MANILA, Philippines – A former security aide of Senator Leila De Lima is set to testify as the House committee on justice resumes its probe into the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) on Thursday, October 6.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II told reporters on Wednesday that Philippine Air Force Sergeant Joenel Sanchez, who was De Lima’s bodyguard when she was still justice secretary, will be among the witnesses to be presented during the hearing. 

Aguirre said Sanchez would be able to prove De Lima’s true relationship with her former driver and bodyguard Ronnie Dayan. President Rodrigo Duterte accused the senator of having an affair with Dayan, who allegedly acted as bagman for bribes given by drug lords for De Lima's senatorial campaign. (READ: The public trial of Leila de Lima)

“Sinabi ni Jonel na nakita niya iyong [video]. [Iniwan] ni Dayan ang kanyang cellphone, so pinakialaman nung mga security. May nakita sila,” Aguirre said. (Jonel said he saw the video. Dayan left his cellphone and the security detail looked at it. They saw something.)

He was referring to the alleged sex video of De Lima with Dayan, which the House leadership originally approved for viewing during the hearings this week. Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said he was okay with this move, as it would reveal De Lima’s relationship with Dayan. 

Various groups and lawmakers protested the showing of the alleged video, calling it “illegal” and “misogynistic.” (READ: Senate backs De Lima vs planned showing of video)

On October 4, Aguirre said the video would no longer be shown because he found a witness who can testify about De Lima and Dayan. 

High-profile inmates and two National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents testified against De Lima in the first two hearings.

They claimed that she allowed drugs to proliferate inside the national penitentiary and used millions of drug money to fund her 2016 senatorial campaign. (READ: Bilibid probe: Why did drugs proliferate behind bars?) 

Apart from Dayan and Sanchez, the House committee on justice issued subpoenas to the following individuals to attend the October 6 hearing: 

• Jaybee Sebastian, influential NBP gang leader who allegedly helped collect drug money for De Lima
• Franklin Jesus Bucayu, former Bureau of Corrections chief
• Reginald Villasanta, former Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission executive director

Sebastian, however, sustained injuries after a riot broke out at the NBP’s Building 14, where high-profile convicts are housed. Sebastian was hurt along with 3 others, while convict Tony Co died because of his wounds. 

Alvarez was suspicious of the riot, saying “forces” are out to stop Sebastian from testifying before congressmen.

Aguirre said Sebastian would need to secure a medical certificate if he will be unable to appear on Thursday. – Rappler.com

BEIJING, China – Chinese people believe the United States is the "top threat" facing their country, a poll showed Wednesday, October 5, with most suspecting the world's number one economy of trying to "prevent China from becoming an equal power."

A survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Center revealed 45% of Chinese consider US power and influence to be a "major threat" – more than economic instability (35%), climate change (34%), and the Islamic State (ISIS) (15%).

However, half of the 3,154 respondents in the survey had a "favorable opinion" of the US – including 60% of those aged between 18 and 34. 

The news comes as Beijing and Washington are at loggerheads over China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, with the US urging China to adhere to the rule of law and Beijing accusing its ally of interference.

The vast majority of Chinese (75%) believe their own country plays "a more important role in world affairs" than a decade ago, compared with only 21% of Americans, 23% of Europeans and 68% of Indians. 

However, this confidence in China's international stature contrasts with a growing sense of unease among many, the survey showed, with about three-quarters of respondents saying their "way of life needs to be protected against foreign influence" – up from 64% in 2002.

Despite China's increasing diplomatic influence, 56% of Chinese said they wanted their leaders to focus on the country's own challenges, such as official corruption, which most said was a problem.

Growing inequality is also a concern, with 37% describing the gap between rich and poor as a "very big problem".

Other worries include: food safety (74%), the country's choking air pollution (70%) and rising prices (74%), as many Chinese struggle to get a foothold in the real estate market. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Pilipinas – Matutunghayan sa Huwebes, Oktubre 6, ang mga salitang nominado bilang "Salita ng Taon" sa ikalawang araw ng kumperensiyang Sawikaan 2016.

Sampung salita ang kalahok sa timpalak ngayong taon:

• bully - ipinasa ni Ronel Laranjo
• fotobam - ipinasa ni Michael Charleston Chua
• foundling - ipinasa ni Christine Marie Magpile
• hugot - ipinasa ni Junilo Espiritu
• lumad - ipinasa ni Father Albert Alejo, SJ
• milenyal - ipinasa ni Jayson Petras
• meme - ipinasa ni Gerard Concepcion
• netizen - ipinasa ni Xavier Roel Alvaran
• tukod - ipinasa ni Schedar Jocson
• viral - ipinasa ni Joselito delos Reyes

Matapos ang mga presentasyon, pipiliin ng pamunuan ng Filipinas Institute of Translation (FIT) at ng hurado ang magiging "Salita ng Taon."

Sundan ang presentasyon ng nominadong salita sa live blog sa ibaba.

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Maaari mong i-like sa Facebook album sa ibaba ang salitang gusto mong manalo.

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Maaaring ilahok at hirangin bilang "salita ng taon" ang mga bagong imbentong salita, mga salitang hiram mula sa katutubo o banyagang wika, mga lumang salita ngunit may bagong kahulugan, o mga patay na salitang muling binuhay.

Isinasaalang-alang sa pagpili ng Salita ng Taon ang kabuluhan ng salita sa buhay ng mga Filipino, ang pagsalamin nito sa kalagayan ng lipunan, ang lalim ng saliksik ukol sa ipinasang salita, at ang paraan ng pagpresenta nito sa madla.

Ang Sawikaan ay idinaraos ng Filipinas Institute of Translation (FIT) kada makalawang taon. Kasama ng FIT sa pagtaguyod ng Sawikaan ngayong 2016 ang Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, at Kolehiyo ng Edukasyon ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas. – Rappler.com

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – A town mayor here passed away at Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Manila, at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, October 5.

Cauayan Mayor Jerry Tabujara, 68, succumbed to a liver ailment. The news was confirmed by his son, Cauayan Vice Mayor John Rey Tabujara.

The younger Tabujara said that his father’s condition deteriorated in December last year, “he was not in good condition after his bile operation and bypass,” he added.

