PARIS, France – After more than a century of conflicting evidence, Anglo-French animosity and a H.G. Wells novella involving murder most fowl, scientists said Wednesday, September 26, they have finally solved the riddle of the world's largest bird.

For 60 million years the colossal, flightless elephant bird – Aepyornis maximus – stalked the savannah and rainforests of Madagascar until it was hunted to extinction around 1,000 years ago.

In the 19th century, a new breed of buccaneering European zoologist obsessed over the creature, pillaging skeletons and fossilised eggs to prove they had discovered the biggest bird on Earth.

But a study released Wednesday by British scientists suggests that one species of elephant bird was even larger than previously thought, with a specimen weighing an estimated 860 kilograms (1,895 pounds) – about the same as a fully grown giraffe.

"They would have towered over people," James Hansford, lead author at the Zoological Society of London, told Agence France-Presse. "They definitely couldn't fly as they couldn't have supported anywhere near their weight."

In the study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, Hanson examined elephant bird bones found around the world, feeding their dimensions into a machine-learned algorithm to create a spread of expected animal sizes.

Until now, the largest-ever elephant bird was described in 1894 by the British scientist C.W. Andrews as Aepyornis titan – a larger species of Aepyornis maximus.

But a French rival of Andrews dismissed the discovery of titan as just an outsized maximus specimen, and for decades the debate remained deadlocked.

Hanson said his research proved titan was indeed a different species. But he also found that its bones were so distinct from other elephant bird specimens that titan was in fact an entirely separate genus.

Named Vorombe titan – Malagasy for "big bird" – the creature would have stood at least 3 meters (10 feet) tall, and had an average weight of 650 kilograms, making it the largest bird genus yet uncovered.

"At the extreme extent we found one bone that really pushed the limits of what we now understand about bird size," said Hanson, referring to the 860-kilogram specimen.

"And there were some that led up to that too, so it's not an outlier – there was a range of masses that are extraordinarily large."

Extinct, but not forgotten

A close cousin of the now-extinct moa in New Zealand, the elephant bird belonged to the same family of flightless animals that today includes the kiwi, emu and ostrich.

Its petrified eggs still fetch large sums at auction, and it stars in Wells' 1895 work "Aepyornis Island" alongside a pugnacious mercenary named Butcher who improbably ends up living with – and eventually killing – one of the creatures.

Despite having one of the longest existences of any animal in Madagascar – whose isolation from the rest of Africa led to the development of several entirely unique species – the elephant bird died out after a new wave of human settlers arrived around a millenia ago.

"You start to see large amounts of agricultural settlements and habitat change with burning of forests... that seems to have driven all the megafauna in Madagascar, including the elephant bird, to extinction," said Hanson.

Far from being an ancient curiosity, Hanson believes the elephant bird could hold vital clues in how to manage Madagascar's future ecosystem, despite being extinct for 1,000 years.

Elephant birds "probably played the most significant roles in maintaining and developing the landscapes that were natural to Madagascar before humans got there," he said.

"We need to understand the role of these animals within these landscapes in order to start regenerating and conserving what we have left." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Wednesday, September 26, that other amnesty grants will be reviewed or reopened following the case of the “most vocal” opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

The amnesties given to Trillanes’ fellow mutineers at the Magdalo group, in particular, are also being reviewed, said Guevarra.

“We cannot take away that risk that they're found to be deficient or non-compliant with the requirements for amnesty. Then any other person who might have not complied may suffer the same situation as Senator Trillanes,” he said.

Guevarra added, however, that in the case of the Department of Justice (DOJ), it would focus on Trillanes, for now.  He explained that it was "logical" to start with the opposition senator since he's the leader of the group.

“We’re not saying the government is picking on him, no, and being selective. Just so happened that he’s the most vocal and he’s the leader of the pack, so to speak. So, it was just natural, if not logical, to start with him,” the justice secretary said.

Acting on a DOJ request, the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 150 on Tuesday, September 25, ordered Trillanes arrested but the senator was allowed to immediately post bail.

Other cases

President Rodrigo Duterte anchored Proclamation No. 372, voiding the amnesty given to Trillanes, on his alleged failure to file an amnesty application form.

Solicitor General Jose Calida later raised before the Supreme Court another reason – not cited in Duterte's order – for voiding the amnesty, that it was then-defense secretary Voltaire Gazmin who signed Trillanes’ amnesty papers, and not then-president Benigno Aquino III.

Calida said the grant of amnesty cannot be delegated by the president to anyone. Aquino signed himself Proclamation No. 75 granting amnesty to mutineers during the Arroyo administration.

In the same proclamation, Aquino delegated to Gazmin the processing and approval of amnesties of the specific applicants, which included Trillanes.

Duterte and Calida said what Aquino did was illegal, although 5 other presidents before Aquino also delegated the approval of amnesty applications to their designated panels or committees.

This includes the grant of amnesty to now military chief General Carlito Galvez Jr, which then-president Fidel Ramos also delegated to a committee.

Will the amnesty granted to the likes of Galvez be reviewed as well?

Not addressing the case of Galvez directly, Guevarra said the voiding of other amnesties “is a possibility I cannot preempt.”

“So, I’m not preempting them, but my understanding is that their cases might be reviewed or opened,” said Guevarra. – Rappler.com

UNITED NATIONS – New Zealand's prime minister has been proclaimed a historymaker for taking "first baby" – daughter Neve– into the United Nations General Assembly hall, shaking up what is still a boys' club of world leaders.

Photographs of Jacinda Ardern, 38, kissing and bouncing her 3-month-old in the main hall at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit on the eve of the General Assembly have gone around the world and taken the internet by storm.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed on Tuesday, September 25, that it had been the first time in the organization's 73-year history that a woman leader had taken her newborn into the assembly room.

"It's altogether a good thing and we were delighted to have Neve in the General Assembly hall. With only 5% of world leaders women, we should do everything to make them feel as welcome as possible," he added.

The sight of Neve and her father, who is her chief care giver, watching Ardern at work has attracted plenty of positive commentary in a United States, where many worry the Trump administration imperils women's rights.

"I cannot stress how much the @UN – and the governments that comprise it – need this," tweeted former US ambassador to the United Nations turned Harvard professor Samantha Power, herself a mother of two.

