Latest news with #Philippines-based
5 days ago
23-Year Sentence Sought for Senior Member of 'Luffy' Crime Ring
News from Japan Society Jul 15, 2025 14:59 (JST) Tokyo, July 15 (Jiji Press)--Japanese public prosecutors on Tuesday sought a 23-year prison term for Tomonobu Kojima, a senior member of a Philippines-based Japanese crime ring that allegedly masterminded a series of robbery and fraud cases across wide areas of Japan. In their closing argument in a lay-judge trial at Tokyo District Court, the prosecutors said that the cases in which Kojima, 47, was involved by recruiting perpetrators served as the origin of a series of 'tokuryu' crimes committed by loosely organized groups of anonymous members. 'The cases have led to many copycat crimes, and the defendant should be punished severely,' the prosecutors stressed. The defense said that 11 years in prison would be appropriate for Kojima. The court is scheduled to hand down a ruling on July 23. At the first hearing of his trial on July 1, Kojima, who belonged to the group whose members called themselves 'Luffy,' pleaded guilty to all charges that he faced, including aiding robberies resulting in injury and committing fraud. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Express view: Lend a hand
The Mexico-headquartered International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) — synonymous with Norman Borlaug, the 'father of the Green Revolution' — is seeking financial support from India. This comes as the Donald Trump administration has shut down the US Agency for International Development, which provided $83 million out of CIMMYT's total $211 million revenue grants to fund its global breeding research and development programme in the two cereal crops. CIMMYT basically wants countries such as India to fill the void left by the US that, under President Trump, has adopted a transactional approach to foreign policy; it no longer sees value in cultivating soft power or projecting a positive image of the US on the world stage. There are at least three reasons why India should consider stepping up its funding of CIMMYT, or even the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The first is that the money these organisations require isn't all that big. A country with $700 billion in official foreign exchange reserves can afford more than the $0.8 million and $18.3 million that it gave to CIMMYT and IRRI respectively in 2024. The second is the international goodwill this creates, consistent with the leadership role that India is increasingly taking within the Global South and given that it is also acting as a bridge with the developed North: There can be no peace and stability without food security. Third, India has stakes in both organisations that played a stellar role in turning it from ship-to-mouth to self-sufficient, if not surplus, in wheat and rice. But the challenge is to grow these crops using less water and fertiliser, besides making them tolerant to rising temperatures, salinity and other abiotic stresses. Breeding today for tomorrow's climate is a strategic imperative for a country that cannot, beyond a point, depend on others to feed 1.7 billion mouths by 2060. This extends to maize too. As Indians consume more animal products with rising incomes, the demand for it as feed — and now also as a fuel grain — will only go up. But it's not only CIMMYT and IRRI. India must simultaneously strengthen its national agricultural research system that has suffered from a lack of resources (too little money spread across too many institutes), leadership and sense of purpose. The Green Revolution owed its success as much to Borlaug as to MS Swaminathan, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and a minister like C Subramaniam, who could make tough calls based on scientific opinion and what the situation demanded. Contrast this with the present procrastination, whether on commercialisation of genetically modified crops or allowing under-pricing of fertilisers, water and electricity. The Indian farmer today faces practical problems that only science and applied research, not subsidies, can address.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Citicore seeks to boost solar capacity to 2.56GW by 2026
Philippines-based Citicore Renewable Energy is planning to expand its installed solar capacity from 0.29GW to 2.56GW by 2026. This ambitious plan was outlined by CEO Oliver Tan during an interview with Reuters. Currently trailing behind ACEN as one of the largest solar providers in the country, Citicore aims to add 1GW of capacity by the end of 2025 and a further 1.17GW in 2026. The company's growth strategy aligns with national efforts to decarbonise the Philippines' grid, a notable shift given that it had Southeast Asia's most coal-dependent grid as recently as 2023. In a significant move in early 2025, PT Pertamina's renewable energy division acquired a 20% stake in Citicore, signalling strong support for renewable initiatives within Southeast Asia. The push for renewables has already led to record-breaking increases, with government data revealing that renewable capacity surged 10% or 0.8GW in 2024 alone, reaching a total of 9.2GW, a figure higher