The elder Tabujara was elected mayor in the May 9 polls even if he missed campaigning during the election period. He was the vice mayor before he won the mayoral post.

Some residents questioned why he was not seen in public after he filed his certificate of candidacy in October until he was proclaimed as the winning mayoral bet in May.

The younger Tabujara said the last time his father came home to the province was on May 8, but then he came back to Manila six days later, May 14, for treatment.

John Rey added they are set to bring home his father to their town on Friday, October 7.

The younger Tabujara said that his father, before he died, told him to continue his programs, especially the scholarships for the youth, in the town.

Tabujara is the second mayor in Negros Occidental to die this year. The first one was re-elected San Enrique Mayor Mario Magno, who succumbed to multiple organ failure on May 27. – Rappler.com

BRUSSELS, Belgium (UPDATED) –  An attacker stabbed two police officers in Brussels on Wednesday, October 5, in a possible terror incident, the latest attack in a city still reeling from bombings by the Islamic State group that killed 32 people in March.

Prosecutors identified the man, who was later shot in the leg, as 43-year-old Belgian national Hicham D. but gave no further details about him or why they were linking the attack in the Schaerbeek area to terrorism.

One of the two plainclothes officers was stabbed in the neck and the other in the stomach, police said. A third, uniformed officer reportedly suffered a broken nose while trying to stop the attacker.

The incident came shortly after one of the main train stations in Brussels and the city's prosecutor's office were shut by a bomb scare which later turned out to be a false alarm.

"We have elements to believe that the (stabbing) incident was a terrorist attack," Eric Van Der Sypt, a spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor's office, told the Agence France-Presse.

The prosecutor's statement said: "At noon two police officers were attacked by a man with a knife on the Boulevard Lambermont in Schaerbeek. Their life is not in danger.

"Another police patrol was able to overpower the offender who was shot in the leg. His life is also not in danger."

The suspect was in police custody, Van Der Sypt said, adding that a judge specialising in terrorism cases would decide "later" on his possible further detention.

Police sources said there was no connection between the stabbing and the bomb scares.

The incident also took place on the same day that Brussels hosted a major conference of international donors to raise billions of dollars in aid for Afghanistan.

Security was tight for the conference in the EU's headquarters, about four kilometres (two and a half miles) from the scene of the knife attack.

The attack comes two months after two policewomen were wounded in the southern Belgian city of Charleroi by a machete-wielding man who shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest).

That attack was claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

ISIS suicide bombings at the city's airport and a metro station in March killed 32 people.

Schaerbeek, much like the nearby district of Molenbeek, was deeply connected to those attacks.

A bomb-making factory for the Brussels bombings and the November 2015 attacks in Paris was located in Schaerbeek.

The neighborhood was also the home of Najim Laachraoui, one of the 3 suicide bombers at Brussels airport. 

The three suicide bombers also left for the airport from a hideout apartment located in Schaerbeek. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno and Public Services Officer II Glenn Bañez are set to face trial before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly unlawfully getting into an agreement with Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation regarding the company's tax liabilities.

The Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause against Moreno and Bañez for the filing of informations for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (R.A. No. 3019 ).

The Ombudsman found that in 2013, Bañez issued a Notice of Assessment to Ajinomoto covering P2.9 million in tax deficiency, spanning 2006 to 2012. In 2014, the city entered into a Settlement Agreement with Waiver, Release and Quitclaim, accepting the company’s offer of P300,000.00 as a full settlement to its local business tax deficiency.

The agreement was done in exchange for Ajinomoto’s withdrawal of a civil case it filed before the Regional Trial Court of Misamis Oriental.

Bañez claimed, in his defense, the agreement was entered into as "there was no guarantee that it will win the case in the RTC and that the case might drag all the way to the Supreme Court." The Ombudsman, however, gave no credence to this claim.

The Ombudsman said: “Moreno and Bañez gave Ajinomoto unwarranted benefit, advantage, or preference when they entered into the Agreement with the latter without the required authorization from the City Council.”

Section 3(e) of R.A. No. 3019 prohibits public officials from causing undue injury to any party, including the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage, or preference in the course of discharging his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence.

Section 3(g) of R.A. No. 3019, meanwhile, punishes the act of a public officer entering, on behalf of the government, into a contract or transaction manifestly or grossly disadvantageous to the same. – Rappler.com

UNITED NATIONS (UPDATED) – Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres is poised to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations following a decisive vote by the Security Council on Wednesday, October 5.

Guterres, who led the UN's refugee agency for a decade, won backing in the straw poll from 13 of the 15 council members while none of the 5 veto-holding powers blocked his candidacy.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin emerged from the council chamber along with the 14 other ambassadors to declare that Guterres was on course to succeed Ban Ki-moon as the world's diplomat-in-chief.

"We have a clear favorite and his name is Antonio Guterres," he said.

The council will undertake a formal vote on Thursday, October 6, to confirm the choice of Guterres, Churkin announced, adding that he expected the selection to be "by acclamation."

"We wish Mister Guterres well in discharging his duties as the secretary general of the United Nations in the next five years," he added.

The 67-year-old socialist politician has pledged to revamp the United Nations to boost its peacemaking efforts and promote human rights.

During the secret ballot, Guterres won 4 positive votes and one "no opinion" from veto holders, clearing the way for him to become the new UN chief.

Veto powers Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States used color-coded ballots to indicate for the first time whether they intended to block a candidate.

Guterres, who was Portugal's prime minister from 1995 to 2002, had held the number one spot in the previous 5 informal votes, but the quick consensus decision took many diplomats by surprise.

He will be the first former head of government to become UN chief, a position that has been held by several foreign ministers, most of whom were chosen during closed-door meetings by the Security Council.

This time around, the selection involved a new, more open process that allowed candidates to appear at hearings to make their pitch for the top job before the General Assembly.

Good news for the UN

Once the Security Council formally endorses him, Guterres will be presented to the General Assembly for approval. The new UN chief begins his 5-year term on January 1.

France's Ambassador Francois Delattre said the choice of Guterres – who speaks French, English and Spanish as well as Portuguese – was "good news for the United Nations," while British envoy Matthew Rycroft said he will make a "very strong, effective secretary-general."

