Japan's Atomic Bomb Commemorations Invite Controversy

Hiroshima, the Japanese city devastated by a US atomic bomb in 1945, is at the center of a growing controversy after local officials dismissed calls to disinvite Israel from its annual ceremony promoting world peace as war rages in Gaza.

Every year on August 6, Hiroshima gathers foreign officials, along with locals, in a minute of silence at 8:15 a.m. to mark the exact moment the bomb dropped, killing tens of thousands of people and leading to the end of World War II.

"How Many Children Died?" - London Mayor Has No Answer

The ineffective Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was confronted justifiably by angry residents at the site of the gutted Grenfell Tower.

At this time, entire families are still missing after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building in west London in the early hours last 14 June, killing at least 17 people.

Banca in Ormoc Capsized, 36 Dead

Another tragedy caused by carelessness and ineptitude happened in the afternoon of 2 July 2015 when MBCA Kim-Nirvana, a motorized outrigger bound for Camotes Island in Cebu province capsized off Ormoc City port.

At least 36 people were confirmed dead while 26 others were reported missing from a list of 173 passengers and 16 crew on board.

No To All-Out War in Mindanao

The death of 44 police officers from the Special Action Forces (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) has stunned the nation two weeks after it happened and generated an emotional call for a full-blown war with the Islamic militants in the South.

More than 300 SAFs were supposed to serve arrest warrants for high-ranking terrorists, Jemaah Islamiyah-affiliated and improvised-explosive-device experts Zulkifli Abdhir (also known as Marwan) and Basit Usman. Unfortunately, the mission led to the deaths of 44 members of SAF, 16 from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) and several civilians.

AFP's Bloodiest Encounter in Mindanao

When about 43 Philippine police commandos were killed in an 11-hour firefight with Muslim rebels last 25 January 2015 was reported, it was considered by Interior Minister Manual Roxas as "the single largest loss of life in recent memory by our security forces."

However, this is not the bloodiest and most violent encounter for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the last four decades. That distinction belonged to the massacre of about 119 officers and men of the Philippine Army’s 31st Infantry Battalion that were deployed to Pata island off Jolo on 12 February 1981.

Stop The War in Gaza

We need to put a stop to the war between the Israeli Army and the Hamas Islamist in Gaza. The tiny strip of land, of close to 2 million people living densely packed, has seen the violence inflicted on civilians.

And who among the civilians are most vulnerable and greatly affected? No doubt in most rational minds that it is the children. It doesn’t matter whether the Israelis cannot adopt a more forensic strike or identify a precise target. It is also of small concern on whether the Hamas are using civilians as human shield or not.

Racist Singaporeans Should Be Ashamed

Is Singapore becoming a dangerous place for Filipinos? It appears that way after the supposed plan to celebrate the 116th Philippine Independence Day received a lot of discriminatory comments from very racist Singaporeans.

The Pilipino Independence Day Council (PIDC) Singapore initially decided to organize a celebration at the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, in the middle of Singapore's busy shopping belt, but their choices received a harsh backlash from a few ‘trolls.’

31 Children Dies in Columbia Bus Fire

Today should be considered as one of the worst day in child welfare and safety after a bus packed with children burst into flames in Colombia.

A total of 31 children were burned to death. The children were between the ages of 1 and 8. Another 24 children and one adult were injured and seriously burned in the accident near the town of Fundacion on 18 May 2014.

Prayers for the Missing MH370 Passengers

If there is still the slightest of hope, people should not give up easily and cling to that small chance that their relatives are still alive and well.

This is what thousand of people, many from Southeast Asia, tried to do for three days after the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was reported missing. However, as hours and minutes drag on concerns and worries increase over the fate of the Boeing 777 carrying 239 people onboard.

One Hearthbreaking Photo from Syria

The war in Syria is a very complicated one, but it is not hard to fathom who will likely be the most affected: women and children.

To show the tragic outcome of this senseless conflict, Bassam Khabieh of Reuters has taken a particularly startling series of photos capturing the aftermath of an airstrike by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Duma last 7 January 2014.

Gov. Salceda: LGU Preparation is Lacking

The record of Albay in disaster mitigation can speak for itself and Governor Joey Salceda is proud of that. However, it is also a source of frustration when he sees that other local government units take that experienced for granted.

In the aftermath of the devastation brought about by Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) Governor Salceda called on other local government units to adopt drastic measures in preparing for future calamities.

UN Explains Slow Relief Assistance

The United Nations on Tuesday (12 November 2013) praised the efforts made by the government of the Philippines to respond to the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan).

"The Philippine authorities have done a tremendous job in extremely difficult circumstances," said Martin Nesirky, the United Nations spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Rape-Plagued India Becomes Apathetic

A few months ago, India was put into the limelight after the brutal attack and gang rape of a 23-year-old Delhi physiotherapy student on a moving bus. The student died 13 days later from massive internal injuries.

The horrific incident was followed by another sexually-motivated attack last March when a Swiss tourist was raped in front of her husband by eight men in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The attackers also stole a camera, mobile phone and about 10,000 rupees (US$ 185).