B1
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 Adelle Chua, Editor
Opinion
Joyce Pangco Pañares, Issue Editor
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
EDITORIAL
POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE
PERIOD MURDER MYSTERIES WITH Netflix now available in the Philippines, there is an even wider range of shows to watch, many of them quite interesting as to subject matter, and well-researched and well-produced. It’s difficult to choose what to watch from among so many, but I decided to go by genre. And as a devout fan of Sherlock Holmes, I started with mysteries first. I’m also an aficionado of British writers, especially those from the Victorian era up to the 1940s, so I was drawn to several shows in particular:
SECURITY ISSUES
Scan this icon to view the PDF
F
ORMER President Fidel Ramos played a central role in the election of current President Rodrigo Duterte. He was the one who convinced him, finally, to make a run for the highest post in the land—it was acknowledged so, during the latter’s inauguration in June. Between then and now, many things have happened. Mr. Ramos was named a special envoy to smooth the country’s tense relationship with China. He quit after just a few weeks into the job. And then he started criticizing the President’s leadership style, saying that the countr y was a sink ing ship under the former Davao mayor. Last week, in an interview, Mr. Ramos described Mr. Duterte as insecure, and
the Philippine Constabulary. It has already served its purpose, Ramos, who once headed the PC, said. We wonder how M r. Duterte is really taking all these. Emphasis on “really.” Over the past few months we have become familiar with his tendency to lambast anybody who does not agree with him or who inconveniences him. Anybody can refer to his political enemies, but also to international nongovernment organizations, the president of the United States, the secretary-general of the United Nations, even the Pope. It will not surprise us then if Mr. Duterte finally chooses to speak against the man who believed in him first before anybody else did, but who was quick to offer
advised him to consult with the people to get their input and support when crafting government policy. This week, during his book launch, the elder statesman raised more issues against Mr. Duterte—among them his decision to put the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in charge of the fight against illegal drugs; allow the breakdown of peace talks with the communists; assign erring policemen to areas in Tawi-Tawi, which are “places of honor;” and revive
1. Midsomer Murders: This is a British detective show that was first aired in 1997 and is still running on its 19th season. It’s based on Caroline Graham’s Chief Inspector Barnaby books. The lead character, John Barnaby, is a tenacious detective, rather like a terrier, who won’t give up on something once he’s got his teeth into it. Based at the Causton CID (Criminal Investigation Department), he looks into crimes that take place in the fictional county of Midsomer. He’s ably aided by a succession of sergeants, some funny and bumbling, others cool and eager, but all capable and of value to Barnaby, although sometimes as a foil to his penetrating insight—the usual hero-sidekick dynamic. What I like about the series is the setting—the gorgeous British countryside, with their ancient thatched cottages complete with beams and crown glass windows, and acres of green fields. The accents are charming (somehow everything sounds better and more credible with a British accent), and there’s the added bonus of learning the meaning of British words, practices, and customs.
advice on how he could do a better job. Ramos was not perfect as president, and he is not perfect now as an elder statesman. These, however, do not dilute the message from a man who has seen much, and done much, and who seeks not to reclaim power but see that the country moves forward as it should, in the manner that it should. It would be a welcome surprise if Mr. Duterte sets aside his bravado to simply listen. Not all who criticize him wish to embarrass him, or yank him out of office, or do bodily harm to him. He must be secure enough to take other people’s opinion, see things from others’ point of view, and factor their input into his own decisions and actions. This is still a democracy, after all.
2. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: Based on Kelly Greenwood’s books, this detective show is set in Australia during the Gilded Age. Phryne Fisher has gone through hardships as a child, but later her family comes into a fortune and she spends her days in Melbourne as the first lady detective Down Under. To help her solve crimes she enlists the help of coachmen Bert and Cec and her maid Dorothy “Dot” Williams, while working closely with Detective Inspector Jack Robinson (who has a soft spot for Phryne, though her antics drive him to exasperation) and Constable Hugh Collins (who later marries Dot). Turn to B2
RECTIFY LONG STORY SHORT ADELLE CHUA
IN DECEMBER 2012, a group of lawyers, scientists and academic institutions launched Innocence Project Philippines at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa and the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong. Among those on board the network
upon its conception were religious volunteer groups (CBCP Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care, Coalition Against Death Penalty and the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service), the Free Legal Assistance Group, the UP DNA Analysis Laboratory, UP
College of Law, De La Salle University College of Law and Ateneo de Davao College of Law. They patterned their efforts after that of Innocence Project US, affiliated with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New
York and largely propped up by the volunteerism of law students. The group aimed to review cases that had already been resolved by the courts, finding certain persons guilty of crimes. They want to overturn Turn to B2
Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher can be accessed at: thestandard.com.ph
Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno
Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers
Anita F. Grefal Baldwin R. Felipe Edgar M. Valmorida
ManilaStandard
Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.thestandard. com.ph; e-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph
ONLINE MEMBER
PPI
Chairman Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager OIC-Ad Solutions Circulation Manager
Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares
Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor City Editor
Emil P. Jurado
Adelle Chua Honor Blanco Cabie Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera
Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board
Opinion Editor Night Editor Art Director Chief Photographer
Opinion
B2
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
INVESTIGATE TRUMP’S RUSSIA TIES By Bloomberg Editorial Board TO RECAP a few anarchic days in Donald Trump’s Washington: At least six agencies are investigating Trump’s ties to Russia. The President is deriding the spies. The spies are keeping secrets from the president. The White House is mulling a purge. Everyone is leaking to the news media. And no one has any answers. If there’s one certainty in this increasingly troubling episode, it’s that Congress must get to the bottom of it. The question now is how to do so in a way that instills confidence in the public and sheds some light on an alarming chain of events. American spy agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and likely sought to aid Trump. According to news reports, there is also evidence that the president’s associates were repeatedly in contact with Russian intelligence during the campaign. This week, Trump’s national security adviser resigned after making misleading statements about a conversation he had with Russia’s ambassador about sanctions. Yet more worrying, much of the public evidence about all this has come from anonymous leaks, hence the escalating spat between the President and the intelligence agencies. The way to reduce that tension, and to assure the public that the government is in steady hands, is for Congress to exercise its oversight of the executive branch and conduct a far more thorough probe.
An investigation of this gravity can’t succumb to political interference or partisanship. And it can’t be conducted in secret. Although the House and Senate intelligence committees are looking into Russia’s involvement in the election, potential pitfalls abound: The committees deliberate behind closed doors, evaluate classified evidence, and may never make their full results public. Given such secrecy, the prospect of political influence can’t be ruled out, despite pledges to “go where the intelligence leads.” That’s why a more open approach is called for. One option, as Senator Lindsey Graham has proposed, would be a select committee made up of the top members of other congressional committees relevant to the investigation. Given the scope of the issues involved—including espionage, national security, cybersecurity, foreign relations, economic sanctions and more—that approach makes some sense. Another option would be an independent commission. Although it would require legislation, such a panel would ensure a public and transparent probe, and it would be empowered to investigate failures and shortcomings across the government, including within Congress itself. The commission that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was an exemplar of open bipartisan inquiry and could serve as a model. For any such probe, the most crucial attribute is independence. An investigation of this gravity can’t succumb to political interference or partisanship. And it can’t be conducted in secret. It requires that Congress simply follow the facts, then tell the public what it finds.
WHY GO TO MARS? ONE evening in October of 1899, young Robert climbed a cherry tree to cut off dead limbs. As Robert looked up into the darkening sky, his task done, he was possessed with the possibility of going to Mars. Young Robert went down the cherry tree a different person. Robert H. Goddard’s lifelong obsession of building rocket ships that will take people to Mars led him to become the father of modern rocketry. Although he did not see it come true, his dream lives on in the hearts of the men and women working to put the first pair of human boots on the dust of the Red Planet. As with all great space projects, dreams of Mars lead us to questions of priority. Why explore another planet if we have many problems here on ours? One usual answer astronomers will give you is this: The amount of money spacefaring countries spend on their space program is very little compared to the amount of money they spend on their military, infrastructure projects, or social services. For example, the cost of India’s space program is less than 1 percent of the budget allocated for social services meant to combat poverty. Given the discrepancy, slashing the small budget meant for space exploration might not be the proper solution to our Earthbound problems. Perhaps a more appropriate response would be to demand for better governance, so that services meant to combat poverty or hunger really do what they’re meant to do. After all, having a space program might even help us solve these problems.
