BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentines vote Sunday, November 22, in a presidential runoff that could end 12 years of leftist government and see the pro-business opposition seize the helm of Latin America's third-biggest economy.

Polls show that the mayor of Buenos Aires, former Boca Juniors football executive Mauricio Macri, 56, could beat his left-wing rival Daniel Scioli, 58, an ex-power boating champion.

Macri has cast himself as a force for change as many voters are fed up after 12 years of rule by outgoing President Cristina Kirchner and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner.

"We deserve to live better than this," Macri said at his closing campaign rally.

Scioli said Macri's proposed economic reforms threatened Argentines' welfare payments, salaries and industry.

"Macri means the devaluation that destroys salaries. He is the demon of savage capitalism," Scioli charged.

The latest opinion poll by consultancy Management and Fit showed Macri with 55.3% support and Scioli with 44.7%.

If Macri breaks the grip of Peronism, the broad populist movement that has dominated Argentine politics for a century, he could become Argentina's most economically liberal leader since the 1990s.

He has proposed to lift restrictions on imports and on US dollars – though analysts say he may struggle to push reforms through a hostile Congress.

Macri surprised pollsters in the first round vote by finishing just 3 points behind his rival, with 34.15% of the vote to Scioli's 37.8%. The narrow result forced a run-off vote.

Argentine politics changing

The election has been unlike any other in Argentina's history, with the first ever national runoff vote, and the first televised candidate debate.

The increasingly tense campaign has been fought on shifting political ground in the vast South American nation of 42 million people.

If he wins, Macri will be the first leader to be fairly elected who is neither a Peronist nor from the radical liberal movement.

His rise has raised hopes among financiers, but fears among domestic businesses and poorer Argentines who have benefited from the social and trade policies of the combative outgoing president.

Whichever man wins now will have to tackle soaring inflation, currently estimated at more than 20%.

He will also face a dispute with so-called "holdout" creditors who have sued Argentina in the US courts for unpaid debts. Scioli and Kirchner call the hedge funds "vultures."

The Kirchners tried to restructure tens of billions of dollars of debt that Argentina defaulted on in 2001, when it was bailed out by the International Monetary Fund. That was then the biggest sovereign default in history.

They presided over a spectacular economic turnaround that is now flagging. The economy grew at a relatively slow rate of 2.2% in the first half of this year.

"Fiscal and monetary policy is too loose, the balance of payments position is unsustainable and the government is locked out of global capital markets," wrote Edward Glossop, an analyst at research group Capital Economics.

"The prospects for reform are higher now than at any point over the past decade."

Polling stations open on Sunday at 8 am (1100 GMT) and close at 2100 GMT. – Roland Lloyd Parry, AFP / Rappler.com

DHAKA, Bangladesh – Two senior Bangladeshi opposition leaders were executed early Sunday, November 22, for war crimes committed during the 1971 independence war with Pakistan after their last-ditch pleas for clemency were rejected.

Justice Minister Anisul Huq said Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury had been hanged at Dhaka's Central Jail in a move that was celebrated by supporters of the ruling Awami League.

"Both of them have been hanged. The execution took place at 00:45am (1845 GMT Saturday)," Huq told AFP. 

Hundreds of police had been stationed outside the jail in Dhaka's old quarter where scaffolds had been prepared to execute the pair.

The first sign that the executions had taken place came when 4 ambulances were driven away from the prison shortly before 1:00 am.     

The 67-year-old Mujahid was sentenced to death for war crimes such as the killing of the country's top intellectuals. He is the second most senior member of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami.

Chowdhury, 66, was convicted for atrocities such as genocide during the 1971 war when the then East Pakistan split from Islamabad. He is a 6-time ex-lawmaker and a top aide to Khaleda Zia, leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the two men's final appeals, upholding the death sentences originally handed down by a controversial domestic war crimes tribunal in 2013. 

Clemency pleas 'rejected'

After news of the execution broke, supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League took to the streets to celebrate and also unfurled huge national flags near the prison.

"I've waited for this day for a long 44 years," said Shawan Mahmud, daughter of top musician Altaf Mahmud, who was killed by the notorious Al Badr militia that Mujahid was convicted of leading during the war.

"We had to endure years of pains and shame as these war criminals would taunt us. But now justice has finally been delivered," she told AFP.   

Huq said the two had sought clemency on Saturday from President Abdul Hamid after exhausting all legal appeals to avoid execution but their pleas were turned down.

Sons of the two convicts, however, questioned whether their fathers had in fact sought mercy, saying they did not believe the government's statements.

"My father said he did not seek any mercy. He has always said he's innocent. He said they are killing him because they could not beat him in elections," Chowdhury's son Humam Qauder Chowdhury told AFP after meeting his father for the last time just a couple of hours before his execution.

The pair were among more than a dozen leaders of the opposition alliance convicted by a tribunal set up by the secular government in 2010.

The convictions triggered Bangladesh's deadliest violence since independence, with some 500 people killed, mainly in clashes between Jamaat-e-Islami activists and police.

There are fears the executions could spark fresh unrest in the Muslim-majority nation, which is reeling from a string of killings of secular bloggers as well as the murders of two foreigners in recent months.

Jamaat called a nationwide strike on Thursday, declaring Mujahid's original trial "farcical" and "aimed at eliminating" the party's leadership. 

International rights groups and legal experts have also criticized the trial, saying it fell short of international standards.

On Friday, New York-based Human Rights Watch asked Bangladesh to halt the "imminent executions" of Mujahid and Chowdhury, citing "serious fair trial concerns surrounding their convictions."

The opposition says the tribunals are designed to settle scores rather than deliver justice but the government insists that the trials have been fair and were needed to address the country's bloody history.

Hasina, whose father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the leader of the independence movement, says 3 million people were killed in the 9-month conflict, many butchered by pro-Pakistan militias.

Independent researchers however say the overall death toll was much lower. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Speaking before a crowd of over 2,000 youth from all over the country, Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II set the record straight when it came to comparisons between the current administration and that of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

“Hindi, hindi totoo iyan (That’s not true),” said Roxas on Saturday, November 21, when asked about claims online that under the late strongman’s administration, the country economy was better off than it is today.

“Ang paglago ng ekonomoniya [during Marcos’ time], nasa 3% lang sa bawat taon. Itong nakaraang taon sa Daang Matuwid, ang paglago ng ekonomiya ay mahigit 6% bawat taon,” added Roxas during a Q and A organized by his youth supporters at the Kia Theatre in Cubao, Quezon City.

