Palestine has never been listed in Google Maps: Tech Giant says

Jakarta. In the wake of a viral campaign of outrage that the State of Palestine does not appear on Google Maps, the tech giant has been replied wih a simple answer: Palestine was never on Google Maps.

An online petition has received more than 243,000 signatures by late Wednesday aftenoon.

After failing to find Palestine through Google map search, netizens questioned the decision of companies with some accusing the tech giant has replaced the state with Israel.

Google Indonesia declared that Palestine was never registered by Google Maps.

"Palestine has never been listed on Google Maps. But we have realized a technical glitch that removed the name of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Currently, we repair and restore the name on Google Maps," said a Google Indonesia representative in a statement to Beritasatu.com on Wednesday, August 10.

The State of Palestine is geographically located in the Middle East, has been involved in the conflict with Israel since the State of Israel was created shortly after the end of World War II.

source:

JakartaGlobe

Phlippines Leader Calls US Ambassador 'Gay Son of a Whore' Prompting Summons

MANILA: The Phlippines' firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte has sparked a fresh diplomatic row with his colourful language, calling the US ambassador "gay" in comments that prompted Washington to summon Manila's envoy to complain on Wednesday, August 9.

In the latest of series of tirades, Duterte used a local Tagalog language homophobic slur to express his displeasure with US ambassador, Philip Goldberg, in televised comments made Friday.

"As you know, I'm fighting with (US Secretary of State, John Kerry's) ambassador. His gay ambassador, the son of a whore. He pissed me off," Duterte said.

Duterte, 71, surged to power with a landslide in May following an incendiary campaign in which he gleefully used foul language to disrespect authority figures, from his local political rivals to the pope.

He first came into conflict with US envoy Goldberg on the campaign trail, after he said he wanted to rape a "beautiful" Australian missionary who was sexually assaulted and murdered in a 1989 prison riot in Davao, the city he ran for two decades.

Goldberg and the Australian Ambassador both strongly criticized these comments.

"He meddled during the elections, giving statements here and there. He was not supposed to do that," Duterte said on Friday.

The US State Department said that the Filipino charge d'affaires, Patrick Chuasoto, had been summoned on Monday to discuss Duterte's comments.

"We had that conversation," department spokeswoman, Elizabeth Trudeau said.

"I think what we were seeking is perhaps a better understanding of why that statement was made," she added.

Philippine foreign affairs spokesman, Charles Jose, confirmed the meeting but said Manila's envoy had been "invited to the State Department to discuss the entire breadth of Philippines-US relations."

"Philippines-US relations remain strong," he told AFP on Wednesday.

A former US colony, the Philippines and the United State have long shared a military treaty.

source:

theguardian

 

Police arrest 31 citizens of China and Taiwan in West Jakarta, involvement suspected in extortion racket

Jakarta, Indonesia. Jakarta Police chief, Gen.Insp. Moechgiyarto, said police and  the immigration office will cooperate to investigate the recent arrest of 31 citizens of China and Taiwan in West Jakarta.

"We'll find out if these foreign nationals have violated the law. If they have broken the law, we will handle their inquiry. If the problem is more to the administration, we will submit them to the immigration office," said Moechgiyarto at the Jakarta Police headquaters on Friday, August 5.

"We're working closely with immigration officials and with the interpol," Moechgiyarto said and added that the police will "inform the embassies of China and Taiwan if they did break the law."

According to police data, 18 Chinese and 10 Taiwanese citizens were arrested at the Green Garden housing estate and three Taiwanese Nationals arrested in Taman Anggrek  apartment in the western part of the capital.

Police suspect the men were involved in online fraud and extortion racket targetting the citizens of China and Taiwan.

They would pretend  to be a police officer or prosecutor to blackmail people who have unsettled debts, unpaid credit card bills or suspected of being involved in money laundering cases in China or Taiwan.

source:

JakartaGlobe

London knife attack leaves one dead and five injured

One woman was killed and five other people were injured in a knife attack in Russell Square, central London.

Police were called at 10.33pm local time on Wednesday after reports of a man injuring people with a knife.

A 19-year-old man was arrested at 10.39pm after a Taser was discharged by an officer.

One of the victims, a woman in her 60s, was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later.

The officials also said, one injured victim appears to be American.

Mental health is a "major factor" in the investigation but terrorism remains a line of inquiry, authorities said.

Mark Rowley, the Scotland Yard assistant commisioner, told reporters, "as a precautionary measure tomorrow, Londoners will wake up and in the morning they will notice increased police presence on the streets, including armed officers. This is there to provide reassurance and safety. We ask the public to remain calm, vigilant and alert."

Officials briefed on the investigation told reporters earlier that based on early evidence, investigators believe the incident ws a terror attack.

