a drive-by shooting near a Colorado high school that wounded six students, police said.

The teen, who was not identified due to his age, was arrested Tuesday on a first-degree attempted murder charge by Aurora cops in the Nov. 15 shooting at Nome Park — across the street from Aurora Central High School.

Detectives believe he was driving a Chrysler 300, one of two vehicles involved in the brazen midday gunfire.

Both the Chrysler 300 and the second car — a Chevrolet Tahoe — have been located and seized by cops. At least two other people inside Nome Park returned fire on both cars and detectives were “actively working” to identify them and other suspects involved.

A reward of up to $7,000 is being offered for information leading to additional arrests in the case.

Five of the wounded teens — three boys and two girls ages 14 through 17 — were rushed to hospitals by ambulance. An 18-year-old victim with minor injuries separately drove himself to a hospital, police previously said.

All of the victims are students at Aurora Central High School. They are expected to survive, but two have a long road to recovery ahead, 

The drive-by shooting occurred just four days after three teens were shot in the parking lot of Hinkley High School in Aurora. Three 16-year-old suspects have been charged in what cops believe was a gang-related dispute not connected to the Nome Park shooting, KUSA reported.

Two of the victims at Hinkley attended the high school. None of their injuries were believed to be life-threatening, but the two shootings in a span of days prompted city leaders and activists to call for an end to the rash of gun violence, the Denver Post reported.

Police, meanwhile, vowed to bust other suspects in the Nome Park drive-by shooting.

“So very proud of my officers and detectives for the non-stop hard work they have put into identifying those responsible,” Aurora’s police chief, Vanessa Wilson, tweeted Tuesday. “This is just the beginning of arrests! If you were involved, we are coming for you …”

 

Two suspects shot by Asian food driver whom they tried to rob

By Edward Era Barbacena

Uncensored footage of the suspects who tried to rob an Asian food delivery driver in Philadelphia 

They were shot multiple times by the driver. This footage shows the suspect dying on someone's driveway. Posting for awareness.   

It can be heard that the two robbers were shouting for help while dying in agony.

 

Florida man who carried Pelosi’s lectern during Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection pleads guilty

By Edward Era Barbacena

The white man from Florida who was caught on camera stealing the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol pleaded guilty to a lesser charge on Monday.

Adam Johnson, 36, admitted to one count of entering or remaining in any restricted building in Washington, DC, federal court, according to records.

Sentencing guidelines in Johnson’s plea agreement call for him to receive up to six months in prison, but a federal judge will make the final determination at a hearing scheduled for Feb. 25.

The deal also recommends Johnson be ordered to pay $500 in restitution for his share of the damage that occurred when a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump descended on the US Capitol and interrupted the congressional electoral vote count.

Adam Johnson mugshot 

As part of the agreement, two other charges against Johnson — theft of government property and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds — were dismissed.

Pelosi’s office was among those breached amid the violence that caused about $1.5 million in damage to the Capitol. 

A photo showed Johnson — grinning, waving and wearing a knit cap that said “Trump” — carrying the lectern through the Capitol Rotunda. The words “Seal of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives” were clearly visible. 

A second photo showed Johnson posing with a sign in the Capitol that read “Closed to all tours.”

Johnson was arrested on Jan. 8 after he was identified by acquaintances through social media, according to the FBI.

During Monday’s hearing, Johnson told Senior US District Judge Reggie Walton that he got “caught up in the moment.”

The lectern, worth about $1,000, was later found undamaged in a Senate hallway. 

 

French ‘black alien’ reportedly gets fingers sliced off to create claw

By Edward Era Barbacena

Paris: A 33-year-old Frenchman who has transformed his body in a bid to become a “black alien” has now reportedly gotten two fingers chopped off his left hand to form a freakish claw.

Anthony Loffredo has previously had his nose and
 upper lip cut off, his tongue split and his entire body covered in tattoos.

Anthony Loffredo’s apparent surgery is the latest in a series of procedures the wannabe extraterrestrial has undergone, including getting his nose and upper lip cut off, his tongue split and his entire body – including his eyeballs – covered in tattoos.

