MIAMI, USA (UPDATED) – Hurricane Matthew lashed the southeastern US coast with driving wind and rain Friday, October 7, flooding streets with ocean water, leaving more than a million people without power and claiming 4 lives.

Millions of Americans were subject to evacuation orders and curfews were slapped on cities as the lethal storm barreled north after killing at least 400 people in Haiti, and storming through Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic – where it left 4 dead – and the Bahamas.

"The weather experts have described Matthew as a once in a 100-year type of storm," said Mayor Lenny Curry in Jacksonville, Florida, home to 850,000 people – nearly half of whom had been evacuated.

"We want our citizens to be safe. Our focus throughout this event has been public safety." (READ: Hurricane Matthew: What we know)

Matthew savaged Haiti as a ruinous Category 4 hurricane, but weakened as it approached the US mainland, where emergency services were on lockdown and millions of people were urged to evacuate.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Matthew packed 110-mile (175-kilometer) an hour winds, with torrential rains and storm surges of up to 10 feet (3 meters) capable of devastating damage.

"This is still a really dangerous hurricane," said President Barack Obama. "The potential for storm surge, flooding, loss of life and severe property damage continues to exist."

He has declared federal states of emergency in Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina. Authorities struck almost apocalyptic tones, with increasingly urgent warning to evacuate coastal and low-lying areas, but many heeded no intention, hunkering down at home.

'Pray'

Torrential rain and strong winds lashed cities, bringing down trees, causing tall buildings to sway after night fell and turning normally bustling population centers into ghost towns.

At least 4 people died in Florida – two women killed by falling trees – a 3rd woman from a heart attack and an 82-year-old man who experienced stroke-like symptoms and whom paramedics could not reach.

Matthew damaged roofs at the Kennedy Space Center but spared Florida's heavily populated south-central coast a direct hit. "The worst effects are still likely to come," warned Governor Rick Scott.

In St Augustine – a one-time Spanish colony that calls itself the nation's oldest city – roads were deserted, many blocked by downed trees or flooded with ocean water and the city eerily empty under darkly menacing skies.

Mayor Nancy Shaver said up to half the population in vulnerable zones had refused to evacuate. Officials up and down the coast urged people to stay at home once the storm moved in.

Across the state, 1.1 million people were left without power, about 11% of customers, officials confirmed.

The center of Matthew, now a Category Two storm, was expected to pass near northeast Florida and coastal Georgia overnight into Saturday, October 8, before raking the South Carolina coast, weakening but retaining hurricane force until moving out to sea on Sunday, October 9, the NHC predicted.

Evacuation orders covered some 3 million residents, with cities like Jacksonville and Savannah, Georgia in the storm path.

Cities including Savannah and Charleston in South Carolina ordered dusk to dawn curfews to keep people off the streets and guard against looting.

"Pray," Republican Congressman Buddy Carter, whose district includes the Georgia coast, told a news conference. "Pray that this storm moves offshore and doesn't come in to harm anyone."

'Don't want to die'

Matthew was expected to dump up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) of rain along the Georgia coast, where Governor Nathan Deal ordered 6 counties home to nearly a half-million people to evacuate.

The presidential candidates – Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton – received briefings on the storm from homeland security and each offered messages of solidarity to those affected.

Around 2,200 vulnerable people, including the sick, the elderly and young families, were bused out of Savannah. Officials threatened to arrest anyone caught defying a night-time curfew.

"To save my life, I'd leave home anytime," said Eugene Johnson, 40, a fork lift operator leaving with his 76-year-old father who recently suffered a stroke and has a heart condition.

"You gotta evacuate. If you stay, that's like signing a death certificate. I don't want to die, I've got to take care of my dad."

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division tweeted that the situation was "DIRE for barrier islands" most exposed to the ocean.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said the storm was "getting worse." More than 300,000 of the 500,000 people in at-risk areas had been evacuated but that "was not enough."

Some coastal islands, Haley added, "will be under water." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte cited China's assistance in helping build a "dormitory" for drug addicts in Nueva Ecija while blasting the United States and European Union for not being as helpful.

"It is only China helping us. I requested the miitary to open their accounts to allow people who would want to donate rehab houses. China is about to complete, walang hambog, walang news, it's about to be completed," said Duterte on Friday, October 7, during the Banana Congress in Davao City.

The rehabilitation facility is to stand in Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija. According to Duterte, it will be able to house 1,400 drug addicts.

The Palace earlier said 4 rehab centers would be built in military camps in 2016. In mid-September, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial flew to China to sign a deal for the construction of a 10,000-bed "mega" treatment and rehabilitation center in Fort Magsaysay.

Duterte compared China's supposed helpfulness to the critical attitude of the US and EU towards his administration.

US President Barack Obama and members of the European Parliament have issued statements on their concern over his drug war. 

"You, instead of helping us, you know very well that I entered the presidency midterm and I was operating now my budget that is not mine," said Duterte, his way of explaining why the country still lacks drug rehab centers.

On top of the criticism, Duterte claims the EU has threatened to cut developmental aid from the Philippines.

"You've been threateneing to cut aids and everything. Who do you think you are? Without your aid, fine, we will survive. But do not threaten me...son of a gun," said an incensed Duterte.

As for the US, Duterte repeated his decision to end US-Philippines war games, but said doing so does not mean putting an end to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement which both countries signed.

"The war games is not part of EDCA," he said, saying he was informed of this by "lawyers."

But Duterte, still smarting from Obama reminding him of possible human rights violations in his drug war, reminded the US that their presence in Manila led to the city's destruction during World War II.

"In the Battle of Manila, 200,000 Filipinos died because you were here," he said.

Duterte again said he does not mind severing ties with the US in the future.

"For as long as I am there, do not treat us like a doormat because you’ll be sorry for it. I will not stick with you. I can always go to China... I have met [Russian Prime Minister] Medvedev during the summit," he said.