(The economy grew by around 3% yearly during Marcos’ time. But under Daang Matuwid, the economy grew an average of 6% yearly)

Economy growth aside, Roxas said two things clearly set President Benigno Aquino III’s administration apart from that of the late dictator.

“Sa Daang Matuwid, una, hindi tayo nagnakaw ng pera ng taong bayan… pangalawa, walang halimbawa ng libu-libo, daan-daan na tao na naging biktima ng karahasan,” he said.

(Under Daang Matuwid, we did not steal from the government’s coffers. Second, there are no instances of thousands, hundreds being victims of human rights violations.)

“Daang Matuwid” is the current administration’s tagline for its good governance, transparency, and anti-corruption platform. It’s also at the center of Roxas’ 2016 campaign, which hinges on the promise of its continuity.

When asked by reporters about young peoples’ impressions that the Philippines was better off under a Marcos dictatorship, Roxas said it was proof of “never ending propaganda.”

“Marami ang umaasa na babalik tayo sa mga sistema na mga kalakaran noong nakaraan (Many want is to go back to the system and ways of the past),” said Roxas in a chance interview with reporters.

Roxas said the problems government faces today, including those being solved by the current administration, were caused by “corruption of past decades.”

“Kaya dapat patuloy ang ating pagiging alerto at pagmamasid dahil parati nalang may mga puwersa sa ating lipunan na nag-aantay lang ng pagkakataon na ibalik tayo sa malubak, baluktot, ma-corrupt na nakaraan,” he said.

(So we need to be vigilant and alert because there will always be forces in society that are just waiting for us to go back to the corrupt past.)

Malacañang in the past urged the public to help the youth– particularly those who were born after Martial Law – to understand why the country should never go through that phase in history again.

Marcos governed the Philippines for more than 2 decades, in a regime marred by corruption and human rights violations. National debt also balooned under the Marcos administration. 

It was the death of the current president’s father, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., that sparked the People Power Revolution which in turn, put President Aquino’s mother, the late Corazon Aquino, into power.

In the two decades following their ouster from power and exile, the Marcos family has slowly regained their status in Philippine politics. Former first lady Imelda Marcos represents Ilocos Norte in Congress, daughter Imee Marcos is governor of the same province, while his namesake and only son Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is a senator seeking the vice presidency in 2016.

Senator Marcos had earlier said their election into power was a sign that Filipinos had already forgotten his late father for the dark days of Martial Law.

The current Aquino administration has had its fare share of criticism over corruption and human rights issues too.

Known to be harsh in chasing after corrupt politicians, the administration has supposedly treated allies accused of pocketing public finds with kid gloves. Two sitting senators, both from the opposition, are currently under detention over their alleged involvement in a multi-million pork barrel scam.

Most recently, the Aquino administration has been criticized over its supposed inaction in the killings of the Lumad, an indigenous group from Mindanao. – Rappler.com

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (UPDATED) – President Barack Obama on Sunday, November 22, said he would host the leaders of 10 Southeast Asian nations next year as he rejected accusations that Middle East turmoil was distracting him from focusing on Asia.

Obama said he had invited leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to the United States, insisting that good ties with Asian nations were "absolutely critical" to US security.

"I'm pleased they accepted and I look forward to continuing our work," he said, speaking in Kuala Lumpur at the end of a marathon week of diplomacy which has taken in summits in Turkey, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Obama said his Asia tour, which had been initially overshadowed by the jihadist attacks in France, Lebanon and Mali, was neither distracted by, nor "somehow disconnected from pressing global events." 

"This region is not a distraction from the world's central challenges but is critical to security, prosperity and human dignity around the world," he said.

America's self-styled "Pacific president", Obama has been frustrated to see his stops in Malaysia and the Philippines – designed to highlight his stated re-focus on Asia – overshadowed once again.

The invitation to ASEAN comes after a week which has seen the US and China repeatedly trade barbs over the tense maritime standoff in the South China Sea, as they jostle for influence in the rapidly-developing Southeast Asian region. – Rappler.com

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Unidentified gunmen on Sunday, November 22, killed a Pakistani TV journalist, police said, the second such murder this month in the insurgency-hit northwest.

Attackers riding a motorcycle fired on 42-year-old Hafeez Ur Rehman near his home on the outskirts of Kohat, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

"He was hit by 3 bullets and died on the spot," Fazal Naeem, a police spokesman in Kohat, told AFP.

The killing came weeks after a similar attack, later reportedly claimed by Taliban militants, on Zaman Mehsud, a newspaper journalist in the nearby town of Tank. 

Rehman, who had been working as a journalist for 12 years, was employed by the Neo TV network. He was also publisher of his own daily, Asia, until it folded earlier this year. 

The motive behind the latest attack was unclear. Rehman had not previously reported any threats against him.  

But journalists in the region are often targeted by militants, mainly the Taliban. 

The Islamist rebels have lately expressed unhappiness at the lack of coverage given to them by the Pakistani media, following a boycott order by the country's powerful military establishment. 

The killing was the 5th attack on members of the media in the past 3 months. 

A TV news technician and journalist were killed in separate incidents in the port city of Karachi in September, while a journalist was shot and injured in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

More than 70 Pakistani journalists and other media workers have lost their lives since 2001 while pursuing their duties, according to a United Nations report. 

The report criticized a widespread culture of impunity and ranked Pakistan as the world's fifth worst country in terms of the number of unresolved cases of violence against journalists. – Rappler.com

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (2nd UPDATE) – US President Barack Obama called Sunday, November 22, for resolve in the face of heightened jihadist threats, insisting panicked citizens must not succumb to fear and urging world leaders not to abandon a climate summit in Paris.

With Brussels in lockdown, cities from Beirut to Bamako reeling from attacks, and Americans jittery that they too may come under assault, Obama said the world must show steel.

That starts, he said, with leaders who are scheduled to attend climate talks later this month in Paris, where 130 people were killed in one night of blood-soaked violence.

The perpetrators of the Paris attacks were not "masterminds" he said, but rather "a bunch of killers with good social media".

"It's absolutely vital for every country, every leader, to send a signal that the viciousness of a handful of killers does not stop the world from doing vital business," he said.

They must also show that "Paris, one of the most beautiful, enticing cities in the world, is not going to be cowered by the violent demented actions of a few".

Facing accusations that he has allowed the Islamic State (ISIS) group to spread by refusing to send US troops to Syria or step up the air campaign there, Obama made his most determined pledge yet to win the fight. 

