KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – With Asia posting some of the highest numbers of deaths due to road accidents, a new safety campaign aims to help arrest the alarming figures of what experts say is a preventable global health issue. 

Starting Saturday, February 13, educational videos and public service announcements started airing in 24 countries across Asia – reaching an estimated 80 million households – with the launch of the Safe Steps road safety campaign.

The program, launched in Kuala Lumpur, is a joint initiative of Prudence Foundation, Federation Internationale de L'Automobile, and the National Geographic Channel.

The long-term project aims to raise awareness on road accidents – the leading cause of death among young people globally – and provide information on what motorists and pedestrians can do to ensure safer roads.

Actress Michelle Yeoh, ambassador for the campaign, said both the government and citizens must do their part to avoid the social cost of road accidents: lives devastated by debilitating injuries, or families falling apart with the death of an income earner.

The campaign, Yeoh said, involves all sectors of society, not just motorists.

"I think it's fatalistic for people to think, "It's never going to happen to me." I don't understand – is getting to a place 5 minutes earlier going to make such a big difference? Because it will make a difference if a crash happens. And that 5 minutes can be a lifetime of pain and suffering," Yeoh said.

"We have the right to have safe roads, and we should protect that right. Because that right could save us and the people we love, and other people around us," she added.

In a speech during the launch of the campaign, Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said the road safety issue is especially a concern in Asia, as the region faces accelerated, fast-paced growth and development.

"When any economy grows, it is only natural for more vehicles to be on the road with greater infrastructure development. While economic growth is of course good for the country, the increase of vehicles on the road would naturally mean that there is a higher risk of road accidents," he said.

He added, "This is true not just for Malaysia but also for our neighboring countries and all emerging markets."

According to the World Health Organization, about 1.25 million people die from road traffic accidents every year. It is the leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 29.

Motorcyclists comprise 23% of road traffic deaths, with many coming from the Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions.

In the Philippines, 53% of reported road traffic deaths are riders of motorized two- or 3-wheeler vehicles, followed by pedestrians at 19%. 

Data from the Philippines' public works department put the number of people killed due to road accidents at 1,513, but the WHO pegged the figure much higher at 10,379 fatalities.

Multi-platform approach

While each Asian country has its own unique set of characteristics that affect road safety initiatives – such as the quality of roads and law implementation – the Safe Steps campaign focuses on simple things that motorists and pedestrians can do, said Prudence Foundation chairman Donald Kanak.

At the core of the campaign are short, one-minute videos reminding motorists and pedestrians on basic road safety rules that are too often ignored, such as wearing a seatbelt and avoiding alcohol before driving. Aside from the public service announcements to be aired on television, online and print materials will also complement the campaign.

The messages aren't exactly new, but they still need to be communicated again and again until awareness is translated into action, said Prudence Foundation Executive Director Marc Fancy.

Fancy said most people already know what they should do before hitting the road – but many still don't follow basic safety guidelines.

The challenge is to trigger a behavioral change through repeated reminders, and a combination of the "shock" factor – the statistics on how many are killed due to accidents – with information on how people can do their part for safer roads.

"Sometimes you just haven't had something that makes you think about it. Most people learn from experience...but if we can do our bit by raising some of those without having to have an accident, by using key stats, that might have an effect," Fancy said. 

Aside from raising public awareness, the campaign also aims to complement existing programs on road safety.

Jean Todt, special envoy for road safety of the United Nations Secretary General, said the campaign is part of efforts to meet the UN sustainable development goal target of halving the number of road deaths globally by 2020. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Watchdogs and participants in the mock elections on Saturday, February 13, pushed for voting receipts and darker ovals on ballots, among other things, after the day-long rehearsal for the May 9 elections. 

On its Twitter account, election watchdog Lente urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to make each oval on the ballot “more prominent.”

“Some voters were not able to see clearly the circle, circling instead the number,” Lente said. 

Lente also suggested a larger box for the signature of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) chairperson.

Karen Jimeno, technology provider Smartmatic’s head for voters’ education, pointed out that vote-counting machines (VCMs) rejected some ballots with BEI signatures beyond the box.

Jimeno said this will be fixed with a “minor ballot layout adjustment.”

Quicker voting process 

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista himself made his own suggestions, including speeding up the voting process.

Bautista noted that the first voter in Baseco, Manila, spent 11 minutes to cast his vote. He said the ideal time is 2-3 minutes.

“Ang ayaw nating mangyari is masyadong humaba ‘yung pila, eh, kasi nauubusan din ng pasensya ‘yung ibang botante kung kaya’t hindi sila bumoboto,” Bautista told reporters.

(What we want to avoid is for the lines to get too long, because the voters lose their patience, and that’s why they don’t vote.)

Other voters weighed in on the election process. 

In Tuguegarao City, for instance, an election inspector described the vote-counting machines as “friendlier” and “faster.”  (READ: Comelec mock elections begin in 9 provinces)

Barangay chairman Jopy Velasco, however, said he hopes vote-counting machines would display a person’s votes. He said this would mean “more transparency.”

Observers anticipate more suggestions by Monday, February 15, as the Comelec evaluates the mock elections. 

The mock elections came after the Comelec fixed glitches in the voting system, among these the rejection of 1%-2% of ballot papers in a recent test. – Rappler.com

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (UPDATED) – The presence of the Zika virus in Brazil won't compromise the Olympics in August, President Dilma Rousseff vowed on Saturday, February 13, as soldiers went door-to-door across the country to share key tips on how to stem the outbreak.

"The situation does not compromise the Olympics," Rousseff said. "We are confident that until the Olympics begin we will have considerable success in exterminating" the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits the virus.