Ardern, currently the youngest woman leader in the world, is only the second female prime minister to give birth while serving in office, after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto in 1990. She says she wants to blaze a trail for other women.

"I want to normalize it," Ardern told CNN.

"If we want to make work places more open, we need to acknowledge logistical challenges... by being more open it might create a path for other women."

She's also the first to admit she's not a typical working mother.

Media darling

"What I consistently acknowledge is that I have assistants who help Clarke with the ability to juggle his career and be our primary caregiver," she was quoted as saying by CNN.

Her television presenting partner has also been feted on American social media, fueling the love by tweeting a photograph of his daughter's UN ID designating her "New Zealand First Baby."

"I wish I could have captured the startled look on a Japanese delegation inside UN yesterday who walked into a meeting room in the middle of a nappy change. Great yarn for her 21st," he wrote.

Pregnancy, motherhood and governing have turned her into a poster child for feminism against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement in the United States.

Her first UN General Assembly outing has turned her into something of a media darling, conducting a whirlwind of television interviews, with a slot on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" still to come Wednesday, September 26.

Through it all, she has chosen to champion the modernity of a country of fewer than 5 million residents, already on its third female premier.

"I never grew up believing my gender would stand in the way of doing anything I wanted," she said.

"I credit the women who came before me and credit New Zealanders for welcoming me having a child... I'm proud of the nation."

Its a popularity she's no doubt enjoying. In power just under a year, she has been troubled by political difficulties at home in recent weeks following the resignation of two cabinet ministers. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) failed to follow standard operating procedures in scanning the 4 magnetic lifters believed to be previously packed with shabu (methamphetamine), no less than the Customs' former X-ray chief Lourdes Mangaoang said on Wednesday, September 26.

"It is SOP that if we see the image indicates that there are still items there (shipment) with compartments inside or hollow inside, we automatically subject it to physical examination, if they are properly trained," Mangaoang said before the Senate blue ribbon committee probing the P6.8-billion missing shabu.

Flashing photos from the current BOC officials, she said that the magnetic lifters were obviously hollow, and would need a physical examination to see if anything was packed inside—possibly contraband.

Scanning at the BOC works like this: The shipment is scanned by the X-ray operator, and if they find anything "suspect," they can call for an examiner to physically go through the shipment.

"If you are well-trained, well-experienced operator, you automatically request the examiner to examine it physically," said Mangaoang.

She, however, did not cite any BOC internal documents mentioning these procedures. (READ: Empty or shabu-packed? X-ray scans of magnetic lifters revealed)

So far, the BOC officials said this physical examination is only reserved when what is declared in a shipment's forms does not match with the image from their scans.

For example, when the shipment forms declare a magnetic lifter but they see metallic cranes inside.

Mangaoang's testimony also contradicts the statements of current X-ray chief Zsae de Guzman, particularly in the use of different filter settings for the Customs' X-ray scanners.

De Guzman said in an earlier House probe into the missing shabu that X-ray operators use the scan settings that produce images "friendly to their eyes." This filter used most of the time, she earlier said, is the colorless negative scan.

For Mangaoang, however, operators should use different settings for better chances of tracking contraband. She said the operators should have used the pseudocolor setting instead of the negative. This pseudocolor scan was earlier vaguely described by De Guzman as giving "different effects."

Mangaoang claimed that if she had performed the scan herself, she would have concluded "100%" that the lifters contained "things" inside. (TIMELINE: The search for P6.8-B shabu 'smuggled' into PH)

As to what they are, she said she leaves it up to the continuing investigation of BOC, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Senate panel.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Wednesday, September 26, that only the Supreme Court can decide whether Senator Antonio Trillanes IV should face a military court even as a civilian.

"How could a sitting senator who has resigned in the Armed Forces of the Philippines be considered a member of the AFP and face the court martial proceedings? Medyo magulo (It's quite confusing)," Lacson told reporters on Wednesday, September 26.

"And it's only the Supreme Court eventually or finally can interpret kung tama o mali (if it's right or wrong)," he added.

Trillanes had asked the High Tribunal to declare as unconstitutional an order issued by President Rodrigo Duterte revoking his amnesty.

With Duterte's Proclamation No. 572, discussions on reviving charges against Trillanes in the military court resurfaced, as these were suspended because of the amnesty granted to him and fellow ex-mutineers in 2011.

Trillanes is out on bail after Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 ordered his arrest on Tuesday, September 25. 

Another Makati court, Branch 148, is handling a justice department's plea to revive coup charges against Trillanes for his participation in the failed Oakwood mutiny in 2003 against the Arroyo administration. The charges are non-bailable. (READ: Trillanes faces tough challenge at 2nd court)

Should Branch 148 order him arrested, the question would be whether or not the military can acquire jurisdiction over him. Duterte's proclamation explicity ordered law authorities to "revert" Trillanes to the detention facility where he had been detained previously, and that's inside a military camp. (READ: From posh hotels to the Senate: The 3 times Trillanes was arrested)

“We will cross the bridge when we get there,” said Trillanes’ lawyer Rey Robles.

Trillanes said he is ready for an unfavorable decision from the second court.

Prior to his 2011 amnesty, Trillanes left the military when he ran and won as senator in 2007. Civilians cannot be tried in a military court.

If Trillanes faces revived charges before the military court, it would be for conduct unbecoming of an officer and gentleman, punishable by dismissal from service.

Lacson clarified this is all still dependent on the High Court.

"[There is] no need for a warrant of arrest. If ime-maintain ng (AFP) na ongoing 'yung court martial na na-suspend lang, they can still continue or resume a suspended court martial proceeding. But again, this is subject to interpretation ng batas," Lacson said.

(There is need for a warrant of arrest. If the AFP maintains that the court martial is still ongoing and it was only suspended [because of the amnesty grant], they can still continue or resume a suspended court martial proceeding. But again, this is subject to the interpretation of the law.)

The Department of National Defense wants to place Trillanes under its custody at the AFP Custodial Center in Camp Aguinaldo.

'Military supports Duterte'

Since the amnesty controversy broke out, President Rodrigo Duterte has issued statements challenging the military to support Trillanes and accusing some soldiers of conniving with critics to bring him down.

