The government of Papua New Guinea must act now to end a rash of more than
\n50 killings related to allegations of sorcery, Amnesty International said.<\/p>\n
It was a black day for the Nigerian Police Force as seven policemen met
\ntheir untimely deaths in three separate incidents as bandits went on the
\nrampage in Benin City, Edo state and in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The first
\nincident occurred along the Benin-Lagos road, with two policemen shot dead
\nwhile two others sustained gunshot injuries in a gun battle with armed
\nrobbers.<\/p>\n
Two rights commissions jointly called for the government to take steps to
\nhalt torture in the country, including ratifying an international
\nconvention against the practice.<\/p>\n
Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd., Australia\u2019s biggest soft-drink maker, increased
\nsecond-half profit 26 percent on higher soda sales and new drinks such as
\nGlaceau Vitamin Water.<\/p>\n
The murder of a father and son in Ban village, a few kilometres from Mount
\nHagen is the latest sorcery-related killing to come to light.<\/p>\n
But the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in charge of Zone 5, Benin
\nCity, said that only one policeman died; however an eye-witness said that
\ntwo policemen were shot dead on the spot by the robbers who caught them
\nunawares.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been 10 years since Indonesia adopted the Convention against
\nTorture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment [CAT]
\nbut there has not yet been any significant progress,\u201d said the National
\nCommissions on Human Rights, or Komnas HAM.<\/p>\n
Net income rose to A$213.7 million ($140 million) in the six months ended
\nDecember from A$169.8 million a year earlier. The result was calculated by
\nsubtracting first-half earnings from the A$385.6 million full-year profit
\nthe Sydney-based company reported.<\/p>\n
Local men shot dead 60-year old Plak Mel Doa and threw his body into a fire
\nwhilst his son, Anis Dua, was dragged from his home and burnt alive. Local
\npeople accused them of causing the death of a prominent member of the
\ncommunity by sorcery.<\/p>\n
His commission and the National Commissions on Violence Against Women, or
\nKomnas Perempuan, said in a joint statement that they were now waiting for
\nthe government to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against
\nTorture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, or
\nOPCAT, because it represented a more effective way to prevent torture in
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
The robbers who were said to be armed with AK-47 rifles also escaped with
\ngunshot injuries, but it was learnt that the policemen who were on patrol
\ncould not withstand the firepower of the armed robbers when they attacked
\nthe patrol van.<\/p>\n
Takeover talks with brewer Lion Nathan Ltd. ended, raising prices by 5
\npercent as record summer temperatures in southeastern Australia stoke
\ndemand. New drinks in Australia and revamped packaging in Indonesia are
\nboosting sales and limiting the impact of a recession in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
When dozens of people have been killed after literal witch hunts, it’s
\nclear that the government is not doing enough to protect its own citizens
\nand maintain the rule of law.<\/p>\n
They were on patrol to the Benin-Lagos express road after they got a
\ndistress call that robbers were operating. They exchanged fire with the
\nrobbers, who escaped with bullet wounds. One of the men was shot dead while
\nothers sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at an
\nundisclosed hospital.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s many human rights violation cases are well known, especially
\nthose involving torture in areas far from public view, such as prisons,
\nstate detention centers and social rehabilitation centers.<\/p>\n
The result highlighted the underlying defensiveness of Coca-Cola Amatil\u2019s
\nbusiness, which is further characterized by strong domestic performance.
\nAll segments delivered profit growth, with Indonesia a stand out, rating
\nthe stock \u201chold.\u201d<\/p>\n
The police and judicial authorities have to step in immediately before
\nanother person faces this kind of vigilante violence.<\/p>\n
But we are on the trail of the robbers because we know they will still be
\naround with the wounds. It is a sad day for us but we are happy that our
\nmen put up a spirited fight and we must get all of them.<\/p>\n
Torture mostly happens in closed areas, and it is hard to prove it.<\/p>\n
Coca-Cola Amatil shares rose 1.6 percent to A$8.51 at the close in Sydney.