US Ambassador Samantha Power described Guterres' experience and vision as "compelling" and stressed the need for an effective leader at the UN helm during a time of multiple global crises.

"We are united in understanding the gravity of the threats that are out there," Power said.

Describing Guterres as "exceptional," Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said the result was "very good for the world, it is very good for the United Nations, it is very good for Portugal."

Human Rights Watch's UN director Louis Charbonneau said Guterres could "strike a radically new tone on human rights at a time of great challenge," but cautioned that he will be judged on his ability to stand up to the veto powers.

Georgieva's bid falters

There were 10 candidates in the race to become the next UN chief, including EU budget commissioner Kristalina Georgieva from Bulgaria, who entered the fray just last week.

A former World Bank vice president, Georgieva failed to garner crucial support from two of the permanent members, with speculation that Russia opposed her candidacy.

UNESCO chief Irina Bokova, who was pushed aside by the Bulgarian government to make way for Georgieva, received two negative votes from veto-holders.

Throughout the campaign, there had been calls for the council to choose the first woman secretary general and a candidate from Eastern Europe, the only region that has not been represented in the top job.

Another high-profile woman in the race, Argentina's Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, received one negative vote from a veto-holder, while Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak received two, diplomats said.

New Zealand's former prime minister and head of the UN Development Program Helen Clark received 3 negative votes from the veto powers, as did Serbia's ex-foreign minister Vuk Jeremic, Macedonia's ex-foreign minister Srgjan Kerim and Natalia Gherman of Moldova.

Slovenia's former president Danilo Turk received 4 negative votes from the permanent 5 members. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The communist National Democratic Front (NDF) changed the composition of its negotiators on the eve of the 2nd round of talks with the Philippine government, appointing alleged New People's Army (NPA) leader Benito Tiamzon to its panel. 

Tiamzon, tagged by the military as the "center of gravity" of NPA operations until his arrest in 2014 in Cebu, was released in July 2016 to serve as a consultant in the NDF panel. 

In the reshuffle, NDF panel's longtime chairperson Luis Jalandoni resigned and will be replaced by his vice-chairperson Fidel Agcaoili. Jaladoni will serve as senior adviser to the NDF panel. 

The NDF said Jalandoni has long requested to be relieved of his duty as chairperson of the panel. 

"The national leadership of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines has granted the long-standing request of Comrade Luis G. Jalandoni to resign as the Chairperson of the NDFP Negotiating Panel," the statement said. The on-again, off-again peace negotiations have dragged for 3 decades. (READ: FAST FACTS: The CPP-NPA-NDF and the Oslo talks)

The NDF made the announcement late Wednesday night in Oslo, October 5 (October 6 in Manila), on the eve of the second round of talks that begins October 6 and ends on October 10.

Tiamzon was among 22 detained NDF consultants released in July to jumpstart the peace process that aims to end Asia's longest running communist insurgency.

The government is confident that the involvement of tagged NPA leaders in the talks will address allegations that the NPA does not support the process process pursued by NDF. 

The NPA has declared an indefinite ceasefire nationwide.

The NPA and the NDF are the armed and political wings, respectively, of the Communist Party of the Philippines. 

Government chief negotiator Silvestre Bello III was earlier quoted saying "we are talking to the right people."

"In order to further strengthen the NDFP Negotiating Panel, NDFP Peace Consultant, Benito Tiamzon is named by the NDFP national leadership as Member of the NDFP Negotiating Panel.," the NDF said in a statement. (READ: Benito Tiamzon: writer, organizer, party man) – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – Three suspected foreign drug couriers carrying cocaine worth P100 million were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Wednesday, October 5.

Alleged drug couriers Chan Kawai and Pau Homanevan, both Hong Kong citizens, and Kirdyushkin Yury, a Russian national, were intercepted by a joint operation by officials from the Bureau of Customs, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and Airport Police Department at the NAIA Terminal 3.

The 3 came in from Brazil via Dubai, arriving via Emirates flight EK 332. The arrests were made based on intelligence information from the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

Chan and Homanevan were caught with 9 kilograms of cocaine each, while Yury had in his possession 7 kilograms of powdered cocaine and 2.5 kilograms of liquid cocaine.

Some of the drugs were found in the lining of their checked-in luggage, while others were packed to appear like food packages. 

All 3 said they did not know that their luggage had drugs inside, as they were only bringing in the bags on behalf of friends.

The intercepted drugs are worth more than P100 million, according to officials. – Rappler.com

OTTAWA, Canada – Canada ratified the landmark Paris climate accord on Wednesday, October 5, despite significant domestic pushback over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's carbon price proposal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The 207-to-81 vote in the House of Commons came 30 days before the pact comes into force globally, and brings the total number of nations that have endorsed it to 74.

Parliamentarians split along party lines, with Trudeau using his Liberal majority to push through ratification as the opposition Tories accused the government of heavy-handedness and betrayal.

The Paris accord requires all countries to devise plans to achieve the goal of keeping the rise in temperatures within two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels and strive for 1.5 C (2.7 F) if possible.

Last year Trudeau reached out to Canada's 13 provinces and territories, which share responsibility for the environment with Ottawa, to hammer out a national climate strategy.

But each insisted they would tailor plans for their respective regions, which have vastly different economic circumstances and goals.

In a bid to break the deadlock, Trudeau on Monday, October 3, warned that he was prepared to impose a national minimum carbon price if a deal was not reached with the regional governments soon.

He proposed a minimum price of Can$10 (US$7.60) per ton of carbon pollution in 2018, rising incrementally over 5 years to Can$50 per ton.

"This is right for the economy, right for the environment and it's about time Canada had leadership on this file," Trudeau said.

Officials from Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, however, walked out of a meeting with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna in anger after Trudeau's bombshell, saying they felt "railroaded" and "betrayed" by the feds after nearly a year of consultations aimed at finding a consensus.

Ahead of the vote Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion dismissed the political firestorm, saying it was "too bad" if the opposition or the regions were not on board.

His position was buoyed by a recent poll showing most Canadians want the federal government to take a leadership role on climate.

"It's very important that humanity comes together to fight against one of the worst threats of our century, which is global warming," Dion said. 

"And so we must act."