Rio de Janeiro will host the Summer Games from August 5 to 21, drawing athletes and spectators from around the world.

Brazil has been most affected by the outbreak that has spread rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean, with 1.5 million people in the country infected since early 2015. 

While it causes only mild flu-like symptoms in most people, Zika is strongly suspected of a rapid rise in the number of children born with microcephaly – abnormally small heads and brains – to mothers infected during pregnancy. (FAST FACTS: Zika virus)

Multiple governments have urged women to avoid getting pregnant, as researchers work to confirm whether Zika causes microcephaly and the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Rousseff spoke to reporters after visiting houses in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro as part of the national anti-Zika campaign.

Early Saturday, some 220,000 soldiers fanned out across the vast South American country, part of the operation to knock on three million doors and distribute informational leaflets.

Warning that pregnant women were especially at risk, Rousseff urged all Brazilians to come together.

"The war depends on us," she said, accompanied by officials, health workers and a swarm of journalists.

Wearing a white cap and short-sleeve shirt with the slogan #ZikaZero, the president personally sprayed larvicide in areas where mosquitoes can breed.

"The government is taking the lead but that alone won't win the war," she said. "We need to get everyone involved."

Members of the 3 branches of the armed forces visited homes, restaurants and shops, sharing information on how to eradicate mosquito breeding areas that are found in everyday settings.

The troops handed out leaflets with the slogan "a mosquito is not stronger than an entire country," and advised residents to keep water tanks tightly covered, turn open bottles upside down and store tires in places where they won't collect water.

There is currently no cure or vaccine for Zika. Brazil has confirmed 3 deaths linked to the virus.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, Brazil recorded 462 cases of microcephaly between October and February, compared with an annual average of 150 cases. 

Forty-one of the cases have a confirmed link to Zika virus. Another 3,852 suspected cases of this birth defect were being studied.

The WHO has declared the rise in Zika-linked birth defects an international emergency. (READ: Fearing global spread, WHO creates Zika response unit)

Large cities at risk

Brazil's high-profile public awareness campaign kicks off as one of the country's top health officials warned that Zika is likely to spread to densely populated areas. 

"This is the great fear of the immediate future – that densely populated states will experience an intense outbreak of the virus that cannot be controlled," Claudio Maierovitch, head of the communicable diseases surveillance department at the Ministry of Health, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). 

"These states include Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Parana, Minas Gerais and Goias that have experienced vast dengue epidemics in the last years." – Eugenia Logiuratto, AFP/Rappler.com

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia's Shebab insurgents on Saturday, February 13, claimed responsibility for a bomb attack which ripped a hole in a passenger plane shortly after takeoff from the capital Mogadishu earlier this month.

On February 2, Shebab "mujahideen carried out an operation targeting dozens of Western intelligence officials and Turkish NATO forces aboard an airplane bound for Djibouti," said a statement issued by the group.

The blast left a meter-wide (three-foot) hole in the fuselage of the Daallo Airlines plane shortly after it took off from Somalia's main airport, killing the suspected bomber and forcing an emergency landing. 

Two of the 74 passengers aboard were slightly injured.

A passenger believed to be the bomber, identified as Abdulahi Abdisalam, was killed, probably after being propelled out of the aircraft in the explosion, investigators said. 

The man had initially intended to board a Turkish Airlines flight but the Turkish plane did not turn up and Daallo Airlines agreed to fly the passengers onwards to Djibouti.

Somali intelligence officials have released surveillance footage appearing to show a passenger being given a laptop in which the bomb was concealed.

Shebab said the bomb attack was "retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against the Muslims of Somalia." – Rappler.com

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Turkish artillery on Saturday, February 13, bombarded areas of Aleppo province in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The monitoring group's head, Rami Abdel Rahman, said Turkish shelling struck areas of Aleppo, including Minnigh, recently taken by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia from Islamist rebels.

Ankara considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its YPG militia to be branches of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

The shelling came shortly after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Ankara would, if necessary, take military action against the PYD.

A YPG source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the Turkish shelling targeted the strategic Minnigh military airport, which Kurdish forces retook late on Wednesday.

"We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil," Davutoglu said in a televised speech.

The Turkish premier was referring to the relentless bombing campaign last year against PKK targets in northern Iraq on their Qandil mountain stronghold.

Abdel Rahman said the Minnigh base lies between two key roads leading from Aleppo city to Azaz to the north, which would have given Kurdish fighters a launching pad to attack jihadists further east. 

Syrian government forces lost control of Minnigh air base in August 2013, two years after the start of the conflict in Syria that has now killed more than 260,000 people and displaced millions. – Rappler.com

NAIROBI, Kenya – Thousands of people took to the streets of Burundi's capital Bujumbura on Saturday, February 13, to condemn what the country's embattled government calls neighboring Rwanda's meddling in its affairs.

Around 4,000 people rallied to the government's call to demonstrate over Rwanda's "acts of aggression" towards Burundi, journalists at the scene said. The organizers estimated the turnout at over 10,000.

"We condemn (Rwandan President Paul) Kagame and his plan to destabilize Burundi and the entire Great Lakes region," a placard waved by one of the protesters read.

Relations between Burundi and its neighbor to the north have deteriorated since Burundi sank into a deep political crisis ten months ago over President Pierre Nkurunziza's quest for a third term in office.

Saturday's demonstration in Bujumbura came to a halt outside the Rwandan embassy in Bujumbura where Kagame was copiously booed.

"We are on the battlefield. Encourage our soldiers! Kagame is an enemy, we are going to wash him away," the crowd sang.

Burundi has accused Rwanda of backing rebels intent on overthrowing Nkurunziza, who was returned to power in July elections, despite weeks of protests that were violently repressed and calls from world leaders for him to step aside.