Duterte also lectured Obama on how to best call his attention to concern on human rights violations. (READ: Duterte's advice to critics: Don't lecture me in public)

Duterte suggested Obama wait for a UN report on extrajudicial killings before making any statements.

"Ask them to investigate and to make a report and that is the time you call my attention. Get it?" said the Philippine President.

He previously invited the UN, the EU, and US President Obama to come to the Philippines to do their own investigation of the unlawful killings. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines — Seven drug suspects were killed when police operatives conducted a "One Time Big Time" drug raid at a Filipino-Muslim community along Palanca St. in Quiapo, Manila on Friday, October 7.

The raid also resulted in the arrest of at least 200 other suspects.

The Islamic Center of Barangay 648 was the main target of the operations between the combined efforts of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), Special Action Force, Manila Police District SWAT and anti-illegal drugs operatives.

Manila Police District Director S/Supt. Joel Coronel said that the firefight between the police and drug suspects ended in 7 casualties, including Barangay 648 chairman Faiz Macabato, who was considered a high-value target and has a bounty of P1 million for his arrest, and two other former barangay councilors.

Confiscated from the raid are firearms and grenades with at least 60 sachets of shabu from the 263 drug suspects arrested.

The raid, which was also conducted in other places in Manila – including a slum area near the Baseco Compound – resulted in numerous drug suspect arrests. There was also one suspect killed.

The anti-drug activities coincide with the 100th day since President Rodrigo Duterte took office. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte said he is planning to meet Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari in Davao City on the week of October 10.

"Si Nur, next week he is coming out of his lair in Jolo and I will have him escorted sa Davao and we will talk," said Duterte on Friday, October 7, during a speech at the Mentor Me Program launch in Davao City.

Duterte has said he has instructed law enforcers not to arrest Misuari though he has been charged for inciting rebellion and crimes against humanity.

The 77-year-old Moro separatist leader had a key role in the Zamboanga siege that claimed nearly 200 casualties and displaced thousands of families.

But Duterte believes the Mindanao peace process can only move forward if he involves Misuari and the MNLF aside from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Duterte flew to Jolo supposedly to meet Misuari or his envoy last August 12 but Misuari was a no-show.

The MILF and the Duterte government have resumed peace talks and are working on a new bill to replace the Bangsamoro Basic Law that failed to pass in the last Congress.

Misuari recently helped facilitate the release of Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstand and Indonesian hostages from the Abu Sayyaf. A Rappler report, however, shows he earned from the release as well. (READ: Duterte: Misuari has lost control over young Moros)

Peace in Mindanao was among Duterte's major campaign promises in the 2016 elections.

Supposedly to ensure the progress of peace talks, he has said he might order US troops out of Mindanao to diffuse tension among Moro groups who don't want the troops in the region.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The government may have an 8888 hotline, but President Rodrigo Duterte wants to go one step further: To have a television show just for receiving citizen complaints.

"There is a, Malacañang TV, PTV 4, so may program ako diyan (I will have a program there). I'll give about every morning, one hour. Lahat ng Pilipino na nakatikim ng (All Filipinos that have tasted) – whether it's in the permit sa office of the mayor or an electrical clearance or a way of right already paid but unimplemented. I-text mo na lang 'yung name ng (Just text the name of) government official," said Duterte on Friday, October 7.

He was speaking at the Banana Congress in Davao City.

In another event later that day, Duterte elaborated on the television show. He said there would be "no one talking" but that during the show, citizens will be able to text their complaints and the complaints will reach him.

He instructed citizens to text the name of the government official, the time and location of the incident, and the complaint itself.

"I will immediately call him to Malacañang and I will demand an explanation why," said Duterte on what would happen to government officials or employees complained about.

He said he would tell them: "Putangina mo...huwag mo ako pahiyain kasi itong akin pangkatotohanan. I want to have a good name." (You son of a bitch...Don't embarrass me because I want the truth. I want to have a good name.)

Duterte would then "see to it" that the erring government official or personnel is dismissed.

The President then appealed to Filipinos to help him weed out corruption from the government, among his central campaign promises in the 2016 elections.

"If you do not help me ferret out the bad guys, huwag kayo magcomplain ng corruption, corruption (don't complain about corruption)," he said. 

Duterte did not say if he himself will host the compaints show but Communications Secretary Martin Andanar had previously announced a TV show to be hosted by the President is in the works.

The show would be entitled "Mula Sa Masa, Para Sa Masa," taking inspiration from a Sunday show Duterte hosted as Davao City mayor.

In fact, Assistant Secretary Ramon Cualoping III had told Rappler that the studio for the show has been ready since July. Duterte's busy schedule, however, has prevented any taping or shooting for the show.– Rappler.com

YANGON, Myanmar – A member of Myanmar's ruling pro-democracy party has pressed charges against two villagers for insulting the government's new leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a police officer said Friday, October 7.

Suu Kyi steered her National League for Democracy (NLD) into power earlier this year after championing a decades-long struggle against military rule.

Her administration has vowed to expand freedoms in the fledgling democracy but limits on expression remain – as does a culture of charging critics with defamation. 

The latest case saw two men charged for allegedly going on an obscenity-laced rant against the Nobel Laureate after a heavy evening drinking session in a village not far from the capital Naypyidaw.

Local police chief Zaw Khin Aung said the two men used "insulting words" against 71-year-old Suu Kyi.

"An NLD member sent a complaint letter to the police and sued two people for abusing the state counsellor," he told AFP. 

"We know these two people but we have not arrested them yet," he added.

According to local news site the Democratic Voice of Burma, the two men called Suu Kyi a "hag" who deserved to be murdered. 

Suu Kyi is adored by many in Myanmar and her party trounced historic polls in November, the first free election in decades.   