Canada accounts for 1.95% of global emissions, according to United Nations figures.

An independent parliamentary watchdog said in April that the nation's carbon emissions linked to global warming have stabilized at just over 700 million tonnes per year.

That is 208 million tons short of Trudeau's commitment at the climate summit in Paris last December, which was to reduce emissions by 30%, compared with 2005 levels, by 2030. – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – A hard-fought climate rescue pact concluded last December in the French capital will enter into legal force next month, earlier than expected, after record-fast country ratifications hailed by observers Wednesday, October 5.

The Paris Agreement to curb planet-warming greenhouse gases from burning coal, oil and gas, had required ratification from 55 countries responsible for 55% of emissions.

It was pushed over this threshold, the UN said, when the European Union, which signed as an individual party, and 7 of its member states added their official sanction to the deal on Wednesday.

Only through ratification – which in some cases entails passing national legislation – does a country agree to be bound to an international agreement such as this one.

The EU, responsible for an estimated 10% of global emissions, joined the ranks of China and the United States, who emit almost 40% combined.

"On October 5, 2016, the threshold for entry into force of the Paris Agreement has been achieved," the secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which oversaw the pact negotiations, announced.

Seventy-two (72) countries accounting for more than 56% of emissions had submitted ratification documents, it said, meaning the pact will take binding, legal effect in 30 days.

This will be just in time for the annual UN climate conference opening in Marrakech on November 7 to discuss ways to put into action plans outlined in the agreement.

Agreed by 195 nations outside the Parisian capital on December 12, the world's first universal climate treaty vows to cap global warming at well under 2ºC (3.6 ºF).

This must be achieved by replacing atmosphere-polluting fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy – an ambitious goal towards which most UN nations have pledged emissions curbs.

Race against time

On current country pledges, however, scientists expect the world to warm by 3ºC or more, meaning much more drastic measures are needed to effect a large-scale shift towards wind, solar and other sustainable energies.

"This ratification happened at record speed," environment minister Segolene Royal of France, the outgoing president of the UNFCCC talks, told Agence France-Presse.

By comparison, it took 8 years for the Kyoto Protocol, which preceded the Paris Agreement, to enter into force. Neither the US or China were signed up to that one.

"This is a welcome development after years of frustratingly slow progress," said Andrew Steer, president of the World Resources Institute, a Washington-based think-tank.

"With the agreement in full force, countries can shift their focus from commitment to action."

For Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International, the momentum presented a "tremendous opportunity" for clean energy.

"Now that a truly global binding climate agreement is in place, governments should have the confidence to not only meet but also beat their national climate targets and provide support to the poorest countries."  

According to Thoriq Ibrahim, chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States threatened by climate change-boosted sea levels, the world cannot afford to rest on its laurels.

"We urge all countries to ratify as soon as possible so we can make the Paris Agreement truly universal," he said. 

"It is no exaggeration to say we are in a race against time." – Rappler.com

LISBON, Portugal – Former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres, who is poised to become the next UN secretary-general, is a self-described man of action who earned his stripes as the world body's refugee chief, tirelessly pressing rich nations to do more.

An engineer by training and fervent Catholic, Guterres, 67, fought unflaggingly for migrants' rights over a decade as UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015. (READ: Portugal's Guterres set to be UN secretary-general)

He repeatedly warned that millions of refugees fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere would turn to Europe if nations like Turkey and Jordan did not receive more help to cope with their refugee populations.

Wealthy countries had to take in more, he said.

"When people say they cannot receive Syrian refugees because they are Muslims, those that say it are supporting terrorist organizations and allowing them to be much more effective in recruiting people," he said in December just before he stepped down as UN refugee chief.

Guterres' two terms at the helm of the UN agency were also marked by a reform of its internal structures which reduced the number of staff at its Geneva headquarters by a third.

The overhaul boosted the agency's capacity to respond to international crisis by deploying more staff closer to hotspots.

Former Portuguese president Anibal Cavaco Silva said earlier this year that Guterres had "left a legacy" at the refugee agency "that means today he is a respected voice and all the world listens to him."

'On the ground'

Frequently also touted as a possible candidate for president of Portugal, the Socialist Guterres said he has declined to run because he would rather "play ball" than be "a referee".

"I like action, being on the ground, I like things that force me to permanently intervene," he added in an interview with Portuguese public television RTP in January.

Born in Lisbon on April 30, 1949, Guterres joined Portugal's Socialist party following the country's 1974 "Carnation revolution" which put an end to nearly five decades of dictatorship.

Elected a lawmaker in 1976 in Portugal's first democratic election following the revolution, Guterres, an engineer by training, quickly earned a reputation as a gifted orator.

In 1992 he became secretary general of the Socialist party, in opposition at the time.

Guterres, who comes across as approachable, led the party to victory in the next general election in 1995, becoming prime minister.

Portugal was undergoing rapid economic growth at the time and enjoying nearly full employment, which allowed Guterres to set up a guaranteed minimum income, one of his government's flagship measures.

Staunchly pro-EU, Guterres made meeting the criteria for membership in the euro single currency area a priority and Portugal was among the 11 nations that adopted the common currency when it was launched in 1999.

Under his watch the Socialists were re-elected in 1999, again without an absolute majority in parliament.

Anti-abortion

His detractors blame him for contributing to the victory of the "no" side in a 1998 referendum on a proposal to liberalize Portugal's strict law against abortion.

Guterres allowed the referendum but publicly opposed to the abortion law being changed.

When East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, erupted into violence in 1999 after the territory voted in a referendum in favor of independence from Indonesia, Guterres led diplomatic efforts to convince the United Nations to intervene to restore peace.

His stewardship of Portugal's turn at the helm of the rotating presidency of the European Union during the first half of 2000 was considered a success.

Lisbon hosted the first EU-Africa summit and the European Commission adopted the so-called Lisbon Agenda which aimed to make the EU the "most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy" by 2010.

His popularity in Portugal, however, waned during this time as the economy slowed.

Guterres resigned after the Socialists took a drubbing in local election at the end of 2001, saying he wanted to prevent the country from falling into a "political swamp".

He also abandoned Portuguese politics to focus on a diplomatic career abroad.