"The American people in the past have confronted some very real, enormous threats. And we beat them. We vanquished them," he said. "This will be no different."

But Obama sought to show that even as allies take the fight to ISIS in Syria and Iraq, an equally vital battle will be fought on the home front.

'We are not afraid'

"In addition to hunting down terrorists, in addition to effective intelligence, in addition to missile strikes and in addition to cutting off financing, he said, "the most powerful tool we have to fight [ISIS] is to say that we're not afraid."

"They cannot strike a mortal blow against France or the United States or a country like Malaysia, but they can make people fearful," Obama said, speaking in Kuala Lumpur and using an acronym for ISIS.

Obama was ending a nine-day trip to Turkey and Asia that has been clouded by the Paris terror attacks and credible threats that prompted Belgian authorities to deploy troops and impose a lockdown as they hunt suspects. 

Amid wall-to-wall and sometimes breathless television coverage of terror threats, Obama urged journalists to "maintain perspective".

He also addressed sometimes shrill calls for the United States to close its doors to refugees from Syria and Iraq, for fear jihadists may lurk among them.

He urged Americans against "succumbing to the fear that allows us to abandon our values, to abandon how we live".

Obama, the son of a migrant mother and migrant father, voiced his personal determination to face down anti-refugee measures that he has already threatened to veto.

Remembering a Saturday (November 21) visit to children from Myanmar at a refugee center in Malaysia, Obama urged compassion.

"If you are a parent and you saw those kids, and thought about what they went through, the notion we couldn't find a home for them anywhere in the United States of America...?" he said, trailing off into anger. 

"That is contrary to our values." – Andrew Beatty, AFP / Rappler.com

TOKYO, Japan – Two men were killed when their helicopter crashed Sunday, November 22, on a hillside near a highway in eastern Japan, police said.

"One was confirmed dead at the site while the other was sent to hospital before his death was confirmed," a spokesman for the police in Gunma prefecture told AFP, declining to give more details.

Police and fire department officials rushed to the crash site in Annaka after receiving an emergency call, fire department officials earlier told AFP.

The privately-owned two-seat chopper had taken off from a Tokyo heliport Sunday morning for Komoro in Nagano prefecture, some 250 kilometers northwest of the capital, Jiji Press and public broadcaster NHK reported, citing sources from the police and transport ministry. – Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia – Crimea declared a state of emergency on Sunday, November 22, after its main electricity power lines from Ukraine were blown up, leaving the Russian-annexed peninsula in darkness after the second such attack in a matter of days.

Crimea depends on Ukraine for its electricity supplies, providing only 30% of its own energy, according to the regional government.

Russia's emergency situations ministry said Sunday morning they had managed to partially reconnect the cities of Simferopol, Feodosia, Yevpatoria, and Yalta using generators after two pylons were brought down.

So far, Crimea – home to 1.9 million people – has enough fuel to keep the gas and diesel-powered generators running, authorities said.

In the port city of Sevastopol, electricity began shutting off around midnight and cut off completely at 2:00 am, although different districts have since had brief periods of power in what appears to be organized rolling blackouts by authorities, an AFP journalist reported.

Cable and mobile Internet stopped working, although there was still cell phone coverage, and water supplies to high-rise buildings halted.

The attack has raised concerns the Black Sea peninsula, which was annexed by Russia last year, will not have enough energy after the other two main power lines supplying the region were blown up on Friday.

"On November 22, at 00:25 am (2225 GMT), there was a switch-off of electricity coming into Crimea from Ukraine," the Crimean branch of Russia's emergency situations ministry said in a statement.

"By decision of the head of the Crimean republic, a state of emergency has been introduced on the peninsula," the ministry said.

"All socially significant or potentially dangerous installations... are being fuelled with reserve sources of energy."

It added that power to housing would be supplied "on a rolling schedule" set by the regional power company.

Mikhail Sheremet, the first deputy premier of Crimea, said the peninsula could only supply half its power needs at most using diesel generators and renewable sources such as wind and solar power, the TASS state news agency reported.

'Pylons blown up'

The 4 power lines that supply Crimea with electricity from Ukraine were first attacked in the early hours of Friday in Ukraine's Kherson region bordering Crimea, in blasts that downed two lines and damaged the other two.

Ukraine's state energy company Ukrenergo on Friday morning posted pictures of a downed pylon and one with a hole blown through it, saying the power lines were brought down at around 4:00 am.

"The nature of the damage shows that it took place as a result of shelling or the use of explosive devices," Ukrenergo said in a statement.

Friday's attack prompted Crimea's authorities to warn residents to charge batteries and store up water in case of a total power cut.

Then early Sunday, another explosion took place, cutting all the power to Crimea. 

The head of the anti-narcotics department of Ukraine's interior ministry, Ilya Kiva, who was at the scene, wrote on Facebook in the early hours of Sunday: "The pylons have just been blown up!!!"

The identity of the attackers remained unclear.

Crimean Tatars, an ethnic group native to the peninsula who oppose Russian rule, held a protest at the site of the broken power lines in the Kherson region on Saturday evening in favour of a blockade of Crimea, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Crimea experienced several total power cuts last winter, attributed by the authorities to repairs and technical problems, but seen by residents as deliberate pressure from Ukraine.

Russia plans to build two gas-powered power stations in Crimea, which would burn gas piped from the mainland, but these are still at the planning stage. – Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia – Russia said Sunday, November 22, that it had killed 10 fighters linked to the extremist Islamic State (ISIS) group in a special operation in its volatile North Caucasus region.

"According to preliminary information, 10 bandits have been neutralized," Russia's national anti-terrorism committee said in a statement quoted by TASS news agency.

"All of them were participants in an armed gang whose members swore loyalty to ISIS."

The fighters opened fire on law enforcement officers and threw grenades after they were cornered in a wooded area outside the city of Nalchik in the Kabardino-Balkaria region, the anti-terrorism committee said.

The security operation was still ongoing, the Russian authorities said.

Islamists in the North Caucasus have previously been united under a local Caucasus Emirate organisation, but are now increasingly flocking to ISIS, which in June declared it had established a franchise there.

Moscow is conducting intensive air strikes targeting infrastructure of ISIS in Syria and has been pushing for the creation of a broad coalition against the jihadist group, which would include Russia, the West, and some Middle Eastern states. 

