MANILA, Philippines – Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David slammed Peter Joemel Advincula or Bikoy, the man who flip-flopped on allegations against President Rodrigo Duterte, for peddling lies and linking him to opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

David, vice president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, is one of the bishops who have earned Duterte's ire for criticizing his bloody war on drugs. He is also one of the priests who have received death threats under Duterte's watch.  

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, June 5, David called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) to prioritize investigating the spate of killings in the Philippines over listening to Bikoy.

"As bishop of Caloocan, I sincerely wish the PNP could give more time and effort at investigating the truth behind these killings than giving credence to the lies now being peddled by a certain Peter Advincula, alias 'Bikoy,'" said David.

"What I find most strange about the PNP's apparent seriousness in wanting to investigate the allegations of 'Bikoy' is that when it was people close to the president whom he was earlier implicating, they immediately called him a liar. Now that he has changed his story and is implicating practically all personalities in the opposition – insinuating that he had merely been used by them in a supposedly well-orchestrated plot to unseat the government – 'his truth' (according to the PNP director) needs to be investigated," the bishop said.

David made this statement after Advincula linked him and other Catholic bishops and priests to an alleged plot to unseat Duterte. 

Advincula had appeared as an anonymous personality named Bikoy in a series of videos, called "Ang Totoong Narco List (The Real Narco List)," implicating Duterte's family members and close associates to the illegal drug trade. He later backtracked on his claims, saying these were "fake" and were part of a "script" by the opposition to oust Duterte. (READ: TIMELINE: The 'Bikoy' controversy) 

David said, "Lately, the man has also implicated so many other names, including those of Church leaders and religious personalities who may have made no other mistake than believing that the man's life was really in danger and that he needed sanctuary."

"Jesus was right in saying that he expected his disciples to be 'innocent as doves but clever as serpents.' Could some naive and well-meaning people in the Church have ended up being stung by a hungry serpent whom they had fed?"

David also noted that Advincula appeared in a press conference sponsored by the PNP on Monday, June 3, "claiming that he had attended a meeting with me and Senator Trillanes and a certain Jonel at my residence in Caloocan City."

"First of all, I wish to make it clear that I have never had the privilege of meeting with Senator Trillanes in person and I do not know the Jonel he was talking about," said David, saying his rebuttal of Bikoy was "to be continued."

David recently reiterated his critique of Duterte's anti-drug campaign, saying it is the "biggest lie" to say the drug war aims to stop the illegal drug trade. His tirades have agitated the President, who said he suspects the bishop is into drugs – a claim David immediately denied. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Administration senators of the 18th Congress met on Wednesday, June 5, amid an apparent leadership row between Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Cynthia Villar.

At least 14 senators of the next Congress attended the dinner meeting held at the residence of Senator Manny Pacquiao in Dasmariñas Village in Makati.

Aside from Pacquiao, Sotto, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, and Richard Gordon were present.

Also present were Lito Lapid, Bong Revilla, Ronald dela Rosa, Imee Marcos, Francis Tolentino, and Bong Go.

Outgoing senators Gregorio Honasan II and Loren Legarda, known Sotto allies, also joined the dinner.

The meeting did not last long, according to Zubiri.

"Lista lista lang muna pero mukang naayos na ni SP [Senate President] ang mga problema sa committees (They just listed down their committees but it looks like Senate President Sotto was able to fix the problems with the committees)," Zubiri told reporters.

Asked if it means Sotto will retain his post, Zubiri said: "Yes, it's SP Sotto pa rin (still)."

For his part, Sotto said 95% of committee chairmanships have been settled already.

"95% [done]. We assume all is well. Just 1 or 2 committees na lang (left)," Sotto told reporters.

Asked what the remaining issues are, Sotto said he'd rather not discuss it until they talk to the senator involved.

"I told them I'll have all fixed by next week," he added.

Separate meeting

Before the meeting at Pacquiao's residence, Sotto had a separate meeting with the 3 new senators from PDP-Laban: Go, Tolentino, and Dela Rosa.

Asked why the need for a special meeting, Sotto only said they just made "clarifications on some issues."

Tolentino reportedly has qualms over the committees, as he is eyeing 3 panels: blue ribbon, justice, and public services committees. However, these are chaired by incumbent senators Richard Gordon and Grace Poe. Gordon and Poe are so far not keen on giving them up.

Villar skipped Wednesday night's meeting, earlier saying that those with issues should attend it. Her partymate in the Nacionalista Party (NP), Pia Cayetano, also did not attend, as she is reportedly abroad. The two were represented by Marcos, another NP member.

Villar earlier confronted Senator Aquilino Pimentel III and Pacquiao, both PDP-Laban members, for supposedly dragging her to the party's mess over the Senate leadership. 

Villar also scolded Pacquiao for presenting some PDP-Laban senators as Sotto supporters. Pimentel, in response, told Villar to "mind [her] own party."

Pacquiao's partymate Tolentino and Marcos earlier floated that there are efforts to change the Senate leadership, with Marcos saying some are pushing for Villar.

Amid these rumors, Senator Panfilo Lacson drafted a manifesto of support for Sotto's continued leadership in the 18th Congress. Lacson said he did it to finally know who are still supportive of Sotto. Fourteen senators, including 3 outgoing lawmakers, signed the draft resolution. Villar refused to sign it.

The 18th Congress is set to open on July 22, the same day President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his 4th State of the Nation Address. – Rappler.com

KAMPALA, Uganda – Five people have died and dozens are missing after heavy rains triggered a series of landslides in eastern Uganda's mountainous Bududa district, the Red Cross said on Wednesday, June 5.

The organization said that around 50 people were believed missing and 150 houses destroyed after the landslides on Tuesday night, June 4, in the foothills of Mount Elgon – an extinct volcano with 5 major peaks.

"Five confirmed dead," said Uganda Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita, adding these included a 73-year-old woman and several children.