\nThe company is 30 percent owned by Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co., the world\u2019s
\nbiggest soft drink maker.<\/p>\n
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) is often unable to enforce
\nthe law. For instance, after the killings, police reported they wanted to
\nvisit the crime scene and confirm the men’s deaths, but heavily armed
\nlocals prevented them from removing the bodies to hospital for autopsies.<\/p>\n
Four police officers attached to the Ikpoba Hill Police Station were shot
\ndead when armed robbers attacked a bullion van along Ugoneki, Benin-Asaba
\nroad, Benin City. Their rifles were also taken away by the dare-devil
\nrobbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re concentrating on torture of political detainees in some areas of
\nPapua [Province], such as Manokwari and Jayapura, and in Maluku. There are
\na lot of political detainees in those areas, and torture is even more
\nintense against these types of detainees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lion Nathan scrapped its A$7.5 billion offer after Coca-Cola Co., which has
\nthe capacity to block the offer, ended talks on a deal. The offer valued
\nAmatil shares at A$10.21 each based on closing prices.<\/p>\n
People often don’t trust the police or the judiciary and instead blame
\nevents on supernatural causes and punish suspected sorcerers.<\/p>\n
\u201cTorture like physical and mental abuse, such as intimidation, have been
\ncommon practice in many prisons in Indonesia. It is difficult to control
\nunless the government pays more attention to this human rights violation.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was another case of a distress call, but the robbers laid an ambush for
\nthem. We are in a mourning mood; we know that it is a syndicate. We must
\nget them. They are trying to get rifles to carry out other operations but
\nno matter what they do, we must get them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe price was unrealistically low. The CCA board was presented with a
\nproposal that was just not capable of being accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Constabulary, the Public Prosecution Office and other relevant
\nauthorities should step up efforts to curb vigilante violence and raise
\nawareness in communities about ways in which people can legitimately seek
\njustice.<\/p>\n
CAT was an effective tool for responding to torture cases, while the OPCAT
\nwas more of a preventive tool.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG),
\nZone 5, has described the day as a dark day for the police in the state.<\/p>\n
Earnings before items totaled A$404.3 million, beating the A$400.9 million
\naverage of ten analyst estimates. The company boosted its second-half
\ndividend to 22 cents from 20 cents earlier.<\/p>\n
Amnesty International calls on the RPNGC to vigorously pursue
\ninvestigations of all cases and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to
\njustice.<\/p>\n
It was learnt that the officers who were escorting a bullion van ran into
\nthe robbers who attacked the bullion van with three vehicles, armed with
\nsophisticated weapons.<\/p>\n
The government should list torture as a punishable crime in the Criminal
\nCode.<\/p>\n
Earnings before interest and tax in Australia, where Coca- Cola Amatil gets
\nalmost two-thirds of sales, rose 9.1 percent to A$269.3 million in the
\nsecond half after adding Vitamin Water and relaunching its Mother energy
\ndrink.<\/p>\n
There has been an increase in reports of sorcery related killings in Papua
\nNew Guinea. A village court, comprising church pastors and local officials,
\nfound a 40 year old man from a village in Unggai-Bena district in the
\nEastern Highland province guilty of sorcery and sentenced him to death. A
\ngroup of local men then hacked him to death with bush knives. A group of
\nmen stripped a woman naked, gagged and burned her alive at Kerebug rubbish
\ndump in Mount Hagen after she was suspected of practising witchcraft.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many kinds of torture that the commissions should explain
\nfurther, such as ethnic cleansing, the cleansing of anti-social
\nindividuals, military terror and discrimination against minority religions.
\nThere is a lot of torture at several detention centers and prisons. But we
\nhave no exact number regarding the cases. We only investigate some of the
\nimportant cases.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur men are on the red alert now and we are advising everybody to be
\ncareful. Some people are on a mission but we must stop them. You will
\nrecall that some police officers were shot early this morning. One died
\nwhile others were hospitalized. This makes it five police officers to be
\nkilled in one day. That is sad for us but we must get the killers no matter
\nwhere they run to.”<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s pre-mixed spirit drinks, which include Australian rights to
\nJim Beam & Cola, had a \u201cmaterial decline\u201d in sales as higher government
\ntaxes pushed the retail price up more than 20 percent. Coca-Cola Amatil\u2019s
\nnearest soda rival in Australia is Cadbury Schweppes Plc., the domestic
\nbottler of Pepsi. Asahi Breweries Ltd., Japan\u2019s top-selling beer maker,
\nagreed to buy Schweppes in Australia. The purchase is subject to a
\nso-called right of negotiation granted to Coca-Cola Co., which gives the
\nworld\u2019s biggest soft-drink maker rights to negotiate a purchase of the
\nunit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The government of Papua New Guinea must act now to end a rash of more than 50 killings related to allegations of sorcery, Amnesty International said. It was a black day for the Nigerian Police Force as seven policemen met their untimely deaths in three separate incidents as bandits went on the rampage in Benin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[48,5,12,14,18,25,30,31,32,42],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1355"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1355\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}