Smaller anti-Rwandan demonstrations also took place Saturday in the Burundi's second city of Gitega and in Nkurunziza's home province of Ngozi.

Last week, UN experts told the Security Council that Rwanda has recruited and trained refugees from Burundi, among them children, who wanted to remove Nkurunziza from power.

Rwanda has denied the allegations. This week, Kigali announced it would relocate the estimated 75,000 Burundians sheltering on its soil to third countries, saying the "long-term presence of refugees so close to their country of origin carries considerable risks for all involved."

'Adding fuel to the fire'

Hundreds of people have been killed in the unrest in Burundi, which has become entrenched, with armed opposition members periodically engaging in shootouts with the security forces. 

Over 230,000 people have fled the fighting abroad.

Saturday's pro-government demonstrations have dampened expectations for a breakthrough in the crisis during an upcoming visit by African heads of state.

"Of course, Rwanda has meddled in Burundi's affairs but it's clear Nkurunziza is overdoing it. He's adding fuel to the fire to try show he is facing an external aggression and not a domestic political crisis that is turning into a civil war," a Western diplomat based in Burundi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Men are twice as likely as women to get cancer of the mouth and throat linked to the human papillomavirus, or HPV, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, researchers say.

For men, the risk of HPV-driven cancers of the head and neck rise along with the number of oral sex partners, researchers said on Friday, February 12, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in the US capital. 

Nearly 2 out of 3 of these oral cancers in the United States and most western nations are caused by infection with the HPV 16 strain of the virus, and incidence of cancer is on the rise in recent years, said Gypsyamber D'Souza, who teaches epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Middle-aged white men are at particularly high risk compared to other races.

She said her research shows that youths are engaging in oral sex at increasingly young ages, compared to past generations.

"Our research shows that for men, the number of oral sex partners – as that number increases, the risk of an oral HPV infection increases," she told reporters.

But with women, the number of sexual partners does not appear to raise the risk.

"Comparing men and women with the same number of sexual partners, a man is much more likely to become infected with oral HPV than a woman."

Furthermore, women who have a greater number of vaginal sex partners appear to face a lower risk of oral HPV infection, she said.

The reason may be that when women are first exposed to HPV vaginally, they mount an immune response that prevents them from getting an oral HPV infection, she said.

But men do not seem to have equally robust immune responses.

"Men are not only more likely to be infected with oral HPV infection than women, but our research shows that once you become infected, men are less likely to clear this infection than women, further contributing for the cancer risk."

HPV infection is quite common, and most people clear the virus within a year or two, she said.

In some cases, however, HPV does not go away and can lead to cellular changes in the mouth and throat, which eventually become cancerous.

Oral sex may raise the risk of head and neck cancer by 22 percent, according to a study published January in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

This type of cancer has risen 225 percent in the last two decades.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges HPV vaccination for all pre-teen boys and girls so they can be protected against the infection before they become sexually active. – Rappler.com

Images of HPV and silhouette from Shutterstock

TAGUM CITY, Philippines – Are politicians from different political parties in Davao del Norte finally uniting behind Rodrigo Duterte?

In his first Mindanao proclamation rally at the New City Hall Arena in Tagum on Saturday, February 13, politicians from various groups converged, throwing their support for the Duterte-Alan Peter Cayetano tandem.

Upon arrival at the capitol grounds, Duterte was ushered to a short meeting with Liberal Party stalwarts led by Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario and former Tagum City mayor Rey Uy.

"My friendship with Digong is beyond politics. We are friends and I invited him to drop by at my official house," Del Rosario told Rappler.

"We are friends, we just met him, and we are happy he is here," Uy said, but did not reveal what transpired during the closed-door meeting.

As he entered the arena, Duterte and his entourage led by PDP-Laban national president Senator Aquilino Pimentel III and PDP-Laban secretary general Pantaleon Alvarez were welcomed by their local partymates.

Earlier on, banana magnate Antonio "Tonyboy" Floirendo Jr, who is running unopposed for congressman of the second district of Davao del Norte, expressed support for Duterte.

In his speech, Duterte admitted it was the first time he was cheered and applauded by his Mindanao neighbors.

"Lipay ko nga naa mo diri, first time naku ni mga nakadungog ug ing ani kakusog nga pakpak dinhi sa ato, ubani ko ninyo," he told the crowd in the vernacular.

(I am happy you are here for me. It is my first time to hear loud applause in my own place. Please join me, let's work together.)

Local candidates present included incumbents Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon and Davao del Norte Vice Governor Victorio "Baby" Suaybaguio.

Rellon is seeking reelection and is facing a formidable opponent in Uy.

Suaybaguio, meanwhile, is seeking the gubernatorial post and is running against Del Rosario's son, incumbent Representative Anthony del Rosario.

During his press conference, Duterte said he did not express support for any of the gubernatorial candidates as none of them is a PDP-Laban member.

The mayor also told Suaybaguio, who was wearing a Duterte shirt, "I cannot raise your hand or endorse you because you are not [from] PDP-Laban, but I understand you."

Duterte said he will leave Suaybaguio's fate up to the PDP-Laban leadership.

Meanwhile, Duterte proclaimed the party's local candidates for the Island Garden City of Samal and for the town of Banaybanay in Davao Oriental.

Pimentel expects that more and more Mindanao political groups will join the Duterte bandwagon, "because now is the time for Mindanao to be solid and support the son of Mindanao – 'ato ni' (he is ours)." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The administration is supposedly resorting to "extreme reckless tactics" by using government funds to sway local executives in their favor, claimed the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) on Sunday, February 14.