"There were multiple landslides," in Bududa district, "but for now Red Cross has concentrated in the worst hit areas," she said in a statement.

"The local Red Cross branch volunteers together with the local police joined efforts and retrieved the bodies.

"The affected areas have steep slopes. It is threatening to rain again (and) accessibility is still a challenge," she added.

Local lawmaker Godfrey Watenga told Agence France-Presse the landslides had taken place late on Tuesday evening.

"It is a tragic occurrence. Many people are said to be dead and many missing but we are trying to get the details as the terrain here is difficult to maneuver and get to the affected villages."

Bududa district, which lies on the border between Uganda and Kenya, is a high risk area for landslides.

In 2018 at least 41 people were killed after a river in the region burst its banks, and in 2010 at least 100 people were killed in a landslide.

A statement from the office of Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said that "there are reports of displacement and destruction of property as well as missing persons."

After the 2010 landslide, the government said that the region, where people live on extremely steep slopes, was too dangerous to be lived in and that a program was underway to re-locate residents.

However similar disasters claimed lives in 2011, 2012 and 2016.

"In total, over 100,000 people living precariously on the slopes of Mount Elgon are estimated to be at great danger and requiring relocation" to avoid the danger of landslides, said the statement from Rugunda's office. – Rappler.com

VANCOUVER, Canada (UPDATED) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday, June 4, his government's plan to increase by 1.4 billion Canadian dollars its invesment supporting maternal and newborn health around the world.

Of the annual investment, about 700 million Canadian dollars will be allocated to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Trudeau made the announcement at the 2019 Women Deliver Conference, the largest global health conference on women's reproductive health rights and gender equality.

The financial commitment puts Canada on the map as the world's leading donor to comprehensive sexual reproductive health rights.

"This summit is another chance to keep creating meaningful progress on women's empowerment. Globally and here at home, we're seeing attacks on women's rights. The moment for Canadian leadership is now. We're stepping up," Trudeau said.

Trudeau, speaking before the estimated 8,000 delegates from all over the globe, has condemned what he called "the politicizing of women's reproductive health rights" and the global pushback against women's reproductive health rights.

Canada's financial support comes at a time when the US government imposed a "global gag rule" that prevents any charity that offers or even advises women about abortion services from receiving US funding.

In recent months, several US states like Alabama have passed abortion policies that are so restrictive that public health advocates have referred to them as "abortion bans."

Mending cracks

When he was elected in 2015, Trudeau fulfilled his campaign commitments to transparency, feminism, and indigenous rights by appointing a gender-balanced cabinet.

In 2017, Trudeau launched a Feminist International Assistance Policy that integrates gender equality and women empowerment in Canada's international development assistance programs.

In the Philippines, Likhaan Center for Women's Health has opened 4 reproductive health clinics in marginalized communities in Manila and Eastern Samar with assistance from the Canadian Embassy and other Canadian organizations.

The Canadian Embassy also supported Oxfam Philippines in launching the Sexual Health and Empowerment (SHE) Project, which provides sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) services to 6 conflict-affected regions in the Philippines benefitting an estimated 85,000 people.

While lauded internationally as trailblazing and bold, Trudeau faced criticism domestically. His feminist agenda was criticized as a publicity stunt, with the prime minister being a willing poster boy.

Now, amid democratically elected despots who wear their sexism and misogyny like badges of honor, Trudeau stands out as an outlier.

Today's announcement on Canada's additional funding support is seen as filling in the gap left by the US' "global gag rule" on abortion.

"I don't think it can fill in the gap. But what Canada is doing is playing a leadership role as a responsible donor. It's not just about the investment. It's taking a very clear position to say that we are talking about women's health and women's rights, and these are non-negotiable," said Rita Morbia, executive director of InterPas, a Canada-based nongovernmental organization that focuses on equality and social justice.

Ipas, an international reproductive health and rights organization focused on expanding access to safe abortion and contraceptive care, lauded the additional investment by the Canadian government.

“The Canadian government’s announcement to continue to invest in the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls, including access to safe abortion care, sends a signal that these rights are critical to international development and are a fundamental part of human rights," said Anu Kumar, president and CEO of Ipas.

"At a time when sexual and reproductive rights are under threat, it is a welcome and needed reminder that human rights are universal and apply to Canadian women just as much as they do to women living outside Canada. We applaud the Canadian government in its long term vision for women and girls."

Hopeful

Pauline and Claire both work with the Women First Project that aims to make safe abortion accessible to women. They asked that only their first names be used as they work in sensitive environments around the world where abortion is criminalized.

They described the events in the US and the global crackdown on women's rights as "something coming out of a dystopian novel."

"It will get worse before it gets better," Claire said.

But the two women remain hopeful.

Dozens of advocates and supporters dropped by the Women First Project booth at the 2019 Women Deliver Conference to say that they want to be part of the conversation to advance abortion rights and give more women information about accessing safe abortion.

Pauline said she has seen a similar kind of "pushback on the pushback" at the grassroots level.

Abortion has long been considered "the bad word" in the reproductive health discourse. This might just be the time when that changes. – Rappler.com

Ana P. Santos is covering the Women Deliver 2019 Conference in Vancouver, Canada, with support from Women Deliver. 

PITHORAGARH, India – Treacherous conditions forced India's military Wednesday, June 5, to abort an aerial attempt to recover the bodies of 8 climbers feared killed high in the Himalayas, officials said.

An Air Force helicopter took off early Wednesday carrying elite paramilitary mountaineers to conduct what officials described as a "very high-risk" operation at more than 5,000 meters (16,400 feet).

They were trying to retrieve the bodies of 4 Britons, two Americans, one Indian and one Australian believed to have been killed in an avalanche last week on Nanda Devi, India's second-highest mountain.

On Monday, June 3, helicopters spotted from the air what officials believe to be 5 bodies and their scattered mountaineering gear. The remains of the other 3 climbers were thought to be nearby.

