MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) spent over P784.9 million ($16.67 million) to secure economic leaders, senior ministers and officials, and technical experts from all over the region during the country's year-long Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) chairmanship.

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor said the amount was released by the PNP’s Directorate for Comptrollership directly to police units and officers under the APEC Security Task Force, which was led by PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez. 

The breakdown of the PNP’s expenditures, spent from December 2014 to November 2015, are as follows:

• Meals - P534,468,408.07 ($11.35 million)
  
• Petroleum oil lubricant - P40,998,341.50 ($870,555)
  
• Billeting - P82,024,855.50 ($1.74 million)
  
• Other rentals - P55,764,352.00 ($1.184 million)
  
• Communications - P13,654,329.50 ($289,917)
  
• Office supplies - P7,468,880.00 ($158,584)
  
• Other supplies - P33,662,107.34 ($714,629)
• Travel - P16,860,461.50 ($357,934)
  

In a text message, Mayor said the expenses covered at least 39 meetings beginning December 2014 until November 2015, when the APEC CEO Summit and the culminating event, the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, were held in Metro Manila. (READ: Where APEC cops eat, sleep, live)

World leaders, including US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, were in the Philippines for last week's APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

At least 28,000 police personnel were deployed for the APEC summit, including at least 10,000 police to manage mass protest actions.

Police from all over the Philippines – from the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas – were tapped to secure more than 10,000 delegates from all over the world.– Rappler.com

US$ = P47

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) is pushing for the creation of a task force to investigate the recent killings of court officials and provincial judges.

The SC Committee on Security, headed by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, will be in charge of the investigation and with coordinating with various law enforcement agencies, SC spokesman Theodore Te said on Tuesday, November 24.

"[Justice Leonen will] start discussions with appropriate agencies of government towards the creation of a task force to address the continuing assassinations and killings of judges while in the performance of their duties," he said.

The move comes after the killing of a Samar provincial court judge on Sunday, the second judge killed this month and the fourth court official killed in the country this year.

Judge Reynaldo Espinar of the Laoang Municipal Trial Court was shot 3 times in the head by an unidentified gunman while watching cockfights at an arena in Pambujan town in Samar on November 22.

The gunman then fired warning shots, causing a stampede. This gave Espinar's bodyguard, Wilfredo Saromenes, the opportunity to kill the gunman.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which has formed a team to investigate the incident, said it will look into the motive behind the Samar judge's killing.

"We will ask his family and office staff about the judge's activities, and if he has received threats before the shooting, if he has any known enemies," NBI Assistant Director Medardo de Lemos said.

Aside from Espinar, 3 other court officials have been killed this year.

Barely two weeks before Espinar was gunned down, Malolos Regional Trial Court Judge Wilfredo Nieves was killed by gunmen along MacArthur Highway in Barangay Ticay, Malolos, Bulacan.

In September, Judge Erwin Alaba was shot dead in Baler, Aurora. Court interpreter Ibnohajar Puntukan of Shariah court in Jolo, Sulu, was killed on March 4.

The killings have drawn condemnation from the SC, Malacañang, and the Central Luzon chapters of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

“The killing of judges represents the ultimate shortcut and an affront to the rule of law. Killing of judges not only threatens other judges in the performance of their functions, but it also undermines the neutral environment so essential for fair and evenhanded decision-making,” the SC said.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has called on law enforcement authorities to “take all necessary steps with all deliberate speed to do justice" for the slain judges. – Rappler.com

SINGAPORE – More than half the world's primates, including apes, lemurs and monkeys, are facing extinction – and the list of endangered primates now includes the Philippine tarsier. 

International experts warned Tuesday, November 24, that the population crunch is the result of large-scale habitat destruction – particularly the burning and clearing of tropical forests – as well as the hunting of primates for food and the illegal wildlife trade, and they called for urgent action to protect mankind's closest living relatives.

Species long-known to be at risk, including the Sumatran orangutan, have been joined on the most endangered list for the first time by the Philippine tarsier and the Lavasoa Mountains dwarf lemur from Madagascar, scientists meeting in Singapore said.

