10 Sulu gunmen dead

Tanduo village in Lahad Datu - News reports say that the casualty in the Tanduo encounter between the Malaysian security forces and the Sulu armed group is rising.

After the first reports that two Sulu gunmen were dead and three Malaysian police injured, more ground reports coming out of Tanduo village claimed that at least 10 Sulu gunmen have been killed and four others injured.

On the Malaysian side, there was no official confirmation as to the four injured security personnel or of any deaths.

However, journalists at the entrance of the Felda Sahabat 17 oil palm plantation leading to Tanduo village, saw two bodies being taken out in a jeep by security forces medical personnel.

The Sultan Kiram family has confirmed in Manila that at least 10 Sulu gunmen have been killed and four injured.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib declined to comment and said a press conference will be held later.

Until then, conflicting reports are emerging on the number of casualties.

Sultan of Sulu claims historic land Sabah

SULU RULER. Sultan Jamalul Kiram III told reporters on Friday, February 22 in the Taguig Blue Mosque that followers had a right to remain in Sabah because his sultanate still had sovereignty over the Malaysian state.

With the ongoing standoff in Sabah, self-proclaimed Sulu sultan Jamalul Kiram III says he will ask the US government for help to reclaim the territory from Malaysia.

Kiram's spokesman Abraham Idjirani says the 1915 Kiram-Carpenter Agreement assured American protection “should a problem arise in Sabah between the Sultan of Sulu and other foreign countries."

About 180 Filipinos -- the heirs of the sultan of Sulu and his followers -- sailed to Sabah on February 12 to pursue their claim on the territory.

They refuse to leave Sabah even after the government dispatched a humanitarian ship on Sunday to repatriate women and civilians.

The Sulu sultanate once controlled parts of Borneo, including the site of the current standoff between the Filipinos and Malaysian security forces.

The Philippines has not pursued its claim since 1964.

Strong 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near Sarangani, Philippines

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook southern Philippines island of Mindanao Saturday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The strong tremor struck at 12:37 pm (0437 GMT), off the coast, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) northeast of the town of Sarangani.

The quake had a depth of about 53 miles (85 km) and was tectonic in origin.

The quake was felt at Intensity IV at Mati & Taragona, Davao Oriental; General Santos City; Digos City; Sulop, Malalag, Sta Maria, Davao del Sur.

According to the Richter magnitude scale, an earthquake that registers at 6.0-6.9 is considered strong. It can be destructive in areas up to about 160 kilometers (99 mi) across in populated areas. There are only approximately 130 earthquakes of this magnitude seen annually across the globe.

The Philippines lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, which causes the country to have frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Much larger numbers of earthquakes of smaller magnitude occur very regularly due to the meeting of major tectonic plates in the region.

Meteorite hits central Russia around 950 injured

CHELYABINSK, Russia (Reuters) - Around 950 injured people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to Earth, shattering windows and damaging buildings.

People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow.

A fireball blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away in Yekaterinburg. Car alarms went off, windows shattered and mobile phone networks were interrupted.

"I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it was day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains.

"I felt like I was blinded by headlights," he said.

No fatalities were reported but President Vladimir Putin, who was due to host Finance Ministry officials from the Group of 20 nations in Moscow, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev were informed.

A local ministry official said such incidents were extremely rare and Friday's events might have been linked to an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool due to pass Earth at a distance of 27,520 km (17,100 miles) but this was not confirmed.

Russia's space agency Roscosmos said the meteorite was travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second and that such events were hard to predict. The Interior Ministry said the meteorite explosion had caused a sonic boom.

Russia's Emergencies Ministry said 514 people had sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass, and that 112 of those were kept in hospital. Search groups were set up to look for the remains of the meteorite.
"There have never been any cases of meteorites breaking up at such a low level over Russia before," said Yuri Burenko, head of the Chelyabinsk branch of the Emergencies Ministry.

WINDOWS BREAK, FRAMES BUCKLE

Windows were shattered on Chelyabinsk's central Lenin Street and some of the frames of shop fronts buckled.