Guterres became a widower in 1998. He remarried 3 years later. He has two children by his first wife. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – As he neared his first 100 days in power, President Rodrigo Duterte obtained a "very good" +64 net satisfaction rating in a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) Survey released on Thursday, October 6.

The survey, first published in Businessworld, was conducted from September 24 to 27. It involved face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide.

The survey results showed that 76% of Filipinos are satisfied with Duterte’s performance so far, 11% dissatisfied, and 13% undecided, for a net rating of +64.

Duterte's rating is higher than the +60 net rating of President Benigno Aquino III in the survey taken during the same period in his administration, and the second highest among Chief Executives polled by the SWS.

During and before the survey period, the Senate began its probe into extrajudicial killings  related to the Duterte administration's controversial war on drugs, which featured, among others, Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed former member of the Davao Death Squad who alleged that the President ordered the summary execution of suspected criminals, among others.

During this time, the President accused Senator Leila de Lima of benefitting from the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison when she was justice secretary, the subject of an ongoing congressional inquiry. He also revealed lists of alleged drug personalities, some of whom he later apologized to for being included in the list. (READ: Aguirre: Another mistake in drug matrix)

The campaign against illegal drugs drew public support and criticism as the related deaths tipped 3,500 a week before the new government's first 100 days in office. Duterte unleashed repeated tirades against his foreign critics, among them, US President Barack Obama, the US government, the United Nations, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the European Union.

Prior to the survey period, Duterte announced his planned "independent foreign policy" which pointed to a thawing of ties with the US, and forging strong ties with China and Russia. 

The survey period did not cover the President's controversial reference to Adolf Hitler, which prompted him to issue a public apology to the Jewish community. (READ: Duterte: I'm being portrayed as a 'cousin of Hitler')

Across the board

Duterte's satisfaction rating is high across the board – in terms of geographical location, age, and educational attainment. But it is highest in his home region, Mindanao, where he got a +85 net satisfaction rating. 

He got a net rating of +58 in the National Capital Region, +57 in Balance Luzon, and +62 in the Visayas. 

Duterte obtained majority approval even among women – a +58 net rating. This is despite criticisms against his actions towards women, particularly Senator Leila de Lima whom he had portrated as an "immoral woman" alleged to have a sex video with her former driver and bodyguard, as he linked her to the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison.

The survey respondents were asked: “Maaari po bang pakisabi ninyo kung gaano kayo nasisiyahan o hindi nasisiyahan sa pagganap ng tungkulin ni RODRIGO DUTERTE bilang Presidente ng Pilipinas. Kayo ba ay lubos na nasisiyahan, medyo nasisiyahan, hindi tiyak kung nasisiyahan o hindi, medyo hindi nasisiyahan, lubos na hindi nasisiyahan, o wala pa kayong narinig o nabasa kahit na kailan tungkol kay RODRIGO DUTERTE?”

(“Please tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you are in the performance of RODRIGO DUTERTE as President of the Philippines. Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, undecided if satisfied or dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, very dissatisfied, or you have not ever heard or read anything about RODRIGO DUTERTE?”)

Next to FVR

Among Philippine presidents polled by the SWS, only Fidel V. Ramos got a better net rating of  +66 – also categorized as “very good” – in a survey conducted from August 10 to September 8, 1992. 

Duterte’s predecessor, Aquino, also obtained a “very good” rating with +60 in a September 24 to 27, 2010 survey. 

Others who got a “very good” rating in the same period are Joseph Estrada with +60 in a survey conducted from September 11 to 29, 1998, and Corazon Aquino with +53 in a poll held from May 2 to June 6, 1986.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo garnered only a +24 or “moderate” rating after she was sworn to office after Estrada was ousted and then only a +12 or “moderate” rating after winning the presidency in 2004. 

The SWS net satisfaction ratings are classified as follows:

• +70: “excellent”
• +50 to +69:  “very good”
• +30 to +49: “good”
• +10 to +29: “moderate”
• +9 to – 9: “neutral”
• – 10 to – 29: “poor”
• – 30 to – 49: “bad”
• – 50 to – 69: “very bad”
• – 70 and below: “execrable”

The sampling error margins for national percentages in the SWS survey is ±3 percentage points, while the sampling error margins for the major regions – Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao – are ±6 points each. – Rappler.com

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syria's military announced Wednesday, October 5, it was scaling back its bombardment of rebels in devastated Aleppo, in a surprise move nearly two weeks after declaring an all-out assault to capture the city.

Once Syria's commercial hub, Aleppo has been divided by rebel groups in the east and regime forces in the west since violence erupted there in 2012.

The military announced the offensive to capture the whole city on September 22, ushering in a ferocious bombing campaign on opposition-held quarters that a monitor says has killed 270 people, including 53 children.

But Wednesday it said the bombardment would be reduced "after the success of our armed forces in Aleppo and cutting off all terrorist supply routes into the eastern districts".

"The military command has decided to reduce the number of air strikes and artillery on terrorist positions to allow civilians that want to leave to reach safe areas," said a statement.

It was not immediately clear what was behind the move, or if Russian air strikes would also be reduced.

The announcement came as Russia's TASS news agency said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US counterpart John Kerry discussed Syria by phone on Wednesday.

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been waging their offensive on the city with the backing of Russian air power.

But the onslaught has come under intense international scrutiny amid accusations it was indiscriminate and devastating civilian infrastructure.

Air strikes were still taking place on Wednesday but were focused on the southern edges of Aleppo city, according to Rami Abdel Rahman of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"Syrian regime forces advanced from the city centre north into (rebel-held) Bustan al-Basha, and seized a large athletic complex there," Rahman said.

This was the first time the regime had entered the district since 2013 and there had been fierce clashes, he added.

On Monday, October 3, bombardment destroyed the largest hospital in rebel-held quarters, where an estimated 250,000 people live under government siege.

Hours later, Washington announced it would halt bilateral efforts with Moscow aimed at reviving a ceasefire, accusing Russia of trying to bomb civilians "into submission".

'Deeply shocking and shameful'

But Moscow said Wednesday the "responsibility for the collapse of the truce lies with the US" given its decision to suspend contacts.