Despite soaring hopes her administration would nurture a new era of free expression, several people have been prosecuted for defamation since her party took over in late March.

A man was jailed for nine months in September for calling Myanmar's president, Suu Kyi's long time friend and ally, "crazy" in a Facebook post. That case was also brought by a local NLD member.

In July a local official in central Magway region was charged with defamation for referring to Suu Kyi with a slur on Facebook.   – Rappler.com

ZAMBALES, Philippines (Updated) – Philippine and United States marines on Friday afternoon, October 7, played war games for what could be the last time in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), to show they could work together to defeat an invader of a Philippine island.

It was a display of American military hardware. From the sea, US landing dock USS Germantown pushed out 13 Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAVs) that rushed toward the shores of a naval base in Zambales province, north of Manila.

The AAVs whirred as they moved from water to sand and to the muddy terrain of the naval base. Each one carried 20 marines – 10 Filipinos and 10 Americans – assigned to clear specific areas of imagined enemies. 

US Marine Major Roger Hollenbeck explains scenario of the US, PH war games in Zambales pic.twitter.com/SZzzg6dTXZ

— Carmela Fonbuena (@carmelafonbuena) October 8, 2016

White flares were fired to illuminate the imagined battlefield, and then green flares to signal the assault. The rifles crackled from a distance.

The maneuvers were repeated on and on to synchronize the militaries of the two longtime allies bound by the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) to come to the aid of the other if its sovereignty was threatened. 

"This exercise between the Philippine Marine Corps and the US Marine Corps gives us the opportunity to increase our level of capabilities and capacity. Doing this jointly will enable us to respond to any scenario in the future," said Philippine Marines Public Affairs Office director Captain Ryan Lacuesta. 

"The marines on both sides love working together. The Philippines is a magnificent place to train and visit," said US Marine Major Roger Hollenbeck.

PH Marines public affairs office director Captain Ryan Lacuesta explains what PH troops learned from the war games on Friday pic.twitter.com/EETBL6JX0l

— Carmela Fonbuena (@carmelafonbuena) October 8, 2016

War games in Zambales are often linked to the maritime dispute over Scarborough Shoal, seen as a show of strength to deter China's aggressiveness in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Scarborough Shoal, a traditional Filipino fishing ground located less than 200 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales, is practically occupied by Chinese Coast Guard ships that shoo away fishermen of other nationalities. 

But the war games on Friday may be the last the Philippine and American forces will play on the West Philippine Sea if President Rodrigo Duterte sticks to his earlier pronouncement that this week's exercises will be the last because "China doesn't like them."

A few more war games will be conducted until Wednesday, October 12.

Duterte also put under review a military-to-military agreement forged by the previous Aquino administration, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, that seeks to increase US presence in the country. 

The Philippines has informed the US that joint patrols on disputed waters are already suspended, but plans for more war games continue pending clear instructions from Duterte. 

Duterte said he does not believe that the US will come to the aid of the Philippines if the West Philippine Sea dispute explodes into an armed conflict. Duterte said he would talk to China to ask them to allow Filipino fishermen in Scarborough Shoal. 

The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that Scarborough Shoal is a common fishing ground, but China is ignoring the ruling. 

As Duterte seeks to demilitarize the West Philippine Sea, the US is now highlighting the value of these training exercises to humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

"What’s really important about this is it’s not just that we are projecting power, it's about the capability, and that capability, whether that’s used to fight an enemy or deliver supplies like we actually did in Louisina for Katrina," said Major Hollenbeck. 

"We use these AAVs to deliver supplies to affected areas. It’s about the integration, the planning together, doing that exercise together," Hollenbeck said. 

The Americans are hoping the war games will continue, said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

"When I talked to the Pacific Command in Hawaii last week, they still hoped that we’ll still continue with the exercises next year. We told them we will get definite guidelines from our president," said Lorenzana. – Rappler.com

DAVAO, Philippines – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, October 7, dared the United States' CIA spy agency to try and oust him, as he branded Western critics of his deadly crime war "animals" and vowed many more killings.

In two fiery speeches to mark his 100 days in office, Duterte repeatedly raised the prospect of local or foreign opponents seeking to remove him from power in an effort to stop the violence.

But he insisted he would not be intimidated and that his campaign against drugs, in which an average of more than 33 people a day are being killed, would not end.

"You want to oust me? You want to use the CIA? Go ahead," Duterte said in a speech in his southern home town of Davao city, referring to the Central Intelligence Agency, while railing against US President Barack Obama and other critics.

Last month Duterte accused the CIA of plotting to kill him, but gave no specifics.

Also on Friday he referred to a local newspaper columnist who warned a "People Power" movement could form to try and topple Duterte, using the term coined for the revolution that overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

"Be my guest. I don't give a shit," he said.

"I'll be ousted? Fine. (If so) it's part of my destiny. Destiny carries so many things. If I die, that's part of my destiny. Presidents get assassinated."

Duterte was elected in a landslide this year mainly on a pledge to eradicate illegal drugs in society by killing tens of thousands of people.

Since taking office on June 30, police have killed 1,523 people and 1,838 others have died in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures. 

A poll released this week showed Filipinos overwhelmingly approved of Duterte's first 100 days as president.

But rights groups have warned extrajudicial killings are out of control, with shadowy assassins murdering drug addicts, traffickers, petty criminals and opponents of powerful figures.

Duterte insists police are only killing in self-defense and the unexplained deaths are mainly due to drug gangs suddenly fighting each other. 

Duterte fuelled international concerns last week when he said he was "happy to slaughter" 3 million drug addicts, as he likened his campaign to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's efforts to exterminate Jews.

He later apologized for the Hitler reference, but said he was "emphatic" about wanting to kill millions of addicts.

On Friday, Duterte again promised there would be no let-up.