"This research highlights the extent of the danger facing many of the world's primates," leading primatologist Christoph Schwitzer, director of conservation at Bristol Zoological Society in Britain, said in a statement.

"We hope it will focus people's attention on these lesser known primate species, some of which most people will probably have never heard of."

This includes the Lavasoa Mountains dwarf lemur – a species only discovered two years ago – and the Roloway monkey from Ghana and Ivory Coast, which experts say "are on the very verge of extinction".

There are 703 species and sub-species of primates in the world.

Madagascar and Vietnam are home to large numbers of highly threatened primate species, the statement said.

In Africa, the red colobus monkeys was under "particular threat", as were some of South America's howler monkeys and spider monkeys, it added.

"All of these species are relatively large and conspicuous, making them prime targets for bushmeat hunting," the statement said.

Russell Mittermeier, chair of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said he hoped the report would encourage governments to commit to "desperately needed biodiversity conservation measures".

Mittermeier said ahead of next month's global climate conference in Paris, there was growing evidence some primate species might play key roles in dispersing tropical forest tree seeds, which in turn "have a critically important role in mitigating climate change".

Here is the list of the world's top 25 most endangered primates for 2014-2016 and their estimated numbers remaining in the wild.

The list is compiled by the IUCN, Bristol Zoological Society, International Primatological Society and Conservation International and is updated every two years:

• Lavasoa Mountains dwarf lemur – unknown
• Lake Alaotra bamboo lemur – about 2,500-5,000
• Red ruffed lemur – unknown 
• Northern sportive lemur – around 50
• Perrier's sifaka – 1,700-2,600
• Rondo dwarf galago – unknown but remaining habitat is just 100 square kilometers (40 square miles)
• Roloway monkey – unknown but thought to be on the very verge of extinction
• Preuss' red colobus monkey – unknown
• Tana River red colobus monkey – 1,000 and declining
• Grauer's gorilla – 2,000-10,000
• Philippine tarsier – unknown
• Javan slow loris – unknown
• Pig-tailed langur – 3,300
• Cat Ba langur (golden headed langur) – 60
• Delacour's langur – 234-275
• Tonkin snub-nosed monkey – less than 250
• Kashmir grey langur – unknown
• Western purple-faced langur – unknown
• Hainan gibbon – 25
• Sumatran orangutan – 6,600
• Ka'apor capuchin – unknown
• San Martin titi monkey – unknown
• Northern brown howler monkey – less than 250 mature animals
• Colombian brown spider monkey – unknown
• Ecuadorian brown-headed spider monkey – unknown

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III met with several Lumad, the indigenous peoples in Mindanao, on Tuesday, November 24, in Malacañang, months after a spate of killings that have pitted the indigenous community against the military.

“Earlier today, the President, along with key members of the Cabinet, met with leaders from the Indigenous Peoples sector,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement on Tuesday.

While Lacierda only mentioned "Indigenous Peoples," a Rappler source privy to the meeting confirmed they are indeed Lumad.

“[Aquino] heard the totality of their concerns and issued directives to come up with concrete action plans to address these, both in immediate and long-term,” Lacierda added.

Malacañang and Cabinet secretaries, however, were mum on the details.

Present were Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, Health Secretary Janette Garin, Secretary to the Cabinet Rene Almendras, and Presidential Management Staff chief Julia Abad.

The meeting came after hundreds of Lumad arrived in Manila to protest the killings.

Several local and international groups have called on the Aquino administration to look into the spate of killings of activists and Lumad in Mindanao. (READ: Timeline: Attacks on the Lumad)

The Philippine military is accused of killing Lumad leaders on suspicion they're guerrillas. The communities are in provinces influenced by the communist New People's Army.  – Rappler.com 

BEIJING, China – China on Tuesday, November 24, reaffirmed that it will "not accept" a judicial arbitration on the South China Sea, as an international court was due to hear a case bought by the Philippines.

Manila has called for the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to rule on the increasingly bitter dispute, appealing to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, putting it in conflict with several neighbors, and is a party to the Convention but has rejected the court's jurisdiction on the issue.

"Our position is clear: we will not participate to or accept the arbitration," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular briefing.