President Vladimir Putin has estimated that there are between 5,000 and 7,000 people from former Soviet countries fighting with ISIS. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Add a wildly popular young actress, a comedian known for his antics online and offline, and a basketball hot shot who was once married to a presidential sister to the long list of local celebrities endorsing the ruling Liberal Party (LP)’s standard bearer Manuel Roxas II.

It was during a Saturday, November 21 gathering of youth supporters in Cubao, Quezon City, where a video featuring Roxas’ celebrity endorsers was flashed on screen.

It was the final endorser, teen heartthrob Daniel Padilla, who elicited the most screams from an audienced composed primarily of college and high school students.

The video, which has yet to be made available online, was a mix of normal folk and celebrities, all talking about why they were going to vote for Roxas:

• John Prats 
• Billy Crawford
• Jay-R
• Kris Lawrence 
• Ramon Bautista
• Carla Abellana 
• James Yap 
• Karylle 
• Jason Francisco
• Mela Cantiveros
• Chokoleit 
• MC
• Donita Nose
• Lassy
• Kathryn Bernardo
• Daniel Padilla

Although he is the ruling party and the administration’s presidential bet for 2016, Roxas’ numbers have been anything but dominant.

He was at a measly 4% more than a year ago, but has recently shot up to around 20 percentage points following the endorsement of President Benigno Aquino III.

His is a campaign that hinges on the promise of continuing the gains of the current administration and the certainty of a Roxas administration.

Video testimonies of Roxas’ celebrity and non-celebrity endorsers repeatedly emphasized the former interior secretary’s decades-long track record in government.

 

#KathNiel is for Mar! Teen King and Queen Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo go for Mar Roxas for President in 2016! #DaangMatuwidPaMore

A photo posted by Korina Sanchez-Roxas (@thisiskorinasanchezroxas) on Nov 21, 2015 at 7:10pm PST

The following day, Roxas' wife, broadcaster Korina Sanchez-Roxas, posted a photo of Padilla and Bernardo flashing the "Laban" sign alongside herself and Roxas. (READ: KathNiel to endorse Mar Roxas for president in 2016)

Daang Matuwid or the administration’s good governance platform benefits the youth the most, Roxas told a crowd of over 2,000 students.

Among the attendees of the event were several young government workers and officials including National Youth Council Chairman Undersecretary Gio Tingson and Budget Department Internal Management chief Undersecretary Claire Amador.

The Saturday gathering is only the latest in the LP standard bearer’s sorties that put an emphasis on the youth. According to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), more than a third of the country’s registered voters are between the ages of 18 to 35-years-old.– Rappler.com

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – “It has come to a point wherein we are now no longer allowed to enter areas within our Exclusive Economic Zone.”

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III elevated the South China Sea dispute to the premier East Asia forum tackling geopolitical issues, saying the issue is relevant to all nations seeking to resolve maritime disputes. (READ: ASEAN Summit opens under shadow of terror) 

At the East Asia Summit here on Sunday, November 22, Aquino detailed incidents of Chinese aggression in the disputed sea. He urged Beijing to comply with an impending ruling on the Philippines' historic arbitration case.

“The world is watching and expects no less from a responsible global leader,” Aquino told 17 world leaders including US President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. (WATCH: Aquino blasts China at ASEAN Summit) 

It was the 8th time that Aquino mentioned the maritime row in the two days of the ASEAN summit and related meetings. The 27^th ASEAN Summit in the Malaysian capital is Aquino's last as his term ends in 2016. 

The East Asia Forum gathers the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the United States.

Two days before the resumption of hearings at The Hague-based arbitral tribunal where the merits of the case is up for discussion, Aquino cited the previous statement of Chinese President Xi Jinping that Beijing has no plans to “militarize” the dispute.

“As the arbitration process we have entered into continues to its logical conclusion, we are hopeful that China would honor its word and respect the rule of law,” he said.

China has said it will not abide by the tribunal's ruling, which could come out by mid-2016.

Still, Aquino recognized what he called the “growing support” for arbitration from the international community. Obama is among the world leaders who expressed support for arbitration as a peaceful means of dispute settlement.

Despite Li's presence in the room, Aquino called out China by name.

“It is regrettable that China continues to massively reclaim and build structures in the sea known by many names, in total disregard of international law as well as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,” he said.

Aquino was referring to a pact ASEAN and China agreed upon in 2002, which still lacks a legally binding mechanism called the Code of Conduct 13 years later.

On Saturday, the Philippine president said China must take the lead in finalizing negotiations on the Code of Conduct as a more powerful, richer, and older nation.

'Our fishermen are losing livelihood'

Aquino began his discussion on the maritime dispute by enumerating the times China violated the Philippines' rights under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Under UNCLOS, a country has the exclusive right to exploit resources like fish and oil within a 200 nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The President explained that Filipino fishermen suffer from Beijing's aggressive acts.

“I have also had to respond to fishermen in my country, complaining about how they can no longer fish in their traditional waters; they ask for explanations why they can no longer take shelter within Scarborough Shoal during times of inclement weather,” he said.

Aquino was referring to the shoal that was the subject of a standoff between Manila and Beijing in 2012. China's refusal to withdraw from Scarborough Shoal ultimately prompted Aquino to order the filing of the arbitration case.

The Southeast Asian leader said that the first incident of Chinese aggression under his watch was when Chinese vessels forced a survey ship that won a service contract from the Philippines out of the Reed Bank, an area 80 miles from the Philippine island of Palawan.

Aquino reported that another incident was when Chinese fishing boats were caught carrying endangered species just 120 miles from the Philippine province of Zambales.

A recent event was when a Chinese Navy frigate allegedly challenged another survey ship conducting studies on an awarded contract about 40 nautical miles from Palawan.

“We had been asked not to make these incidents public, and we agreed, in an effort to deescalate the situation. However, the incidents did not cease,” Aquino said.

Japan, UN meetings

Aquino again brought up the dispute in the ASEAN summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Japan also has a row with China over the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea.

The Philippine chief executive noted that Japan consistently supported the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and the establishment of the Code of Conduct.

“Japan has taken a strong stand against the use of intimidation, coercion, and force, as well as unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo in the disputed areas,” he said.

Aquino highlighted the arbitration case, this time in the ASEAN summit with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

The President said the Philippines filed the arbitration case because it believes in international rules and norms.

With his interventions, Aquino made the maritime row the central theme of his participation in the ASEAN summits.

Security officials have said that the dispute is the Philippines' biggest national security issue. – Rappler.com

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – After two days of criticizing China over the South China Sea dispute, President Benigno Aquino III turned personal, grateful and reflective as he bid his fellow Southeast Asian leaders goodbye.