But on Wednesday, the helicopter had to return to base after making 3 failed attempts to hover over the spot and airdrop the soldiers from the Indo Tibetan Border Police paramilitary mountain force.

The aircraft was hindered by turbulent winds, the risk of further avalanches, the bowl-shaped terrain, the high altitude, and the fact that there was only one possible approach route to the site.

"When a chopper enters into such places, they have to also consider a return path, which was unavailable in this case, so the pilots decided not to take any risk," local district magistrate Vijay Kumar Jogdande told reporters.

The officer said they would launch another aerial operation and also attempt to send a ground mission to reach the spot, something that would take a week to prepare and acclimatize for.

Fresh snowfall may also hamper the recovery.

Worse than Everest

The originally 12-strong team – 4 Britons were rescued after separating from the main group – was led being by experienced British climber Martin Moran and had permission to climb the eastern peak of Nanda Devi.

But a Facebook post by Moran's mountaineering firm on May 22 said that they planned to attempt "an unclimbed peak" around 6,500 meters (21,300 feet) high.

"This mountain range is more difficult to scale than Mount Everest. They knowingly risked their lives after changing their plans without informing the authorities," an official involved in the operation told Agence France-Presse (AFP) Tuesday, June 4, on condition of anonymity.

"The permission was granted for Nanda Devi east, and any diversion is illegal. We were completely unaware of their changed plan and that turned fatal," he said.

The two groups last communicated with each other on May 26, a day before heavy snow fell and massive avalanches hit the heights.

When the 8 climbers failed to report back to the base camp, the other 4 launched a search before alerting Indian authorities, who started a major operation.

A military source said the climbers may have fallen from an ice ridge or an overhanging mass of snow during the avalanches.

"There must have been some error of judgement and they must have fallen from a great height along with the entire snow cornice. It must have been like falling from a 10-storey building," the source told AFP.

"They took a different route for which they didn't have permission. It is their adventurism which cost them their lives," the source said.

Hundreds of climbers from across the world visit India to scale mountains across the Himalayan chain, and the peaks in Nanda Devi sanctuary are considered among the toughest.

The 8 climbers have been named as John McLaren, Rupert Whewell and University of York lecturer Richard Payne from Britain, US nationals Anthony Sudekum and Ronald Beimel, Australian Ruth McCance and Indian guide Chetan Pandey.

McCance's husband Trent Goldsack told Australian media that her last communication to him had been a text message saying: "OK at base camp." – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – Humans eat and breathe in tens of thousands of microplastic particles every year, according to a new analysis Wednesday, June 5, that raised fresh questions over how plastic waste could directly impact our health.

Microplastics– tiny plastic shards broken down from man-made products such as synthetic clothing, car tires and contact lenses – are among the most ubiquitous materials on the planet.

They have been found on some of the world's highest glaciers and at the bottom of the deepest ocean trenches.

Several previous studies have shown how microplastics may enter the human food chain, including one last year that found them in nearly all major bottled water brands sampled.

In Wednesday's research, Canadian scientists analyzed hundreds of data sets on microplastic contamination and compared them to the typical diet and consumption habits of Americans.

They found that an adult male could expect to ingest up to 52,000 microplastic particles each year.

Taking into account the pollution we breathe in, that figure rose to 121,000 particles – equivalent to over 320 particles every day.

The study coincided with the United Nation's World Environment Day, the theme of which this year is air pollution.

An additional 90,000 particles could be ingested each year if an individual only drank bottled water, according to the study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

The authors stressed that their figures were estimates. The amount of plastics consumed by a given individual would depend largely on where they live and what they eat, they said.

They also added that the impact on human health of microplastic consumption was still not well understood.

However microplastic particles smaller than 130 micrometers in diameter "have the potential to translocate into human tissues (and) trigger a localized immune response."

Danger of microplastics not clear

Alastair Grant, Professor of Ecology at the University of East Anglia, said there was no evidence that the plastic particles identified in the study posed any "significant danger to human health."

Grant, who was not involved in the research, added that it was likely that only a small percentage of particles inhaled actually reached the lungs.

"One of the two sources for particle concentrations in air says that the observed fibers are too large to be inhaled, so the numbers of particles that actually reach our lungs will be much smaller than the numbers quoted," he said.

The authors said more research was needed to better understand how many microparticles reach the lungs and stomach, and what, if any, danger this poses.

"The most effective way to reduce human consumption of microplastics will likely be to reduce the production and use of plastics," they said. – Rappler.com

BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand's junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha was elected late Wednesday, June 5, as the kingdom's first civilian prime minister since the 2014 coup he led, in a vote by a parliament stacked with appointed allies of the conservative, arch-royalist army.

Prayut swept aside his sole challenger, the charismatic 40-year-old billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit who led the anti-military bloc, comfortably passing the 375-vote threshold to win a majority, with scores of votes still to be counted.

His victory was all but guaranteed by the support of the handpicked 250-member senate and the late swing of key secondary parties into an army-affiliated coalition after frantic behind-the-scenes talks.

The senate, which was appointed by the junta, includes scores of military officers and loyalists – many identifiable as they read out Prayut's name by their short serviceman's haircuts.

His election completes a journey for the 65-year-old Prayut from gruff army chief who toppled the last civilian government to prime minister, with claims to legitimacy after an unexpectedly strong showing from his army-linked party in a March general election.

Yet Thailand remains bitterly divided after 13 years defined by coups, violent street protests and short-lived civilian governments.

At their root is a rivalry between an arch-royalist conservative establishment and pro-democracy parties supported by many in the lower and middle class as well as young people wearied by the rule of hectoring generals.

Critics say Prayut represents a narrow elite and lacks the vision to govern as a civilian leader, having failed as junta leader to reboot Thailand's economy, bridge its chasmic inequality or heal the ulcerous political divisions.