In another sign of increasing tensions, Russia said it was suspending joint research with the United States on nuclear energy projects.

Moscow and Washington's top diplomats had been working together since early this year to reach a solution to Syria's bloodshed, which has killed more than 300,000 people since 2011.

An agreement in September had envisioned an end to hostilities, increased aid deliveries, and eventual coordination between the two world powers against jihadists – but it collapsed after a week.

Since then, France has stepped into the diplomatic vacuum with a draft UN resolution on a truce in Aleppo that it will submit to the Security Council this week.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault will travel to Moscow on Thursday and Washington on Friday to try to garner support for the draft, his office said.

"I'm going to Moscow to give the view of France: this is unacceptable, it is deeply shocking and shameful", Ayrault said. "We must stop this massacre."

His ministry said the resolution calls for aid deliveries to the city's east, as well as the grounding of all Syrian and Russian planes in the area.

Strike kills 19 civilians

The United Nations concluded an air strike was responsible for the devastating attack on an aid convoy in northern Syria last month that killed nearly 20 people.

Lars Bromley, a researcher at the UN satellite collection and analysis agency, said his group's analysis "determined it was an air strike".

US officials have said Russian planes carried out the strikes on September 19 that hit the 31-truck convoy bringing aid to a town west of Aleppo.

Moscow has denied the accusation, and its military is carrying out its own investigation of the bombing, which destroyed 18 trucks and damaged a warehouse.

Russia and the US back opposing sides of Syria's war, with Washington lending support to some rebel groups and Moscow bolstering Assad both militarily and diplomatically.

Both countries are waging separate bombing campaigns against jihadist groups in Syria.

On Wednesday, unidentified raids on a northern village held by the Islamic State (ISIS) group killed 19 civilians including three children, according to the Observatory.

The monitor said it was unclear whether the strike on the village of Thalthana was carried out by the US-led coalition fighting ISIS, or Turkey, which is leading an operation against ISIS territory nearby. – Rappler.com

BRASILIA, Brazil – Brazil's ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva faced new corruption charges Wednesday, October 5, connected to a construction project involving his nephew in Angola, in the latest threat to his comeback hopes.

Federal police said "a political figure, 7 executives of the company Odebrecht and two associates of the company Exergia" were charged with corruption and money laundering.

Lula – a hero to the Latin American left and once a supremely popular president – is the politician in question, the official Agencia Brasil news service confirmed.

The police said a 10-month investigation revealed that construction giant Odebrecht paid 20 million reais in bribes – worth approximately $9.6 million at the time of the alleged crimes – to Exergia, the company of Lula's nephew.

In return, Lula is alleged to have used his influence to help Odebrecht secure a loan from Brazil's development bank, the BNDES, to finance its Angola project. He is charged with influence-peddling and bribe-taking, Agencia Brasil said.

Estadao de Sao Paulo newspaper named the executives indicted alongside Lula as his nephew Taiguara Rodrigues, the former head of Odebrecht, Marcelo Odebrecht, and other Odebrecht executives.

The charges will be examined by prosecutors and, if approved, sent on to a judge who must also give the green light for a trial to take place.

Rodrigues began working with his company Exergia in Angola – a Portuguese-speaking country that has close contacts with Brazil – from 2007, Brazilian media reported. He went on to win a large contract with Odebrecht in 2012, Estadao reported.

Charges piling up

Prosecutors have separately named Lula, 70, as the mastermind of a huge corruption scheme in which the state oil company Petrobras was systematically plundered by a network of executives, politicians and big contractors such as Odebrecht. Marcelo Odebrecht is currently serving a 19-year prison sentence for Petrobras-related crimes.

Lula already faces two court cases. One concerns alleged bribes taken from OAS, another construction company that allegedly benefitted from sweetheart deals with Petrobras, and an obstruction of justice case.

The Brazilian media reported the Angola-related charges hours before the police confirmed them.

The Lula Institute, which represents the ex-president, said in a statement that lawyers would "analyze the document from the federal police, which was leaked by the media and revealed in a sensational way before the defense had access."

Lula is the victim of a "media massacre... to try to destroy the image of the most popular president in the country's history," the institute added.

The former president has repeatedly stated his innocence, saying he is being targeted to prevent him from trying to return to power in the 2018 presidential election.

Lula served from 2003-2010 and left office with sky-high ratings and international approval for his work lifting tens of millions of Brazilians from poverty while presiding over an economic boom.

He remains one of the most popular potential candidates for 2018, opinion polls show.

However, the Workers' Party, which he founded, was trounced in municipal elections on Sunday and Lula's legacy severely tainted by corruption scandals and the steep decline of the economy.

His chosen successor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed from the presidency in August after being found guilty of breaking budget laws. Her former vice president and political enemy, the center-right veteran Michel Temer, took over the presidency.

If Lula is convicted of a crime, he could be barred from political office for a period stretching well beyond the 2018 election. – Rappler.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida, USA – The sun was shining in Florida on Wednesday, October 5, but all the talk was about Matthew, a monster hurricane roaring north from the Bahamas that threatens to pummel the coast with winds of 120 miles (195 kilometers) per hour.

As residents of a subtropical state, Floridians know what to do with a storm barreling in. Authorities acted in haste, opening shelters for people and pets, distributing free sand bags, and suspending toll charges on the highways.

On Wednesday morning, residents of Volusia County in central Florida received the formal warning on their mobile devices, a haunting and urgent message that a hurricane was on the way.

"I cannot emphasize it enough that everyone in our state must prepare now for a direct hit," said Florida Governor Rick Scott, as evacuation orders were issued – some voluntary, some mandatory – across different parts of the state.

The storm is expected to hit Florida's east coast on Thursday night, October 6, as a Category 3 or 4 – a major hurricane in either case.

Beaches sat empty, theme parks were on high alert, and schools and universities closed for the rest of the week, with gas station lines starting to form as some residents prepared to head west.

'Florida has been here before'

In Daytona Beach – a tourist town northeast of Orlando – waves of 3 feet (a meter) high or more lashed the coast. Canned food began to disappear from store shelves but there were no orders to evacuate.

"We're not really afraid, Florida has been through this thing for years," said Rick Basel, 63, a retiree who was loading his car with enough food and water from the supermarket to last 3 or 4 days.