"The drug campaign will not end. It will result in so many deaths and I do not apologize for it," he said in Davao.

In a barrage of separate tirades against his Western critics, Duterte told them not to think they were smarter than him and he would be prepared with many counter questions if they interrogated him.

"If they are unable to answer, son of a whore, go home, you animal. I will kick you now. Do not piss me off. It cannot be that they are brighter than me, believe me," he said. – Rappler.com

MIAMI, USA – The United States marked its first known fatality from Hurricane Matthew as the Category 3 storm lashing the Florida coast claimed the life of a resident there, fire officials said Friday, October 7.

A woman in her late 50s suffered a medical emergency in her home in central Florida's St. Lucie County, but high winds prevented fire officials from reaching her, a fire spokeswoman told AFP.

"We were unable to respond safely and unfortunately she died," said St. Lucie County Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Chaney.

The powerful storm surged through the Caribbean earlier this week, at times as a powerful Category 5 storm, killing at least 400 people in Haiti and 4 in the Dominican Republic. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Presidential son and Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, who was accused of being a drug user at a Senate probe, accepted the challenge of senators for him to undergo a drug test and dared them to do the same.

This dare came after Duterte publicly accused – without details or evidence – an unnamed senator of using cocaine.

"If the rank and file could submit themselves to drug testing, the more should those elected in public office,” Vice Mayor Duterte said in a statement.

A simple drug test is not enough, as the vice mayor said a “more precise” examination should be done to detect illegal substances in hair samples. He then suggested that they all go to "a high-precision drugs test center" in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

“Many of them, if not all, may have submitted themselves to a simple drug test before, but I encourage them to undergo the more precise examinations available in Metro Manila that would not just detect illegal drugs in urine or blood but even in hair follicles," Duterte said.

He said that the hair follicle drug test would trace 7 major drug classes like cocaine, opiates, metamphetamine, marijuana, ketamine, and benzodiazepine.

Senators: Name names

The public allegation made by the vice mayor did not sit well with some senators, who said all senators are now looked upon as possible drug user.

Senators Panfilo Lacson, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Juan Edgardo Angara challenged the presidential son to name the senator once and for all.

Trillanes, one of the critics of President Rodrigo Duterte, was the first to dare the younger Duterte.

“Sa akin wag na tayo mag blind item. If he’s sure about his information sabihin mo. Peperwisyuhin mo pa yung 23 na hindi naman addict, assuming that’s true, kasi i-clear pa lahat namin. Eh hindi ganun. It doesn’t work that way,” Trillanes said on Thursday, October 6.

(For me, let's not do blind items. If he's sure about his information, then tell it. You are going to hassle the 23 other senators who are not addicts, assuming that is true, because we have to clear our names. It's not like that. It does not work that way.)

He then denied that he is a cocaine user.

“Basta ako I’m sure that I’m not that senator. I believe siguro kung mapapangalan nya eh di mas matutukoy natin. Pero kung blind item yan, mahirap pa yan,” said Trillanes.

(Me, I'm sure that I'm not that senator. I believe maybe if he could name them, we can pinpoint the real person. But if it's just a blind item, that's difficult.)

Lacson shared the same sentiment, saying it is now time for the younger Duterte to clear the name of other senators.

"He just put all 24 senators on the spot with his very serious accusation. He should therefore name him or her immediately. Otherwise all of us will be looked upon as a possible suspected cocaine user," said Lacson, chairman of the committee on public order and dangerous drugs.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III also denied he is the senator in question and urged his colleagues not to dwell on every issue thrown at them.

“Otherwise, all we would be doing is defensively reacting all the time,” Pimentel said.

Drug test for all senators?

Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III suggested that senators should undergo a drug test to dispel any suspicion.

"If the vice mayor will not name the senator, I suggest we all have drug tests to dispel any suspicion on any member of the Senate," Sotto said.

While Trillanes agrees with this, he said the test should be voluntarily done.

Angara, for his part, said he is willing to undergo a drug test to prove he is not a cocaine user.

"I think he should name names. There are 24 of us senators here, and all of us are suspect as it is now. He should clear the air to prevent unnecessary speculation by the public. Personally, I am even willing to undergo a drug test," said Angara.– Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – The United States declared Friday, October 7, that the bombing of civilians in Aleppo could amount to a war crime, as the diplomatic battle over the Syrian war moved to the United Nations.

US Secretary of State John Kerry made clear his mounting anger at the Russian-backed regime onslaught, declaring: "These are acts that beg for an appropriate investigation – war crimes."

France, meanwhile, was preparing to call a vote on Saturday, October 8, on a United Nations Security Council resolution to demand an end to Russia and Syria's aerial bombardment of Aleppo – a motion that Russia is all but certain to veto.

Russia countered with a draft resolution of its own, calling for a ceasefire and demanding access for humanitarian aid, but with no mention of restraining air power over the city.

President Bashar al-Assad's forces launched their assault on eastern Aleppo, home to around a quarter-of-a-million civilians, two weeks ago after a US-Russian brokered ceasefire fell apart.

The United States has since abandoned bilateral talks with Russia on restoring the truce, but a new effort to revive a multilateral peace-building effort has made no progress as fighting rages.

Meeting in Washington with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Kerry said Assad and Russia's jets had repeatedly and deliberately launched deadly strikes on hospitals.

"And those that commit these will be and should be held accountable for their actions," Kerry told reporters.

"This is a targeted strategy to terrorize civilians and to kill anybody and everybody who is in the way of their military objectives."

The blunt warning came amid soaring tensions, as US officials accused Russia of trying to manipulate the US election campaign through computer hacking and vowed to respond.

Ayrault said he would head to the United Nations on Saturday to make the case for a resolution demanding a ceasefire and a ban on Russian and Syrian jets overflying the city.