In a sign of the enduring chaos that trails Thai politics, Prayut did not attend the vote while Thanathorn was unable to enter the building due to legal cases ranged against him.

Instead Thanathorn, the darling of millions of millennial voters, gave an impassioned speech near the entrance earlier in the day.

"We (Thais) are like frogs in boiling water... when we realise how quickly the world changes, it will be too late," he said, railing against the junta's handling of society and the economy.

With his withering critiques of the military and its conservative politics, Thanathorn is seen as a serious long-term threat to the establishment.

But he is besieged by court cases that could see him banned from politics and jailed despite his Future Forward party scooping up millions of votes in the March election.

Trouble ahead?

Earlier, former prime minister and ex-Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva resigned his seat in protest at his party's decision to support Prayut.

Meanwhile, lawmakers from Pheu Thai, the political machine tied to self-exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, took advantage of the rare opportunity to criticise Prayut during the televised proceedings.

Prayut has "obsolete ideas" that will endanger the country, MP Cholnan Srikeo said.

But supporters say Prayut is a stabilising figure who can steer Thailand away from its perennial political crises.

"I am going to vote for General Prayut," said Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, head of junta ally the Thai Civilised Party. "Thanathorn has no experience."

The March election was cast as a choice between a tethered democracy led by a junta in civilian clothes and parties aligned with Thaksin.

But an unexpected third force emerged, led by the billionaire auto parts scion Thanathorn.

His Future Forward Party won 81 seats to become Thailand's third-largest party.

Thanathorn was put forward on Tuesday, June 4, as the anti-junta bloc's only choice for premier, despite the odds against him.

Standing for prime minister was always going to be "futile," said Karen Brooks, an Asia expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

But "it serves to further raise his profile... and perhaps raise the cost to the military and its allies as they proceed with efforts to destroy him," she added.

Other analysts say troubles lie ahead for a military man unused to debate and consensus-building. – Rappler.com

JERUSALEM, Undefined – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, June 5, tapped Amir Ohana as acting justice minister, the first openly gay minister in the country's history.

The appointment of Ohana, from Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, comes as Jerusalem prepares for its annual Gay Pride celebrations on Thursday, June 6.

"Amir Ohana is a jurist who knows the legal system well," the premier's office said in a statement.

He takes up the position from Netanyahu's right-wing rival Ayelet Shaked, fired by the premier on Sunday, June 2, along with education minister Naftali Bennett after the prime minister failed to form a government following April elections.

Netanyahu opted for parliament to dissolve itself and approve new elections, preventing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin from selecting someone else to form a government.

Shaked and Bennett had left the Likud years earlier, but their New Right party failed to win enough votes in April's poll to clear the threshold to join Israel's parliament.

Israeli ministers remain in their posts immediately after elections, until the formation of the next administration.

But Netanyahu's office confirmed their sackings at the weekend.

Justice ministry hopeful Betzalel Smotrich, of the religious far-right alliance United Right, said Monday the country should be run according to biblical laws, sparking outrage among secular Israelis.

Netanyahu responded by saying "the state of Israel will not be a halakha state", referring to Jewish law.

Thousands of people are expected to converge on Jerusalem on Thursday for its "march of pride and tolerance" to support the rights the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community, amid tight security.

In 2015, a 16-year-old demonstrator at the march was stabbed to death by an ultra-orthodox Jew.

Israel has presented itself as a pioneer in LGBT rights in the region, but homosexuality is deeply rejected by conservative religious parties whose support Netanyahu is likely to need in order to form his next government.

It has also been accused of "pinkwashing", or pushing its reputation for tolerance, in an effort to restore a liberal image tarnished by its occupation of Palestinian territories.

Netanyahu's failure to form a coalition was due to strongly secular right-wing former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman's refusal to back down on demands for legislation to force religious Jews to serve in the army along with other Israelis. – Rappler.com

PORTSMOUTH, United Kingdom – US President Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth II joined 300 veterans in paying tribute to their fallen comrades at a poignant ceremony on Wednesday, June 5, marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Mixing somber recitals of soldiers' last letters home with period song-and-dance numbers, the ceremony in Portsmouth drew more than a dozen world leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

They took turns honoring those involved in the Allied cross-Channel invasion of the Normandy beaches, the largest amphibious assault in history, that left 4,400 Allied troops dead on the first day.

"I was 18 and I was hoping for some sort of great adventure, but yes, I knew something big was obviously happening," former pilot Gregory Hayward, 93, told AFP.

"It brings back the memories and I'm grateful... to be able to survive long enough to be here on the 75th anniversary."

With some in the audience shedding tears and a few of the surviving veterans, now all in their 90s, sitting upright in the front rows, Trump read excerpts from the prayer US president Franklin Roosevelt delivered by radio on D-Day.

"They will need Thy blessings for the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces but we shall return again and again," Trump read, in one of the last acts of his three-day state visit to Britain.

Queen Elizabeth, 93, also paid tribute to the sacrifices made.

"It is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country – indeed the whole free world – that I say to you all: thank you," she said.

Merkel said: "That I could participate today as German chancellor and that we jointly defend peace and liberty today is a gift from history we have to protect and to cherish."

Portsmouth, on the southern English coast, was the main staging point for 156,000 US, British, Canadian and other Allied troops who sailed for northern France.

The Battle of Normandy on June 6, 1944 led to the liberation of Europe and helped bring about the end of World War II the following year.

Fear of being afraid

The hour-long ceremony included theatrical productions and news reel footage watched by presidents, prime ministers and representatives from across Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

British Prime Minister Theresa May read a letter written by Captain Norman Skinner to his wife Gladys on June 3, 1944, which was in his pocket when he landed in Normandy on D-Day. He was killed the following day.

"I am sure that anyone with imagination must dislike the thought of what's coming," his letter said.

"But my fears will be more of being afraid than of what can happen to me."