than that of the previous three years combined. According to Tan, six new projects are expected south of Manila in 2025 while three others will be developed further north and another aims to meet demand in the Visayas region. This surge from Citicore is projected to raise national installed solar capacities by almost 50% more than the levels recorded above 2GW in 2024. Tan emphasised that these expansions would put them well on their way towards achieving their goal of 5GW of solar capacity and an additional wind energy target amounting to 0.36GW by respective deadlines set for both sectors within this decade. He warned that such aggressive state-backed initiatives might limit private sector opportunities within corporate power supply agreements throughout the renewables industry: "We are likely to see the share of corporate power purchase agreements shrink this year as the government increases tendering of projects supplying the grid.' "Citicore seeks to boost solar capacity to 2.56GW by 2026" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
01-07-2025
Senior Member of Luffy Crime Ring Pleads Guilty at Hearing
Tokyo, July 1 (Jiji Press)--A senior member of a Philippines-based Japanese crime ring that allegedly masterminded a series of robbery and fraud cases across wide areas of Japan admitted his involvement in the cases at the first hearing of his trial at Tokyo District Court on Tuesday. Tomonobu Kojima, 47, who belonged to the group whose members called themselves "Luffy," said, "There is no mistake" regarding his charges of aiding robberies and committing fraud. Kojima, who became the first senior member of the group to stand trial, allegedly recruited penetrators via X, formerly Twitter. The trial is drawing attention as it may uncover how tasks were assigned within the group and the flow of criminal proceeds. A verdict will be handed down on July 23. Public prosecutors said in their opening statement that the defendant entered the Philippines around the summer of 2018, joining the fraud group organized by Yuki Watanabe, 41. Kojima, who managed crime proceeds, played an important role next to Watanabe, they said. Kojima allegedly recruited people on social media to carry out "dark" part-time jobs and gave the contact information of the perpetrators to other senior members of the group, the prosecutors said. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
New York Post
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Jesus-shaped cloud floating above Philippines basilica stuns churchgoers
These churchgoers caught quite a sight. Earlier this month, one eagle-eyed individual spotted a cloud formation in the shape of Jesus Christ above the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Naga City, one of the foremost religious centers in the Philippines. The conspicuously shaped cloud in question was seen while attending a worship service ahead of National Youth Day — a Filipino holiday celebrated on June 19 that emphasizes serving community and country — and was captured in a now-viral video. The video zooms in on the cloud formation and sees details like wispy 'hair' and a faintly formed raised hand. Fellow Catholic worshippers in the crowd seemed to notice the sight as well, all looking up in amazement, as shown in a circulating video on social media. While some couch surfing critics cast doubt on the viral sight, many Philippines-based devotees took the video as a sign from above. Some commenters said it looked like the sacred-shaped cloud looked like it was addressing the crowd of people gathered below it. Viral Press In fact, after the cloud likeness was initially spotted, over 8,000 worshippers visited the site to pray in honor of the miraculous sight. This Jesus-shaped cloud comes after a series of recent discoveries were made in relation to centuries-old mysteries. As The Post reported back in April, a study by NASA could confirm some biblical events, including Jesus' crucifixion. 'Christian texts mention that the moon turned to blood after Jesus's crucifixion — potentially referring to a lunar eclipse, during which the moon takes on a reddish hue,' NASA said, adding that modern technology has discovered that there was in fact an eclipse in Jerusalem. According to the agency, the astronomical event happened on Friday, April 3, 33 AD, which happens to be the same day many theologians suggest is the day of Jesus' death. Further back in 2024, breakthroughs in AI technology allowed researchers to recreate Jesus' face from the famous Turin Shroud. The AI depictions of Jesus were quite similar to traditional representations of the figure as a man with shoulder-length brown hair and a bearded face, but some minor facial details varied between versions. PRASAD K BALAN – Though Jesus' likeness has been portrayed in art for nearly two thousand years, this AI model created a rendering of the religious figure through what many believe to be a facial impression in the piece of cloth that was suggested to have been present at the time of his resurrection. The shroud has not been officially recognized as a verified relic by the Catholic Church, but several popes— including Pope Francis — have prayed before it.