France's top diplomat, who met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, October 6, insisted that hope was not dead that the move could go somewhere, despite the clear threat of a Russian veto.

But Moscow's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters: "I cannot possibly see how we can let this resolution pass."

The Russian text, obtained by Agence France-Presse, "urges immediate implementation of the cessation of hostilities, in particular in Aleppo" and demands deliveries of humanitarian aid.

US officials are working on possible sanctions against Russian and Syrian individuals and companies involved in the siege, and Germany said it would not rule out backing possible international moves.

Once Syria's economic powerhouse, Aleppo has been ravaged by the war that has killed more than 300,000 since it began in March 2011.

At least 250,000 people remain in the rebel-held east of the city. They have been under near-continuous siege for months, and are now facing some of the most intense bombardment yet.

Raids earlier this week destroyed the largest hospital in the rebel-controlled east.

Indefinite deployment

The talks in Washington came after UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura warned that Aleppo could be totally destroyed before the end of the year.

De Mistura also called on the regime and Russia to halt strikes if fighters from the former Al-Nusra Front, now known as Fateh al-Sham Front, left the city, even offering to escort them out himself.

Lavrov said he could support a UN plan for the jihadist faction to leave Aleppo if other opposition groups renounced their ties to the former Al-Qaeda subsidiary.

Russia's parliament on Friday ratified a deal with Syria on the "indefinite" deployment of its forces in the country.

In a move seen as firming up Russia's long-term presence, lawmakers approved an accord signed last year that could allow Moscow to establish a permanent presence at its Hmeimim Air Base.

Aleppo life 'unbearable'

Fierce fighting has gripped several neighborhoods on the frontline dividing rebel groups from regime forces in western areas.

Government troops captured a hilltop south of the city, but rebels retook nearby positions, according to British-based watchdog the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Carlos Francisco, who heads the Syria branch of medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders, described the circumstances in Aleppo as "unbearable."

"The few remaining doctors with capability to save lives are also confronting death," he said.

Rebels have also intensified their rocket fire on government-held western Aleppo, where 4 people were killed in the Midan neighborhood, state television reported. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA (UPDATED) – US officials formally accused the Russian government Friday, October 7, of trying to "interfere" with the American presidential election, and vowed to respond at an undisclosed time and place.

The assertion against Russia comes with relations already frayed over NATO defenses and stalled efforts to end the bloody civil war in Syria.

A joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence was the first official accusation by Washington against Moscow in the spate of cyber attacks, although many analysts had said the hacks appeared to be from Russia.

A US administration official said Washington would respond to the cyber attacks, without offering details.

"We will take action to protect our interests, including in cyberspace, and we will do so at a time and place of our choosing," the official said.

"The public should not assume that they will necessarily know what actions have been taken or what actions we will take."

The official statement said the US intelligence community "is confident that the Russian government directed the recent compromises of emails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations."

"We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities," it added.

The Kremlin labeled the allegations as "rubbish."

"Every day (President Vladimir) Putin's website gets attacked by several tens of thousand of hackers," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agency Interfax.

"A lot of these attacks are traced to the territory of the USA, but we do not blame the White House or Langley each time."

The American statement said the disclosures of alleged hacked emails on WikiLeaks and other websites and by the online persona "Guccifer 2.0" were "consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts."

"These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process," the statement said.

The statement, however, stopped short of accusing Russia in the recent cyber attacks on state election databases.

"Some states have also recently seen scanning and probing of their election-related systems, which in most cases originated from servers operated by a Russian company," the statement said.

"However, we are not now in a position to attribute this activity to the Russian government."

It was not immediately clear how Washington would respond in the matter. Officials have in the past said any cyber attacks on important US institutions would prompt a response, which could take the form of diplomatic or economic sanctions, or possibly cyber measures. (READ: Russian hackers attack 2 US voter databases – reports)

'Strong response'

US Senator Dianne Feinstein, who last month said she and other lawmakers believed Moscow was seeking to disrupt the election, said the new statement "conveys the seriousness of the threat" to the vote.

"Attempted hacking of our election system is intolerable, and it's critical to convince the Russian government to cease these activities," the California senator said.

"If it does not, we must develop a strong response."

Jason Healey, a former White House director of critical infrastructure protection who is now a researcher at Columbia University and with the Atlantic Council, said the US has tools to respond.

"The initial response will be to protect and thwart what the other side wants to do," Healey told Agence France-Presse.

Healey said Washington is also capable of "counteroffensive cyber actions" which can limit or deter attacks.

"Don't attack them back but use our own cyber capabilities to disrupt them," he said.

"I would not call that offensive, it's counteroffensive."

The FBI has been investigating a leak of Democratic National Committee emails, which were published by WikiLeaks in July.

A hacker group using the name Guccifer 2.0 has also released leaked emails and has claimed to have hacked into the Clinton Foundation, led by former US president Bill Clinton, whose wife Hillary is the Democratic presidential nominee.

But the US statement said that "it would be extremely difficult for someone, including a nation-state actor, to alter actual ballot counts or election results by cyber attack or intrusion."

That is because of the decentralized nature of the US election system, which is operated by thousands of state and local government entities.  (READ: US election process: Quirky, months-long grind to glory) 

"States ensure that voting machines are not connected to the Internet, and there are numerous checks and balances as well as extensive oversight at multiple levels built into our election process," the statement said.

"Nevertheless, DHS continues to urge state and local election officials to be vigilant and seek cybersecurity assistance from DHS. A number of states have already done so." – Rappler.com

PAMPANGA, Philippines – They advertised nude photographs of underage girls to "predators" living in the United States. One of their 3 young victims was as young as 8 years old when the photos were sold.

On September 28, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Angeles City sentenced two Filipino women to 15 years imprisonment and slapped them with a P500,000 fine for exploiting 3 underage girls in Angeles City.