"The fact that they're even mentioning terrorism leads me to believe that some of the witnesses and some of the victims may have said that this guy may have made some statements while he was carrying out the attack," former FBI agent, Bobby Chacon said.

"The normal posture is to calm the public and say we don't have any information that it's terrorism yet."

Counterterrorism police are supporting the investigation, but not leading it, authorities said later.

The insident comes just hours after authorities announced London would increase its presence of armed police after recent terror attacks in Europe.

A police forensics tent has been erected on Southampton Row, outside the park in the center of the square, which is close to the British Museum.

There is a heavy police presence in the area and the initial cordon around the crime scene has been extended.

source:

BBC News

 

Indonesia has executed four drug traffickers

Cilacap, Central Java. Indonesia has executed four drug traffickers, three of them were African and one Indonesian in the early hours of friday, and said it has not decide when the 10 others were convicted of drug crimes would be sentenced to death.

Deputy Attorney General, Noor Rachmad, said one Indonesian and three Africans executed by firing squad on Nusakambangan island shortly after midnight local time.

The Attorney General said on Wednesday that 14 prisoners, including a citizen of India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe will be executed this weekend.

"We consider several factors and decided that for the time being four death row inmates to be executed," Rachmad told reporters shortly after execution on Friday.

Those who were executed on early Friday was, Freddy Budiman from Indonesia, Osmane seck from Senegal, Michael Titus and Humphrey Jefferson were from Nigeria. Osmane corpse and also Titus would be flown to their home country, and Jefferson will be buried in Indonesia.

"It's not a pleasant thing but it was to implement the law," said Rachmad. "Execution is intended only for drug crimes."

He said a decision on other execution will be announced at a later date.

source:

TheJakartaPost

Amnesty International Condemns the Third Round of Executions

Jakarta, Indonesia. President Joko Widodo will put the government of Indonesia on the wrong side of history if he proceeds the third round of executions of drug dealers, human rights watchdog Amnesty International warned on Wednesday, July 27.

Amnesty International made a statement in connection with recent reports that several death row inmates have been transferred to Nusakambangan prison in Central Java. At least 14 death-row inmates have been on the island of executions since Sunday evening, which include ten foreign nationals.

It is generally understood that death row inmates were moved to Nusakambangan island few days before they are executed by firing squad. They are being held in an isolation room and will receive counseling from the religious guides, while the government will fulfill their last wishes.

Director of Amnesty International's campaign for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Josef Benedict, said the organization is concerned that some of the inmates who would face a firing squad, was convicted in unfair trials and has not been appealed, including a request for clemency to the President.

"In the era of President Jokowi is supposed to represent a new start for human rights in Indonesia. Unfortunately, he could preside over the highest number of executions in the era of the country's democracy, by the time most of the world has turned its back on this cruel practice," Benedict said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a report published last year, Amnesty found that in 12 cases, the defendants were denied access to legal counsel at the time of their arrest and the pause period thereafter. Some claimed that they were tortured and other ill-treatment while in police custody and forced to "confess" their crimes alleged. However, allegations of torture and forced confessions reportedly never investigated further by the authorities.

According to Amnesty, the Pakistani authorities have asked their counterparts from Indonesia to stop the execution of Zulkifar Ali, a Pakistani citizen and also a textile workers, who were reported to have described how he was tortured in custody and spent more than a decade on death row for a drug offences.

During the pre-trial detention, he was reportedly denied the right to contact his embassy and not permitted to access to a lawyer untill approximately one month after his arrest.

"In the case of Zulkifar Ali showed that the International law has been repeatedly violated in the case of the death penalty. No one should have their life is decided on the basis of such flawed proceedings," Benedict added in a statement.

Last year, despite repeated plea for mercy from foreign governments and an International organizations, Indonesia government had execute the 14 people for drug trafficking, among them are citizens of Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands and Nigeria.

source:

JakartaGlobe

Hundreds of fake graves found in Jakarta

Jakarta, Indonesia. The agency of parks and funeral in jakarta has found hundreds of fake graves in two public cemeteries in the capital and promised to find many more in other locations.

Head of the agency, Muchlisin Djafar, said that officials were still investigating why the cemetery has graves false plots. Some reports said the grave was dug to give the impression that the burial place was full but will then offer customers with inflated prices or bribery.

"To date, we have found a total of 230 of the fake graves. We will check all the public cemetery to find more," said Djafar in Jakarta on Tuesday, July 26.

"We found a fake graves in Karet Bivak and Kawi-Kawi cemetery in Central Jakarta, the two coveted locations for burial. We will check the other cemetery on Friday," Djafar added.

According to Detik.com, way to find out a fake graveyard is to look at graveyard tombstone.

"A fake one has a name with no date, and the name written with markers," said Head of Pondok Ranggon public cemetery, J.S. Siregar.

source:

JakartaGlobe