RECTIFY From A1 convictions on the strength of DNA evidence. They work from the principle that no innocent man or woman should be put behind bars for something he or she did not commit. Those familiar with crime and detective shows would know that DNA technology can conclusively establish a person’s guilt or innocence on the basis of whether his genes are found on the crime scene. This is not at all new, not even here in the Philippines. It has been nearly 10 years—October 2007, precisely—since the Supreme Court issued its Rules on DNA Evidence. The rules say that even those found guilty through final and executory decisions may seek to have their case re-examined using DNA technology so long as there are biological samples to be evaluated. Our justice system relies heavily on testimonial evidence, which may be compelling but also subject to error or manipulation. Victims and witnesses may make mistakes, inadvertently or on purpose. Tragically, aside from these testimonies, there may be no other way to reconstruct what happened. Only science can do away with these pitfalls. But there has to be two sets of samples: One to be taken from the suspect, and one from the victim or from the crime scene taken during the very narrow and very critical period of investigation. It goes without saying that appropriate comparisons cannot be made if there are no samples to compare, in the first place. *** But this was four years ago, and under a different time. How is the project coming along?
PERIOD... From A1 There’s a wealth of accents here, from British and Australian to others more exotic. What makes this series interesting is that Phryne is a feminist who does not hesitate to assert her independence in all ways (including having one night stands with muscular fellows she encounters), and whose commitment is difficult to obtain, though she has given her heart to Jack. Another gem in this treasure of a series is the costume design. I fell in love with Phryne’s dresses and hats. Although impractical for a detective—Phryne climbs walls in outrageous hats and outfits— they are all well-made and true to the period. The wardrobe from the series has been shown off in
Which brings me to the second part of an astronomer’s usual reply: Spending a relatively small amount of resources on exploring space ends up helping us solve our problems here on Earth. For example, India’s relatively modest space program has already saved millions of lives there by helping local governments plan evacuations when a storm is about to arrive. But such replies fail to address why we should go to Mars. First of all, why Mars? Well, because it’s the closest we’ve got in the Solar System to a planet we can create a habitat on. For one, Mars has a day only slightly longer than the Earth’s. It also has seasons that cycle quite like the Earth’s. We now know it has stores of liquid water and water ice, which future visitors can use for drinking and for fuel. Its gravity, though weaker than what human bodies are used to, is stronger than the Moon’s, which is a big plus. The fact that it potentially harbors life either now or in its distant past is also a major factor. A planet that could’ve once harbored life can be made to harbor life again in the future. Mars could also serve as a springboard to future explorations of the Asteroid Belt and the outer Solar System. But why colonize it? Because astronomers think it would be better for humans to become a multi-planet species. One quip in the astronomical community describes asteroids as nature’s way to asking us, “How’s that space program going?” They say that the dinosaurs went extinct because they did not have a space program.
It is argued that if we want the human race to continue existing, then it has to exist on multiple planets. Sure, we should make the Earth a better place to live on. But we can do that while also making another planet livable. And even if we did, the Sun will one day gobble down the Earth. Only a spacefaring species could survive such an event. Those are the answers astronomers will probably give you if you ask them in public. But if you ask them in private, they’ll tell you a different story. Deep in their heart of hearts, space scientists, engineers, and explorers have a different reason for going to Mars. They, like the young Robert Goddard, felt that primal pull, that most human of urges to go where no one has gone before, the very same urge that allowed humans to spread from Africa to all of the Earth. And we, as humans, understand the value of that urge. Like the urge to create great works of art and music, or the urge to compete in great sporting events, the feverish desire to see what’s waiting for us out there in the great beyond is something that courses through our veins. There is no stopping it. Personally, I hope we will solve our problems here on Earth soon so that we could begin to take the first steps in conquering another planet. To the future generations who are there on the surface of Mars, I am so proud of what you have accomplished, and I wish I were there with you.