Aquino used his last intervention in a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations to thank his fellow leaders, and to promise to be their “friend” and “partner” even after his term ends in 2016.

The former senator said deciding on grave matters of foreign policy led him to grow.

“Prior to this job, I can probably claim to be a very well-read person, although not as well-travelled as I would have liked. My Presidency thrust me into this role as diplomat, and I must say that it was truly a valuable learning experience,” he said.

“Our interactions have led to so much growth—for me personally, and for my entire country, as we pulled together and harnessed our solidarity to uplift the lives of the Southeast Asian people.”

Aquino, the most vocal ASEAN leader on the dispute against China, also asked his fellow heads of state and government to understand his positions. He said he made them to fulfill his oath to the Filipino people.

“I ask for your understanding if, in the course of building this consensus, I have caused undue strain or stress to you, my dear colleagues. In all of our interactions and during my visits to your countries, I have strived to look at issues through your perspective, which allowed me better insight as to how you weighed your decisions, and gave me a firmer understanding of what each of us can and cannot do.”

Aquino has sought to rally ASEAN to unite against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. While 4 members are claimants, the rest enjoy warm and strong economic relations with Beijing.

The 2012 ASEAN summit, for example, was historic as foreign ministers failed to issue a communique over the maritime row.

'United ASEAN can't be ignored'

Despite differences in positions, Aquino said many causes and opportunities bind ASEAN.

“Individually for our nations, the positions we take might go unheeded; collectively, however, we have shown the world that the voice of a united ASEAN cannot be ignored.”

He was positive about the prospects of the ASEAN Community to implement regional integration by year-end.

“Being one community really does make a lot of sense, and I hope that, over the past years, I have done my share in bringing the dream of a solid and singular ASEAN Community closer to reality.”

Aquino said his only regret was being unable to host ASEAN under his 6-year term. Still, he promised that the Philippines will do well in chairing the bloc in 2017.

“I assure you, without a shadow of a doubt, that come our hosting of the ASEAN and related summits in 2017, you will see the Philippines reciprocating the graciousness and warmth that you have constantly extended to my delegation.”

He also talked about his administration, saying it pushed for change and good governance despite its many critics.

“Pushing for genuine transformation involves disturbing a lot of rice bowls. … I do believe that my countrymen, having witnessed what we have already achieved, will themselves ensure that good governance becomes an enduring and irreversible mainstream in the Philippines, and ASEAN in turn will find a stronger brother-nation.”

A Catholic, Aquino even turned religious.

“While I may not be physically present as President of my country, I will remain with you in prayer and in spirit, as a true friend constantly advocating for the success of ASEAN and of your respective nations.”

His last request was not for himself but for the person who will take his place in the next ASEAN summit. The Philippines will hold presidential polls in May 2016.

“I ask that you extend to my successor the same graciousness, understanding, and friendship that I have experienced these past few years.” – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Government lawyers are opposing the evidence separately submitted by Senator Jinggoy Estrada and businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles to support their bail petitions in relation to the plunder case filed against them before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.

The prosecution filed on November 16 a 16-page Comment seeking to deny the petitions for bail filed separately by the two, and discrediting evidence by calling them "immaterial and irrelevant to the issue in the plunder case."

Estrada was charged for allegedly pocketing P183 million in kickbacks and commissions from his Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) by supposedly funneling funds into ghost projects implemented through NGOs associated with Napoles.

For his bail petition, Estrada submitted on November 9 evidence such as:

• printouts from files in witness Benhur Luy's hard drive
• transcripts of witness Ruby Tuason's Senate testimony on the misuse of Malampaya Funds
• the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report on some bank accounts linked to Tuason
• Senate CCTV footages supposedly showing that Tuason didn't bring bags of cash to Estrada's Senate office

Meanwhile, Napoles submitted the following documents on November 12 for her bail petition:

• documents allegedly showing forged signatures of individuals in Luy's handwriting
• NGO resolutions showing Luy's involvement
• transcripts of proceedings in the plunder case filed against Senator Juan Ponce Enrile

The prosecution said these evidence were presented to discredit the testimonies of Luy and Tuason. It added that they failed to discuss the involvement of co-defendants Pauline Labayen, a former staff of Estrada, and John Raymund de Asis, a long-time employee of Napoles, in the case.

"(T)he primordial issue in this case is whether or not accused Estrada and Labayen, in conspiracy with accused Napoles and de Asis, accumulated, amassed or acquired ill-gotten wealth as a consequence of Estrada's misuse of his PDAF allocations. Accordingly, any document or evidence that has no relation to such issue is clearly inadmissible," the prosecution said.

Estrada surrendered himself to the police after a warrant of arrest was issued by the anti-graft court's 5th Division against him and 25 other co-accused in June of 2014.

His camp had earlier accused the prosecution of employing tactics that would delay a court decision on his motion to be allowed to post bail. The prosecution, however, argued that the senator is waging a 'futile campaign' to delay proceedings of his plunder case. – Rappler.com

Editor's note: A previous version of this article used the word "evidences" as the plural of evidence. It's an old-English use of the word that is not as popular today. We've changed to the more colloquial and collective "evidence." 

SINGAPORE – A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from San Francisco via Hong Kong received a bomb threat but arrived without incident in Singapore on Sunday, November 22, police said.

Police said in a statement they conducted checks but nothing suspicious was found on the plane or its passengers.

It did not say where and how the threat was made.

The city-state, a close US military and economic partner, raised its security alert level soon after the November 13 attacks by Islamic State militants in Paris which killed 130 people.

Singapore hosts the offices and production facilities of thousands of multinational corporations and is Southeast Asia's main aviation hub.

Authorities in 2001 foiled a plot to bomb US and other foreign targets in Singapore and arrested several local Muslims suspected of links with regional militants.

Local newspaper Today said on its website that the SIA flight arrived around noon but passengers were only allowed to disembark one and a half hours later, with baggage release delayed further by security screening.

It quoted a passenger as saying that the plane was parked in a remote area in the airport before they were ferried by bus to the terminal.

A Turkish Airlines plane flying from New York to Istanbul was diverted to Canada on Sunday because of a bomb threat, but police said no explosives were found.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The chemical fumes from a plastics plant that had spread a nauseous odor in parts of Quezon City and Pasig has been “contained,” according to a QC official.