Hong issued the statement as the Philippines’ powerhouse team against China returned to The Hague on Tuesday, to defend Manila’s historic case against Beijing over the disputed area the Philippines calls the West Philippine Sea. (READ: Powerhouse PH team vs China back in The Hague)

Beijing has never precisely defined its claims to the strategic waterway, through which about a third of all the world's traded oil passes.

The waters – claimed in part by Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei – have become the stage for a tussle for dominance between Beijing and Washington, the world's two largest economic and military powers.

Following a stand-off between Chinese ships and the weak Philippine Navy in 2012, China took control of a rich fishing ground called Scarborough Shoal that is within the Philippines' claimed exclusive economic zone.

Manila hopes a judgement in its favor will pressure Beijing into making concessions.

China has refused to participate in the proceedings, arguing the Permanent Court of Arbitration has no jurisdiction over the matter.

Beijing has in recent years rapidly built artificial islands, which neighbors fear will be used as military outposts.

In a July hearing in The Hague, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario warned the integrity of UN maritime laws was at stake. (READ: PH to Hague tribunal: China threatens law of the sea)

China's behavior had become increasingly "aggressive" and negotiations had proved futile, del Rosario said. – Rappler.com

ANKARA, Turkey – NATO member Turkey on Tuesday, November 24, shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border, threatening a major spike in tensions between two key protagonists in the 4-year Syria civil war.

The Turkish presidency said in a statement that the plane was a Russian Su-24 fighter jet, while Turkish media said one pilot had been captured by rebel forces in Syria.

Moscow confirmed that one of its planes had been shot down, but said the pilots' fate remained unclear. However Russia insisted that the plane was inside Syrian airspace.

"A Russian Su-24 plane was downed under the rules of engagement because it violated the Turkish airspace despite the warnings," the Turkish presidency said.

Reports said two pilots had ejected from the plane and Turkish television pictures showed two white parachutes descending to the ground.

The CNN-Turk channel said Syrian Turkmen forces fighting the Russian-backed regime of President Bashar al-Assad captured one pilot.

Russia meanwhile confirmed that one of its planes had been shot down.

"Presumably as a result of firing, an Su-24 plane of the Russian forces crashed in the Syrian Arab Republic," Russian news agencies quoted the defense ministry as saying. 

The Russian ministry said the fate of the pilots was not yet clear.

Turkey's Dogan news agency broadcast footage of what it said was Russian helicopters flying over Syrian territory in an apparent search for the lost pilots.

Turkey to seize NATO, UN

The fighter jet exploded in the air and the fireball fell on a mountain on the Syrian side of the border, television pictures showed.

Footage posted by the state-run Anatolia news agency showed plumes of smoke rising behind a mountain a few kilometers from the Turkish border.

Turkish reports said the incident happened in the border area between Turkey's southern Hatay province and an area in northwest Syria populated by the Turkic-speaking Turkmen minority.

The incident came as Russian and Syrian jets are carrying out a heavy bombing campaign against targets in northern Syria.

The Turkish government has expressed anger at the bombing campaign, saying it is aimed at buttressing the Syria regime and has displaced thousands of Turkmen Syrians.

Russia however insists that the air campaign is aimed against Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists.

Amid fears of a diplomatic crisis, key NATO member Turkey said it would take the issue to the United Nations and NATO. 

"Necessary initiatives will be taken at NATO, UN and at the level of countries concerned by the foreign ministry upon instructions from Mr Prime Minister," a statement from Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's office said.

Russian fighter jets entered Turkish airspace in two separate incidents in October, prompting Ankara to summon the Russian ambassador twice to protest both violations. 

Turkey and Russia have long been at loggerheads over the Syrian conflict, with Ankara seeking Assad's overthrow while Moscow does everything to keep him in power. 

The Turkish military in October also shot down a Russian-made drone that had entered its airspace. But Moscow denied the drone belonged to its forces. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to visit Turkey on Wednesday in a bid to smooth ties and find a joint approach to finding peace in Syria.

Along with Saudi Arabia and the United States, Turkey and Russia are taking part in talks in Vienna that aim to narrow differences on the Syria conflict and have taken on an extra importance after the Paris attacks.