Dr. Maria Corazon de Ungria of the UP DNA Analysis Laboratory says the team has faced challenges over the past few years— challenges that have prevented them from achieving their objectives just yet. Some of the hurdles are logistical and administrative. There is always the threat of violence inside jails. Student-volunteers advance in their studies and may not be able to stick around for the entire cause of the investigation. The activities overlap with the items already in the students’ curriculum. There is always, always a lack of funds—for meetings, for transportation, all the practical expenses that have to do with getting from one place to another.
you are basically saying that somebody committed a mistake and that they should correct that,” says De Ungria. “It is in the culture of Filipinos to take this personally.” But the possibilities remain. “Science can provide options and alternatives that have not been used in the past. We just have to find creative, just and fair ways of providing these alternatives.” Indeed the desire to use science to bring about genuine change and justice is always there. “We [in Innocence Project Philippines] remain hopeful. We take challenges as they come, address what we can address,” she says. *** In our current context where innocent people face the threat not just of being jailed but being killed, we hope there is room for rectification as well. There is a growing clamor against abuses in the fight against drugs— ironically seen as a menace to life itself. This has to be corrected. Much work awaits in determining who is guilty and who is innocent, in a country where truth has infinite versions. This has to be rectified. The really guilty must also have the chance to reform under the principle of corrective justice. Killing them as though they have lost all worth should never be an option in an enlightened society. The jobs appear to have gotten more difficult, but it does not mean we should stop pursuing the ideal. “There are errors in the justice system—just like there are errors in any system, anyway. Let us work to improve it. I am sure there are good intentions everywhere,” De Ungria says.
Science can be used to bring about genuine justice, genuine change.
Some are systemic weaknesses of our institutions. While the samples offered by convicts asking to be evaluated may be easy to obtain, the collection, storage and preservation of evidence from the crime scene is tricky. There is no established chain of custody and accountability for the samples. Rape kits containing samples that are crucial to the case are just stacked on closets or on the floor of hospitals or police stations—if they are ever gathered at all. Some are cultural, and it has something to do with saving face. “When you seek to overturn a judgment,
exhibitions in Australia. 3. Murdoch’s Mysteries: Based on novels by Maureen Jennings, this show is set in 1890s Canada and showcases the intellectual abilities of Detective William Murdoch of the Toronto Constabulary. William is a highly intelligent man who uses his scientific knowledge to design gadgets and solve tricky puzzles to bring murderers to justice. Providing comic foil is his boss, Chief Inspector Thomas Brackenreid, and their constable, George Crabtree. Along the way, sometimes with the help of others, Murdoch invents forerunners of night vision goggles, sonar, a polygraph machine, audio equipment that isolates background noise, CCTV (which in the show is called a ‘scrutiny camera’), the fax machine, and others. It’s fun watching the show for past versions
Pecier Decierdo is the resident physicist and astronomer of The Mind Museum.
adellechua@gmail.com
crime in the fictional seaside town of Hastings. Foyle prefers not to drive, so Samantha “Sam” Stewart joins him as his charioteer. With Sergeant Paul Milner, they solve mysteries around the town as well as puzzles of national import, particularly when the war is over and Foyle and Sam go to work for MI5. With the exception of Foyle’s War, these series are based on books and adapted for the small screen. They all have a British flavor; after all, Canada and Australia are British colonies. If you’re looking to watch something out of the ordinary and immerse yourself in history along the 4. Foyle’s War: another police way, look into these titles. detective story, this one is set in 1940s England. Detective Chief Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based Superintendent Christopher Foyle wants to serve in the war, but his writer. Follow her on Facebook: Jenny superiors believe he can contribute Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, more to the war effort by suppressing Instagram: @jensdecember of the future. Murdoch is a conservative Catholic man, and pooh-poohs Crabtree’s speculation into stocks of Coca-Cola, Business Machines, and General Electric. The detective’s love interest is Dr. Julia Ogden, the first woman who graduated with a degree in medicine from a Toronto university, and who works as the forensic pathologist of the police station. Julia and William make a great professional team, but along the way they make wrongheaded choices about their love and they end up…well, I’ll not spoil it for you, but do watch it.