“It has been contained but they’re still continuously doing the cooling operations,” said Karl Marasigan, officer-in-charge of the city’s Disaster Control Division told Rappler on Monday, November 23.

He was referring to efforts to prevent the further release of fumes from the plant of plastics manufacturing company D&L Industries Inc located in #65 Calle Industria in Bagumbayan village, Quezon City – walking distance from subdivisions, condominiums, and commercial hub Eastwood City.

The nauseous smell that residents complained about at 11:30 pm on Sunday night, November 22, were from a chemical called styrene, used in making plastic products, said Marasigan.

Company officials told him that the fumes were due to the solidification of the chemical which is usually in a liquid state. The solidification process caused the release of fumes from one of two monomer tanks.

The company reported that they were able to confine the fumes by 4:30 pm on Sunday but later that night, at 11:30 pm, Quezon City Hall got calls from residents about a foul smell.

“So we went back with the Bureau of Fire Protection Hazardous Material Team to check. We helped with the cooling operations, to prevent it from getting the higher temperature which is dangerous. There are mechanisms for this type of incident, like sprinklers, together with water from the fire trucks,” he said.

As of posting, the strong smell observed by residents on Monday night has significantly abated. However, the odor could still be detected at the gate of the D&L Industries plant.

Two days to comply

The company has two days to comply with recommendations made by the QC government’s environmental protection department.

“If they’re not going to comply within the next two days about the recommendations then we’ll see if they have violations,” said Marasigan.

The two major recommendations are the installment of a shower curtain “to contain the area, so the fumes don’t spread,” and additional sprinklers under the tanks, said Marasigan. At the moment, the company only has sprinklers for the top area of the tank. 

Marasigan said the local government is yet to determine if the company violated any rules and should be fined or punished.

“Let’s just see if they violated. So far the company has been working together with the QC government. We checked all the permits, they complied with all permits,” he added.

The company's in-house fire brigade and response team were the first at attempts to contain the fumes, said Marasigan.

5 families evacuated 

Five families in Barangay Bagumbayan had to be evacuated Sunday night to Monday morning because of the smell, said Marasigan.

So far, 3 barangays in Quezon City have been affected with complaints from Bagumbayan, Ugong Norte, and Rosario. But villages in Pasig City also observed the door.

Members of the Philippine Red Cross were in the area near the plant to assist any residents affected by the fumes.

According to the United States Environment Protection Agency (US EPA), short-term exposure to styrene can result in “mucous membrane irritation, eye irritation, and gastrointestinal effects.” – Rappler.com

BAMAKO, Mali – Mali Monday, November 23, started 3 days of national mourning for the victims of the jihadist siege at a luxury hotel that left 19 people dead in the capital Bamako, with neighboring Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea joining in a show of solidarity.

The investigation was "following several lines" with no certainty about the number and nationality of the perpetrators of the attacks, which have been claimed by two separate jihadist groups.

Gunmen went on the rampage at the Radisson Blu hotel from early morning on Friday, November 20, shooting in the corridors and taking 170 guests and staff hostage.

The assault, which ended when Malian and international troops stormed the building, left 19 people dead, including 14 foreigners, as well as two attackers, according to a "definitive" report by the government.

The victims included 6 Russians, 3 Chinese, 2 Belgians, an American, an Israeli, a Senegalese and a member of the Malian special forces. 

The UN peacekeeping force in Mali, MINUSMA, however spoke of 22 fatalities, including two attackers.

Senegal's President Macky Sall visited Bamako Sunday, November 22, to show national solidarity and the support of the West African regional bloc ECOWAS which he chairs.

"Mali will never be alone in this fight, we are all committed because we are all involved," he said, announcing that Mali's neighbors Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea would also observe 3 days of mourning.

New claim of responsibility

Al-Murabitoun group, an Al-Qaeda affiliate led by notorious one-eyed Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group said Sunday there were only two attackers and suggested they were Malian.

In a recording broadcast by Al-Jazeera, a spokesman identified them as Abdelhakim al-Ansari and Moez al-Ansari, with the term "al-Ansari" indicating they were indigenous jihadists.

A jihadist group from central Mali, the Macina Liberation Front (LWF), however claimed the attack in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse Sunday, saying it was carried out by a squad of five, including "three who came out safe and sound".

A Malian security source told Agence France-Presse that the authorities were "actively pursuing" at least 3 people over the attack in the former French colony.

Another informed source spoke of "3 or 4 accomplices" believed to have aided the "foreign" gunmen who attacked the hotel frequented by businessmen, diplomats and other expatriates.

"Everything points to two foreigners," the source said.

The same source said "it is likely that the two foreigners went from bar to bar so they would not be noticed, and at dawn (Friday), the Malians could have guided them in the attack on the Radisson".

Investigators were combing through the hotel and had recovered several items inside which could help the enquiry, a police source said.

"We are following several lines, but we won't be making a statement," the police source told Agence France-Presse.

Guinean singer Sekouba Bambino Diabate, who was among the survivors, told Agence France-Presse the gunmen spoke English among themselves.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said Belmokhtar, one of the world's most wanted men, was indeed "likely" the brains behind the assault.

"He is circulating," he said of the Algerian jihadist believed to be in Libya.

Return to normal life

Despite the state of emergency imposed since late Friday, residents of Bamako were trying to return to normal life.

Security remained high at the major hotels. It was more discreet, though tighter than usual, at public buildings and banks.

Many Malians were on Sunday determined to resume their usual lives, with noisy wedding processions in the capital, but some cautioned against too quick a return to routine.

"People are not being vigilant. We forget. I don't know whether it's because of the problems of daily life, but people just aren't being careful here," said hotel worker Daouda Sissoko.

Others are concerned that Friday's attack will have more economic repercussions for a country still recovering from a 2012-13 civil war.

Mali has been torn apart by unrest since the north fell under the control of jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda in 2012.

The Islamists were largely ousted by a French-led military operation launched the following year, but large swathes of Mali remain lawless.

France has more than 1,000 troops in its former colony, a key battleground of the Barkhane counter-terror mission spanning five countries in Africa's restive Sahel region.

Le Drian said on Sunday his country's efforts in Mali have not been in vain.

"Democracy has returned, terrorism has been virtually eradicated, or at least pushed back to northern Mali and the Barkhane force is doing exceptional work," he told Europe 1 radio. – Serge Daniel and Sebastien Rieussec, AFP / Rappler.com

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina, in a stinging repudiation of outgoing leftist President Cristina Kirchner, elected a pro-market government president to take the helm of Latin America's third-biggest economy.