A Turkish foreign ministry official told AFP Lavrov's visit would go ahead as planned. "There is no change in the program," said the official. – Fulya Ozerkan with Stuart Williams in Istanbul, AFP / Rappler.com

PARIS, France – A total 147 heads of state and government so far will attend a climate summit due to start in Paris next week, the French government said Tuesday, November 24.

The November 30-December 11 conference is tasked with signing the first-ever truly universal pact to curb global warming, and opens just two weeks after jihadists killed 130 people in the French capital.

France has said there had been no cancellations, and US President Barack Obama has urged fellow world leaders to come to Paris "to send a signal that the viciousness of a handful of killers does not stop the world from doing vital business."

A French foreign ministry official told Agence France-Presse that "147 heads of state and government are expected" at the highly-anticipated Conference of Parties.

This would make it one of the biggest gatherings ever of world leaders outside the UN General Assembly in New York.

The previous largest climate gathering in Copenhagen in 2009, amassed some 115 world leaders, according to the UN climate forum.

France has insisted it will not "give in" to violence by postponing a summit which must produce a deal committing all the world's nations to climate action starting in 2020.

Gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people out for dinner, drinks and a concert on the night of November 13, prompting the authorities to cancel two mass rallies that had been organized to coincide with the summit.

The conference itself will gather some 40,000 delegates, journalists, observers and exhibitors.

The meeting's goal is to produce a pact that can limit average global warming to 2ºC (3.6ºF) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

This is the threshold beyond which scientists warns our planet will become increasingly inhospitable – racked by superstorms, drought and land-gobbling sea level rise.

About 170 countries have already filed voluntary carbon-curbing pledges to underpin the future pact, but scientists say the aggregate effect falls far short and Earth is on course for warming of about 3ºC, or more.

Negotiators remain deeply divided, with rich and developing nations arguing about who must do what to curb carbon emissions, and who must pay. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – After being left unoccupied for almost 4 months, the Office of the Mayor in the Makati city hall was again filled with employees on Tuesday, November 24. 

It was not the first time the office has been occupied since the suspension and eventual departure of dismissed Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. Several staff members of acting Mayor Romulo “Kid” Peña Jr told Rappler that they had been occupying the office for about two weeks. 

Peña replaced Binay in an acting capacity after Binay’s second preventive suspension order was served.  (READ: SC upholds CA’s power to review Ombudsman orders)

Peña, who previously vowed to work away from the 21st floor mayor's office, said his staff needed the space to accommodate the increasing number of Makati residents seeking his help. 

“[May staff na ako sa 21st floor] kasi nga nahihirapan na kami. Ano na kami sa baba, delata na kami, lalo na pag people’s day,” said Peña.

(I have staff members on the 21st floor because we’re having a difficult time meeting the needs of the people downstairs. We’re like canned fish there, especially when it’s people’s day.) 

He added that his own use of the mayor’s office is restricted to officiating weddings. He holds office instead at the Acting Mayor’s Office on the ground floor. The location was once used to process business permits until the Makati city government transferred the function to another floor to accommodate Peña and his staff.

The office was the subject of controversy a few months back, when Binay finally left the capitol. Binay initially defied a preventive suspension order and remained on the 21st floor. 

He told members of the media that he slept on the couch inside his office. The office, however, had well-furnished living quarters previously hidden from the public view, including a queen-sized bed, kitchen, dining area, living room, and bathrooms. 

Members of Binay’s staff who used to occupy the 21st floor have been noticeably absent since Peña assumed the mayoral seat. 

Peña said in July that the office still belonged to Binay, as he was only suspended at the time. 

A change of heart?

There have been changes in the city hall, now that the Ombudsman dismissed Binay and barred him from holding public office. 

More and more framed photos of Peña in his barong, the Makati city government logo and the Philippine flag behind him, are seen in several department offices.  His smiling face is plastered on posters and tarpaulins around the establishment, where Peña is pictured holding the signature yellow health card of Makati.