RTC Branch 61 Judge Bernardita Gabitan-Erum said Lyan Tandeg and Shellina Nisperos were “guilty beyond reasonable doubt for Attempted Trafficking in Persons” under Section 4-A of Republic Act 10364, the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.

Both opted to enter a plea of guilty to downgrade their offense from actual trafficking.

"Trafficking in persons" carries up to 40 years imprisonment and a fine of P1 million to P2 million, while "attempted trafficking in persons" is punishable only with 15 years imprisonment and P500,000 to P1 million fine. 

The court also ordered Tandeg and Nisperos to give each of the 3 minors P1,000 monthly in civil damages starting September 2016 until September 2031.

Lawyers' initiative

The case was filed by lawyers of the International Justice Mission (IJM), a Washington D.C.-based global non-governmental organization fighting modern-day slavery and violence in developing countries.  

Two of the victims are 11 years old while the third one is only 8 years old, according to a press release sent by IJM-Philippines. They are now under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Pampanga.

“The convicts, who were both producing child pornographic materials and pimping the girls, were arrested during a rescue operation last November 2015 by the National Bureau of Investigation-Cybercrime Division (NBI-CD). This resulted from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 'Operation Swift Traveler,' which passed information on the criminal activities of the convicts to the NBI-CD. The investigation revealed that convicts have been offering each of the minors for sexual services to customers outside the country in the amount of Php 3,000,” the IJM-Philippines said.

IJM-Philippines said Tandeg and Nisperos “conducted their illicit enterprise by advertising the minors’ nude and sexually explicit photos and selling the same to sexual predators living in the United States.”

“The minors victimized in this case were invited to go to a hotel and were given P 300-500 to pose for lewd photographs. They were scared that they would never be returned to their families if they did not comply with their abusers,” it added. 

A lawyer from IJM-Philippines told Rappler that Tandeg is 28 years old, while Nisperos is younger. The lawyer added that Nisperos even had 2 children, one of whom was barely a year old, when she was arrested by NBI agents in 2015.

Judge Gabitan-Erum said in her order that Tandeg and Nisperos had agreed to pay for whatever medical expenses the 3 minors may incur in relation to the legal case “to ensure that the private complainants (3 girls) will be in good mental and psychological health.” – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA (UPDATED) – The US presidential campaign was rocked Friday, October 7 by a 2005 video that caught Donald Trump using vulgar, predatory language as he described groping women, presenting Hillary Clinton with fresh ammunition to attack him over his misogyny.

With release of the video, the Republican nominee finds himself mired in fresh scandal at a crucial point in the campaign, with just one month until Election Day on November 8 and barely 48 hours before he and Clinton face off in their second presidential debate.

Trump's fellow Republicans and Democratic foes alike swiftly condemned the obscene remarks caught in footage obtained and published by The Washington Post.

But Clinton may face harsh criticism as well, after anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks published thousands of hacked emails sent to and from her campaign, a document dump that appears to have made public the contents of several of her paid speeches.

Clinton is seeking to become the nation's first female commander in chief, and the former secretary of state is almost certain to call out Trump over the troubling video footage in their Sunday showdown, October 9.

Trump's coarse language, shocking even by the standards of this year's campaign, comes at a critical time for Trump, as he trails his Democratic rival in national polls and women, furious over his series of demeaning comments, are seen overwhelmingly backing Clinton.

The 3-minute video captures Trump bragging about groping women with impunity and trying to have sex with someone who was already married. (READ: Trump says he regrets offending people with how he speaks)

"When you're a star, they let you do it," he says.

"Grab them by the pussy," Trump adds. "You can do anything."

The tape was shot as Trump arrived on the set of daytime soap opera "Days of Our Lives," for a taping of a segment in which he was to have a cameo appearance, the Post said.

In the video, he was speaking with Billy Bush, then host of the "Access Hollywood" show about celebrities.

"I moved on her and I failed. I'll admit it," the billionaire Trump is heard saying in the video, then using an expletive for how he tried to have sex with her.

"Whoa," another voice says.

"I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn't get there. And she was married," Trump says.

The tape was recorded in September 2005, months after Trump married his 3rd wife, Melania, according to the Post.

Trump also remarks about an actress he was about to meet as they got off the bus.

"I've gotta use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her," Trump says.

'Horrific'

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he was "sickened" by the remarks, and disinvited Trump from a political event in Wisconsin.

"I am sickened by what I heard today. Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified," he said.

"I hope Mr Trump treats this situation with the seriousness it deserves and works to demonstrate to the country that he has greater respect for women than this clip suggests."

Minutes later, Trump's campaign said his vice presidential pick Mike Pence would be attending the event instead, while Trump would prepare for his showdown against Clinton on Sunday with Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions.

With Trump's campaign clearly in damage control mode, he issued a rare apology, although he took a swipe at Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton, in the process.

"This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago," Trump said in a statement.

"Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course – not even close," he added. "I apologize if anyone was offended."

Clinton issued damning criticism of Trump's comments.

"This is horrific. We cannot allow this man to become president," she posted on Twitter.

Priebus, the Republican committee chair, said "no woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever."

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who lost to Trump in the primaries and has not endorsed his onetime foe, called Trump's comments "reprehensible."

Clinton email revelations

Clinton, meanwhile, was facing revelations from emails published by WikiLeaks, including a January message from a staffer to campaign chairman John Podesta and other top aides, that appeared to highlight several passages in her closed-door speeches to big banks and corporations.

"I'm not happy about being hacked by the Russians in their quest to throw the election to Donald Trump," Podesta wrote on Twitter, after US officials earlier formally accused Moscow of directing cyber attacks to "interfere" with the US election process.

"Don't have time to figure out which docs are real and which are faked."