At a ceremony in Caen, French leader Macron paid tribute to 70 French resistance fighters executed in prison by the Germans on June 6, 1944.

"Under the pressure from the Allied armies who landed on our shores, the Germans wanted to remove their enemies, the Resistance prisoners held in the cells of this prison," former inmate Bernard Duval said at the ceremony.

In the evening, around 250 veterans set off to retrace their journey across the Channel, sailing out of Portsmouth bound for Normandy on board the chartered cruise ship MV Boudicca, along with a flotilla of British navy vessels.

Trump in Ireland

The D-Day commemorations are among May's last official duties before she steps down as leader of the governing Conservatives on Friday, June 7, over her failure to get Britain out of the EU on time.

She will remain as prime minister until her successor is chosen in late July. Eleven candidates intend to stand.

May's meetings with Trump have gone smoothly. The president tweeted on Wednesday that he "could not have been treated more warmly in the United Kingdom by the royal family or the people".

He reaffirmed his commitment to a "very big trade deal" with Britain after Brexit.

The US president left Britain after the D-Day ceremony for Ireland, where he met Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport for talks.

Trump said he thought Brexit would work out well for Ireland, including "your wall, your border". The invisible frontier between the UK and the Irish Republic is one of the most contentious Brexit issues.

The president was then heading to his luxury golf resort near the village of Doonbeg.

He leaves for northern France on Thursday, where he will attend another D-Day ceremony alongside May and Macron. – Rappler.com

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico – Authorities blocked a new caravan of Central American migrants Wednesday, June 5, after they entered Mexico bound for the United States, as the government scrambled to dodge President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs over undocumented immigration.

Soldiers and police forced hundreds of migrants in the group – which was mostly from Honduras – to a halt in the southern town of Metapa de Dominguez, about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from the Mexican-Guatemalan border.

The National Migration Institute (INM) said about 420 migrants had been stopped and taken to a detention center by bus.

But many others may have fled: state police initially estimated the caravan had some 1,200 people.

The incident came as a high-level delegation led by Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard held talks in Washington with US officials in a bid to avoid Trump's threatened tariffs.

Trump is threatening to apply tariffs of 5% on all Mexican exports starting Monday, June 10, and rising incrementally to 25% by October.

That has triggered panic in Mexico, which sends 80% of its exports to the United States.

The talks, which broke off Wednesday without agreement, are due to resume Thursday, June 6. Trump tweeted that if no deal is reached then, the tariffs will come into force Monday.

The INM said that, where applicable, the detained migrants would be "assisted to return to their countries of origin" – its term for deportation.

Migrant rights activists traveling with the group told AFP more than 100 members of Mexico's newly created National Guard took part in the operation.

Tension flared as officers brandishing anti-riot shields blocked the migrants' path, the activists said. But despite a shoving match, the authorities managed to force the caravan to a stop.

Separately, migrant rights group People Without Borders (Pueblo Sin Fronteras) said two of its members had also been detained: its leader, Irineo Mujica, in the northern state of Sonora, and another activist, Cristobal Sanchez, in Mexico City.

Mexico has deployed the National Guard to the southern border and stepped up detentions and deportations in a bid to slow the flow of migrants crossing its territory toward the United States.

But migrant detentions at the US-Mexican border still increased by 32% month-on-month in May, to more than 144,000, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

Tension has soared between the US and Mexico over the surge of migrants in recent months – mainly Central Americans fleeing poverty and violence. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Ahead of their company 20th anniversary, workers of pearl shake maker Zagu Food Corporation went on strike early Thursday morning, June 6, in protest of “illegal labor-only contracting and unfair labor practices.”

Workers and unionists of Organization of Zagu Workers-Solidarity of Unions in the Philippines for Empowerment and Reforms (Organiza-Super) began the strike at 4 am on Thursday.

“On Zagu's 20th year, we demand that management correct their wrongs and treat their workers fairly! Tama na! Sobra na! Welga na (It’s too much! We’re on strike)!” Organiza-Super president Shirley Fulgencio said in a statement.

Zagu, owned by Genevieve Lim-Santos, will mark its 20th anniversary on June 20. It has over 500 stories nationwide. 

The union filed a notice of strike in January, and the strike pushed through months later, after talks facilitated by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) fell through earlier this week, Organiza-Super said.

Union Secretary Hazel Calain said the workers formed the union to address the company’s “illegal labor-only contracting and unfair labor practices.” She noted that about 250 workers serving core functions as machine operators and service crew “are contracted out from 3 different service cooperatives and manpower agencies.”

"This is a clear violation of D.O. 174 which states that companies cannot contract out jobs that are directly related to their business. Furthermore, all the supervisors and the equipment that these contractual workers use belong to Zagu not the contractors. These are already prohibited by the same law,” she said.

Department Order No. 174, signed in March 2017, sets stricter guidelines for contractualization.

Fulgencio said there were previous attempts by Zagu management to intimidate the workers against going on strike.

"We will not cower this time! A lot of our union members have rendered more than 10 years of service to this company…. However, not only has our contribution not been recognized, we continue to suffer harassment and illegal contracualization. Enough is enough!” Fulgencio said. – Rappler.com

OLDENBURG, Germany – A German court will deliver the verdict Thursday, June 6, on the man believed to be the most prolific serial killer in the country's post-war history, as grieving families face still unanswered questions.

Judge Sebastian Buehrmann is expected to hand down a life sentence for around 100 counts of murder to former nurse Niels Hoegel, a verdict that generally translates to 15 years in prison in Germany but which can be extended in extreme circumstances.

On the final day of the trial on Wednesday, Hoegel asked his victims' loved ones for forgiveness for his "horrible acts".

"I would like to sincerely apologize for everything I did to you over the course of years," he said.

The heavy-set Hoegel, 42, has already spent a decade in prison following a previous life sentence he received for 6 other murders.