Peña is eyeing the 2016 mayoral seat, running against Binay’s sister and incumbent Makati Second District Representative Abigail Binay as well as art director Jimmy “Jimboy” Jumawan. (READ: Was Abby Binay kicked out of her Makati city hall office?)

“Yeah, you can say that na kumportable ako kasi nafifeel ko nadedeliver ko naman ‘yung mga services e. Although siyempre may mga ilang aspeto na ‘di kaya, may mga kaya,” Peña said.

(Yeah, you can say that I’m comfortable because I feel that I'm delivering the services the mayor should be delivering. Of course, we're doing well in some aspects, while others need to be improved.)

Still, many offices in the city hall have framed photos of Binay, as well as his father, former Makati mayor and now Vice President Jejomar Binay.  

Some employees continue to put on display calendars bearing a photo of the whole Binay clan.

Peña now considers himself the mayor of Makati, but he understands there is still a pending motion for reconsideration.

“Ako para sa akin, [ako na ‘yung] mayor kasi dismissed na si Mayor Junjun. Kaya lang, just for the sake na may hinihintay pa siya na [motion for reconsideration], we’re doing that, ‘yung pagiging acting mayor,” Peña said.

(For me personally, I am now the mayor because Mayor Junjun was dismissed. However, they are still waiting for the decision on their motion for reconsideration, so we’re still considering myself as the acting mayor.)

“Puro serbisyo na lang [muna] ako (I’m focused on being of service for now),” he added. 

Sought for a reaction, the Binay camp offered no comment. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Climate change is more than a phenomenon happening to our environment. It calls for an overhaul of what human society values the most. 

These were among the sentiments shared by United Nations Development Program Regional Director for Asia-Pacific Haoliang Xu during an interview with Rappler.

"I think the society has to really review, evaluate our value system and the reckless pursuit of profit at cost of everything else cannot continue. It has to be shared value of humanity," he said. (WATCH: Climate change, explained by a kid)

More cars, more appliances, more shopping, more consumption? Xu asked whether happiness can be achieved in a more sustainable way.

Human development in harmony with nature's balance is one of the goals of the highly-anticipated UN climate conference to be held in Paris, France from November 30 to December 11 – less than one week away.

What's at stake for developing, climate-vulnerable countries like the Philippines?

Here are clips of Rappler's interview with Xu.

On prospects for an ambitious, legally-binding climate deal in Paris:

On the call of poor, vulnerable countries for a more ambitious climate goal:

On the countries to receive portions of the Green Climate Fund:

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – They've traded barbs in the past, but former justice secretary and senatorial aspirant Leila de Lima opted to "reserve her comments" on Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's announcement that he will run for president in 2016.

"He's been ambivalent in the past several weeks...until and unless we see his certificate of candidacy (COC) being officially filed, I'd rather reserve my comments," De Lima said on the sidelines of a university forum on Tuesday, November 24.

She added, "The only thing I can say now is that everyone has the right to seek any post, including the highest post of the land. But of course there are legal issues that need to be confronted."

After months of insisting that he won't be running for president, the controversial Davao mayor announced that he has decided to run because he does not want an "American president" – referring to Senator Grace Poe.

Duterte says Poe is not a natural-born citizen of the Philippines because she is a foundling. His decision to run, he said, was prompted by a Senate tribunal decision junking the disqualification case against Poe based on questions on her citizenship.

But it remains to be seen whether Duterte can run for president at all, after he missed the October 16 deadline for the filing of COCs.

While he plans to be the substitute candidate of political party PDP-Laban, it's still up to the Commission on Elections whether to accept the substitution. (READ: EXPLAINER: Can Rodrigo Duterte run for president?)

At odds on 'major issues'

The controversial Davao mayor is known for his tough talking ways and iron-fisted leadership style, putting him at odds with human rights advocates and with De Lima, a former chair of the Commission on Human Rights.

De Lima, now running for the Senate under the Liberal Party, has previously criticized Duterte over his alleged involvement in vigilante killings in the past. (READ: Investigate Duterte's role in death squads) 

Explaining the long running word war between them, De Lima said that she and Duterte "cannot see eye to eye on certain major issues," particularly when it comes to summary killings and Davao's so-called death squads, a group of vigilantes that target criminals in the city.