But despite the shocking alterations, the oddball mutilation aficionado said he has only achieved 34 percent of his goal in turning into an alien, The US Sun reported.

“I develop my inner peace,” he captioned an image of his hand, which appears to have stitches where the ring finger and pinky use to be.

In 2017, he told the French paper Midi Libre: “From a very young age, I have been passionate about mutations and transformations of the human body.”

“I had a click when I was a security guard. I realized that I was not living my life the way I wanted. I stopped everything at 24 and left for Australia,” he told the outlet.

“I love getting into the shoes of a scary character. I often settle down somewhere and play a role, especially at night in the dark streets … I explore the contrast between the role I play and myself,” Loffredo added.

Loffredo’s bizarre work has been praised by some admirers while denounced by others.

“Blatant disrespect to those that are unfortunate to have lost limbs and look for ways to function as the human body should,” one social media user wrote, the news outlet reported.

“You’re 100% going to regret this one eventually,” another said.

A third called his actions “disturbing AND fascinating at the same time. don’t think I could do this, but thumbs up to you for living your dream.”

 

Tourist bus crashes in Bulgaria, catches fire, killing 45 people, including children

The cause of the accident remains unclear

By Edward Era Barbacena

The incident happened on a motorway south-west of the capital Sofia at about 02:00 local time (00:00 GMT).

The bus was registered in North Macedonia and was mainly carrying tourists from the country, who were returning from Turkey.

Seven people escaped from the bus and were taken to hospital with burns.

Speaking at the accident site, Bulgarian Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov said the victims had been badly burned, describing it as a "terrifying scene".

The cause of the disaster was not immediately clear. Bulgarian officials say the bus swerved off the motorway and tore away a 50m (164ft) section of the crash barrier, but it was unclear if that was before or after it caught fire.

Pictures of the aftermath showed a section of the road where the barrier had been shorn off. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

The mayor of the nearby village of Pernik told local media that the motorway was in poor condition on that section and there were often accidents in the area.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani told reporters the coach party had been returning to the capital Skopje from a weekend holiday trip to the Turkish city of Istanbul.

Bulgarian media reports say the vehicle, which had been travelling as part of a convoy of buses, had stopped off at a petrol station near Sofia about an hour before the accident.

The victims have not yet been named, but officials said they included children, and young people aged between 20 and 30.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told Bulgarian television that most of the passengers on the bus were Macedonian, but one Belgian and one Serbian citizen were among them.

Mr Zaev said he spoke to one of the survivors, who told him that passengers were sleeping when the sound of an explosion woke them.

"He and the other six survivors broke the windows of the bus and managed to escape and save themselves," Mr Zaev told Bulgarian media.

He said the bus belonged to Besa Trans, a travel company that organises trips in Europe.

Bulgaria's interim Prime Minister Stefan Yanev described the incident as "an enormous tragedy".

"Let's hope we learn lessons from this tragic incident and we can prevent such incidents in the future," he told reporters as he visited the site of the crash.

The area around the site of Tuesday's incident on the Struma motorway has now been sealed off. Footage from the scene shows the charred vehicle, gutted by the fire.

Investigative service chief Borislav Sarafov said "human error by the driver or a technical malfunction are the two initial versions for the accident".

 

Philippine presidential aspirant Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos tested negative for cocaine

By Edward Era Barbacena

To put to rest speculations brought by President Duterte’s claims of a cocaine-hitting presidential aspirant, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday claimed he has undergone a cocaine test, and had tested negative.

Marcos said he had the drug test done on Monday and his results were submitted on Tuesday to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the National Bureau of Investigation.

“I really don’t feel that I am the one being alluded to. In spite of that, I believe it is my inherent duty as an aspiring public official to assure my fellow Filipinos that I am against illegal drugs,” he said in a statement.

“This is why I took a cocaine test yesterday and the result was submitted this morning to the PDEA, the office of the Chief of the PNP, and the NBI,” he added.

