POLITICS

Final Story: Iraq Stampede Brings Record-High Death Toll

 

In Baghdad, a suicide bomb panic resulted into a fatal stampede during the commemoration of a holy day for Shiites.  Marching pilgrims were reported crossing a bridge over the Tigris River before the stampede came from the opposing shore.  According to the interview of Xinhua to the Interior Ministry, there were at least 650 deaths and 235 injuries of mostly women and children who either drowned into river or caught in the crash.  Expecting continuous rise in toll, this incident was cited as second deadliest after US-led war on Iraq in March 2003.             

 

Final Story: House Junks to Unseat the President, Protest Lurks

 

The Philippine House of Representatives ended the 23-hour debate on the alleged election fraud filed against Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.  Exceeding three-times the votes of the opposition, pro-administration lawmakers succeeded to dismiss impeachment complaints against Arroyo.  This was “a grand display of political maturity and resilience”, expressed by the President to the House ruling who also encouraged the time for “the nation to move forward and put politics behind”.  However, following the House decision, a mass protest for “democracy and search for the truth” was led by Former President Corazon Aquino which was a known figure behind the ousting of Former Dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.  Scheduled to be staged in major places within the capital, a number of protests were expected to fill the streets provoked by the participation of Susan Roces and Senator Panfilo Lacson.  Roces is an entertainment celebrity and the widow of Arroyo’s main presidential rival in the last year’s election, Fernando Poe Jr., while Lacson is another presidential candidate and a high-ranking general.  Over 2,000 additional policemen were deployed in support to the current police force to monitor the rallies.  

 

 

 

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