Lacson said that Duterte still enjoys the support of the military.

"The President shouldn't worry. Sa sarili naming (In our own) assessment, [he has] overwhelming support of the vast majority of the AFP," Lacson said.

"We understand his frustration na talagang binuhos niya na dinoble salary, dinoble ayuda…Pero being politically mature and having the experience he has in politics, he should understand na hindi naman niya pwedeng makuha yung 100% support ng Armed Forces," he added.

(We understand his frustration since he showered the military with doubled salaries, doubled aid…But being politically mature and having the experience he has in politics, he should understand that he cannot have the 100% support of the military.)

The senator also said some soldiers still support Trillanes. "We cannot avoid that, that some of them support his cause."

But Lacson also pointed out that the military should stay out of politics.

"The Armed Forces should be apolitical. Hindi sila dapat makipag-usap or makipag-collaborate with political groups. After all, ang commander-in-chief nila, iisa lang. (They shouldn't collaborate with political groups. After all, they only have one commander-in-chief)," he said. – Rappler.com

NEW YORK, USA – Ahead of the first ever United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis (TB), health experts called on the world body to help reverse the global TB health crisis in the same way that it did for AIDS.

On September 26, the UN will convene a high-level meeting on TB on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. It is seen as the biggest and best opportunity for governments across the world to come together and solidify political commitment, increase financial resources, and establish reporting and accountability measures for a coordinated global response to TB.

It will be the first time for the UN to hold a high-level meeting for TB, and only the fifth time that the UN has called for a high-level meeting on a global health issue.

TB, a bacterial infection that mainly attacks the lungs, afflicted more than 10.4 million people and caused more than 1.7 million deaths in 2017.

TB is now considered the world's biggest infectious disease killer. Worldwide, TB incidence rate is falling at about 2% per yea,r but according to health experts, infection rates need to fall by 4% to 5% per year to reach the 2020 milestone in the End TB Strategy.

"With so many avoidable TB deaths at stake, it is almost surreal to consider that there has never been a UN High-Level Meeting on TB before. The inaugural meeting being held this week in New York has to count: the world's political leaders have an opportunity to end the unnecessary suffering and loss of millions of lives from TB," International AIDS Society President Anton Pozniak and International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) Executive Director José Castro said in a statement.

According to Pozniak and Castro, much progress was made in reversing the AIDS epidemic after the UN convened a high-level meeting on AIDS in 2001, the first time heads of state from around the world gathered to solve a global health crisis.

Political commitments were made through the creation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund), and pharmaceuticals began producing anti-retroviral drugs (medicines that slow down the progression of the HIV virus in the body) at a lower cost, making them affordable and accessible to sub-Saharan Africa, the world's most affected region.

Currently, nearly 22 million people are on life-saving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) – a monumental increase from the barely 1 million who were on treatment in 2001. AIDS-related deaths are on the decline worldwide.

"As we did in the case of HIV at the landmark 2001 special UN meeting, we must move from concern to concrete action. We must see tangible commitments and a clear strategy to move forward in order to change the course of history" Pozniak and Castro said in their joint statement.

The two called for action steps in the following areas of the TB response:

Updating and innovating old diagnostic and TB management tools

Treatment and management of TB continue to rely heavily on technologies that are decades old. There is a lack of modern tools and technology needed to efficiently prevent, diagnose, and treat the disease. There is a similar challenge with TB diagnostic – the most widely used tool is more than a century old. 

An effective test for diagnosing TB in children does not even exist. More than one million children under the age of 15 fall sick to TB every single year and of these, 239,000 – nearly 1 in 4 – die.

Funding for TB prevention and care needs to be doubled from $6 billion to $13 billion annually. TB research and development are severely underfunded with at least an additional $1.3 billion per year needed to accelerate development of innovative TB management and treatment tools. 

New medicines to treat TB and increasing cases of multi-drug resistant TB

In the past 50 years, only two new TB medicines have come to market. The World Health Organization estimated that what is needed is a pipeline of a least 18.

Meanwhile, TB drug resistance has gotten worse. TB makes up 1 in 3 of all the deaths from drug-resistant bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Every year, nearly 600,000 people develop drug-resistant TB, and only 1 and 4 people receive treatment.

Vaccine

The development of a TB vaccine or new drug treatment is seen to lower the risk of infection and lower the risk of TB in an estimated 1.7 billion people latently infected with TB.

An estimated $1.25 billion is needed to fund the development of a vaccine to prevent TB and control the spread of drug-resistant strains.

More collaborative HIV and TB Programs

Controlling tuberculosis in the context of HIV continues to be a major health challenge. Globally, less than half of TB cases are diagnosed before death, and only about half of all patients with tuberculosis know their HIV status.

In 2016, only 42% of all people living with HIV who have tuberculosis were estimated to be receiving ART. People with HIV/tuberculosis co-infection who develop active tuberculosis disease need to be found and promptly treated with tuberculosis drugs and ART.

Concrete action from governments 

The UN high-level meeting is expected to result in commitments from heads of state and governments outlined in a Political Declaration that will form the basis for the future TB response.

Key priorities in the TB response include:

• A coordinated global response to end TB
• Substantially increasing financial resources for TB research and development
• Measurable targets and commitments from governments and key stakeholders for 2020 and 2025
• An accountability system with regular monitoring and evaluation

 – Rappler.com

Ana P. Santos is in New York covering the United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB with support from the Stop TB Partnership.

MANILA, Philippines – Groups condemned the arrest of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, calling it a blatant political attack of President Rodrigo Duterte against the political opposition.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday, September 25, said that the arrest is just part of persecution of people deemed critics of the government.

“It’s the latest in the relentless campaign to silence those who dared to challenge the president’s murderous drug war,” Carlos Conde of HRW’s Asia Division said.  

“Trillanes's arrest today sends a chilling effect among other critics of the Duterte administration,” Conde added.  

On Tuesday, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV became the second opposition senator arrested after Senator Leila de Lima.  Both are fierce critics of Duterte.

His arrest stemmed from Duterte's Proclamation No. 572 which revoked the amnesty granted to him in connection to the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege. (TIMELINE: Trillanes, from mutiny to amnesty)

Groups see Trillanes' arrest as part of Duterte's crackdown on vocal critics.