World
Trump
TRUMP: MEDIA ‘ENEMY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’ WASHINGTON, United States—Donald Trump ratcheted up his attacks on the media Friday, describing the press as “the enemy of the American people!” in a tweet. Shortly after landing at his holiday home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida – where he is spending a third consecutive weekend – the President lashed out in 140 characters. “The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!” Trump wrote. Trump had tweeted an earlier post which targeted the New York Times, CNN, NBC “and many more” media – and ended with the exclamation “SICK!” But he swiftly deleted that missive before reposting the definitive version – adding two more “enemies” to his blacklist. Many US presidents have criticized the press, but Trump’s language has more closely echoed criticism leveled by authoritarian leaders around the world. AFP
B3
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
MEXICANS FORM ‘HUMAN PROTEST WALL’ C
iudad Juárez, Mexico—Thousands of Mexicans linked arms Friday to form a “human wall” on their country’s border with the United States, protesting President Donald Trump’s plan to build a massive barrier between the countries. The protest, organized by local authorities and Mexican advocacy groups, brought together people armed with flowers, including politicians, social leaders and crowds of students to the border town Ciudad Juarez – which already is separated by extensive fencing from its American neighbor city El Paso. Protestors hurled slogans at
Trump, whose plans to build the wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the US—and make Mexico foot the bill—has enraged many people here. “The wall is one of the worst ideas,” said Carolina Solis, a 31-yearold student. “It won’t stop anything—not drugs or migrants. It’s just a symbol of Donald Trump’s ha-
tred, the president’s racism.” Under the watchful eye of US Border Patrol officers, protestors— among them El Paso Mayor OscaZLeeser—formed a human barrier of nearly 1.5 kilometers. Many people on both sides of the border cross it daily, calling one country home while going to work in the other. “Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are one city—we will never be apart,” said Leeser, who was born on the Mexican side of the border. His Ciudad Juarez counterpart, Mayor Armando Cabada, vowed to help resettle migrants deported from the US. “Trump only generates fear in our US compatriots. We must show soli-
darity with them and tell them that they have our support,” he said. “If they are deported, we will welcome them with open arms.” Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested some 680 people across the United States as part of a crackdown by the new administration on the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Officials insist the raids targeted known criminals but rights advocates say people with no serious criminal records were also detained. A similar protest was planned on Mexico’s Pacific coast, at the border between the city of Tijuana and its US neighbor San Diego. AFP
ARRESTED SAMSUNG HEIR APPEARS BEFORE SOKOR COURT SEOUL—Handcuffed and bound with ropes, the heir of electronics giant Samsung appeared for questioning Saturday over his alleged involvement in the corruption scandal currently engulfing South Korean President Park Geun-Hye. Among other allegations, Lee is accused of paying nearly $40 million in bribes to a confidante of the impeached president to secure policy favors. The conglomerate’s de facto head stared straight ahead as he was greeted by a horde of journalists and camera flashes upon his arrival at the office of special prosecutors investigating the case. He kept silent as journalists fired questions at him, but the metal manacles could be glimpsed under the sleeves of his well-tailored, navy suit and white ropes around his arms and back. A badge on his chest bore his prisoner number. During his first night at the Seoul Detention Centre, Lee was detained in a one-man cell instead of a six-person room – a privilege reserved for dignitaries, local news reports said. AFP
People from Ciudad Juarez carrying flowers protest against the politics of US President Donald Trump along the Rio Bravo, in the border between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on February 17, 2017. The event consisting of a human fence was also held at the TijuanaSan Diego border. AFP
JOLIE UNVEILS KHMER ROUGE FILM IN CAMBODIA
ANTI-COAL PROTEST LEADERS DETAINED IN THAILAND BANGKOK—Three people leading protests against the construction of a coalfired power plant in southern Thailand were detained by the army on Saturday, as activists voiced alarm that the trio were being held in a notorious barracks prison. Hundreds of protesters have gathered outside government offices in Bangkok since Friday to demonstrate against the junta’s decision to greenlight a 800-megawatt coal plant on the coast of Krabi, a region renowned for its popular tropical beaches and steep limestone hills. The gathering is a rare act of defiance of the junta’s ban on public protests. Generals seized power in 2014 and have severely clamped down on dissent. The three protest leaders—Prasitthichai Noonuan, Akkradet Chakjinda and Rungkhun Kittiyakara—were initially detained by police on Saturday morning before being handed over to the military. Junta spokesman Lt. Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the trio were “invited for talks” because they did not ask for permission to protest. AFP
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie greets media during a press conference at a hotel in Siem Reap on February 18, 2017. Jolie will unveil her new film on the horrors of the Khmer Rouge era on February 18 at the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia, a country the star shares a deep affinity with through her adopted son Maddox. AFP
SIEM REAP, Cambodia—Angelina Jolie unveiled her new film on the horrors of the Khmer Rouge era on Saturday at the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia, a country the star shares a deep affinity with through her adopted son Maddox. Cambodia’s king and survivors of the communist regime were among some 1,500 people invited to the debut screening of “First They Killed My Father,” directed by Jolie and based on the memoirs of Loung Ung. Loung Ung was five years old when Khmer Rouge troops, led by Pol Pot, swept into Phnom Penh plunging her family into a harrowing ordeal that saw them sent to brutal labor camps before her eventual escape to the United States. In its quest for an agrarian Marxist utopia, the regime killed up to two million Cambodians between 197579 through execution, starvation and overwork. It is the second movie by Jolie to tackle the subject of genocide – in 2011 she made a film about the Bosnian conflict featuring mostly local actors. But her latest silver screen offering is more personal.