Conservative president-elect Mauricio Macri, fresh from Sunday's (November 22) run-off election win, promised a "marvelous" new era was starting for his country, beleaguered by years of economic instability.

A former football executive and favorite candidate of big businesses and foreign investors, Macri is expected to be Argentina's most economically liberal leader since the 1990s.

"This is a historic day, a change of era which is going to be marvelous," a beaming Macri told cheering supporters after his leftist rival Daniel Scioli conceded defeat.

"We cannot waste time on revenge or score-settling," he said late Sunday. Shortly afterwards he swung his hips, dancing Argentine "cumbia" to deafening  music.

Macri and Scioli fought a tense battle for votes in a country largely weary after 12 years under leftist leader Cristina Kirchner and her predecessor and late husband Nestor Kirchner.

Breaking with 12 years of leftist rule, Macri has vowed to ease foreign trade and dollar restrictions.

Celebrating on Sunday, he said it was time "to build an Argentina with zero poverty, defeat drug-trafficking and strengthen democracy" in the country.

Official results gave Macri 51.8% of the votes and 48.2% for Scioli, with 95% of ballots counted.

Reaching out abroad

Macri is expected to have warmer relations with countries such as Britain and the United States.

Kirchner has had sharp words for them at times, including with Britain in the territorial dispute over the Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as Las Malvinas.

"We want to have good relations with all countries," Macri said on Sunday.

He has vowed to negotiate with foreign creditors who have sued Argentina in the US courts for unpaid debts. Kirchner branded hedge funds "vultures."

But voters who backed Scioli fear Macri's reforms will roll back the social and trade policies of the combative outgoing president that have benefited the poor and small businesses.

Macri has proposed to immediately lift restrictions on imports and on US dollars.

Scioli has warned that would trigger a brutal devaluation of the peso, weakening ordinary Argentines' incomes.

End of Kirchner era

Analysts say Macri may struggle to push his reforms through a hostile Congress.

"Now he has to transform his electoral coalition into a governing coalition," said Mariano Aguas, a political scientist at the universities of Palermo and La Matanza.

But Macri's victory marks a sharp political shift in the vast South American nation of 42 million people.

It breaks the grip of Peronism, the broad populist movement that has dominated Argentine politics for much of the past 70 years.

"We have lived too long with Peronism," said Luis Nizzo, an 81-year-old retired engineer, after voting for Macri at a school in Buenos Aires.

But Guillermo Juarez, 25, said he voted for Scioli "because of everything they say about Macri – that he will take away support for working people and cut social welfare programs."

Scioli admitted defeat to Macri a few hours after polls closed.

"I am a democrat and I respect the popular will, which has chosen an alternative," he said.

He said he hoped that "God enlightens (Macri) to improve on the progress the country has made" under the Kirchners.

After a 2001 financial crisis in which Argentina was bailed out by the International Monetary Fund, the Kirchners presided over a spectacular turnaround. But the economy now seems to be flagging again.

Growth was relatively slow at 2.2% in the first half of this year and inflation exceeds 20%.

Macri, former chairman of popular football club Boca Juniors, will take office as national president on December 10. – Roland Lloyd Parry, AFP / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The camp of petitioner Rizalito David appealed the Senate Electoral Tribunal’s decision dismissing the disqualification case filed against presidential polls front runner Senator Grace Poe.

In a motion for reconsideration filed on Monday, November 23, or 6 days after the decision was promulgated, David called the tribunal’s ruling declaring Poe a natural-born Filipino citizen a “legally infirm decision.”

Rule 84 of the SET rules states that “a decision of the Tribunal shall become final 10 days after receipt of a copy thereof by the parties or their counsel, if no motion for reconsideration is filed.”

David questioned 5 grounds of the decision:

1. the burden of proof is not on Poe
2. Poe is a natural-born citizen under the 1935 and 1987 Constitutions
3. Poe validly reacquired her natural-born status upon taking her Oath of Allegiance in 2006
4. the execution of Poe’s affidavit of renunciation was sufficient to qualify her for appointive and elective positions
5. Poe did not withdraw her Oath of Renunciation of US citizenship for using her US passport after the said oath

Burden of proof not on Poe

Contrary to the majority's decision, David’s camp said the burden of evidence shifted when they established that Poe is a foundling.

“This is because in this jurisdiction, the basis for determining one’s citizenship or the lack of it, is the predominating principle of jus sanguinis (right of blood) articulated in the 1935, 1973, and 1987 Constitutions. Hence, it is reversible error for the Tribunal (actually the majority) to rule that petitioner has not discharged the burden of proof,” as stated in the motion.

As a public official, David said, Poe is “duty-bound to establish through competent proof” such as DNA results that she possesses such qualification. Poe earlier admitted all her DNA tests have so far resulted negative.

David’s camp said the SET “gravely abused” its discretion when it held that Poe is presumed to have Filipino parents. 

Poe is a natural-born Filipino citizen

Citing Section 1, Article 4 of the 1935 Constitution, the law that covers Poe’s birth in 1968, David reiterated foundlings are not considered natural-born citizens of the country.

Echoing the arguments of the 3 Supreme Court associate justices who voted for Poe’s disqualification, David said international laws do not automatically grant citizenship to foundlings. A State, he said, has to pass laws to enact it.

David insisted the SET ruling is more of a political decision than a legal one, a move that’s meant to antagonize senator-members who voted favorably for Poe.

He enumerated several news articles as “evidence” on these senators’ supposed political decisions. 

“It is not difficult to see that the five sacrificed the rule of law and the Constitution as well in the altar of political expediency, rendering their decision patently null and void,” he said.

To further push his point, he said the 3 justices who dissented – Justices Antonio Carpio, Arturo Brion, and Teresita De Castro – are more “knowledgeable” on laws than the 5 senators who sided with Poe.

David also hit the argument of some senator-members, saying Poe’s overwhelming victory in 2013 does “not validate the election of a disqualified candidate.”

Poe validly reacquired her natural-born status upon taking her Oath of Allegiance in 2006

Poe could not have regained her Philippine citizenship, as David said Republic Act 9225 or the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act only allows natural-born citizens to reacquire citizenship. 

In 2001, Poe became a naturalized US citizen, following her marriage to Neil Llamanzares, a dual citizen of both the US and the Philippines since birth.

She was a dual citizen from 2006 to 2010, when she formally renounced her foreign nationality before taking oath as Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chairperson.