A loud noise, resembling an explosion, rang out at around 9.20 a.m. (12:20 a.m. ET). The shockwave could be felt in apartment buildings in the industrial city's center.

"I was standing at a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend," said Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name. "Then there was a flash and I saw a trail of smoke across the sky and felt a shockwave that smashed windows."

A wall was damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant but a spokeswoman said there was no environmental threat.

Although such events are rare, a meteorite is thought to have devastated an area of more than 2,000 sq km (1,250 miles) in Siberia in 1908, smashing windows as far as 200 km (125 miles) from the point of impact.

The Emergencies Ministry described Friday's events as a "meteor shower in the form of fireballs" and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic.

Chelyabinsk city authorities urged people to stay indoors unless they needed to pick up their children from schools and kindergartens. They said what sounded like a blast had been heard at an altitude of 10,000 meters (32,800 feet).

The U.S. space agency NASA has said an asteroid known as 2012 DA14, about 46 meters in diameter, would have an encounter with Earth closer than any asteroid since scientists began routinely monitoring them about 15 years ago.

Television, weather and communications satellites fly about 500 miles higher. The moon is 14 times farther away.

The world's largest crocodile in captivity dies in the Philippines

The nearly 21-foot, 1-ton creature was found dead Sunday. The Guinness recordholder had swallowed a nylon cord three weeks ago and became ill. Officials are planning an autopsy Monday to determine the exact cause of death.

A Philippine village is shedding crocodile tears for its most famous inhabitant.

Lolong, who earned the title as the world’s largest croc in captivity last year, died Sunday night after he was found flipped over in his cage with a bloated stomach.

“I’m really depressed,” Edwin Cox Elorde, the mayor of Bunawan in the southern Philippines, told The Associated Press. “I’ve come to love that crocodile. It had brought fame to our town and the Philippines.”

Lolong, believed to be more than 50 years old, fell ill after swallowing a nylon cord about three weeks ago. He was left with nonstop diahrrea, The Philippine Star reported.

An autopsy is expected Monday to determine the cause of death.
The saltwater crocodile was captured in September 2011, and declared the largest in captivity after Guinness World Records measured him last summer at nearly 21 feet and weighing more than a ton.

While Lolong filled locals in this bucolic town of 37,000 with fear after reported attacks against humans, he was also celebrated as a source of pride.

Tourists flocked to catch a glimpse of the strapping reptile, who was housed in an eco-tourism park.

“Big money came in, and villagers also had several livelihoods in the area,” government official Arman Gomez told the Manila Bulletin.

Elorde, who reportedly cradled the colossal creature in his arms before he died, said he wants to see Lolong's carcass preserved for future generations.

“I’d like them to see the crocodile that broke a world record and put our town on the map,” he told the AP.

USJR Cebu Sex Scandal viral Video - University of San Jose-Recoletos Student in Uniform

A student of USJR Cebu Sex Scandal Video went trending in social networking sites when someone uploaded the video in an online sharing site.

The student said that they are victims of the proliferation of their sex video which is being popularly tagged on the internet as USJR cebu sex video.

She said her boyfriend's cellphone which contain the said video was stolen two years ago.

She believes that the thief was the one responsible for uploading the USJR Cebu Sex Scandal on the internet. Some online sources mentioned that the USJR Cebu Sex video scandal is composed of 7 parts.

One of the USJR Cebu Sex videos we saw showed the student in uniform.

The victim denied the reports that she attempted to commit suicide because of the shame and embarrassment due to the sex video scandal.

She said she is affected by the controversy but she is carrying on, thanks to the support of her family and friends who stood by her side.

The student also asked the public not to spread her sex video to others and appealed to those who have copies to delete it.

Meanwhile, the female college student who is reportedly a dean’s lister, has sought the assistance of a lawyer to ask her school to allow her to graduate this coming March.

The school on the other hand issued an announcement on Monday advising students to skip wearing their school uniform.