OFFBEAT MAIL

A Chinese diplomat dies in a shooting in Cebu City. Photo: philstar.com CEBU CITY, Oct. 21 (PNA) -- Two Chinese consular officials in Cebu were killed while the consul general was wounded in a shooting incident inside the Lighthouse Restaurant along General Maxilom, Cebu City at about 1:20 p.m. Wednesday. A Chinese retired consular official and his spouse was taken into police custody immediately after the shooting. The Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 identified the fatalities as Sun Shan, a male deputy consul, and Hui Li, a female finance officer of the Chinese consular office in Cebu. Chinese Consul General Song Ronghua, who was also wounded in the shooting, is now undergoing treatment in a Cebu City private hospital. Police said they have taken into custody as suspects in the shooting Li Qing Liang, 60, identified as a retired consular official and his wife, Gou Jing, 57. Police also recovered one cal. 45 pistol Colt defender, three empty shells, two deformed slugs and ...

The shooting by the Taliban gunman of a Pakistani school girl identified as Malala Yousufzai for speaking out in public was an incident that could be hailed by the international communities as a clear aggression against women. She's now undergoing treatment at a hospital in the United Kingdom and being guarded to ward off further attacks by the other Muslim militants. The Pakistani girl's experience is only one among the many incidents that took place in Muslim countries where speaking out in public against society's shenanigans and ills are common cause of being beaten up or killed by suspected Muslim extremists. If I'm not wrong,  being knowledgeable on issues that affect our lives, injure the Talibans'  sensibilities and religious beliefs? If not, what's the major reason why until they continue to become ignorant of what's going on around the world. In fact, during the Talibans' occupation of Afghanistan many years back, women are barred from ge...