“If a former naturalized Filipino citizen cannot reacquire Philippine citizenship what more a foundling, like respondent, who cannot establish blood relation to a Filipino biological father?” David said.

Poe's affidavit of renunciation was sufficient to qualify her for appointive and elective positions 

Following the same logic, David said Poe could not have become a dual citizen through RA 9225, as she is not eligible. Her renunciation of her US citizenship is invalid, as David insisted only natural-born Filipinos who lot their citizenship through naturalization in other countries are qualified to apply for dual citizenship.

“Being a foundling and thus not a citizen at birth, respondent became stateless when she renounced American citizenship in 2010 or 2011,” David said.

Poe did not withdraw her Oath of Renunciation of US citizenship for using her US passport after the said oath

David claimed Poe recanted her renunciation of US citizenship when she used her USA passport even after 2010, the year she officially abandoned her foreign citizenship.

Details submitted by Poe to the SET and the tribunal's decision, however, did not show Poe used her US passport after 2010.

“Due to her frequent travels to and from the United States from 2006 to 2010 and, perhaps, even in 2011 (since her U.S.A. passport only expired in December 2011), she may recanted her Oath of Renunciation – although this is now a matter to be dealt with by the U.S.A. – since she is not a natural-born citizen of the Philippines to begin with,” David said.

Poe argued her repeated use of the US passport during these years does not affect her renunciation of US citizenship, as she is a dual citizen of the 2 countries from 2006 to 2010. – Rappler.com 

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (UPDATED) – US Secretary of State John Kerry travelled to the Gulf on Monday, November 23, to stress the urgent need to unite a region riven by conflict against the threat from the jihadist Islamic State (ISIS) group.

Kerry believes his ambitious plan to bring Syria's other warring parties to the negotiating table is the key to isolating and ultimately defeating the extremists.

So he came to Abu Dhabi to encourage his Emirati and Saudi allies in their efforts to convince Syria's rebel factions to agree a ceasefire with Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"That's why I'm here," he told reporters, repeating his hope that a ceasefire between the opposition and the government could be struck "in a few weeks".

"We're working very hard to accelerate the efforts out of Vienna, to give that diplomatic process life," he said.

"You can be confident that the diplomatic front is in high gear, with a very real plan on the table to be implemented."

Last month, 17 nations plus the United Nations, Arab League and European Union met in Vienna to set a framework for a ceasefire and peace talks to halt Syria's civil war.

Kerry held meetings with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Later on Monday, he was due to sit down to talk at "great length" with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir about his outreach to the Syrian opposition.

In the wake of the attacks in Paris earlier this month and the security scare in Brussels, fears are rising that ISIS is gaining in strength and reach.

France's President Francois Hollande is due in Washington on Tuesday to lobby President Barack Obama to focus US military and diplomatic firepower on the group.

Russia's Vladimir Putin claims his forces are already doing this, dismissing Western and Arab concerns about Assad's rule as a distraction from the main fight.

But Washington thinks it can quickly launch a peace process designed to sideline Assad and build a stable Syria while still leading a military coalition against the jihadists.

"While there are still foreign fighters trying to get to Syria, there are literally thousands, tens of thousands that have been stopped," Kerry said.

Ambitious plan

He said ISIS funding from oil exports was being cut off and that the group has lost 25 percent of its territory in its heartland of eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

And now, US special forces are preparing to deploy into Syria to help local groups battle ISIS.

The Vienna powers have set an ambitious target date of January 1 for talks and a ceasefire to begin, but the participants have yet to be identified.

Saudi Arabia, which supports some of the Sunni rebel forces on the battlefield, has taken charge of assembling a motley coalition of opposition exile groups and armed factions.

Kerry was keen to hear from Jubeir how this process is going and whether the key players would be ready for the January 1 target date for talks to begin.

These would exclude ISIS and the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front.

However, they could draw in groups such as Al-Nusra's powerful Islamist ally Ahrar al-Sham.

The hope is that if a broad enough "moderate" opposition coalition can enter peace negotiations with Assad's loyalists, a path to a political transition can be found.

Meanwhile, the various local and international armies which have been drawn into the conflict will focus their fire on hardline jihadists like ISIS.

Asked whether Washington was under pressure from European allies to work with Russia against ISIS, Kerry said some of them "were wondering whether it was possible."

"And," he added, "under the right circumstances the answer is 'yes', it's possible, but we need to get the political process moving, we're weeks away, maybe one or two weeks."

But he warned that if "certain entities" think that by working with Russia the United States is helping Assad cling to power, that would imperil efforts to get Sunni rebels to the table.

"And then you'll have greater support going to bad actors which ultimately could fuel greater growth in Nusra and Daesh," he said, using an Arabic term for ISIS.

After Monday's one-day stopover in Abu Dhabi, Kerry was to head on to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Tuesday for talks on an upsurge of violence there. – Dave Clark, AFP/Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman, on Monday, November 23, ordered the filing of charges against former Albay 3rd District Representative Reno Lim for questionable use of P27 million of his pork barrel in 2007.

Lim, along with Technology Resource Center (TRC) officials Antonio Ortiz, Dennis Cunanan, Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana, Marivic Jover, and Consuelo Lilian Espiritu, faces four counts of malversation and four counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019). 

Also charged are Carlos Soriano and France Mercado, representatives of non-governmental organization Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation Inc. (KMFI), and Carmelita Barredo of C.C Barredo Publishing House. 

The Ombudsman found that in August and November 2007, Lim requested the release of P30 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to fund 8,000 sets of livelihood instructional materials and technology kits. 

Records show that the amount was disbursed to TRC as implementing agency, with KMFI as partner NGO. 

But upon validation, Ombudsman investigators found that the project was “fictitious" as “not one among the constituents of said legislative district received the livelihood technology kit.”

The Ombudsman also noted that in the implementation, Lim "personally handpicked KMFI twice as project implementor" without public bidding.

Aside from this, the Ombudsman cited findings of the Commission on Audit (COA), which reveal that the P27 million was paid to the concerned units even before a memorandum of agreement was signed. 

The COA also questioned the legitimacy of the NGO, saying that there were no accreditation measures done to verify KMFI's capacity to handle the project.  

Furthermore, KMFI registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) only a year before the disbursement. It also had no valid business address, as the one written on record was the same as C.C Barredo Publishing House.

Lim said, however, that he was just a "neophyte congressman" at the time and "merely followed the PDAF pre-implementation procedure."

He also said that his signatures in the documents presented were forged. – Rappler.com