Marcos said he is a “vigilant anti-illegal drugs campaigner” and called on political aspirants to take the drug test to “ensure our people, particularly the young generation, that no elected leader is into illegal substances.”

Duterte earlier questioned the leadership skills and the contributions of a presidential aspirant, pointing out that the individual is even using illegal drugs such as cocaine

He did not name the candidate, whom he described as a “weak leader” but said he came from a rich and well-known family with a famous patriarch.

In a later speech, Duterte said the presidential aspirant was able to elude the police because he does cocaine in exclusive places such as yachts and private planes.

Duterte also went on a separate speech describing Marcos, the scion of the late dictator former President Ferdinand Marcos, as a “weak leader,” as he rejected the idea of forming an alliance with Lakas-CMD, the political party of her daughter, incumbent Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who will run for vice president in tandem with Marcos Jr. in next year’s polls.

The camp of Marcos Jr. has brushed aside Duterte’s remarks, saying they feel that their candidate is not the one being alluded to by the President.

Meanwhile, in an effort to prove they were not the ones being alluded to by Duterte, presidential aspirant Senator Panfilo Lacson, along with his running mate Senate President Vicente Sotto III, went to the PDEA on Monday to undergo voluntary drug testing.

They were found negative for cocaine and other illegal drugs.

Source: INQ

 

White rapist Christopher Belter

A white man, who pleaded guilty to raping four teens will not face imprisonment

Christopher Belter only got PROBATION because he's 'a white defendant from a rich and influential family,' prosecutor says

By Edward Era Barbacena

White privilege is becoming too obvious in the United States. Many black suffers the stigma of false imprisonments and unfair justice system while low live white Americans can easily get away with horrendous crimes.

Kyle Rittenhouse who killed 2 men during the Kenosha riot was acquitted of five counts of criminal charges because of the deceiving power of the white tears, now another white man will be spared from imprisonment after he pleaded guilty for raping 4 teens.

Stunned victims and onlookers broke down in tears, with some even vomiting, when a 20-year-old New York State man who pleaded guilty to raping four teenage girls in his parents' home was sentenced to just eight years probation by an elderly judge set to retire next month, for his heinous crimes. 

The case is even more shocking because convicted Christopher Belter's parents are facing charges they groomed their son's victims by plying them with alcohol and marijuana.

'If Chris Belter was not a white defendant from a rich and influential family, it is my belief… he would surely have been sentenced to prison,' prosecuting attorney Steven Cohen, representing one of the victims, told DailyMail.com of the decision. 

Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy III, 69, told Belter on Tuesday that prison time would be 'inappropriate' and instead ordered him to register as a sex offender.

Belter had pleaded guilty to felony charges including third-degree rape and attempted first-degree sexual abuse, and two misdemeanor charges of second-degree sexual abuse.

But the Niagara County judge decided against a prison sentence. Belter could have been facing up to eight years in prison for his crimes. Prosecutors do not have the ability to appeal Murphy's decision.

Belter assaulted his four victims between February 2017 and August 2018, with three aged 16 and one aged 15 at the time of the assaults at his family's 'party house' in a wealthy Lewiston neighborhood, just a few miles from Niagara Falls.

State police claim that Belter's mother and real estate lawyer Tricia Vacanti, 50; his stepfather Gary Sullo, 56, and a family friend Jessica M. Long, 42, allegedly groomed the four victims by supplying alcohol and marijuana.

One of Belter's victims was heard crying as the judge read out his verdict Tuesday, while Cohen, representing one of the victims, told DailyMail.com that his client threw up after the decision.

Judge Murphy told Belter that his eight-year probation would 'be like a sword hanging over your head for the next eight years.'

'I agonized — I'm not ashamed to say that I actually prayed over what is the appropriate sentence in this case, because there was great pain. There was great harm. There were multiple crimes committed in the case,' Murphy told the shocked court room.

'It seems to me that a sentence that involves incarceration or partial incarceration isn't appropriate, so I am going to sentence you to probation.' 