US-based non-governmental organization StoptheDrugWar.org condemned the arrest of Trillanes who they call as “one of the handful of leaders willing to aggressively confront the crisis” in the Philippines. 

“The Philippine court system failed a crucial test today and human rights may be the gravest casualty,” the group said. 

While Trillanes has told them that political prosecutions are expected, the StoptheDrugWar.org executive director David Borden said they are “saddened that he is personally a victim.”

"It has already further mobilized the already energized Philippine opposition to Duterte, and it will also focus even greater world attention onto Duterte's crimes and depredations,” he said. 

"Whether he remains free to speak and campaign, or instead join Senator De Lima as a symbol behind bars, we will continue to support his efforts," Borden added.

The Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 150 on Tuesday granted the request of the Department of Justice to issue an arrest warrant against Trillanes for the charge of rebellion, a bailable offense. He was arrested at the Senate, but was released later after posting bail at the court.

The DOJ has also asked Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 148 to issue an arrest warrant against the senator, this time for a coup d'etat case, which is nonbailable.  The court had yet to decide on the DOJ motion. – Rappler.com

UNITED NATIONS – Germany and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, September 25, agreed to return ambassadors some 10 months after the kingdom fumed over criticism about its role in Lebanon.

Saudi Arabia, which has increasingly challenged Western governments who speak out on its record, in November recalled its ambassador from Berlin following the eyebrow-raising resignation of Saad Hariri as Lebanon's prime minister while visiting Riyadh.

Sigmar Gabriel, who was then Germany's foreign minister, said that Lebanon's neighbors should let the recovering country decide its own fate, angering Saudi Arabia which like Hariri denied that he was coerced.

Gabriel's successor Heiko Maas, meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly, voiced regret and said the two countries would send back ambassadors.

"In recent months our relations have witnessed misunderstandings which stand in sharp contrast to our otherwise strong and strategic ties with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we sincerely regret this," Maas told reporters.

"We should have been clearer in our communication and engagement in order to avoid such misunderstandings."

Jubeir, speaking next to Maas, invited him to visit and affirmed "deep strategic ties" with Germany.

"The kingdom and Germany play a leading role in bolstering international security and stability and the global economy," Jubeir said.

Saudi Arabia, which has especially close ties with US President Donald Trump, has increasingly made clear it would not tolerate reprimands.

Last month Riyadh expelled the ambassador of Canada and froze all new trade after Ottawa denounced a crackdown on activists in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia similarly pulled its ambassador from Sweden in 2015 over human rights criticism.

Hariri, who eventually returned to Lebanon and reversed his resignation, also holds Saudi and French nationality.

The episode was seen as the latest chapter in Saudi Arabia's intensifying feud with regional rival Iran after Hariri improved ties with longtime rival Hezbollah, a militant Shiite movement backed by Tehran. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Son of a fisherman born in Palompon, Leyte, Court of Appeals (CA) Justice Edgardo delos Santos has decided this is finally the best time to apply for the highly-coveted spot on the Supreme Court bench.

Delos Santos, 66 years old, has been a Cebu-based CA justice for more than 10 years, with 40 years in the judiciary under his belt.

“I rose from the ranks, I think it’s a fitting note that I will end my government career on a higher level,” Delos Santos told the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Wednesday, September 26.

"My father wanted us to finish education, according to him I don't want you to become a fisherman like me," said Delos Santos.

The JBC is screening 13 applicants to replace former justice now Ombudsman Samuel Martires.

Humble beginnings 

From being municipal trial court judge in Dumaguete, Delos Santos applied for higher posts on the insistence of his son, lawyer Fritz Bryn Anthony who works at the Supreme Court. Delos Santos said he was content being a municipal judge, but the persistent son was the same child he had dared to pass the Bar Exams in exchange for him trying out for a higher position. 

Delos Santos obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of San Carlos in Cebu. 

From Dumaguete, Delos Santos became Regional Trial Court judge in Bacolod, then Court of Appeals justice in Cebu. His son also encouraged him to give the SC a shot.

“I’m not used facing the cameras,” said Delos Santos, who was still visibly nervous after the panel interview.

Delos Santos came from humble beginnings, being known as the “habal-habal” judge of Dumaguete.

Without a car at the time, Delos Santos would drive 5 kilometers to ferry his family and himself to court using his motorcycle, a Honda Econo Power.

“All of us in one motorcycle, if it rains sorry for me, I have to drive my wife to PNB [Philippine National Bank] using a motorcycle and I’m wearing my barong,” Delos Santos said.

Delos Santos proudly shared that he and his wife had since been able to buy a second-hand non-aircondition L300, and now, a diesel Toyota Fortuner “payable in 5 years.” 

Delos Santos also shared with the JBC how, when his children were in college, he had to resort to asking promissory notes from Silliman University because an education plan crash left them out to dry.

“They didn’t know I was already a justice of the Court of Appeals, it was only after two years being a CA justice that I was able to fully pay their education. I didn’t reveal that I was a justice of the CA not only to protect my profession, for some it’s degrading,” said Delos Santos.

Writ of Kalikasan

Delos Santos, who is called "Edsa" by friends, penned the lauded Writ of Kalikasan decision that shut down the controversial Inawayan Landfill in 2016.

The Supreme Court upheld the appellate court in May this year, in a case that was highly politically charged at least in the local scene as it was challenged by Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña.

Delos Santos said the Writ of Kalikasan case was among the decisions he’s most proud of.

“It was a ticking bomb, anytime it could explode, and will have disastrous effect on the environment. Just like what happened now in Naga, Cebu, that is a tragedy (that resulted from) the degradation of our environment,” Delos Santos told reporters after his interview.

Among the other notable decisions of Delos Santos is his affirmation of a murder conviction of fratmen in 2003, and another affirmation of the rape conviction of a fratman in 2012.

Delos Santos said he is not discouraged by the criticisms being hurled against the Supreme Court following consecutive controversial decisions.

“That is democracy, you can attack the judiciary, and we are public figures, we should not be onion-skinned,” said Delos Santos.

Constitutionalist

Delos Santos was quizzed on the constitutional question of the right to travel, with the example of the recent Supreme Court decision voiding former justice secretary Leila De Lima’s Hold Departure Order (HDO) against some personalities including former president Gloria Arroyo.