According to the charges against him during this, his third murder trial, Hoegel is accused of killing 97 patients aged between 34 and 96 by medical injection in hospitals in the northern cities of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst.

His horrific killing spree is believed to have begun in 2000 and only stopped when he was caught in the act in 2005.

Driven by a desire to show off his skills in bringing patients back from the brink of death, Hoegel repeatedly gambled with the lives of vulnerable victims chosen at random.

Most often, he lost.

The exhumation and autopsy of more than 130 bodies were necessary to build the case for the prosecution.

Police suspect that Hoegel's final toll may be more than 200. But they say they can never know for sure because of gaps in his memory and because many likely victims were cremated before autopsies could be performed.

'Always ready to lie'

Caught in 2005 while injecting an unprescribed medication into a patient in Delmenhorst, Hoegel was sentenced in 2008 to 7 years in prison for attempted murder.

A second trial followed in 2014-2015 under pressure from alleged victims' families.

He was found guilty of murder and attempted murder of 5 other victims and given the maximum sentence of 15 years.

At the start of the third trial in October, Buehrmann said its main aim was to establish the full scope of the killing that was allowed to go unchecked for years.

"It is like a house with dark rooms – we want to bring light into the darkness," he said.

Victims' advocates say the court has failed woefully at the task, due in large part to Hoegel's own contradictory testimony.

After admitting on the first day of testimony to killing 100 patients in his care, he has since revised his statement.

He now says he committed 43 murders but denies 5 others. For the remaining 52 cases examined by the court, he says he cannot remember whether he "manipulated" his victims – his term for administering the ultimately deadly shots.

"That leaves people in the dark – it doesn't allow them to mourn," Petra Klein of the Weisser Ring crime victims' organization in Oldenburg told AFP.

She described the legal proceedings as "trying" for the loved ones.

Psychiatrist Max Steller told the court that while Hoegel bears responsibility for his acts, he suffers from a "severe narcissistic disorder".

He "is always fundamentally ready to lie if that allows him to put himself in a better light", Steller said.

The defendant claims, for example, not to remember his first victim, who died on February 7, 2000.

However a serial killer never forgets his first victim, Steller asserted, "meaning that he probably 'manipulated' before that".

'Collective amnesia'

While former colleagues in Delmenhorst admitted to having had their suspicions about Hoegel, all the staff from Oldenburg who testified said they were oblivious to the body count stacking up on his watch.

Buehrmann appeared exasperated by what he called this "collective amnesia".

Ten of the witnesses are now facing possible charges for perjury, according to a spokesman for the prosecution.

Klein said that, at this point, the biggest hope of the victims' families was that Hoegel "should never emerge from prison".

She said the idea that he would one day walk free – which is not inconceivable under the German justice system – would be "unbearable for many of them". – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – A woman has been sent to jail after cracking a bomb joke at the Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1) on Wednesday, June 5.

According to the Pasay City police, Maribeth Florentino, 23, was arrested at around 8:15 am at the LRT Baclaran station.

Police said Florentino was having her bag checked when she dropped the joke, prompting the guard on duty, Erlinda Unabia of the Kaizen Security Agency, to arrest her.

She was appregended for allegedly violating Presidential Decree No. 1727 which bans "malicious dissemination or false information" concerning bombs. 

If found guilty, Florentino faces imprisonment of up to 5 years and fines of up to P40,000. – Rappler.com

MELBOURNE, Australia – Prosecutors insisted the conviction of Australian Cardinal George Pell for child sexual abuse was "unimpeachable" as his appeal against the guilty verdict went into a second day in Melbourne on Thursday, June 6.

But a prosecutor stumbled repeatedly as he sought to counter defense arguments that Pell's guilty verdict in December was unreasonable.

Lawyers for Pell, 77, had on Wednesday raised 13 objections to his conviction on five counts of sexual abuse for the assault of two 13-year-old choirboys following Sunday Mass in the 1990s.

The main point of their appeal is that the jury verdict was unreasonably dependent on the testimony of a single victim – the second choirboy died in 2014 – and that the surviving witness was not credible.

The former Vatican number 3, who controlled the Holy See's vast finances and was involved in the election of two popes, was sentenced in March to six years in prison.

He was accused of sexually abusing the two choirboys in 1996 and 1997 in the sacristy and hallways of St Patrick's Cathedral when he was Archbishop of Melbourne.

In his opening remarks on Thursday, prosecutor Christopher Boyce rejected defence arguments that the victim's testimony was a "fantasy", saying if that were the case, "one would expect the cracks to appear."

But the prosecution said this did not happen and that the jury "were entitled to accept the complainant as a reliable and credible witness".

"When looking at the whole of the evidence, the integrity of the jury's verdicts is unimpeachable," the prosecutors said.

But Boyce struggled at several points to respond to questions from the 3-judge panel, and he took a long pause after being made aware he had inadvertently named the surviving complainant in open court, contrary to legal rulings.

The hearing was live-streamed to the public, but a 15-second delay allowed the court to prevent the victim’s name being broadcast.

Pell's chief defence lawyer, Bret Walker, on Wednesday gave a litany of reasons Pell's "offending was impossible".

"This evidence constituted a catalogue of at least 13 solid obstacles in the path of a conviction," Pell's defence said in their submission.

Pell attended both days of hearings and on Thursday appeared engaged in the proceedings as he took copious notes on a yellow legal pad and at one point passed a post-it note to his legal team through a guard.

'Literally, logically impossible' 

The other two grounds of Pell's appeal argue legal mistakes were made in not allowing Pell's defence to show the jury an animated video reconstruction depicting the movement of people in the cathedral following mass on the dates of the assaults, and that Pell was not arraigned in the presence of the jury.

Walker argued Pell's mingling with congregants after mass on Sundays provided him with an alibi.

"If he was at the western door (of the cathedral) then the law of physics tells us this is literally, logically impossible for the offending to have occurred," he said.