According to UNA spokesperson Mon Ilagan, the government's Bottom-up Budgeting (BUB) program is veering away from its intended function as it is being used to influence Filipino voters.

"Sadyang ibang-iba na ang layunin ng BUB sa orihinal nitong intensyon na budget ng bayan sa kamay ng taumbayan,” he said in a statement. “Pero tila yata ang budget ng bayan eh ginagamit ng partido ng administrasyon para suhulan ang taumbayan… (Its) rationale is no longer developmental but envelopmental, no longer economics, but politics.”

(BUB now is very different from its original goal which was to give the power to people. But now it seems that it is being used by the administration to bribe the masses.)

The BUB program aims to promote an inclusive budgeting process through the participation of civil society groups. The groups propose projects for their communities to be implemented through national funding.

Liberal Party presidential candidate Manuel "Mar" Roxas II on February 11 told a crowd of over 1,000 barangay leaders said that funding for community-chosen projects would reach P1,000 ($21)* per constituent, or P100 billion ($2.1 billion) for all barangays in the Philippines.

'Legalized vote-buying'

In the 2016 budget, at least P24.7 billion ($524 million) is set for BUB. That's nearly P4 billion ($84.14 million) higher than 2015's P20.9 billion ($439 million).

Ilagan said that the funds are "at the disposal of LP" for election purposes and Roxas' promise is tantamount to "legalized vote-buying."

"No matter how Mar and LP call it or sweeten the packaging, it is still legalized vote-buying because it is meant to influence the people's voting preferences," he said.

Aside from BUB, Ilagan added that the ruling party's campaign is driven by government funds.

"Bribe Ur Barangay is the new localized version of pork-barrel politics," he said. "The power of the LP's purse is energized by the administration's Conditional Cash Transfer and BUB projects."

Earlier, the camp of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte also hurled the same accusation at Roxas. LP's Senate bets defended BUB and dismissed Duterte's allegation as a "demolition job." – Rappler.com

$1 = P47

KABUL, Afghanistan (UPDATED) – The number of civilians killed or wounded in Afghanistan last year was the highest recorded since 2009, the UN said Sunday, February 14, with children paying a particularly heavy price. 

There were 11,002 civilian casualties in 2015 including 3,545 deaths, the UN said in its annual report on Afghan civilians in armed conflict, a 4% rise over the previous high in 2014. 

"The harm done to civilians is totally unacceptable," said Nicholas Haysom, the UN's special representative for Afghanistan. 

"We call on those inflicting this pain on the people of Afghanistan to take concrete action to protect civilians and put a stop to the killing and maiming."

Fighting and attacks in populated areas and major cities were described as the main causes of civilian deaths in 2015, underscoring a push by Taliban militants into urban centres "with a high likelihood of causing civilian harm", the report stated.

The UN began compiling the annual report in 2009. 

Including Taliban-claimed attacks, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan assigned responsibility for 62% of total civilian casualties in 2015 to anti-government elements. 

The Taliban rejected the report's findings in a statement Sunday.

But the report also noted a 28% year-on-year surge in the number of casualties caused by pro-government forces, including the Afghan army and international troops.

Seventeen percent of all casualties in 2015 were caused by such forces, the report said. It was not possible to say which side caused the remaining 21% of casualties. 

The report criticized Afghan forces in particular for their reliance on explosives in populated areas. 

US and other international troops moved from a combat role to a training, advisory and assistance role in Afghanistan on January 1, 2015, leaving Afghan forces to take the lead in fighting the resurgent militants as they targeted towns and cities. 

"Why did they fire this rocket? Why was it necessary?" the father of a man killed in shelling by the Afghan army in a village in Wardak province in December was quoted as saying in the report. 

Nine people died in that attack, according to the report, highlighting the dangers to civilians during ground engagements. 

"Can you imagine how difficult it is when your son is lying in his own blood and you are crying for him?" the father is quoted as saying.

The Afghan government thanked UNAMA for the report in a statement released Sunday, though it disputed the decision to attribute such a large number of civilian deaths to unknown factors rather than the Taliban.

Vulnerable paying the price

The statistics in the report do not "reflect the real horror", Haysom told a press conference Sunday. 

"The real cost... is measured in the maimed bodies of children, the communities who have to live with loss, the grief of colleagues and relatives, the families who make do without a breadwinner, the parents who grieved the lost children, the children who grieved the lost parents," he said.

One in every 4 casualties in 2015 was a child, with the report documenting a 14% increase in child casualties over the year.

"Tell these people not to attack children," it quotes a 12-year-old survivor of a mortar attack that killed 4 others, as saying. "I want to study, not to die."

While fighting and improvised explosive devices were the top two killers of children, unexploded ordnance picked up and played with by curious and unsuspecting youngsters also claimed a heavy toll, killing 113 children – an average of two a week – and injuring 252 more in 2015.

Women also paid a heavy price, with a 37% surge in female casualties. One in every 10 casualties recorded was a woman, the report said.

The document highlighted an increase in women being targeted for alleged moral crimes, calling the executions and lashings a "disturbing trend," and saying the UN plans to release a separate report on such incidents soon.

Chillingly, the report documented a doubling of civilian casualties due to the deliberate targeting by militants of judges, prosecutors, and judicial institutions. There were 188 such cases last year, of which 46 involved fatalities. 

The Taliban claimed 95% of such targeted attacks, the report said.  

While ground engagements were the largest cause of civilian casualties, improvised explosive devices came second, the report said, adding that the use of such weaponry violated international law and could constitute war crimes. 