Since then, the Supreme Court has created new rules that allow courts to issue a precautionary HDO, but one that Delos Santos said he doesn’t agree with because it’s “ultravires” or beyond the authority of the judiciary. 

“It would be of doubtful legality…It would seem that it’s only the legislature who can do that, it is ultravires on the part of the judiciary, because the right to travel has been enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution,” said Delos Santos.

Associate Justice Marvic Leonen was the lone dissent in that decision, saying the rules are tantamount to judicial legislation. Delos Santos said he agrees with Leonen, adding that the change in the rules was like “amending the Constitution.”

Asked to choose between judicial activism and judicial restraint, Delos Santos offered an answer that shows he is a constitutionalist.

“There’s no need to interpret the law if it is clear. No need of deviating from the judicial interpretation of the law,” said Delos Santos. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court denied fugitive Peter Lim’s request to nullify the Department of Justice (DOJ) reinvestigation against him, and in effect, allowed the drug charges to continue against him at the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC).

“The Court resolves to dismiss the petition for failure to show any grave abuse of discretion in rendering the challenged order and resolution, which, on the contrary, appear to be in accord with the facts and the applicable law and jurisprudence,” said a notice from the Supreme Court received by parties on September 24, but dated July 23.

Lim went to the Supreme Court to try and stop the then-ongoing DOJ reinvestigation against him, saying it violated his right to due process. 

Lim was earlier cleared by a DOJ panel, but public outcry prompted former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to void that decision and assemble a new and second panel to investigate the businessman.

The DOJ’s new panel charged Lim in August with two counts of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading for allegedly supplying shabu to the Visayas drug network of Kerwin Espinosa.

The SC’s dismissal of Lim’s petition means that there is no legal impediment to the DOJ’s charges.

The Makati RTC ordered the arrest of Lim on August 14, but the influential businessman has not been caught to this day. 

The Makati court has since issued a Hold Departure Order against Lim, with the Bureau of Immigration saying that at least based on its records, Lim appears to still be in the country. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte slammed communists on Wednesday, September 26, in the face of a supposed ouster plot being hatched by his former professor, Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria "Joma" Sison.

Duterte was addressing law enforcers at the send-off ceremony of 250 units of transport vehicles for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology at Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba City, Laguna.

"Fifty years, walang ginawa ang komunista kundi pumatay, mang-extort (For 50 years, communists did nothing but kill, extort)," said the President in his speech on Wednesday afternoon.

Duterte said he is happy that the Commission on Appointments rejected the appointments of leftists in government. Rejected left-leaning members of his Cabinet include former social welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo and former agrarian reform secretary Rafael Mariano.

Duterte also said he is not ready to talk to communists again.

The Philippine military has floated a supposed Red October ouster plot against Duterte, but critics deny and experts downplay this possibility. Duterte himself on Monday, September 24, accused some soldiers of being "in cahoots" with the opposition Liberal Party to oust him.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday, September 25, cleared Vice President Leni Robredo in the supposed ouster plot, but he asserted there is intelligence information on this. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON, DC, USA – President Donald Trump dismissed the latest accuser of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as "drunk" and "messed up" on Tuesday, as Republicans prepared for a potentially explosive hearing over the judge's suitability.

Despite the swirling controversy over the nomination, the Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled a preliminary vote for Friday at 9:30 am (1330 GMT). If approved by the panel, Kavanaugh would go on to face a vote in the full Senate.

Taking the political lead in the high-stakes battle over the future of the court, Trump rejected a claim by Deborah Ramirez that Kavanaugh was the person who dropped his pants and thrust his penis in her face at an alcohol-fueled Yale University dorm party about 35 years ago.

He said Democratic support for her allegations, as well as those of initial accuser Christine Blasey Ford, amounted to a "con game" to defeat a person he said was perfectly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court bench.

"The second accuser has nothing. She thinks maybe it could have been him, maybe not," Trump told reporters in New York. "She admits that she was drunk. She admits that there are time lapses."

"Thirty-six years ago, nobody ever knew about it or heard about it, and now a new charge comes up and she said it might not be him, and there were gaps and she said she was totally inebriated, and she was all messed up," Trump said.

"The Democrats are playing a con game. They know it's a con game," he said. "It's a shame that you can do this to a person's life."

The committee's top Democrat meanwhile hit back at the decision to schedule a vote before Blasey Ford had been heard.

"It's clear to me that Republicans don't want this to be a fair process," said Dianne Feinstein, describing the move as "outrageous."

Second accuser

Trump's latest attacks came two days before the panel holds a hearing in which Blasey Ford is expected to detail her allegation that Kavanaugh tried to tear her clothes off in an assault during a party around 1982, when both were students at elite private high schools in Washington.

Kavanaugh, who has strongly denied the charge, will separately appear at the hearing.

With midterm Congressional elections looming in November, the sight of the 11 male Republican committee members cross-examining Blasey Ford had risked appearing disrespectful and a turn-off for female voters.

To skirt the challenge, Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley announced Tuesday late Tuesday he had hired an experienced female prosecutor to question the witnesses during the hearing.

"I'm committed to providing a forum to both Dr Ford and Judge Kavanaugh on Thursday that is safe, comfortable and dignified," he said.

Securing another conservative justice on the bench is crucial to Republican hopes to turn the court sharply to the right for years to come, with huge implications for law on abortion rights and affirmative action programs.

But since Blasey Ford's charges, one and possibly two more women have come forth with similar allegations of sexual assault or abuse when he was young.

On Sunday, The New Yorker published Ramirez's story, which took place at Yale during 1983-84.

On Monday, Michael Avenatti, a lawyer who represents a porn star claiming to have had an affair with Trump, has said he is also representing a third Kavanaugh accuser, whose identity and story he said would be revealed on Wednesday.

Explosive hearing looms

Republicans said they were determined to push the nomination through the narrowly-divided Senate as soon as possible, rejecting Democratic calls to freeze the process to let the FBI investigate all of the allegations.

"What message will we send right now in 2018 and the Me Too movement if the Senate rushes through this?" asked Democratic Senator Patty Murray.

