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Filipinos Seeks Freedom, Demand Right To Divorce

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The Philippines is the only place outside the Vatican where divorce is outlawed, as a Philippine mother-of-three, Stella Sibonga is desperate to end a marriage she never wanted. But divorce in the Catholic-majority country is illegal, and a court annulment takes years.

Pro-divorce advocates argue the ban makes it harder for couples to cut ties and remarry, and escape violent spouses.

People wanting to end their marriage can ask a court for an annulment or a declaration that the nuptials were invalid from the start, but the government can appeal against those decisions.

The legal process is slow and expensive — cases can cost as much as $10,000 or more in a country plagued by poverty — with no guarantee of success, and some people seeking a faster result fall for online scams.

“I don’t understand why it has to be this difficult,” said Sibonga, who has spent 11 years trying to get out of a marriage that her parents forced her into after she became pregnant.

Sibonga’s legal battle began in 2012, when she applied to a court to cancel her marriage on the basis of her husband’s alleged “psychological incapacity”, one of the grounds for terminating a matrimony.

After five years and $3,500 in legal fees , a judge finally agreed. The former domestic worker’s relief was, however, short-lived.

The Office of the Solicitor General, which as the government’s legal representative is tasked with protecting the institution of marriage, successfully appealed the decision in 2019.

Sibonga said she requested the Court of Appeals to reverse its ruling, but is still waiting for an answer.

“Why are we, the ones who experienced suffering, abandonment and abuse, being punished by the law?” said Sibonga, 45, who lives near Manila.

“All we want is to be free.”

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International

At least 28 killed, 25 critically injured after fire engulfs Bangkok bar

Footage posted online shows panicked customers screaming as they fled – some with their clothes on fire – through the flame-enveloped front door of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao.

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A huge fire tore through a bar in Thailand’s capital Bangkok late on Sunday, killing at least 28 people and leaving 25 critically injured, according to BBC.

The blaze started near the stage of the bar in the popular Chatuchak district, then spread rapidly, cutting power and engulfing the room with smoke, eyewitnesses say.

Footage posted online shows panicked customers screaming as they fled – some with their clothes on fire – through the flame-enveloped front door of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao.

Firefighters, who arrived at the scene just after midnight, quickly extinguished the fire. They found the bodies of most of the victims in a bathroom, where they had apparently sought shelter.

“Most of the people who died were found in the toilets. When the fire broke out, they panicked.

There were no lights,” national police chief Kitrat Panphet said.

Kaew-udon Poungppany, 24, from Laos, fought back tears as he described trying to reach his younger brother, who did not survive.

“I grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it at the door… but I couldn’t go any further. I heard people screaming,” he told journalists.

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General Hydrocarbons Floors FBN as S’Court Sets Aside Appeal Court Ruling

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…..As court Orders Return of Seized Oil Vessel

The Supreme Court has nullified the Court of Appeal’s ruling that permitted the seizure of an oil vessel belonging to General Hydrocarbons Limited (GHL) to settle a contractual dispute with First Bank of Nigeria (FBN).

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, the apex court ordered the immediate return of the seized vessel and the proceeds from the sale of its contents to GHL, its rightful owner.

The Supreme Court dismissed the case instituted by FBN, declaring that the dispute was purely contractual in nature and did not qualify as a maritime matter. It therefore held that the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit from the outset.

The apex court faulted both the trial court and the Court of Appeal for assuming jurisdiction over the matter and proceeding to determine it.

The ruling effectively ends the long-running legal battle, delivering a major victory to General Hydrocarbons Limited against the bank.

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International

South Africa Anti-Immigration Peaceful Protests To Continue Weekly Till Demands Are Met

A senior reporter, Channel, Africa, Nhlanhla Mahlangu, reported that the anti-immigration protests held across several South African cities remained largely peaceful despite isolated incidents of violence and attempted looting.

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The organisers of South Africa anti-immigrant protest have announced that come next week, from Thursday, every Thursday, they will be taking to the streets until the government heeds to their call and ensure that all undocumented nationals leave the country.

A senior reporter, Channel, Africa, Nhlanhla Mahlangu, reported that the anti-immigration protests held across several South African cities remained largely peaceful despite isolated incidents of violence and attempted looting.

She also revealed that organisers intend to continue with weekly demonstrations from next Thursday until their demands are met.

Mahlangu further reported that an inter-ministerial committee comprising ministers within South Africa’s security cluster commended the largely peaceful conduct of the protests while condemning isolated incidents of violence reported across the country.

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