It reflects "a disconnect between commitments made and the harsh reality on the ground," said the director of the UN's human rights mission in Afghanistan, Danielle Bell. – Rappler.com

SYDNEY, Australia – Some 150,000 penguins died after a massive iceberg grounded near their colony in Antarctica, forcing them to make a lengthy trek to find food, scientists say in a newly-published study.

The B09B iceberg, measuring some 100 square kilometres (38.6 square miles), grounded in Commonwealth Bay in East Antarctica in December 2010, the researchers from Australia and New Zealand wrote in the Antarctic Science journal.

The Adelie penguin population at the bay's Cape Denison was measured to be about 160,000 in February 2011 but by December 2013 it had plunged to an estimated 10,000, they said.

The iceberg's grounding meant the penguins had to walk more than 60 kilometres (37 miles) to find food, impeding their breeding attempts, said the researchers from the University of New South Wales' (UNSW) Climate Change Research Centre and New Zealand's West Coast Penguin Trust.

"The Cape Denison population could be extirpated within 20 years unless B09B relocates or the now perennial fast ice within the bay breaks out," they wrote in the research published in February.

Fast ice is sea ice which forms and stays fast along the coast.

During their census in December 2013, the researchers said "hundreds of abandoned eggs were noted, and the ground was littered with the freeze-dried carcasses of previous season's chicks".

"It's eerily silent now," UNSW's Chris Turney, who led the 2013 expedition, told the Sydney Morning Herald Friday.

"The ones that we saw at Cape Denison were incredibly docile, lethargic, almost unaware of your existence.

"The ones that are surviving are clearly struggling. They can barely survive themselves, let alone hatch the next generation. We saw lots of dead birds on the ground... it's just heartbreaking to see."

In contrast, penguins living on the eastern fringe of the bay just eight kilometres from the fast ice edge were thriving, the scientists said.

The researchers said the study had "important implications" for the wider East Antarctic if the current trend of increasing sea ice continued.

Sea ice around Antarctica is increasing, in contrast to the Arctic where global warming is causing ice to melt and glaciers to shrink.

Scientists believe the growth in Antarctic sea ice is largely driven by changes in wind and local conditions. – Rappler.com

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – After falling ill, presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte bounced back Saturday, February 11, showing up fresh and energetic in several events in the Davao area.

"I'm fine. I'm ready for all my schedules. Tell my supporters not to worry about me," Duterte told Rappler.

On Thursday, February 11, Duterte was a no-show at a medical association's forum after suffering a migraine, forcing him to stay overnight at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan.

Many of his supporters wondered how their bet would fare, but on Saturday, he showed up, officiating a "Kasalang Bayan" of 99 couples at the Barangay Tigatto gym in Tagum City.

He arrived in Tagum City from Davao City via a four-seater chopper, to attend the proclamation rally of local candidates of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

At the rally, his supporters cheered and chanted as he entered the Tagum City arena.

His running mate, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, also received a warm welcome. Cayetano promised to help the Duterte administration realize a graft-free nation with people enjoying health care and other basic government services.

Mindanaoans, according to Cayetano, will enjoy decentralized operations and services from various national agencies.

"From autonomy, we will give real power, real money, more resources," he added.

Duterte was at the rally until around 6:30 pm, then flew back to Davao where he held 3 meetings. He later had an interview with an international television network, which lasted until dawn.

"The time has come that a Mindanaoan will sit in Malacañang. The son of Mindanao has risen," Duterte's ally Senator Aquilino Pimentel III said. –With reports from Editha Z. Caduaya / Rappler.com

ECATEPEC, Mexico – Pope Francis will celebrate an open-air mass in a rough, crime-plagued Mexico City suburb on Sunday, February 14 after pressing the nation's leaders to combat the menace of drug violence.

Thousands already lined up outside a university's campus late Saturday, prepared to brave the cold night ahead of the service for 300,000 Catholic faithful in Ecatepec.

The city of 1.6 million is in the state of Mexico, a region that has become infamous for a spate of disappearances of women, whose bodies sometimes turn up in abandoned lots or canals.

Some 600 women have been killed between January 2014 and September 2015 in the state, according to the non-governmental National Citizen Observatory of Feminicides.

The Argentine-born pontiff made it clear before his arrival in Mexico that he would speak out about the corruption and crime afflicting parts of the country.

He used his visit to the National Palace and the capital's cathedral on Saturday to bluntly tell political and religious leaders to do more to bring peace to the country.

At the palace, with President Enrique Pena Nieto by his side in a patio packed with lawmakers and government officials, Francis told them they had a duty to give "true justice" and "effective security" to Mexicans.

Later, he told bishops at the cathedral to take on the scourge of drug trafficking with "prophetic courage" and avoid hiding "behind anodyne denunciations."

Many Mexicans, fed up with a decade of drug violence that has left 100,000 dead or mission, had hoped to hear such words from the 79-year-old pontiff.

Pope Francis has chosen to visit some of Mexico's most troubled regions duing his five-day trip to the world's second most populous Catholic country.

The crimes against women in the state of Mexico, which surrounds the capital, prompted the federal government to declare a "gender violence alert" requiring protective measures in 11 towns, including Ecatepec.

Faith in God 

"People who kill or who are wicked should think about the fact that we are women and that we should be respected," said Mariana Virginia Hernandez, 45, who came from the neighboring state of Hidalgo for the mass and wore several sweaters and a poncho to resist the cold.

Hundreds of police officers stood guard as people lined up while military vehicles were parked at the entrance of the venue. Some pilgrims danced to folk music to keep warm.

"The pope is coming to tell us to have confidence and faith in God to stop the violence," said Florentina Olivares Cruz, 80.

Ana Yeli Perez, legal adviser at the National Citizen Observatory of Feminicides, said the organization is "concerned about the lack of visibility of the issue because the government controls it. We hope the pope speaks about it."