There was no guarantee of full Republican support ahead of the hearing, which could prove to be explosive.

At least four Republican senators, including two women who have been outspoken against sexual abuse, have withheld judgment, acknowledging the potential validity of Blasey Ford's allegation despite the amount of time that has passed and the paucity of hard evidence.

But the party's leadership vowed to push ahead.

"We're looking for the truth here. I don't think because you happen to be a male you're disqualified from listening to the evidence and making a decision based upon the evidence," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

"I'm confident we're going to win. I'm confident that he will be confirmed in the very near future." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte told law enforcers on Wednesday, September 26, not to nurture "personal loyalty" to him, two days after he accused soldiers of conspiring with the opposition Liberal Party (LP) to remove him from office.

"Do not nurture personal loyalty to me. I don't need it. I was elected by the people," Duterte said at Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba City, Laguna, during a send-off ceremony for 250 vehicles for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

Duterte continued: "You have your mandate. So if you think I do not deserve to be there, just tell me. I'll be happy to oblige. Pagod na rin ako. (I'm also tired.)

"Your loyalty should begin and end with the Republic of the Philippines. Do not mind me," he added. 

The commander in chief dissuaded law enforcers from staging a coup d'etat against him. "Do not go into such stupid things as coup d'etat, coup d'etat. You're wasting your time. Just talk to me, and if I think that you are right, I will agree with you, and I will step down. Uwi na ako sa amin (I will go back home)."

"Pero 'pag nasira 'yang mga sasakyan 'nyo, huwag kayong lumapit sa akin para ayusin 'yan. Bahala kayo sa buhay ninyo (But if your vehicles get damaged, do not approach me to have these fixed. You're on your own)," he said. 

Duterte made these remarks two days after he said in a speech in Jolo, Sulu, that some soldiers have been "in cahoots" with the LP to oust him. 

'Red October' plot?

The Philippine military has floated a supposed Red October ouster plot against Duterte, but critics deny and experts downplay this possibility. The ouster plot is allegedly being masterminded by Duterte's former professor, Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria "Joma" Sison.

In the face of this alleged conspiracy, Duterte on Wednesday also lashed out at communists in his speech at Camp Vicente Lim. 

"Fifty years, walang ginawa ang komunista kundi pumatay, mang-extort (For 50 years, communists did nothing but kill, extort)," said Duterte in his speech on Wednesday. 

Duterte said he is happy that the Commission on Appointments rejected the appointments of leftists in government. Rejected left-leaning members of his Cabinet include former social welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo and former agrarian reform secretary Rafael Mariano.

Duterte also said he is not ready to talk to communists again. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Missing documents? Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV accused Solicitor General Jose Calida of "stealing" his amnesty application documents.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, September 26, Trillanes asked the military "why did they allow" Calida to take the said documents.

"Nananawagan ako sa leadership ng Armed Forces (of the Philippines) and ng Department of National Defense, particularly yung J1 ng AFP. Alam nila na nag-apply ako. Alam nila na meron akong dokumento. Bakit hinayaan nilang kunin ito at iwala ni Mr Calida?" Trillanes said.

(I am calling on the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense, particularly AFP's J1. They knew that I applied. They knew that I have the documents. Why did they allow Mr Calida to take it and lose it?)

President Rodrigo Duterte revoked the amnesty granted to Trillanes through Proclamation 572, declaring it "void ab initio," for supposedly failed to comply with two requirements for the granting of amnesty: (1) application for amnesty and (2) admission of guilt.

Trillanes argued that the burden of proof is with the prosecution, who only showed a mere certification that his application documents were missing.

"Statement ni Secretary (Delfin) Lorenzana na hinihingi ni Calida ang amnesty documents ko. Kung hindi ako nag-apply, ano bibigay nila, 'di ba?" (Secretary Lorenza earlier said that Calida asked for my amnesty documents. If I didn't apply, what would they give him, right?)" Trillanes said.

"Nung tinanong sila, 'Anong katibayan niyo?' 'Yung certification lang na hindi mahanap, hindi certification na hindi ako nag-file. Sila ang nag-aassert. Sila ang nag-aallege. Sila ang maglabas ng proof, kasi meron akong certification [of amnesty]," he said.

(When they were asked, "What's your proof?" [They showed] the certification that they couldn't find [my application], not a certification that I never filed. They asserted. They alleged. They should show a proof, because I have my certification of amnesty.)

Duterte said it was "bright" Calida who did the research that led to the discovery of "flaws" in Trillanes' amnesty grant. The spadework started when Calida called Lorenzana to ask for the documents "without telling" the latter why. 

Lorenzana said he did not give any records, only access, but it was unclear if the staff actually went to retrieve the files. On August 31, AFP General Headquarters' personnel division (J1) gave a certification that Trillanes' amnesty records were missing.

No original copy, no filing

On Tuesday, September 25, the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 ruled in favor of the administration, issuing an arrest warrant and a hold departure order against Trillanes to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Trillanes maintained that application forms never had receiving copies. He likened the process to applying for government IDs such as passports.

"Talagang magic 'yun eh. 'Yun ang basehan nila kung bakit ni-revoke. (It's like performing magic tricks. That's their basis why they revoked my amnesty)," he said. 

Despite submitting affidavits, these were not accepted by Judge Elmo Alameda, particularly the sworn affidavit of Colonel Josefa Berbigal, who swore under oath that Trillanes filed the application form.

Alameda affirmed that without an original copy or "even a photocopy" of the actual amnesty application form, there's sufficient basis to say Trillanes really failed to file it.

Trillanes is out on bail after Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 ordered his arrest on Tuesday.

Another Makati court, Branch 148, is handling the DOJ's plea to revive coup charges against Trillanes for his participation in the failed Oakwood mutiny in 2003 against the Arroyo administration. The charges are non-bailable.

The DOJ has submitted its reply on Trillanes' rejoinder at Branch 148 some minutes before it closed late Wednesday. With the court issuing a decision anytime soon, Trillanes said he's "prepared for the worst." – Rappler.com

ILOCOS SUR, Philippines – “One of the farmers told me that he did not even bother to see his farm. I might go crazy,” recalled Conrado Molina, Narvacan’s municipal agriculturist.