But beyond Duterte's alleged involvement in these killings, De Lima also questioned the "propriety" of the Davao mayor's statements that "tend to promote or encourage vigilantism."

"He is a lawyer, and therefore he knows that the rule of law must prevail and therefore due process has to be observed. You cannot just shoot and kill offenders of the law. That's vigilantism. That is not the kind of constitutionally legal system we have," she said.

Despite their long running word war, De Lima insisted that she has "nothing personal" against Duterte.

Duterte, incidentally, also said in a press conference in October that he will support De Lima's senatorial bid because she is a fellow graduate of San Beda College. – Rappler.com

DHAKA, Bangladesh – Bangladesh authorities insisted Tuesday, November 24, an almost week-long ban on Facebook and mobile messaging services would remain until security in the tense country improved.

The government last Wednesday ordered Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber blocked over fears of unrest after the country's highest court rejected appeals by two top opposition leaders against the death penalty for war crimes.

The telecoms regulator said the ban would stay after the two leaders were hanged on Sunday morning, prompting calls for a nationwide strike and raising fears of violence from their supporters.  

"They (services) will be reopened the moment the government feels it's safe," Shahjahan Mahmud, chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, told Agence France-Presse.

Commission spokesman Zakir Hossain Khan declined to confirm media speculation the ban would be lifted later Tuesday.

Analysts said the shutdown was aimed at stopping opposition parties organising rallies in the run-up to the executions, amid anger over what rights group have called "flawed and unfair" war crimes trials.

The regulator also temporarily banned messaging services Viber and Tango in January after they became a popular way of mobilizing large numbers of activists for anti-government protests.

Bangladesh hanged Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, from the country's biggest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, a key aide of opposition leader Khaleda Zia, after they were convicted of atrocities during the 1971 war against Pakistan.

Similar convictions in 2013 triggered the country's deadliest violence since independence, with some 500 people killed – mainly in clashes between Jamaat activists and police.

Protests held this week have been largely peaceful. But two Islamist students were beaten to death on Tuesday in the western city of Jessore, a police chief told AFP, with Jamaat blaming members of the ruling Awami League.

Bangladeshis slammed the ban on Twitter, saying it was curbing free speech and further fuelling anger against the government. 

Bangladesh's fast-growing online retail industry said the ban has hit their business, with some reporting reduced sales. – Rappler.com

BRUSSELS, Belgium – NATO ambassadors will hold an "extraordinary" meeting Tuesday, November 24, at Ankara's request to discuss Turkey's shooting down of a Russian fighter jet along the Syrian border, an alliance official said.

"At the request of Turkey, the North Atlantic Council will hold an extraordinary meeting at (1600 GMT). The aim of this extraordinary NAC is for Turkey to inform Allies about the downing of a Russian airplane," the official told Agence France-Presse.

"NATO is monitoring the situation closely. We are in contact with Turkish authorities."

Ankara said two of its F16 fighters shot down a Russian Su-24 after it violated Turkish airspace 10 times within a five-minute period along the Syrian border. Russia says its aircraft was in Syrian airspace.

The North Atlantic Council consists of ambassadors from the 28 NATO member states. It meets regularly but can be convened into emergency session if one of the allies feels its security is under threat.

But in an apparent sign of caution, Turkey did not request the meeting under NATO's Article Four, under which a member declares that its territorial integrity, political independence or security is under threat.

Ankara did invoke NATO's Article Four back in October to call just such an emergency meeting after Russian planes violated its airspace several times following the start of Moscow's air campaign against Syrian rebels.

On that occasion, the North Atlantic Council warned of "the extreme danger of such irresponsible behavior" by Russian aircraft.

All 28 NATO members pledge a one-for-all, all-for-one response to any military threat if a member invokes what is known as Article Five when it comes under attack.

The only time Article Five has been invoked was by the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

Turkey, the second largest military power in NATO after the United States, has invoked Article Four several times as the Syrian conflict has spilled over the border.

In response, NATO deployed in the south Patriot missiles, which can shoot down both aircraft and incoming missiles, but they were due to be withdrawn at the end of this year.