But Karla Paola Romero, a 21-year-old activist who was nearly kidnapped three years ago, said gender violence would not be resolved "with a miracle."

Romero, who will not be at the mass, spoke near a hill where a woman's body was found in December. The victim had been raped and hanged.

The pope will face other tough issues during his trip.

On Monday, Pope Francis will travel to Mexico's poorest and least Catholic region, the southern indigenous state of Chiapas.

He will visit on Tuesday the capital of Michoacan, a western state where farms formed vigilante forces to counter a drug cartel in 2013.

The pope caps the trip in Mexico's former murder capital, Ciudad Juarez, for a mass that will span the US and Mexican borders to highlight the plight of migrants. – Jennifer Gonzales Covarrubias, Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (UPDATED) – Haitian lawmakers early Sunday, February 14, elected Jocelerme Privert as the troubled country's interim president to fill a power vacuum following the departure of Michel Martelly, after a vote to choose his successor was postponed over fears of violence.

Privert, 62, a senator and president of the National Assembly, was chosen on the second round of balloting after a lengthy session that stretched overnight Saturday to Sunday.

The lawmakers chose Privert over two other candidates, Dejan Belizaire and Edgar Leblanc Fils, both former presidents of Haiti's senate. Belizaire was quickly eliminated after receiving just two votes.

Martelly ended his five-year term without a successor on February 7.

Under an agreement signed hours before his departure, the interim president chosen by parliament would serve for up to 120 days, a new election would be held on April 24, and the new president would be installed on May 14.

After taking the oath, Privert announced that he would form a "consensus government capable of inspiring confidence, and able to create peace for the continuation of the electoral process."

This is the first time since 1946 that a Haitian chief of state is chosen by indirect vote.

'Not impartial'

The immediate roots of the crisis can be traced to October, when Martelly's favored candidate, Jovenel Moise, won the first round of presidential voting 33% to 25% over runner-up Jude Celestin.

The opposition politician, however, denounced the results as a "ridiculous farce."

A scheduled January 24 runoff between Moise and Celestin was canceled when Celestin refused to participate unless widespread electoral reforms were enacted, and following violence and protests alleging that Moise won the first round through dirty tricks and with government support.

The plan to elect an interim president by indirect vote angered opponents. Some lawmakers even questioned the legitimacy of Privert's candidacy.

"Stop the parliamentary coup d'etat," lawmaker Gary Bodeau said. "Parliament cannot be judge and jury ... the process is not impartial."

Privert comes to the job with experience as a bureaucrat and as a politician.

For some 30 years Privert worked in the country's tax office until he left in 2002 to be interior minister under then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. That stint did not last long, as Aristide was ousted amid widespread chaos and unrest in February 2004.

Privert was arrested soon after for his alleged role in the deadly violence that broke out during Aristide's final days in office. He was linked to an incident that, according to Haitian rights groups, resulted in scores of people killed and some 60 homes set ablaze in an opposition stronghold.

The former minister spent 26 months in prison and was released without a trial in June 2006 after carrying out a hunger strike.

Privert returned to politics in 2010, when he was elected senator, rising eventually to the chamber's top position.

A new Electoral Council

The upcoming round of voting to elect the next president is likely to be a rocky process.

The body in charge of organizing the vote, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), needs fresh blood as 6 of its 9 members have resigned.

Choosing new CEP members is always a difficult task, with charges of bias and favoritism often leveled by the opposition.

Money is also an issue: the election process has already cost $1 billion, most of it financed by the international community.

The political turmoil is the latest challenge for the Caribbean country that is the poorest in the Americas.

Thirty years after the end of the Duvalier dictatorship, Haiti is still struggling to hold credible elections that would boost development and raise the standard of living for the 60% of the population living below the poverty line.

Also, Haiti is still dealing with the aftermath of the powerful January 2010 earthquake that killed some 160,000 people and caused widespread destruction. – Amelie Baron, AFP / Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia – Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Barack Obama held frank talks on Syria amid US concern over Turkish shelling of Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria days before a ceasefire deal is due to take hold.

Putin took the call from Obama and both sides "gave a positive evaluation" of the results of talks in Munich last week, according to a Kremlin statement, which called the exchange "frank and business-like.”

The Russian leader reiterated that a united anti-terrorist coalition was needed in Syria, where Moscow has led an aerial campaign to support the regime's ground operation since September.

The leaders "agreed to activate cooperation via diplomatic agencies and other structures with the goal of implementing the declaration reached in Munich" on Friday, the statement said. 

Moscow this week warned against any ground intervention in Syria, as Ankara mulls a ground assault with Saudi troops while shelling positions of the Syrian regime and Kurds, whom Moscow supports. 

In an interview to Euronews on Sunday, February 14, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is the only legitimate force in the country and his ousting would result in "chaos."

"You can like that or not, but he’s the president in power," he said, according to remarks dubbed into English. 

"If we pull him out from this structure, there will be chaos – like we’ve seen more than once in many Middle Eastern countries.” – Rappler.com

JAKARTA, Indonesia - If you’re not planning on buying your significant other a gift for Valentine’s Day, you are not alone.

Just 10% of Indonesians plan to buy their significant other a Valentine’s Day presents, according to the recent Mastercard Love Index.

The survey questioned 406 individuals from across Indonesia, revealing that on average men and women will spend Rp 216,000 ($16 USD) on a gift.

Valentine’s Day has become a booming trade across the Asia Pacific, with spending for the holiday increasing for 23 percent from 2013 to 2015.

Although most Indonesians choose not to celebrate the day, love is certainly in the air in neighbouring countries.