Jolie adopted her first child Maddox from an orphanage in Cambodia’s western Battambang province in 2002 and she has been given Cambodian citizenship. The Hollywood star previously said it was Maddox who pushed her to make the film. At a press conference in Siem Reap, Jolie described Cambodia as a “second home,” adding that she chose Loung Ung’s book because she wanted to tell the story of the Khmer Rouge era “through the eyes of a child.” “I wanted to focus not just on the war but on the love of family and on the beauty of the country and in fact I wanted to understand what my son’s birth parents may have gone through. And I wanted to know him better and I wanted to know this country better,” she said. The film is also co-produced by Rithy Panh, Cambodia’s most acclaimed filmmaker. He lost almost all his immediate family during the Khmer Rouge years but went on to produce searing documentaries that helped break the silence surrounding the genocide. AFP
B4
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor
World
/ Joyce Pangco-Pañares, Issue Editor
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
KL JAILS N. KOREAN IN KIM MURDER
HITLER’S WARTIME PHONE UP FOR AUCTION
This undated image obtained from the Alexander Historical Auctions shows a phone belonging to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler which will be auctioned in Maryland on February 19, 2017. AFP WASHINGTON—Adolf Hitler’s personal telephone, which the Fuehrer used to dictate many of his deadly World War II commands, will hit the auction block this weekend, the US house selling it announced. Originally a black Bakelite phone that was later painted crimson and engraved with Hitler’s name, the relic was found in the Nazi leader’s Berlin bunker in 1945 following the regime’s defeat. Auction house Alexander Historical Auctions estimates its worth between $200,000 and $300,000. On Sunday, the company, located in the eastern US coastal state of Maryland, will auction off more than a thousand items—including the Siemens rotary telephone embossed with a swastika and the eagle symbolic of the Third Reich. AFP
North Korea’s ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol addresses the media on February 18, 2017 at the main gate of the forensic wing at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, where the body of Kim Jong-Nam, the half brother of the North Korean leader, is being kept. Kang Chol said Pyongyang would reject any results of a post-mortem examination carried out by Kuala Lumpur. AFP
K
uala Lumpur—Malaysian police said Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man over the assassination of Kim JongUn’s brother, as relations between Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur nosedived in a battle for his body. A 46-year-old was arrested on Friday evening with documents that identified him as North Korean citizen Ri Jong Chol, a police statement said, making him the first person from the North to be detained over the case. Kim Jong-Nam died after an as-yet unidentified liquid was sprayed in his face at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport on Monday, in an attack Seoul says was carried out by female agents from Pyongyang. Local officers have already arrested a woman with a Vietnamese
passport and a Malaysian man, as well as an Indonesian woman who foreign police said could have gotten involved in the murder thinking it was a reality TV prank. Jong-Nam’s body has been held in a Kuala Lumpur morgue since an autopsy on Wednesday, the results of which are still pending, according to Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah Mat. After Malaysia ignored demands to return the remains, Pyongyang accused the Kuala Lumpur of conspiring with its enemies and said it would reject
IMAGINING A 50-YEAR-OLD KURT COBAIN
An undated photo of the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain provided by his daughter, Frances Bean, for the documentary work “Kurt Cobain: A Montage of Heck.”