NATO said previously the Patriot deployment was being reviewed. – Rappler.com

VATICAN CITY – Two journalists and three Vatican officials went on trial Tuesday, November 24, over the publication of classified documents in a case critics have attacked as having a whiff of the inquisition.

The hearing opened just after 10:30 am (0930 GMT) and was initially expected to be devoted to procedural issues. All five accused face up to eight years in jail for obtaining and disclosing confidential papers "concerning the fundamental interests of the Vatican State".

The unprecedented prosecution of journalists Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi – who say they were only doing their job – is being pursued under punitive legislation introduced in 2013.

The law was rushed through a year after Pope Benedict XVI's butler leaked damaging information about Vatican infighting that plunged the Holy See into crisis and, it is widely believed, contributed to the pontiff's decision to retire.

Nuzzi said there was an interest "in deflecting attention from the embarrassing content – embarrassing for some people and not the Church," as he arrived at the Vatican. 

Spanish priest Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda, Italian PR expert Francesca Chaouqui and a third Vatican official, Nicola Maio, are charged with criminal association in order to obtain the documents and then divulging them to the press.

Nuzzi and Fittipaldi are accused of illegal disclosure and putting pressure on the Vatican officials, particularly Vallejo Balda, to obtain documents which they used as material for books depicting financial irregularities and uncontrolled spending in the Holy See.

The Vatican officials were all members of a now defunct special commission set up by Pope Francis to advise him on economic reform.

Nuzzi and Fittipaldi's books showed that, amongst other issues, charity money was spent on refurbishing the houses of powerful cardinals.

Nuzzi's book contains a transcript of secret recordings of Pope Francis vociferously complaining about the Vatican throwing money away through poor financial management.

No protection of sources

The Vatican has not denied the veracity of the recordings or the authenticity of the documents.

Instead, officials have framed the revelations as old news based on problems that Francis has already addressed through his reforms, a clampdown on profligacy and a cleanup of the Vatican bank.

Fittipaldi, who was questioned by Vatican prosecutors last week, admits he never expected to face criminal proceedings.

"Maybe I'm naive but I believed they would investigate those I denounced for criminal activity, not the person that revealed the crimes," said the journalist, who writes for the weekly L'Espresso.

Unlike Italy, the Vatican has no law protecting journalists' ability to keep the sources of their stories secret.

"Two people have already been arrested and jailed as a consequence of this leak of documents and now the Vatican authorities are accusing two journalists who have simply done their job," Nuzzi, a freelance reporter, said on Monday.

"Therefore I will continue to inform my readers, to spread the contents of my book and to defend my work..." he said.

Chaouqui was released shortly after her arrest and has since reportedly claimed that Vallejo Balda, who will come to court from a Vatican cell, was exclusively responsible for illicitly recording the pope.

The scandal has revived painful memories of the last time employees aired the Church's dirty laundry in public.

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI's butler engineered a series of leaks that revealed fierce in fighting at the top of the Church and allegations of serious fraud in the running of the city state.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, before being pardoned by the pope but banished from the Vatican forever.

Nuzzi played a central role in breaking that story and has said the Vatican's reaction this time around reflects the intolerant mindset of the inquisition – as the Church's often brutal persecution of perceived heretics was called from the 12th to the 19th Centuries. – Angus Mackinnon, Agence France-Presse / Rappler.com

ANKARA, Turkey – NATO member Turkey on Tuesday, November 24, shot down a Russian war plane on the Syrian border, an act President Vladimir Putin said would have "serious consequences" for ties between two key protagonists in the Syria war.

The Turkish army said the plane was shot down by two F-16s after violating Turkish airspace 10 times within a five-minute period, an account challenged by Moscow’s claim it was over Syria.

Turkish television pictures showed the jet exploding and crashing in a ball of flames into a Syrian mountain.

Turkish media said one pilot had been captured by rebel forces in Syria after both ejected by parachute while Syrian opposition sources said one was dead and another missing.

NATO has called an emergency meeting over the incident, the first of its kind since Russia launched air strikes in Syria in September, to the consternation of the West.