 

Marcos-Duterte alliance rules them all

The enigmatic  tandem leads in Publicus Asia survey

By Edward Era Barbacena

Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte emerged as the top presidential and vice presidential picks, respectively, months before the 2022 elections, an independent and non-commissioned Publicus Asia survey showed.

Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos

Publicus Asia polled 1,500 respondents from approximately 200,000 registered voters in the country for the 2021 Pahayag Final List survey conducted from Nov. 16 to 18, after the deadline of substitution on Nov. 15

The survey results released on Friday, Nov. 19, showed that Marcos was the top choice for president with 56.7 percent of the total voter preference.

Vice President Leni Robredo came in 2nd with 15.4 percent.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso was at 3rd place with 6.9 percent.

At 4th place was Senator Christopher “Bong” Go with 4.1 percent of the voter preference.

Publicus Asia said Marcos held a “commanding” lead across all regional groups–50.3 percent in Metro Manila, 60.3 percent in Northern and Central Luzon, 46.2 percent in Southern Luzon, 54.7 percent in the Visayas, and 70 percent in Mindanao.

“His lead is widest in NCL (Northern and Central Luzon) and MIN (Mindanao). It is narrowest in NCR (National Capital Region) and SL (Southern Luzon)–where Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo is polling above the 20 percent mark,” it said.

“Upon comparing the numbers with those obtained from the Pahayag: Q3 survey, we find that BBM (Bongbong Marcos) posted a gain of around 7 percent,” it added.

Publicus Asia noted that Marcos also recorded the highest share of respondents who indicated that they will definitely not change their choice.

Approximately 80 percent of the respondents who chose Marcos can be considered “firm” in their choice.

It said that Vice President Robredo posted similar numbers with close to 60 percent of the respondents who chose her indicating that they are set with their choice and another 18 percent indicating that they will likely not change their choice.

The other candidates polling on or above the 3 percent mark notched markedly lower “firmness” shares than Marcos and Robredo, Publicus Asia explained.

“It is of note, however, that conversion may prove difficult across many who have chosen a particular candidate. Across all candidates, most of those who are not viewed as ‘firm’ in their choice indicated that they are 50-50 at best–rather than inclined to switch. This suggests that conversion may prove difficult moving forward,” it added.

Duterte leads VP bid

Sarah Duterte-Carpio

Meanwhile, Duterte was the top choice for vice president with 54.4 percent of the total voter preference.

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III was in 2nd place with 10.1 percent of the voter preference–“a sizeable drop from his numbers in Pahayag: Q3.”

Sotto is in a “virtual tie” with Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan (9 percent) and physician Willie “Doc Willie” Ong (8.9 percent).

Publicus Asia pointed out that Duterte is the “most popular” choice for vice president across all regional groups–41.5 percent in Metro Manila, 50 percent in Northern and Central Luzon, 39.7 percent in Southern Luzon, 55.3 percent in the Visayas, and 82.3 percent in Mindanao.

“Her lead over the rest of the field is especially massive in MIN. Her lead is narrowest in NCR and SL,” it said.

Publicus Asia also noted that Duterte “registered the highest share of supporters that indicated that they will not change their choice–with three out of every four indicating that they are set on voting for her.”

“Upon considering those that are likely not going to swap candidates then the share of her “firm” voters is estimated to be around 86 percent,” it added.

her “firm” voters is estimated to be around 86 percent,” it added.

Pangilinan notched the second-highest share of “firm” voters at around 70 percent.

Marcos-Duterte most preferred tandem

Moreover, around 42 percent of respondents chose the Marcos-Duterte tandem.

“The popularity of this tandem is at its highest in MIN (58 percent) and at its lowest in SL (30 percent). At 2nd place is the opposition tandem of MLR-FKP (Ma. Leonor ‘Leni’ Robredo-Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan) with 7 percent,” Publicus Asia said.

“It is of note that the MLR-FKP tandem breached the double-digit mark in NCR–but polled poorly in MIN. All other tandems on offer notched sub-5 percent levels,” it added.

 

Mississippi executes man who killed wife and sexually assaulted stepdaughter

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Mississippi white inmate who killed his estranged wife and sexually assaulted her young daughter was executed by lethal injection Wednesday night.

