MANILA: The shear line is forecast to bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over the Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, and Quezon, the weather bureau said Friday. Meanwhile, Cagayan Valley, Apayao, Kalinga, and Aurora will have cloudy skies with light rains, while Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains due to the northeast monsoon. Elsewhere, partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms will prevail due to the easterlies and localized thunderstorms, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said. Strong winds and rough coastal waters will be felt over the eastern sections of Southern Luzon and the Visayas, while the rest of Luzon and the Visayas will have moderate to strong winds and moderate to rough seas. Mindanao, on the other hand, will have light to moderate winds and slight to moderate seas. The temperature in Metro Manila will rang e from 22°C to 31°C; Baguio City, 13°C to 23°C; Laoag City, 21°C to 31°C; Legazpi City, 23°C to 30°C; Metro Cebu, 26°C to 30°C; Puerto Princesa City, 25°C to 31°C; and Metro Davao, 26°C to 33°C. Source: Philippines News Agency Bangkok: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and public prosecutors have jointly investigated and will file charges against two former ministers and two high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Labour for allegedly receiving kickbacks of 36 million baht in exporting Thai workers to pick wild berries in Finland. They will press the charges with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for further legal proceedings. This case began with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thai embassy in Helsinki providing assistance to Thai laborers who went to work harvesting wild berries in Finland legally but they became victims of human trafficking. After they returned to Thailand, the ministry forwarded the case to the DSI for investigation. Receiving evidence from Finnish authorities, the DSI found there was a collusion involving politicians, government officials, and civilians, demanding kickbacks from a Thai job broker to pay 3,000 baht per each worker. The broker collected the money in additio n to the actual expenses from the workers deployed to work abroad between 2020-2023, amounting to a total sum of around 36 million baht. Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said that there is clear evidence implicating the four individuals in taking bribes. The evidence primarily consists of financial transactions obtained from the Finnish police. Additionally, there is support for the allegations from both the Human Rights Commission and labor groups in Chaiyaphum province, he added. Source: Thai News Agency