Thailand is the most loved up country, with 79 percent of the 402 people survey planning to buy a gift.

China and Hong Kong also take a big role in the romantic festivities, with 72 per cent and 65 percent respectively saying they will buy a gift.

When it comes to popping the question however, the Vietnamese believe that Valentine’s Day is the perfect day.

Of the 432 people surveyed, 73 percent believed that Valentine’s Day was “the best day” to propose or receive a proposal.

The surveyed showed that Valentine’s Day is more popular in countries such as Thailand, China and Malaysia, as opposed to Australia and New Zealand.

Whilst much of Valentine’s Day advertising is centred around flowers, chocolate and jewellery, a recent shift to experiences rather than possessions has been identified.

In the past three years, 36 percent of Valentine’s Day spending has been on hotels, whilst a further 24 per cent went towards restaurants.

Breaking the bank

Across the globe, involvement and interest in Valentine’s Day has been waning, as the cost of participating in the day continues to climb.

America’s National Retail Federation predicted that the amount of money spent on gifts for Valentine’s Day in America would reach $19.7 billion this year.

This is despite the study showing that just 54.8% of consumers surveyed planned to buy a gift for Valentine’s Day, making it the second worst Valentine’s Day in nine years.

Gift inequality

The cost of Valentine’s Day has gotten increasingly steep, disproportionately hitting the hip pockets of male gift givers.

Men are expected to shell out an average of Rp 1,98 million (US $146.84) on gifts for the first retail holiday of 2016.

Yet the costs extend far past this, with a further Rp 675.000 (US $50) incurred in other costs.

Women by comparison pay almost half this amount, shelling out only Rp 1,35 million (US $99.87) on average.

An LPL report estimated that the cost of a night out has increased 3.1% in 15 years, with overall costs related to Valentine’s Day have increased by approximately 1.3 per cent in just one year.

However, falling commodity prices have resulted in falling jewellery prices, allowing diamonds and other precious stones to become more affordable gift options. – Rappler.com

THESSALONIKI, Greece – Greek police said Sunday, February 14, they had arrested 3 heavily armed Britons near the border with Turkey where they were suspected of heading to join Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State jihadists.

One of the 3, a 40-year-old said to be of Kurdish Iraqi origin, had 4 firearms and 200,000 rounds in his possession when he was picked up at the Kipi border post on the Evros River which borders the two nations.

Police arrested two other men, both in their mid-30s, in the port of Alexandropolis, the main town in the Evros region and a key commercial center in northeastern Greece.

They were found in possession of 18 firearms and 40,000 22mm and 5.5 mm bullets stowed in a trailer.

Counter-terrorism services are now investigating the trio after police said they suspected all 3 of "terrorism and belonging to a criminal organization," as well as arms trafficking.  

On January 31, two men with Swedish passports were arrested in the same region after they were found carrying "combat material" having flown to Greece from Sweden before heading towards Turkey by bus.

One, Mirsad Bektasevic, a suspected jihadist of Bosnian origin, was charged with "terrorist" activities along with an accomplice believed to hail from Yemen.

Bektasevic was previously arrested in 2005 in Sarajevo after a police search of his house uncovered ammunition and explosives and a video in which a masked man called for attacks on Capitol Hill and the White House. – Rappler.com

JERUSALEM – Israel's Ehud Olmert on Monday, February 15, becomes the country's first ex-prime minister to sit behind bars as he begins a 19-month prison term for separate counts of bribery and obstruction of justice.

The 70-year-old will report to Maasiyahu prison in the central Israeli town of Ramle, where former Israeli president Moshe Katsav is also serving a 7-year prison term for rape and sexual harassment.

The Israeli Prisons Service says that Olmert will be admitted to the prison's special block 10, "which is intended to house prisoners who for various reasons cannot be placed with the general prison population."

He will join 4 other unidentified inmates in block 10, which has a maximum capacity of 18.

"Due to his position, he is subject to various threats and is in danger," the prisons service says.

The start of Olmert's prison term will close a chapter in his long legal odyssey since leaving office in 2009.

He was initially given 6 years' prison in May 2014 for taking bribes in the early 2000s in connection with the construction of Jerusalem's massive Holyland residential complex, but the sentence was later reduced to 18 months.

Last week, an Israeli court handed him an additional month for obstructing justice. He admitted to the crime as part of a plea bargain in that case.

His prison sentence could still be extended further. The Supreme Court is still debating his appeal against a third sentence of 8 months for fraud and corruption.

Born near the port city of Haifa, Olmert was elected to parliament in 1973 as a member of the rightwing Likud party and was mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003.

He later served as a cabinet minister, holding the trade and industry portfolio as well as several others.

He broke off from Likud with then-prime minister Ariel Sharon to form the center-right Kadima party in 2005 and became premier in 2006 after Sharon slipped into a coma.

He is in part known internationally for relaunching peace efforts with the Palestinians at the Annapolis conference in the United States in 2007, but the corruption charges against him have come to define his legacy.

After the Supreme Court upheld one bribery conviction in December related to campaign financing but acquitted him of another linked to the residential complex, a tired-looking Olmert maintained he had not taken any bribes.

"A heavy weight was lifted from my chest today, when the Supreme Court exonerated me of the main charge, of Holyland," he told reporters outside the courtroom.

"I was never offered bribes, nor did I ever take any."

No stranger to VIPs

The prisons service says that block 10 has 6 cells, each with 3 beds, ensuite shower and toilet, a closet and a table, chairs and television. 

There are public telephones in the corridor, classrooms and a block recreation room, a visiting room, two rooms for consultations with lawyers, a room used as a synagogue, a library, sports equipment, dining room, and yard.