David Neal Cox, 50, was put to death at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman after filing court papers calling himself “worthy of death” and ditching all appeals.

Cox in 2012 pleaded guilty to fatally shooting Kim Kirk Cox in May 2010 in the small town of Sherman.

He also pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his then-12-year-old stepdaughter in front of her dying mother.

Cox previously admitted to sexually assaulting his
then-12-year-old stepdaughter, Lindsey Kirk
 (pictured), in front of his wife, Kim Kirk Cox.

The stepdaughter, now 23, witnessed Cox’s execution.

“I want my children to know that I love them very much and that I was a good man at one time,” Cox said just before the injection started. “Don’t ever read anything but the King James Bible.”

He also thanked the state corrections commissioner, Burl Cain, for “being very kind to me” before adding, “That’s all I got to say.”

Cox was the first Mississippi inmate executed in nine years.

 

Former NFL player almost beaten wife to death

By Edward Era Barbacena

Home video captures former NFL running back Zac Stacy savagely beating the mother of his child and throwing her around like a rag doll in Florida. The child was just feet away. Zac Stacy played for St. Louis Rams & the Jets. 

 

Russia tests hypersonic missile amid fresh confrontation with Unites States

With cutting-edge hypersonic,  Russia leads in new arm race

By Edward Era Barbacena

While the United states after so many failures grapples to come up with their own hypersonic missile as it's rivals in the East have successfully have already secured their own, Russia  once again successfully tested another hypersonic missile.

In October, China tested hypersonic missile. Today, Russia successfully launched a hypersonic missile test from a warship, according to its Min.of Defense. Both countries are edging ahead, while America is busy sending energy biscuits to terrorists in Ethiopia.

Russian guided-missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov has successfully test-fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile against a target located in the White Sea waters, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday, November 18.

The testing was conducted amid fresh confrontation between Russian and the Unites States.

Last week Britain’s most senior military officer, General Nick Carter, said that there is a greater risk of an accidental war breaking out between the West and Russia than at any time since the Cold War, with many of the traditional diplomatic tools no longer available.

Tensions have been mounting in eastern Europe in recent weeks after the European Union accused Belarus of flying in thousands of migrants to engineer a humanitarian crisis on its border with EU-member state Poland, a dispute that threatens to draw in Russia and NATO.

President Vladimir Putin said on Nov.13 that unscheduled NATO drills in the Black Sea posed a serious challenge for Moscow and that Russia had nothing to do with the crisis on close ally Belarus’s border with the bloc.

Putin  has also  dubbed the Tsirkon and other cutting-edge weapons “invincible” as Moscow hopes to gain an edge in any arms race with the United States amid growing tensions.

Britain said on Nov.12 that a small team of UK military personnel had been deployed to explore “engineering support” for Poland on its border with Belarus.

Man Charged in Hate Crime Believed Gay Man's Home Held Demons

 

White Man Charged in Hate Crime Believed Gay Man's Home Held Demons

Daniel Andrew McGee of Oregon, who faces federal hate-crime charges, told police he'd had nightmares directing him to kill a gay man he met on Grindr.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Springfield, Ore., man has been charged with a federal hate crime in an assault that left a gay man with life-threatening injuries.

The suspect, Daniel Andrew McGee, told police he sought the gay man out because he believed there would be demons in the latter’s apartment, and McGee had had nightmares directing him to kill the man, The Oregonian reports. McGee was arrested Monday by the FBI.

McGee met the victim on Grindr, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. After they exchanged messages on Snapchat, they agreed to meet at the victim’s home in Eugene, Ore., July 5. Once there, McGee struck the other man on the head with a wooden club for several minutes while the victim begged him to stop, the DOJ’s criminal complaint charges. 

The victim had multiple cuts on his head and lost a large portion of his scalp, The Oregonian reports. He was treated at a local hospital for what the complaint termed life-threatening injuries.

McGee had brought other weapons and supplies with him, according to the outlet. The victim found a bag in his apartment containing knives, a cleaning solution, a portable vacuum cleaner, and a roll of trash bags.