whatever results came from the post-mortem. “The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing. We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem conducted unilaterally excluding our attendance,” the North Korean ambassador told reporters gathered outside the morgue shortly before midnight on Friday. The comments were the first official remarks from the country since the killing, but ambassador Kang Chol stopped short of identifying Jong-Nam or touching on his cause of death. North Korean state media has remained silent on the murder. The ambassador had met with Malaysian police, demanding the release of the body without success, according to an English transcript of the envoy’s comments
distributed by an aide. “They are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us of malice,” the transcript said, suggesting South Korea was trying to defame the North in a bid to distract from a corruption scandal at home. Jong-Nam told staff he was suffering from a headache and was taken to the airport clinic grimacing in pain, according to Malaysian media citing CCTV footage from the airport. He was once thought to be the natural successor to his father, but on Kim Jong-Il’s death in 2011 the succession went to Kim Jong-Un, who was born to the former leader’s third wife. South Korea has cited a “standing order” from Jong-Un to kill his sibling and a failed assassination bid in 2012 after he criticized the regime. AFP
PARIS—Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who defined grunge and the rise of alternative rock, would have turned 50 on Monday. He remains an enduring cultural presence even for many young people – but what would he be doing if he were alive? The 27-year-old shot himself at his home in Seattle on April 5, 1994, ending his life, his suffering and, at least symbolically, the grunge movement. Rock has kept evolving since his suicide yet “Nevermind,” Nirvana’s brutal 1991 masterpiece, is still widely considered one of the most influential albums in history. “He remains the most important musician of the last two decades in music, with an album that is still one of the last great rock records,” said Charles R. Cross, who has written three books on the artist including “Here We Are Now: The Lasting Impact of Kurt Cobain.” To Cross, Cobain’s key contribution is opening the way for songwriters to tackle a wider emotional range. Nirvana’s songs included “Lithium,” a frank exploration of Cobain’s manic depression,
and the searing “Rape Me.” “His impact on songwriting was that he made it okay for songs to be about painful emotions, angst, depression – even something as awful as rape,” Cross said. Nirvana was at the forefront of a boom in alternative rock, as mainstream audiences increasingly listened to Seattle grunge bands who also included Pearl Jam and Soundgarden – as well as hard-edged groups from elsewhere in the United States such as Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins. But Cobain – with his ragged cardigan and thick blonde locks – may be better known for some younger fans for his look rather than Nirvana’s music, French music journalist Cuesta said. “Kurt’s poster is in everyone’s bedroom like Che Guevara’s poster used to be, even if people don’t necessarily know much about Che’s political activities or Nirvana’s music,” he said. Cobain – whose suicide note quoted Neil Young’s line that “it’s better to burn out than to fade away” – may have hated his contemporary image. AFP
SPACEX POISED TO LAUNCH CARGO
MIAMI, United States—An unmanned SpaceX spaceship carrying food and equipment to the astronauts living at the International Space Station is poised to blast off from a historic NASA launch pad on Saturday. The launch of the Dragon cargo ship is scheduled for 10:01 am (1501 GMT) from Cape Canaveral’s launchpad 39A, which was built and used for the US space agency’s pioneering missions to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s. It was also the blastoff point for sending American space shuttles into orbit, until the shuttle program came to an end in 2011. SpaceX, headed by billionaire internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, managed to negotiate a lease with NASA for the launchpad in 2013, beating out its competitor Blue Origin, which is headed by Amazon. com founder Jeff Bezos. AFP
‘LONESOME GEORGE’ RETURNED TO GALAPAGOS
QUITO, Ecuador – The embalmed body of the giant tortoise known as Lonesome George—the last known survivor of a species that died out in 2012—returned home to the Ecuadoran Galapagos Islands over the weekend. The body arrived in Puerto Ayora, the capital of the archipelago’s Santa Cruz Island, on an Ecuadoran military plane after undergoing taxidermy work at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, the Galapagos National Park said. The giant tortoise—thought to be around a century old when he died in June 2012—was the last known member of the subspecies Geochelone nigra abingdoni. He failed to reproduce despite a decades long conservation effort that earned him the moniker “Lonesome George.” AFP