On admission Monday, Olmert, like any other prisoner, will be photographed, searched, given a medical examination, and interviewed by various officials, including a social worker.

Inmates are allowed to bring from home 4 pairs of underpants, 4 pairs of socks, two towels and two sweatshirts without hoods or lining. 

They can also bring with them one blanket (not a duvet), two sheets, a pillowcase, and religious books and articles.

The prison, named for the biblical gatekeeper of the Jewish temple, is no stranger to VIPs.

Current interior minister Aryeh Deri spent 22 months there after being convicted in 2000 for taking bribes during a previous term in the same post from 1988 to 1993.

He returned to the interior ministry in January this year after his predecessor Silvan Shalom resigned over allegations of sexual harassment.

His one-time rival in the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, former health minister Shlomo Benizri, served 6 months in Maasiyahu after being convicted of bribery, fraud and obstruction of justice. – Steve Weizman, AFP / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – On the second week of the campaign period, only 4 presidential candidates have scheduled sorties. Miriam Defensor Santiago has yet to announce any activities, but her running mate, Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, has a full week.

All "presidentiables" and Marcos will be mostly in Metro Manila and the Visayas, and only Rodrigo Duterte will be visiting Mindanao cities.

However, on Sunday, February 21, at least 3 presidential candidates will be in Cagayan de Oro for the debate organized by the Commission on Elections. Comelec's media partners for the event, however, are limiting the access of journalists from other organizations to the debate. (READ: Cagayan de Oro media cry 'discrimination' in presidential debate coverage)

Check out where the candidates are from February 15 to 21:

Monday, February 15

• Ferdinand Marcos Jr will be in Baler during the day. In the evening, he will drop by a post-Valentine concert for clean air, organized by the Coalition of Clean Air Advocates of the Philippines, at the Amoranto Stadium in Quezon City. Presidential bet Grace Poe will also grace the event.
• Vice presidential bet Leni Robredo will be in Bacolod City.
• Rodrigo Duterte will have rallies in Tagoloan and El Salvador, both in Misamis Oriental.

Tuesday, February 16

• Presidential candidate Jejomar Binay will be in Cebu City.
• Grace Poe will be in Western Visayas.
• Marcos will do the rounds of Pasig City.
• Manuel Roxas II will be in Bacolod City.
• Duterte will be campaigning in Ozamis City.

BRUSSELS, Belgium – The quest to prevent Britain crashing out of the European Union faces its moment of truth this week, with EU chief Donald Tusk touring key capitals in a final push for a deal at a crucial Brussels summit. 

Many of UK Prime Minister David Cameron's demands for reforms ahead of a referendum on Britain's membership of the crisis-hit bloc still face opposition just days before the meeting on Thursday-Friday (February 18-19). 

Tusk cleared his diary in the run-up to the summit for last-ditch talks in Berlin, Paris, Athens and other capitals to press key leaders for an agreement despite what he called a "very fragile" situation.

If Britain becomes the first country to leave the 28-nation EU it would further inflame a firestorm of problems so perilous that Tusk warned recently that the situation felt like "the day before World War I." 

The EU already faces questions about the bloc's future as it struggles with the continent's biggest migration crisis in 70 years, and with renewed fears about the health of the euro currency. 

Those worries go beyond Europe, with US Secretary of State John Kerry saying on Saturday that Washington backs a "strong UK staying in a strong EU."

Cameron, who met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Hamburg on Friday, said he was confident of a deal although "I rule nothing out" if he does not get an agreement. 

Merkel meanwhile said that her "wish" was to avoid a so-called "Brexit" in a referendum that is expected to be held in June.  

Three years after Cameron first demanded reforms and announced a referendum, the issue has come down to quibbles over a few words and sets of brackets in proposals that Tusk unveiled last month. 

Tusk's meetings with Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and others on Monday and Tuesday (February 15 and 16) are meant to solve what EU sources told Agence France-Presse were "outstanding issues" after negotiators in Brussels failed to reach a breakthrough. 

'Emergency brake'

A key sticking point is an "emergency brake" that would allow Britain to limit welfare benefit payments for 4 years to newly-arrived citizens of other EU countries who are working in Britain. 

Eastern European countries in particular say the plan could discriminate against them as many of their nationals work in Britain, and that it would breach the EU's principle of freedom of movement. 

The main unresolved issue is how long Britain could keep the brake in place – London wants seven years. 

Keen to tackle this problem, Tusk's meetings this week include Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, the current head of the "Visegrad Group" of his country with Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, all of which are skeptical about the "brake" plan. 

But it is Cameron's demands for protection for countries that do not use the euro that have recently emerged as the biggest possible hurdle to a deal, due to opposition from France in particular. 

Paris insists that the "euro-outs" like Britain cannot have a veto over any decisions in the 19-country eurozone as it struggles with the fallout from its debt crisis, and that the City of London financial hub should not get special treatment. 

The possibility that Greece's Tsipras or Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi might try to extract concessions for their own countries' struggles with migration and the economy in exchange for backing a British deal is also on EU officials' minds. 

Cameron also wants assurances that the goal of "ever closer union" will not apply to Britain, reflecting a historic split between London's view of the EU as a free trade area and the continental idea of a political project aimed at ending centuries of European wars. 

Cameron has pledged to hold the referendum by the end of 2017. But he has indicated he wants a deal at this summit to allow time to arrange a referendum in June, before the migration crisis flares up again over the summer and eurosceptics both within and outside his centre-right Conservative party become restive. 

Opinion polls are roughly split on whether Britons would vote to remain in the EU or leave. It last voted on the issue in 1975, two years after joining what was then the European Economic Community. – Danny Kemp, AFP / Rappler.com