A search of McGee’s internet usage found that he had researched antigay attacks and downloaded videos of them, and he had looked into “how to get away with murder and how murderers avoid getting caught,” the DOJ press release notes.

McGee’s father told police he had been concerned

about his son’s mental health, as McGee hadn’t been taking his medication consistently, The Oregonian reports.

The father also said he didn’t realize McGee, who the father said has autism, had left the house on the day of the attack.

A magistrate judge issued an order Monday night saying McGee must remain jailed “as a danger to the community and a risk of fleeing if released, noting the nature of the accusations, his possession of a weapon, his alleged violent behavior and mental health issues,” according to The Oregonian.

 

Russian Pacific Fleet Ships visit the Philippines 

By Edward Era Barbacena

Five vessels from the Russian Pacific Fleet, including two submarines, arrived in Manila on Nov 16 for a port call. The visit is for “routine replenishment & rest for the crew,” according to the Philippine Navy.

“The Russian Navy contingent is composed of corvette Gremyashchiy, B-274 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,  B–603 Volkhov, tanker Pechenga, and support vessel Alatau,” Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson Commander Benjo Negranza said in a statement Tuesday night.

The Philippine Navy did not say how long the squadron will be in port but said the visit was for standard port replenishment and rest for the sailors.

“The arrival of the Russian contingent in the country and the accommodation and support being extended to them underscores the promotion of peace, stability, and maritime cooperation in the region,” Negranza said.

In October 2018, the BRP Tarlac (LD-601) and its 300-man contingent made the Philippine Navy's first-ever port visit to Vladivostok, Russia.

The visit lasted six days and the Navy contingent got a chance to visit and tour a Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine aside from inspecting a Russian Marine firing range. 

American professor placed on leave after saying sexual attraction to kids not always immoral

 

American white professor  placed on leave after saying sexual attraction to kids not always immoral

He also blatantly defended the pedophiles

By Edward Era Barbacena

 A Virginia university has placed an assistant professor on administrative leave after the educator sparked heated backlash for saying it isn’t necessarily immoral for adults to be sexually attracted to children.

Allyn Walker, a white professor who teaches sociology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University, made the controversial comment while discussing “minor-attracted persons” and pedophiles during a Nov. 8 interview with the Prostasia Foundation, a San Francisco-based child protection organization.  Walker from the way he sounded is apparently a homosexual.

Walker, who uses the pronouns they/them, was discussing their book, “A Long Dark Shadow: Minor-Attracted People and Their Pursuit of Dignity,” when they insisted it’s important to use that terminology instead of “pedophile” because it’s less stigmatizing.

In a statement Tuesday, the school said it placed Walker on administrative leave.

“Reactions to Dr. Walker’s research and book have led to concerns for their safety and that of the campus. Furthermore, the controversy over Dr. Walker’s research has disrupted the campus and community environment and is interfering with the institution’s mission of teaching and learning,” it said.

“I want to state in the strongest terms possible that child sexual abuse is morally wrong and has no place in our society,” ODU President Brian Hemphill said in an accompanying statement.

“This is a challenging time for our University, but I am confident that we will come together and move forward as a Monarch family,” he added.

Walker had acknowledged that the use of the term “minor-attracted persons” — or MAPs — suggests to some that it’s OK to be attracted to children, but said labeling anyone wholly by their sexual desires doesn’t indicate anything about their morality.

“From my perspective, there is no morality or immorality attached to attraction to anyone because no one can control who they’re attracted to at all,” Walker said. “In other words, it’s not who we’re attracted to that’s either OK or not OK. It’s our behaviors in responding to that attraction that are either OK or not OK.”

Walker said child sex abuse is “never, ever OK,” but that having sexual urges toward children isn’t necessarily wrong — as long as those carnal desires aren’t acted upon.

Walker drew condemnation online after being shared on Twitter as someone trying to “normalize” adults who are attracted to juveniles. The assistant professor also put out a joint statement Saturday with Old Dominion University clarifying the remarks.