Narvacan, one of Ilocos Sur’s biggest rice granaries, was heavily pummeled by Typhoon Ompong.

Molina said that his town lost P236 million from rice alone.

He said that of the 5,667 registered rice farmers in Narvacan, none were able to harvest their rice because the earliest ones were supposed to be harvested next week.

Worse, many of the rice plants when Ompong came to town were in the flowering stage which meant they have no chance of survival, Molina said.

Narvacan is always badly affected by typhoons because of its location, which is on the delta of Abra River right on the wind path of the Cordilleras.

Molina said that the town agriculturists in Ilocos Sur will meet next week and he is certain his town is the hardest hit.

“We were the most affected during Typhoon Lawin in October 2016 and at that time, half of the farmers were already able to harvest. We had it worse this year,” he said.

Most of the rice farmers in Narvacan own about 0.5 hectare on average.

“About 960 hectares of rice farms had zero harvests,” Molina said. That meant about 2,000 farmers going hungry this year.

Mayor Zuriel Zaragosa said that the municipal council had to scramble for funds to help their farmers. He said that they would be giving 50 kilos of rice for the farmer’s food needs.

He also said that they would later be giving them fertilizers and seeds as they prepare for the next cropping season.

Only 1,200 farmers of the 5,667 are engaged in tobacco farming, which meant only about a fifth of the farmers would be qualified for the use of the Republic Act 7171 funds or the Virginia tobacco excise tax fund, meant to help tobacco farmers. 

Molina said that it is fortunate that the farmers have not started sowing tobacco seeds for the transplantation by October or November. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The once-ruling Liberal Party (LP) has created a task force that will focus on assisting jailed Senator Leila de Lima in her work as legislator, in recognition of her “exemplary achievements for the party and [the] country.”

A copy of LP’s National Executive Council (NECO) Resolution-2018-02 was sent to reporters on Wednesday, September 26. The NECO members signed it during their meeting held in Quezon City on Tuesday.

De Lima, who is one of the fiercest critics of President Rodrigo Duterte, has been jailed in Camp Crame since February 2017 over multiple drug charges. (READ: De Lima: One year of living and surviving in jail) 

In the resolution, the LP NECO said the embattled senator has given the party “tremendous honor and enormous inspiration.”

“Out of utmost concern and due regard for her situation, [the LP NECO] recognizes her exemplary accomplishments for the party and our country, even as it takes concrete and sustained actions to improve her personal and work conditions,” said the resolution. 

The task force is expected to closely coordinate with De Lima, her office, defense team, and other groups and individuals to assist her in handling her legal, legislative, and other work-related concerns. 

The LP NECO said the main goal is “establishing and maintaining working arrangements contributory to the resolution and/or improvement of her current situation.”

While in detention, De Lima has received recognitions, including the prestigious Prize for Freedom award in July. The other awards she received include 2016 and 2017 Global Thinker Award by Foreign Policy, one of the Top Most Influential People for 2017 by Time magazine, one of the notable Women Human Rights Defenders for 2017 by Amnesty International, and 39th World's Greatest Leader by Fortune magazine, among others. 

In the same resolution, the LP also condemned the continued “political persecution” of De Lima under the current administration. 

The Supreme Court earlier ruled against De Lima's petition to nullify her arrest warrant on questions of case jurisdiction, thereby keeping her in jail. 

Read the full copy of the LP NECO’s resolution below:

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– Rappler.com

ILOCUS SUR, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) said latest data showed that 19 out of 154 children who died after receiving at least one dose of Dengvaxia, had dengue despite the vaccination.

DOH Undersecretary Enrique Domingo said of the 19 individuals who had dengue, 6 were diagnosed clinically and 13 were confirmed to have the illness through laboratory tests. He gave the figures, which were as of September 14, to reporters during a forum of health journalists.

“Of those deaths, 19 were definitely due to dengue…. Meaning they were vaccinated with Dengvaxia and somehow the vaccine failed or caused severe effects,” he said on Wednesday, September 26.

But Domingo clarified there was still no solid evidence on whether or not the Dengvaxia vaccine itself directly caused the deaths. The vaccine, he said, may only be “possibly related” and further studies over the next few years will be needed to establish it.

The latest figure is an increase in both the number of deaths and children who were confirmed to have dengue and died despite receiving the vaccine. In May 2018, Domingo said 11 out of 87 kids died of dengue despite Dengvaxia shot.

Meanwhile, the other 135 deaths were from non-dengue cases. Domingo said this means that those who died suffered from other illnesses including heart disease, pneumonia, central nervous system infections, leukemia, or asthma, among others, which occurred naturally.

Expert panel’s findings: Part of these 154 deaths are “the first 62 deaths” examined by University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Dengue Investigative Task Force (PGH-DITF). The PGH-DITF was formed in January 2018 to review the deaths of children who received the Dengvaxia dengue vaccine.

Domingo said only the first 62 deaths were reviewed so far as these were continuously sent to the PGH-DITF chronologically.

Of the 62 deaths the task force investigated, 1 was “consistent with causal association to immunization,” which means patient’s death occurred within 30 days and thus may be possibly related to the Dengvaxia vaccine.

Meanwhile 8 deaths were considered “indeterminate” since these had a “consistent temporal relationship with Dengvaxia,” though there was insufficient evidence to determine if this was actually related to the vaccine.

There were also 6 deaths that had some factors “consistent with causal association to immunization” but were likewise considered “indeterminate” for lack of evidence to establish a possible relationship to the vaccine.

These 14 deaths occurred within 6 months of immunization, Domingo said, which means there may still be a “temporal relationship” with the vaccine. Further students were likewise needed to establish a direct relationship with Dengvaxia.

But these 15 deaths in total were of note for the DOH.

“For these 15, may possibility talaga na may relationship sa bakuna kasi yung time frame happened within 6 months and majority of them died because of dengue,” Domingo said. The exact number of patients who had dengue among these deaths was not available as of posting.

(For these 15, there is a possibility it is related to the vaccine the time frame (of death) happened within 6 months and majority of them died because of dengue.)

Of the remaining deaths, Domingo said 37 were “coincidental” meaning the patients got sick from other diseases and also happened to receive the vaccine. There were also 8 deaths that were “unclassifiable” as there was not enough information on the patient to make any sort of judgement on the death.