Despite the sense of calm, Floridians prepared for a battle.

On one coastal boulevard, a woman named Linda Kaplan hammered wooden planks over the windows, saying they were the same ones she used to protect against 2004's Charley, the last hurricane that tore through here.

"We're hoping this time it skirts and misses us," she said.

Normally teeming with tourists, Daytona Beach was deserted. It was a bad day for business, said one barista.

In a working class neighborhood further west, residents gathered free sandbags to guard against flooding.

Over the course of the day, 50 to 100 people circled a giant mound of sand, shoveling it into bags to be tucked into doorways and garage openings – a scene reminiscent of a child's piñata party.

Cedrik Davis, a worker drenched in sweat from the manual labor of the task, said he planned to stay and protect his home, even if evacuations were ordered.

"I believe in God, everything will work out," he said.

Hurricane warnings

According to the National Hurricane Center, Matthew was expected to strike eastern Florida as a major Category 3 hurricane or stronger after leaving the Bahamas.

The warning extended from Golden Beach, some 21 miles (34 kilometers) north of Miami, all the way to Flagler and Volusia Counties in central Florida.

To the south, a tropical storm warning was issued for the Miami area and westward across the Everglades to the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Northern Florida and parts of Georgia were under a hurricane watch, meaning severe winds and rain were possible by late Friday.

In the terminology of the NHC, a "warning" means conditions are imminent, while a "watch" means they are possible in the next 48 hours.

Matthew hit Cuba and Haiti as a Category 4 storm, and by Wednesday evening was taking aim at the Bahamas as a slightly weaker – but still powerful – Category 3. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Influential prison gang leader Jaybee Sebastian was a no-show at the House inquiry into the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) on Thursday, October 6.

Sebastian was still confined at the Medical Center Muntinlupa after sustaining wounds on his chest and lungs at a recent riot at the NBP’s Building 14, which houses high-profile inmates.

The House committee on justice subpoenaed Sebastian after past witnesses claimed that he supposedly collected millions of drug money at the Bilibid for Senator Leila De Lima when she was justice secretary, to help fund her 2016 senatorial campaign.

On Thursday, Mindoro Oriental 2nd District Representative Reynaldo Umali, House panel chairperson, asked Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Sebastian’s absence.

Aguirre then read from a medical certificate issued on October 5 by Sebastian’s attending physician, who explained that the high-profile inmate is still nursing his injuries. 

“The patient still with bilateral test tubes repeat X-ray was done this morning, but still with persistent hemathorax and still not advisable to have the tubes pulled out at present,” read Aguirre. 

A hemothorax is a collection of blood in the space between the chest wall and the lung.

After explaining Sebastian’s absence, Aguirre requested for the postponement of the hearing scheduled for October 6 to give the his department time to get Sebastian to appear along with another inmate Vicente Sy, who was also injured during the riot.

Aguirre also explained to Umali that he needed to appear at the Senate the next day to defend the DOJ’s proposed budget for 2017.

Umali agreed. “I think that’s important also ‘yung budget ninyo and as courtesy na rin to our co-equal chamber (I think your budget is also important and this will also be courtesy to our co-equal chamber),” he said.

The House committee on justice’s hearing set for October 6 was then moved to October 10

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez had earlier expressed his suspicion over the NBP riot, saying “forces” were out to stop Sebastian from appearing at the House of Representatives. 

Prior to the Bilibid incident, Aguirre said that Sebastian – a government asset, according to De Lima – was only willing to testify about the anomalies on the food supply in the NBP.

Later, Sebastian’s lawyer, Eduardo Arriba, said his client would only bare what he knew about Bilibid drugs to President Rodrigo Duterte but the latter rejected this.

According to Arriba, Sebastian is set to file charges against De Lima and top NBP officials for graft, violation of ethical standards for public officials, and torture. – Rappler.com

KAPITAN-ANDREEVO, Bulgaria – The EU's beefed-up version of its struggling border force goes into operation Thursday, October 6, as the squabbling bloc struggles to find a unified strategy to tackle its worst migration crisis since World War II.

European Union officials were due to inaugurate the new task force at the Kapitan-Andreevo checkpoint on the Bulgarian-Turkish border, the main land frontier via which migrants try to enter the bloc to avoid the dangerous Mediterranean sea crossing.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (EBCG) will have at the ready some 1,500 officers from 19 member states who can be swiftly mobilized in case of emergency such as a sudden rush of migrants.

Brussels hopes the revamped agency will not just increase security, but also help heal the huge rifts that have emerged between western and eastern member states clashing over the EU's refugee policies.

The long-term goal is to lift the border controls inside the bloc and restore the passport-free Schengen Zone.

A day before attending the launch, EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos hailed the inauguration as a "historic moment" for Europe.

The boosted force is an expansion of Frontex, founded in 2004 to help coordinate Europe-wide efforts to combat people smuggling and illegal migration.

The agency, based in Warsaw, proved inefficient last year when it was caught off guard by the hundreds of thousands of people that began trekking up from Greece along the so-called western Balkan route towards northern Europe.

With limited staffing levels and powers, Frontex was unable to effectively patrol the EU's external borders, including of frontline countries Greece and Italy where most migrants enter.

The uncontrolled arrival of well over a million people, many fleeing war in Syria, triggered chaos on the continent, prompting key transit nations along the migrant trail to seal their borders with fences.

The flow also sparked fierce tensions inside the bloc, with eastern and central European nations lambasting Germany's "open door" policy which they say allowed Islamist radicals to pose as refugees and help carry out attacks inside Europe.

Identifying weaknesses

However, in a rare show of unity, all 28 member states agreed on the creation of the new border agency earlier this year.

Crucially, it "will provide support to all member states and be able to identify and intervene to address weaknesses in advance, and not when it's too late," the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said in a statement in June. 

The agency will also be involved in the repatriation of migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected or who are considered a security threat.

"(The agency) represents a boost for our efforts to guarantee the safety of Bulgarian and European citizens," Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said recently.

Bulgaria has already strung up a barbed wire fence that will soon cover most of its 259-kilometer (160-mile) border with Turkey.