Clinton's speech contents were points of contention during the Democratic primaries, as she refused rival Bernie Sanders's calls for her to release the transcripts.

The email, with the subject line "HRC Paid Speeches," contains what appears to be pro-trade excerpts from a May 16, 2013 speech to Brazil's Banco Itau.

"My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it," she said, according to the email.

The comments may be used against her by Republicans, particularly after she expressed opposition to a sweeping trans-Pacific trade deal negotiated by President Barack Obama's administration. – Rappler.com

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – Mayor Oscar S. Moreno acknowledged that the first 100 days of his second term at City Hall had bumps, but overall, “it has been business as usual at City Hall.”

Part of the “bumpy ride,” he said, was the 3-month suspension meted by the Ombudsman for simple misconduct coming from the use of funds and a contract related to the city’s successful boxing program – which produced the likes of Albert and Jason Pagara and Milan Melindo.

Barangay Puntod chairman Marvin Beja said Moreno, city budget officer Percy Salazar, and city accountant Beda Joy Elot were found to have illegally appropriated City Hall funds when it entered into a contract worth P175,000 for the lease of a house that served as training quarters of boxers under the city’s sports program.

'Beja is wrong'

In a ruling dated Oct. 6, 2016, the Court of Appeals reversed the Ombudsman’s suspension of Mayor Moreno, saying the penalty “is functus officio and may no longer be enforced given the expiration of his previous term of office.”

Functus officio is a Latin phrase that means an officer or agency whose mandate has expired.

Since the alleged simple misconduct was made during his first term that ended on June 30, 2016, he can no longer be made to serve the penalty in this current term.

Meanwhile, the mayor also views the filing by the Ombudsman of a case related to the Ajinomoto case in the Sandiganbayan as favorable to him as it would finally give him his day in court.

The Ombudsman found Moreno and acting city treasurer Glenn Banez administratively liable for allegedly entering into a tax settlement agreement with Ajinomoto Philippines in 2013 without city council authorization, and ordered them dismissed and disqualified from public office.

The Ajinomoto case is now on appeal before the CA and the appellate court had issued a Writ of Preliminary Injunction on the penalties.

“I welcome the filing at the Sandigannbayan. I now have a tribunal that will listen,” Moreno said during his regular radio program at DXIM – Radyo ng Bayan Cagayan de Oro on Thursday, October 6.

A press release posted on the Ombudsman website last October 5 said the criminal aspect of the Ombudsman case coming from the Ajinomoto tax settlement had been filed before the Sandiganbayan.

The Ombudsman, in its decision in the Ajinomoto case, acknowledges that it came up with the decision without Moreno’s counter-affidavit. Moreno, however, insists that he had filed his counter-affidavit and even resubmitted a copy of it in his motion for reconsideration.

The Ombudsman – in its dismissal of the motion for reconsideration – did not accept his counter-affidavit, saying he only submitted a photo copy.

Moreno reiterated that the Ombudsman could have asked him to produce or show the original, which he said he is “guarding with his life” considering that the one he submitted earlier got lost in the case files.

“As a rule, if the accused is not afforded due process, the tribunal handling the case divests itself of jurisdiction over the case. I am confident the Sandiganbayan will hear that I was not afforded due process in the Ombudsman,” he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced on Friday, October 7, the removal of the Number Coding Scheme's "window hours" for private vehicles plying EDSA and C5 starting end of October.

"In a bid to decongest traffic in Metro Manila, the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic and the Metro Manila Council have agreed to come up with a Resolution to remove the 'window hours' for private vehicles traversing EDSA and C5, under the Number Coding Scheme," DOTr said in a Facebook post. 

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During "window hours" from 10 am to 3 pm, motorists covered by the Number Coding Scheme or the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program Number can still pass through the main thoroughfares without being apprehended. 

"The Resolution is set to be implemented on October 31, 2016, 15 working days after its publication on [October] 10," the post read. 

In another Facebook post, the department clarified that the Number Coding Scheme will continue to be enforced:

Monday: 1 and 2
Tuesday: 3 and 4
Wednesday: 5 and 6
Thursday: 7 and 8
Friday: 9 and 0
Weekends and holidays: None

While waiting for emergency powers to be granted, the Duterte administration formed an inter-agency body to solve Metro Manila traffic, which was dubbed the worst on earth by navigation app Waze.

Still, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez admitted that the government failed to make significant improvements in the country's traffic and transportation problems during President Rodrigo Duterte's first 100 days. – Rappler.com

LONDON, United Kingdom – All EU citizens currently living in Britain will be able to stay after Brexit, a newspaper reported Saturday, October 8, citing unnamed cabinet ministers, despite the government's refusal to publicly guarantee their status.

Official research suggests that more than 80% of the 3.6 million EU citizens living in Britain would be eligible for residency by the time Britain is expected to leave the European Union in 2019, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Under plans being drawn up by the interior ministry, the remainder would be offered some kind of amnesty involving the right to permanently stay in Britain, it said. (READ: Britain and the EU in facts and figures)

Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May has said she "fully expects" to be able to guarantee the rights of EU citizens to stay in Britain, but said it was dependent on the rights accorded to Britons living elsewhere in the EU.

Earlier this week, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox repeated her position, and said that their fate was part of Britain's negotiating hand.

"To give that away before we get into the negotiation would be to hand over one of our main cards in that negotiation and doesn't necessarily make sense at this point," he told a fringe meeting at the Conservative party conference.

After a referendum campaign fought on the issue of control over EU migration, the conference was dominated by tough talk on immigration, including proposals to make firms declare foreign workers, which were widely condemned.

May has said she intends to begin the two-year Brexit process by March 2017, putting Britain on course to end its membership of the EU by early 2019. – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – Envoys from nearly 200 nations meet in Kigali next week to discuss ridding the world of HFCs, gases introduced to save the ozone layer only to unwittingly assail Earth's climate.