The remaining 2 deaths where patients had no available records for examination.

This is the second batch of findings from the PGH-DITF. Earlier in February, the task force reported 3 out of 14 cases they studied showed the children also died of dengue despite getting at least one shot of the risky dengue vaccine. (READ: No need to panic over Dengvaxia-linked deaths – Duque, UP-PGH experts) 

What’s the DOH doing about it? Domingo said heightened surveillance of children who got Dengvaxia is ongoing and will be done for the next 5 years.

The DOH is also eyeing some hospitals to become Dengvaxia specialty centers, where children who would be diagnosed with severe dengue and received Dengvaxia will be treated. Dengvaxia fast lanes remain open and a “no-balance billing” policy remains in place.

Apart from this, the P1.16-billion medical support fund for students who received Dengvaxia approved by Congress and is up for review in a bicameral conference between lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The Dengvaxia controversy started in November 2017 vaccine after its manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur released an advisory warning that its vaccine could cause a person to later develop severe dengue if he or she had not been infected by the virus prior to immunization. – Rappler.com

NEW DELHI, India – India's top court on Wednesday, September 26, upheld the legality of the government's Aadhaar national ID scheme, the world's largest biometric database, but imposed new restrictions on how the personal details of more than one billion citizens can be used.

The ruling by a 5-judge bench of the Supreme Court draws a line under many years of legal challenges from critics, who said Aadhaar threatened individual privacy and risked turning the world's second-most populous nation into a surveillance state.

The government had insisted Aadhaar, which issues every Indian with a unique 12-digit ID linked to fingerprints and iris scans, would streamline welfare services and root out fraud.

It was also pitched as a transparent way to ensure that government handouts of food, fuel and other essentials to India's poorest would not be siphoned off by corrupt middlemen, a huge problem in the vast country of 1.25 billion.

In its ruling the Supreme Court upheld the legality of the scheme, saying the benefits far outweighed any risks.

The judges ruled that anybody drawing on government services – from filing tax returns to accessing pensions or welfare – would by law require an Aadhaar number.

"Supreme Court judgement on Aadhaar is a big win for the government," said Amit Malviya, a spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Twitter.

But the bench said corporations could not force customers to hand over their Aadhaar data – a key complaint from privacy advocates who say the program had gone too far.

"I am happy with the Aadhaar ruling. It should be made mandatory only where it is really needed," said senior BJP figure Subramanian Swamy after the ruling.

Balanced verdict

Indians will no longer be compelled to provide their unique ID to register for services like mobile phone numbers or bank accounts, something critics said gave companies undue access to private data.

"It is a balanced verdict," Ritesh Bhatia, cyber crime investigator and data privacy expert, told AFP.

"The big thing is we don't have to give our personal details to mobile phone companies, which is a big relief as I won't be harassed with texts and calls any more."

The scheme was rolled out under the previous Congress Party government in 2010, but grew in scope under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose BJP swept to power in 2014.

Initially a voluntary program, it evolved into a national ID mandatory for those wishing to access government services.

Even schoolchildren wanting free lunches provided by the state needed an Aadhaar -- a controversy the court struck down in its landmark ruling.

"No child can be denied any scheme if they are not able to bring their Aadhaar number," the court said.

It also said students could not be denied enrolment if they did not possess the ID, saying a right to education was fundamental to all Indians.

The scheme has been dogged by controversy.

In October, an 11-year-old girl from an impoverished part of eastern India allegedly died of starvation after her family were unable to link their ration card to Aadhaar.

There were also scandals around Aadhaar data being allegedly sold online by criminals, and journalists being pursued over reporting on these breaches.

"India shouldn't be conditioning access to government necessities on possession of a biometric ID, nor should it be targeting journalists and researchers who write about vulnerabilities in the system's privacy protection," Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, tweeted after the verdict.

Last year, in a case linked to the biometric database, the government went to the Supreme Court to argue that Indians did not have a fundamental right to privacy – a case that it lost.

The Supreme Court in January began hearing a series of challenges to the constitutional validity of Aadhaar, a Hindi word meaning "foundation." – Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia – Russian parliament's lower house passed a controversial pension reform bill Wednesday, September 26, after President Vladimir Putin announced concessions to try to dampen widespread public anger over plans to raise the state retirement age.

The bill, which still has to go through the formality of a third reading and senate hearing, would see Russian men retire at 65 instead of 60 and has sparked rare national protest, with tens of thousands rallying across Russia in recent months.

The lower house passed the controversial legislation in a key second reading, with 326 votes for, 59 against and one abstention.

Parliament's lower house, the State Duma, earlier in the day approved Putin's proposed amendments to the reform, raising the state pension age for women by five years to 60, instead of eight years to 63 originally proposed.

Several dozen people staged a protest outside the State Duma on Wednesday, including opposition activist Sergei Udaltsov who held a poster reading: "Retirement age increase is genocide!"

Another protester held a picture of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev with an inscription reading "An enemy of the people".

In a rare televised address in August, the Russian president proposed a number of concessions, in an apparent attempt to stem a major fall in his approval ratings.

But the concessions have done little to pacify ordinary Russians.

Most are opposed to the hike in retirement age and critics said the reform would essentially rob ordinary people of their earnings.

Given the low life expectancy of Russian men -- 65 years -- many would not live long enough under the reform to receive a state pension.

Some 3,000 people demonstrated in Moscow last week against the reform in a protest organised by the Communist Party. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Saudi Arabia was shot and killed after he allegedly stabbed his Saudi manager and Pakistani coworker, and wounded several others on Wednesday, September 26.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) released this information around 10 pm on Wednesday. The DFA said it received initial reports on this from the Philippine consulate general in Jeddah.

Citing initial reports, Philippine Consul General to Jeddah Edgar Badajos said that "the Filipino allegedly first stabbed the Pakistani after an argument and then also stabbed the Saudi and several other coworkers when they tried to intervene."

Badajos said that "security personnel of the company, a subcontractor of the Saudi Electric Company, immediately responded and shot and killed the Filipino."

The OFW's identity is being withheld until his next of kin is notified. The Philippine consulate will help in repatriating the OFW's remains. – Rappler.com