Day: March 15, 2022

SYDNEY, Mar 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) – A fire at a boarding house in Sydney, killed three people with one in a critical condition. The police have deemed the cause of the fire as “suspicious.”

Firefighters were called to a two-level boarding house in Newtown, a suburb in Sydney’s inner west, this morning. Firefighters said it took about two hours to get the blaze under control.

A body was recovered from the rubble in the morning with two more uncovered in the afternoon.

Police said, there were also “serious concerns” for a fourth person, who escaped the fire, and is in a “crucial condition” at central Sydney hospital.

In a statement, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner, Peter Cotter said, the incident was being investigated as a murder.

“We are treating this as suspicious – it was an explosion, the flames took hold extremely quickly,” he said.

“It would be fair to say some type of accelerant was used – we are treating this as a murder, we are treating this as a maliciously lit fire.”

Residents in surrounding buildings have been evacuated due to instability in the building, after the fire.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

Myanmar’s military has engaged in systematic human rights violations, many amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the United Nations said on Tuesday, in its first comprehensive human rights report since last year’s coup.

Security forces have shown a flagrant disregard for human life, using air strikes and heavy weapons on populated areas and deliberately targeting civilians, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said.

Many victims were shot in the head, burned to death, arrested arbitrarily, tortured, or used as human shields, she said in a statement on the report, which urged “meaningful action” by the international community.

“The appalling breadth and scale of violations of international law suffered by the people of Myanmar demand a firm, unified, and resolute international response,” Bachelet said.

Myanmar’s military spokesperson did not answer calls seeking comment on the U.N. report on Tuesday.

The military says it has a duty to ensure peace and security. It has denied atrocities have taken place and has blamed “terrorists” for causing unrest.

The junta has failed to consolidate power since its overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021 triggered a backlash of a kind not seen in decades.

Western countries have imposed broad sanctions on the military and its businesses after anti-coup protests were lethally suppressed by troops, with thousands of people arrested and many prosecuted, including Suu Kyi, who has since been convicted of crimes that include incitement.

The U.N. report said it was based on interviews with scores of victims of abuse and witnesses, whose accounts were corroborated with satellite imagery, verified multimedia files and open-source information.

The army has met sustained resistance in the countryside from militias allied with the ousted government. The U.N. report said troops had carried out mass killings in the Sagaing region, with some victims found dead with their hands and feet tied.

In Kayah State, burned bodies of women and children were found, some in positions indicating they had tried to escape and were burned alive, it said.

The report found detainees were tortured during interrogation, including suspension from ceilings, electrocution, injection of drugs and some subjected to sexual violence, including rape.

The junta has in the past year scolded the U.N. and its independent experts for interference and what it calls reliance on distorted information from partisan groups.

The report also said at least 543 people had been killed for their perceived support of the military government.

Source: Voice of America

The German government is set to provide Covid care bonus to frontline workers, including Filipino healthcare workers, who served in various health care institutions in Germany at the height of the pandemic, the Labor Department said on Tuesday.

Citing a report to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III from Labor Attaché Delmer Cruz of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Berlin, it said the German government has allocated 1 billion Euros for the ‘COVID care bonus,’ which will be split equally between nurses into care homes and nurses in hospitals.

Bello immediately lauded the German government’s initiative.

“The initiative of Germany to reward the frontline workers including our very own for their service during the pandemic is really commendable. This will inspire all the more our healthcare workers in providing the brand of service that the Filipinos are known for even in the midst of crisis,” Bello said.

Healthcare workers engaged in elderly care will receive an incentive ranging from 60-550 Euros or P3,400-P31,000.

Among those who will benefit are nursing staff who worked in geriatric care for at least three months between November 1, 2020 and June 30, 2022, and are still employed by June 30.

Other beneficiaries include support staff, such as administrators and those in charge of building services, kitchen, cleaning, reception and security services, gardening and grounds maintenance, and laundry or logistics.

Likewise, trainees in elderly care, other employees, volunteers, and participants in the ‘voluntary social year’ scheme are eligible to receive the incentive.

Hospital owners shall be responsible for distributing the bonus between their staff.

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced that the plan had been passed to the health committee for review, and pay-outs may start as early as June 30.

Minister Lauterbach said the German government is set to improve the situation for carers in general through new staffing systems and better working conditions. He added that the incentive is just the start of a wider scheme to make nursing a more attractive profession.

Source: Department Of Labor and Employment Republic of Philippines