“I want to be clear: child sexual abuse is an inexcusable crime,” Walker said. “As an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice, the goal of my research is to prevent crime.”

 

'Razor-sharp precision': Russia hails anti-satellite weapons test

Russia hit back at accusations from the US and NATO that the anti-satellite weapons test was 'reckless', insisting the ISS was never threatened by the debris

By Edward Era Barbacena

Moscow ( Reuters )- Russia said on Tuesday it had conducted a weapons test that targeted an old Russian satellite with "razor-sharp precision" and denied allegations by the United States, Britain and NATO that the test had been dangerous for orbiting spacecraft.

U.S. officials said Monday's test had generated a debris field in low-Earth orbit that endangered the International Space Station (ISS) and that would pose a hazard to space activities for years. 

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the test was reckless, posed a threat to the ISS and an orbiting Chinese spacecraft, and showed Russia was developing new weapons systems. A British government spokesperson condemned the test and urged Moscow to join discussions at the United Nations on "responsible behaviour when it comes to space."

Russia's Defence Ministry said the debris from the test had not posed a threat to the ISS, and that Washington knew this.

"We did indeed successfully test a promising system. It hit the old satellite with razor-sharp precision. The fragments that formed pose no threat to space activity," Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.

The target was a non-operational spacecraft, Tselina-D, that had been in orbit since 1982, the ministry said in a statement.

It said the United States, China and India had conducted similar tests in the past.

Russia's space agency said the ISS's crew had temporarily to moved into their respective spacecraft.

The Defence Ministry said Russia was forced to beef up its defence capabilities because of weapons tests by the United States and Washington establishing a space force in 2020.

Moscow said it had sought an agreement to stop weapons being deployed in space for years, but that Washington and its allies had blocked the deal at the United Nations.

 

Bongbong Marcos son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos and Sara Duterte the daughter of President Duterte forged an alliance for the coming Philippine presidential and vice-presidential election next year

When the king of the North meets the heiress of the south - One  partnership that would rule them all

By Edward Era Barbacena

Former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte have confirmed their team-up as presidential and vice presidential candidates in Eleksyon 2022.

Sara on Tuesday night sought support for the presidential aspirations of former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Marcos then released a statement saying he and Sara had finalized their tandem as standard bearer and running mate.

"Naitawid na namin ni Mayor Inday Sara Duterte ang proseso para sa tambalang inaasam-asam ng aming mga taga suporta--ang BBM-Sara sa 2022," said Marcos, who is running under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.

"At napagkasunduan namin at ng aming mga partido ang pagsusulong ng mapagkaisang liderato sakaling kami ay palarin sa darating na halalan sa Mayo 9, 2022," he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte's daughter is the vice presidential nominee of the Lakas CMD. 

"Ang aking partido ay nakipag-alyansa at humingi ng suporta para kay Bongbong Marcos at para sa akin matapos kong tanggapin ang inyong hamon at panawagan," Sara said in a video message on Tuesday night.

Lakas CMD president House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez indicated the party's support for Marcos' presidential candidacy as Sara said in her message.

"Our standard-bearer has spoken," Romualdez told reporters when sought for comment as regards the party's support for Marcos.

Sara said the PDP-Laban turned down her appeal for support but she said she understood the party's position.

Duterte is the chairman of the ruling party.

"Pero gusto ko lamang na linawin - walang pangalan na sinisira o dinudungisan, walang sinasagasaan, walang inaagrabyado, inaaway, pinapaiyak o inaapi," Sara said.

Senator Bong Go, who initially filed a certificate of candidacy for vice president under PDP-Laban, has substituted Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission chair Greco Belgica as the presidential bet of the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS).

Senator Ronald Dela Rosa also withdrew his certificate of candidacy for president under the ruling party.

Duterte on Monday filed a COC to run for senator also under the PDDS.

The PDP-Laban is now the subject of a controversy before the Commission on Elections as two factions--one controlled by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and the other by senators Manny Pacquiao and Koko Pimentel--are claiming control of the ruling party. 

Source: GMA 7