Three judges of Victoria State's Supreme Court – Chief Justice Anne Ferguson, President of the Court of Appeal Chris Maxwell and Justice Mark Weinberg – are hearing the appeal and will make a decision on whether to reject the appeal, acquit Pell or order a retrial.

A first trial in Pell's case last year ended in a hung jury. He was convicted in December at the end of a second trial.

Both trials were hidden from the public until a wide-ranging gag order was lifted in February after a second tranche of charges against Pell, involving alleged incidents in a swimming pool in his home town of Ballarat in the 1970s were dropped.

Since his conviction, Pell has been removed as the Vatican finance chief and lost his place in the so-called C9 Council of Cardinals that are effectively the Pope's cabinet and inner circle of advisers.

The Vatican has opened its own probe into Pell's actions. If his conviction is upheld, it could lead to his expulsion from the priesthood. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Duterte administration has lifted its ban on official trips to Canada following the return of 69 container vans of garbage to that country.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea lifted the travel restriction –  as well as restrictions on the interactions of Philippine officials with Canadian representatives – through a memorandum dated June 4. The document was sent to media on Thursday, June 6.

The order, "effective immediately," comes almost a week after the tons of garbage were whisked away by a Canada-bound ship.

"In view of the Canadian Government’s retrieval and reshipment to Canada of the containers of garbage mentioned in the aforesaid directive, please be informed that such directive is hereby LIFTED, effective immediately,” reads the document.

Malacañang lifts ban on government trips to Canada and limited interactions between Filipino and Canadian government officials. @rapplerdotcompic.twitter.com/K5WzqX4hcY

— Pia Ranada (@piaranada) June 6, 2019

Malacañang's restrictions had been in place for some two weeks, or since May 20, when Medialdea issued a memorandum ordering department secretaries, agency heads, and heads of government corporations and financial institutions to "refrain" from issuing travel authorities to their personnel for official trips to Canada.

The previous order had also limited interactions of Philippine government officials with Canadian representatives. Prior to that, the Philippines recalled its ambassador and consul general in Canada after the latter missed the May 15 deadline imposed by the Philippines government for the retrieval of its garbage.

Angered by Canada's delay in securing a broker for the shipment, Duterte ordered Philippine government agencies to go ahead and arrange the return of the garbage on its own – whether or not with Canada's consent.

But the order never came to fruition since the garbage was eventually taken away through arrangements made by Canada.

"Both sides finally came to an agreement," said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who had been officer-in-charge of government when the garbage departed the Philippines. Duterte had at the time been on a working visit to Japan.– Rappler.com

HONG KONG – Hong Kong's top court ordered the government to grant spousal rights and benefits to the husband of a gay civil servant who married overseas, in a new landmark ruling for LGBT rights on Thursday, June 6.

The judgment, handed down by the Court of Final Appeal, is the latest instance where the judiciary has found against the government and in favor of gay rights groups seeking greater equality.

Hong Kong does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions and only decriminalized homosexuality in 1991.

Despite growing public support for gay marriage, campaigners have made little headway against staunch opposition from the city's successive pro-Beijing governments and religious conservatives.

But they have started to see some success in the courts.

The latest case was brought by Angus Leung, a Hong Kong immigration officer who legally married his husband in New Zealand in 2014.

When the newlyweds returned to Hong Kong, Leung applied for his husband to be granted the same medical and dental benefits available to his married heterosexual colleagues but was rebuffed. He was also unable to register for married couple tax benefits.

On Thursday, five senior judges unanimously ruled that denying Leung and Scott spousal rights for a marriage in New Zealand breached Hong Kong's anti-discrimination laws.

Government lawyers said granting spousal benefits would go against Hong Kong's legal definition of marriage as being between a man and a wife. 

But the judges dismissed that argument.

The judges also said the government's reticence contravened the civil service's own published commitment to being an equal opportunities employer.

Thursday's ruling comes after a British lesbian won the right for her partner to be granted a spousal visa in Hong Kong last year.

The two rulings will now make it harder for Hong Kong authorities to reject legally recognized same-sex marriages conducted overseas.

Last week a judge ruled that a series of archaic laws criminalizing certain gay sex acts were unconstitutional.

Hong Kong's lower courts are currently hearing a challenge from a Hong Kong woman who wants to enter into a civil partnership with her female partner.

And a separate case has been lodged by two Hong Kong men directly challenging the same-sex marriage ban as unconstitutional.

Hong Kong's ban stands in contrast to nearby Taiwan where lawmakers made history last month by legalising same-sex marriage in a landmark first for Asia. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Navy (PN), the Philippine Air Force (PAF), and volunteer divers are part of the search and rescue operations for missing diver  Bryan Nazareno in Tubbataha Reef in Palawan. 

The Western Command (Wescom) said in a statement on Thursday, June 6, that the  operations, which also involve the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), will continue even in inclement weather.

"Wescom, in coordination with various stakeholders, will continue conducting the joint search and rescue operations despite inclement weather," Wescom said in a statement.

"Naval vessels and aircrafts of this command are currently being used in the area. As of this date, the missing diver has not yet been located," it added.

Wescom also said it accepted the help offered by UNTV for use of its underwater drone capabilities to augment the search and rescue operations.

It added that PN Islander 312 would also be deployed to join the operations. 

PCG Spokesman Captain Armand Balilo said Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez lent his airplane to help find Nazareno.

Nazareno was last seen in Amos Rock in Tubbataha Reef on Monday afternoon, June 3. He was part of the group of underwater photographer Scott "Gutsy" Tuason. 

Wescom said it received the report on Nazareno past 9 pm on Monday night, and deployed a Navy patrol ship to the area at 2 am the following day. A parallel search at South Islet in Tubbataha Reef began at 5:30 am on Wednesday, June 5.

