Released Filipino hostage Marites Flor on Sulu island, southern Philippines, 24 June 2016. Ben Hajan / European Photopress Agency
Released Filipino hostage Marites Flor on Sulu island, southern Philippines, 24 June 2016. Ben Hajan / European Photopress Agency

Freed hostage recounts boyfriend's beheading by Philippine militants



MANILA // A Filipina hostage released by southern Philippine militants on Friday broke down in tears as she recounted how her Canadian boyfriend had been beheaded a week earlier.

Marites Flor was abducted in September by Abu Sayyaf militants, along with three others. Two of them — her partner Robert Hall and his fellow Canadian John Ridsel — were killed. Ms Flor said the kidnappers led Hall away to be beheaded after a ransom deadline lapsed last week. Ridsdel was killed in April.

“It was painful to see them so happy before they did the beheading. They just put handcuffs on him and took him out,” she said.

The four were seized in September aboard yachts at a tourist resort on Samal island, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) to the west of Sulu, known as a hideout of the militants.

On Friday, Ms Flor was dropped off at dawn outside the house of a local politician on Sulu, said provincial police chief Wilfredo Cayat.

Incoming Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he and his aides were “able to negotiate” for her release.

Duterte says he is currently trying to secure the release of the fourth hostage, Norwegian national Kjartan Sekkingstad.

Ms Flor was released the same day Jakarta banned vessels flying Indonesian flags from sailing to the Philippines following the kidnapping of seven Indonesian sailors at sea off the southern Philippines, in waters where Abu Sayyaf is known to operate.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of a few hundred Islamic militants formed in the 1990s as an offshoot of a Muslim insurgency group which was active in the predominantly Catholic Philippines. The group received funding from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda networ and have since earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom. Kidnapping is now said to be more important to them than their Islamic affiliation.

The ban on shipping could severely disrupt a major flow of goods from Southeast Asia’s largest economy — including natural resources like coal — to the Philippines. The defence ministers of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia agreed this week to consider coordinated steps including possible joint patrols to tackle a wave of maritime crime in the Sulu and Celebes seas, which together form a key waterway among the three countries.

* Agence France Presse

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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix

1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari

3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari

4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull

5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas

6 Romain Grosjean, Haas

7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault

*8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull

9 Carlos Sainz, Renault

10 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes

11 Fernando Alonso, McLaren

12 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren

13 Sergio Perez, Force India

14 Lance Stroll, Williams

15 Esteban Ocon, Force India

16 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso

17 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber

18 Charles Leclerc, Sauber

19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams

20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso

* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs

Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder

Transmission: 7-speed auto

0-100kmh 2.3 seconds

0-200kmh 5.5 seconds

0-300kmh 11.6 seconds

Power: 1500hp

Torque: 1600Nm

Price: Dh13,400,000

On sale: now