Observers are hopeful that after years of talks, countries are poised to commit to phasing out hydrofluorocarbons, rolled out in the 1990s to replace chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in refrigerators, aerosols, air conditioners and foam insulation.

CFCs were discontinued under the ozone-protecting Montreal Protocol when scientists realized they were responsible for the growing hole in the ozone layer, which protects Earth from the Sun's dangerous ultraviolet rays.

But it turns out that HFCs – while safe for the now-healing ozone – are thousands of times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.

HFCs "are increasing at a rate of 10-15% a year," Greenpeace global strategist Paula Carbajal told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "That makes them the fastest-growing greenhouse gas."

This growth was mainly due to demand for air conditioners, expected to treble in use by 2050.

Carbajal said HFCs could add as much as 0.1 degree Celsius (0.18 Fahrenheit) to average global temperatures by mid-century, and 0.5 C (0.9 F) by 2100.

The higher figure represents more than a quarter of the "well under" 2 C ceiling which 195 nations agreed in the French capital in December for warming over pre-industrial levels.

The goal was enshrined in the so-called Paris Agreement on curbing dangerous climate change.

"If HFC growth is not stopped, it becomes virtually impossible to meet the Paris goals," said David Doniger of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group.

Time running out

HFCs, though a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, are not dealt with under the Paris Agreement but under the Montreal Protocol adopted in 1987.

The protocol also provided for the phaseout of interim replacement gases called HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) – by 2040 for developing countries, and 2030 for rich ones.

Next week's meeting, from Monday to Friday (October 10 to 14), will be the 28th of the treaty's 197 country parties.

Negotiators will weigh various proposals for amending the protocol to freeze HFC production and use by dates ranging from right away to 2031.

India, which is a major HFC producer along with China, backs the later date, while aircon-reliant countries in very hot parts of the world want temporary exemptions.

Last month, a group of developed countries and companies offered $80 million (72 million euros) to help developing countries make the switch away from HFCs.

For Maxime Beaugrand of the Washington-based Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, HFCs are the "low-hanging fruit" of efforts to curb global warming.

"It is time to pick them. There are no major obstacles," she told AFP. "There are about a hundred alternatives (to HFCs)."

These included natural refrigerants such as CO2, hydrocarbons, water, air and ammonia, added Carbajal.

"Natural substances are available and technically and economically feasible in almost all cooling applications."

Next week's meeting follows hot on the heels of an aviation industry agreement to cap CO2 emissions at 2020 levels by 2035, and the Paris Agreement obtaining the required signatures to enter into legal force from November 4.

The climate threat posed by HFCs were recognised by a UN sustainable development summit in 2012, when countries said they "support a gradual phase-down".

When that should happen, and how fast, has been the subject of negotiations ever since.

Bureaucrats will meet for negotiations on Monday, October 10, and Tuesday, October 11, followed by environment ministers thrashing out a final agreement from Wednesday to Friday, October 12 to 14.

"It's critical that nations seize this opportunity to reach the most ambitious HFC phasedown agreement possible," said Rachel Cleetus, climate policy manager at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a US-based thinktank.

"Our time to act to limit the worst consequences of climate change is rapidly dwindling." – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – For the 2nd US presidential debate on Sunday night, October 9, in St Louis, the pressure is squarely on Donald Trump, who needs a moment of political magic to reverse his slide in polls barely 4 weeks from Election Day.

Donald Trump

Even though the Republican candidate trails Hillary Clinton in the polls, he wasted opportunities to regain the advantage over his Democratic rival in their September 26 showdown. 

He often interrupted his opponent, showed flashes of petulance, and offered spotty answers to questions. He also failed to pursue several expected lines of attack against Clinton, including about the Clinton Foundation, her private emails while secretary of state, and her derogatory remark about Trump supporters as "deplorables."

On Sunday, he will need more discipline in order to ignore the kinds of provocations that Clinton used to such advantage last month as she blunted Trump's message. He must also adopt a more reassuring posture in order to attract moderate, centrist voters still waffling between the candidates.

The format poses its own difficulties for Trump: Half of the questions will be asked by undecided voters. He will want to build a personal connection with these everyday Americans and show his capacity for empathy, a quality that often has been drowned out in his large, raucous campaign rallies.

Hillary Clinton

The Democrat, currently in the race's pole position, aims to perform at least as well as she did in the first showdown.

She is more experienced than her rival in debates, having participated in more than 30 of them since launching her first White House bid, in 2008. She also took part in several events during the primary race that were similar to town meetings, where participants asked questions.

Clinton appeared uncomfortable in their first clash when she sought to justify her past positions on trade, including her early support for the North American Free Trade Agreement signed by her husband Bill and so heavily criticized by Trump.

She will likely seek to avoid the lawyerly presentation of her trade position that she offered on September 26, which may have contributed to the sense of distrust that many voters feel about her.

Clinton may also be prepared to deliver a fresh apology about her use of personal email while secretary of state, and provide a clearer explanation for what some have branded conflicts of interest regarding how her husband raised donations to the Clinton Foundation from business and foreign leaders.

As a woman who prepares meticulously for such debates, she no doubt has anticipated a possible attack by Trump on her husband's past infidelities. – Rappler.com

This is a developing story. Please refresh for updates. 

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump apologized for vulgar language he used about groping and kissing women in a 2005 video that surfaced Friday, October 7.

"I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize," Trump said in a filmed statement several hours after The Washington Post released a shocking video of Trump offensively bragging about grabbing women and pursuing sex with them with impunity.

"I pledge to be a better man tomorrow," he said. But he added that former president Bill Clinton, the husband of the Democratic nominee, "actually abused women" and that Hillary Clinton bullied her husband's victims.

More to follow. – Rappler.com