It added that on Wednesday Navy divers searched the area southwest of the Amos Rock dive site. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines –  Incidences of crime reported to the police in eastern Metro Manila in 2018 were 5% less than in 2017, but apprehensions from these reports jumped to 30%.

This comparative report was presented Wednesday, June 5, by Brigadier General Christopher Tambungan, director of the Eastern Police District. Under EPD's watch are  Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina, and San Juan.

Tambungan said there were 2,377 incidences of cases like murder, physical injuries and homicide in  2018. This was 5% less than the 2,503 in 2017.

Reported street crimes dipped by 10% –  from 302 in 2017 to 272 in 2018.

Worth noting was EPD's apprehension rate, or the number of arrests which the police achieved from these crime reports. Tambungan said EPD improved its apprehension rate by 30%  from 996 arrests in 2017 to 1,693 in 2018.

The EPD's accomplishments and plans were presented during an advisory council summit held in San Juan.

Aside from EPD top brass, those in the summit were officials of the 4 cities under its jurisdiction. – Rappler.com 

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – A public high school in Cauayan town here opened a zero-waste canteen to promote a plastic-free culture among its students and teachers. 

Bulata National High School adopted the initiative of the Philippines Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc (PRRCFI), which launched a movement to help reduce the use of plastics. 

The school’s plastic-free canteen opened on Monday, June 3, the first day of classes. It uses alternative packaging for the meals and snacks it offers to its more than 400 students and faculty members, said Dave Albao, executive director of PRRCFI. 

He said the wala usik canteen uses biodegradable, indigenous, and reusable materials, such as mugs made from bamboo, bowls from coconut shells, and plates from banana leaves. “Wala usik” is a local term for “zero waste” or “nothing is wasted.”

“The school canteen also aims to promote healthy eating from fresh and local produce, and will avoid and discourage processed food packaged in single-use plastic,” he added. 

The initiative came after school principal Eiggy Duller Yap recently attended Danjugan Island’s Marine and Wildlife Camp, where he saw that natural resources were under threat from plastic pollution, Albao said. 

He said Yap is now leading the transition of their canteen to a plastic-free facility. He added that single-use plastic products are often mismanaged in schools nationwide and present problems to the environment and public health.

In the last two months, a total of 8 zero-waste stores have opened in Negros Island. “All these efforts are to curb plastic waste, which harm our food source and life support when they reach the ocean,” Albao said.

Meanwhile, the zero-waste canteen in BNHS also features walls painted with colorful marine life with the theme “More Fish, Not Plastic” by volunteers from the Association of Negros Artists. It pays homage to the rich biodiversity of Cauayan waters and the Danjugan Island Marine Reserve and Sanctuaries, also part of Barangay Bulata.

Yap is also seeking additional support from stakeholders to make the school canteen fully operational, such as more chairs, tables, and equipment. It will be managed by the school’s Teachers’ League Association, and will also be used for school-based feeding programs. – Rappler.com

BANGKOK, Thailand – Smiling broadly, Tanwarin triumphantly cast her vote for prime minister as the first transgender MPs enter parliament in Thailand, where tolerance for the LGBT community is not matched by understanding or opportunity in public life.

In a sign of that enduring gap, the elderly speaker called for "Mr Tanwarin" to come forward in a vote late Wednesday that saw former junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha elected as premier with the help of a bank of 250 appointed senators.

Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, a lawmaker for the progressive anti-junta Future Forward Party (FFP), is one of 4 transgender MPs in the house – pioneers in a society where discrimination in education, employment and at home persists.

"I am not here for decoration," she told AFP. "I want to write a new political history for Thailand."

Thailand's transgender community enjoys a high profile, but still faces major hurdles in the conservative Buddhist-majority kingdom. 

Transgender people in Thailand appear in commercials, movies, on the front pages of fashion magazines and even have their own beauty contest, Miss Tiffany, watched annually by more than ten million viewers. 

But the media leans heavily on caricatures of the community as catty, bawdy figures -- while transgender people are often passed over for jobs as teachers and civil servants and confined to entertainment gigs and sex work.

"Thai people accept the community but don't see them as equal or entitled to equal rights," Tanwarin said.

'Offending good morals'

Tanwarin's political ambitions came after a successful career as a film director.

One of her movies, "Insects in the Backyard", was released in 2010 and shown abroad.

But it was censored by Thai courts for "offending good morals".

It was only after a 5-year legal battle and the removal of a three-second nudity scene that the feature film was broadcast in the kingdom.

But Tanwarin – who is now directing a play called "Trans, I Am" – said an artistic career was not enough to push for changes to the legal framework governing life for the LGBT community.

"We had to go into politics," Tanwarin says.

Tanwarin's first push in parliament is to change the legal definition of a married couple to "person to person" instead of "man to woman", which could lead to Thailand becoming the second place in Asia after Taiwan to allow gay marriage. 

A same sex marriage bill has been floated in Thailand but it has drifted with the political turmoil and it does not give same sex couples rights to have children or adopt.

Political action is needed as the laissez-faire attitude of Thailand towards its LGBT community hides a more nuanced reality, rights groups say. 

Transgender people "are regularly discriminated against in their jobs, forcing many of them into low-paid jobs," says Kyle Knight, LGBT specialist for Human Rights Watch.

Many face rejection by their families and end up in the sex industry where they are exploited.

And the term "katoey" (a Thai word covering transgender) is still thrown around contemptuously in Thai society. 

Pauline Ngarmpring, who campaigned vigorously but failed to win a seat in the March election, called political inclusion a "first step" for the LGBT community and human rights in general.

The father-of-two who used to be called Pinit and made a name in the football world said there had been flickers of progress in recent years. 

"Transgender people are now working as doctors, businessmen or teachers, but they are still too few." 

Tanwarin's public presence alone has already sparked important debate and sometimes "virulent" comments on social media.

She relishes the challenge.

"I'm not afraid," she said. I'm here to raise awareness for those who don't understand." – Rappler.com