The estimated 13,000 migrants stranded inside the country remain modest compared to the 60,000 stuck in Greece or the 140,000 who have crossed the Mediterranean to Italy so far this year. 

But with its migrant centers overflowing, the EU's poorest member is still worried it will become a "buffer state" if a shaky EU deal with Turkey breaks down after the July coup attempt.

It is unclear how the new border force will help tackle the growing influx from North Africa to Italy. 

More than 3,500 migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean so far this year, latest figures show. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Another two inmates of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) received immunity from Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez for testifying at the House probe into the proliferation of drugs inside the prison.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II told the House committee on justice that witnesses and NBP convicts Nonilo Arile and Engelberto Durano requested to received immunity on Thursday, October 6, the 3rd day of the probe. 

Alvarez then issued his letters of approval at around 11 am.

The letters read: "Under Section 12 of the aforementioned Act, you shall be entitled to immunity from any and all criminal prosecution for the offense or offenses in which your testimony will be given or used and all the rights and benefits provided under Section 8 of the same law; Provided, that you shall tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in the said legislative investigation."

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez grants immunity to House probe witnesses Durano and Arile. Photos from Speaker&#39;s office <a href="http://go.rappler.com/https://twitter.com/rapplerdotcom">@rapplerdotcom</a> <a href="http://go.rappler.com/https://t.co/0viLKXdU5G">pic.twitter.com/0viLKXdU5G</a></p>&mdash; Mara Cepeda (@maracepeda) <a href="http://go.rappler.com/https://twitter.com/maracepeda/status/783865541958086656">October 6, 2016</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

That makes a total of 12 witnesses who received immunity from the Speaker, who is allied with President Rodrigo Duterte. (READ: Immunity granted to 4 more witnesses in Bilibid drugs probe)

The House of Representatives is currently investigating the illegal drug trade inside the NBP when De Lima, the President's fiercest critic, was still justice secretary. 

Witnesses previously testified before congressmen that De Lima supposedly allowed drugs to proliferate inside the NBP, allegedly benefiting from millions of drug money to fund her 2016 senatorial bid.

Among her alleged bagmen are her former security aide Joenel Sanchez, who is testifying on Thursday but did not request for immunity, and her former driver and bodyguard Ronnie Dayan, with whom Duterte accused De Lima of having an illicit affair.

The President himself first brought to public attention a supposed sex video of De Lima, which was originally planned to be presented at the House investigation. Alvarez said he saw nothing wrong with publicizing the video as it would reveal the true relationship between De Lima and Dayan. (READ: Establishing evidence: Alternatives to showing the 'De Lima' video)

This was met by strong opposition from various groups and female lawmakers, prompting Aguirre on October 4 to announce that the video will no longer be shown. – Rappler.com

BRUSSELS, Belgium – International donors pledged $15.2 billion at a conference in Brussels on Wednesday, October 5, to get Afghanistan through the next 4 years, urging the Taliban to make peace after years of war.

As fresh fighting raged in the strategic northern city of Kunduz, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was in the Belgian capital seeking aid from officials from 75 countries and more than 20 global organizations.

Despite fears of donor fatigue due to the Syria war, the amount pledged is only slightly less than the 4 billion dollars a year that world powers promised at the last Afghanistan conference in Tokyo in 2012.

"Some were skeptical that we are going to face donor fatigue after 15 years," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told a press conference alongside Ghani after the conference.

"And here we are today being able to announce that international countries pledged... 15.2 billion dollars, which is exceeding our most rosy pictures of even yesterday."

The EU was the biggest pledger with $5.6 billion, followed by the United States.

In return for the money, Afghanistan promised reforms on corruption and human rights, and also agreed to take back migrants from Europe more quickly.

'An end to aid'

Ghani hailed a "remarkable day" and vowed that his government would fulfill its commitments.

"It is our responsibility to carve a future and deliver," he said. "That means also proposing an end to aid, not a perpetual dependence on aid."

Afghanistan remains dependent on foreign cash and support from a limited NATO military presence.

For security, NATO nations already committed at a summit in Warsaw in July to maintain troop numbers in Afghanistan at around 13,000 and uphold a pledge of $5 billion a year to fund local forces until 2020.

But the country remains wracked by violence. Afghan forces battled the Taliban for a third day in Kunduz on Wednesday as food ran short and scores fled the city, witnesses told Agence France-Presse.

Meanwhile in Kabul a suicide bomber targeted a minibus carrying government officials, wounding four people, a day after a US soldier was killed by a bomb in the east.

Fifteen years almost to the day since the start of the US-led operation to topple the Taliban after 9/11, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Taliban militants to make an "honorable" peace with Kabul.

He said they should follow the "model" example of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the notorious Afghan warlord and US-designated "global terrorist", who signed a peace deal with the Afghan government in September.

Moves for a peace settlement also got a push from Mogherini, who said a dinner of regional players including China, India and Pakistan on Tuesday had "found common ground" for the Afghan peace process.

She added that the EU "will try to facilitate this as much as possible in the coming months".

'Lost opportunity'

In exchange for the money pledged in Brussels, donors will expect the Kabul government to make efforts to tackle spiraling corruption and waste, while working on political reform and human rights.

The United States has spent around $110 billion on Afghanistan's reconstruction since 2001, more than the cost of the Marshall Plan that rebuilt a devastated Europe after World War II, but with limited results.

Sayed Ikram Afzali, executive director of Integrity Watch Afghanistan, the sole anti-corruption watchdog until now, said donors should have set tighter conditions.

"This very conference itself is a lost opportunity in terms of fighting corruption because a lot could have been done better in terms of setting up benchmarks," he said.

On the eve of the conference the EU and Kabul announced they had struck a controversial deal to speed up Afghanistan's taking back of migrants from Europe, which faces its biggest refugee crisis since World War II.

The plan involves possibly building a dedicated terminal for deportees at Kabul airport. EU officials have however denied that aid pledges will depend on Kabul accepting the return of 80,000 asylum-seekers.

Afghan civil society groups have criticized the plan.

"We call on the European countries but also the Afghan government to suspend the deportation of Afghan refugees who are in Europe,"  said Maiwand Rahyab, executive director of the Afghan Institute for Civil Society. – Rappler.com