The presence of military aircraft from Russia, the United States, France, Turkey and a clutch of Gulf states in Syrian skies had long raised fears of an incident that could quickly escalate into a major diplomatic and military crisis.

With a major diplomatic crisis looming between two states on opposing sides in the Syria conflict, Russia angrily insisted its jet never had entered Turkish airspace.

The shooting down of the plane was "a stab in the back committed by accomplices of terrorists," Putin said at a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Moscow.

Putin said the plane fell in Syrian territory four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the border with Turkey and "did not in any way threaten Turkey."

"Today's tragic event will have serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations," he warned.

The Turkish army said the downing took place over the Yayladagi district of Turkey's Hatay province on the border with Syria.

"The plane violated Turkish air space 10 times in five minutes despite warnings," the army said in a statement, adding it was shot down at 0724 GMT "according to the rules of engagement."

Russia summoned the Turkish military attaché in Moscow while Ankara summoned Moscow's charge d'affaires to the foreign ministry.

"Everyone must know that it is our international right and national duty to take any measure against whoever violates our air or land borders," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. 

'Pilots ejected’

Reports said two pilots had ejected from the plane and Turkish television pictures showed two white parachutes descending to the ground. Their fate was not certain.

CNN-Turk said Syrian Turkmen forces fighting the Russian-backed regime of President Bashar al-Assad had captured one pilot.

Syrian opposition sources meanwhile told Agence France-Presse one pilot was dead, the second missing.

Turkey's Dogan news agency broadcast footage of what it said werr Russian helicopters flying over Syrian territory in an apparent search for the lost men.

The incident came as Russian and Syrian jets wage a heavy bombing campaign against targets in northern Syria while the US-led coalition continues its own air strikes.

Turkey has expressed anger at the operation, saying it is aimed at buttressing the Syrian regime and has displaced thousands of Turkmen Syrians, an ethnic minority in the area and strong allies of Ankara.

Russia however insists its air strikes are aimed against Islamic State jihadists, who are also being targeted by the US-led coalition.

NATO calls meeting

At Ankara's request, NATO allies will hold an "extraordinary" meeting at 1600 GMT to discuss the incident, an alliance official said.

"NATO is monitoring the situation closely. We are in contact with Turkish authorities."

Russian fighter jets entered Turkish airspace in two separate incidents in October, prompting Ankara to summon the Russian ambassador twice in protest. 

Turkey and Russia have long been at loggerheads over the Syrian conflict, with Ankara seeking Assad's overthrow while Moscow does everything to keep him in power. 

The Turkish military in October also shot down a Russian-made drone that had entered its airspace. But Moscow denied the drone belonged to its forces. 

It remains to be seen what action Turkey could call for at NATO.

Turkey in July invoked NATO's rarely used article 4 – which allows any member to request a meeting of all 28 NATO ambassadors – over its campaign against Kurdish rebels.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to visit Turkey on Wednesday in a bid to smooth ties and find a joint approach to finding peace in Syria.

Along with Saudi Arabia and the United States, Turkey and Russia are taking part in talks in Vienna that aim to narrow differences on the Syria conflict and have taken on an extra importance after the Paris attacks.

A Turkish foreign ministry official told AFP Lavrov's visit would go ahead as planned: "There is no change in the program." – Fulya Ozerkan with Stuart Williams in Istanbul, Agence France-Presse / Rappler.com

DOHA, Qatar – Qatar was hit by more than a year's worth of rain in several hours, while in neighboring Saudi Arabia, one person was killed during flooding Wednesday, November 25.

Roads in Doha were blocked as overnight rain made many near impassable for commuters.

Schools and malls closed as the rain even forced the United States (US) embassy in Qatar to shut down.

Worst hit seemed to be the area around Doha's Hamad International Airport, where almost 80 millimeters of rain fell, according to the Qatar Meteorology Department, causing reports on social media of leaks at the estimated $17 billion (16 billion euro) building, which opened just last year.

However, Hamad International said that flights were operating normally, despite the weather conditions.

The World Bank calculates that Qatar receives, on average, 74 millimeters of rain each year. 

The US embassy said that the weather had forced it to shut on Wednesday and the offices would not open again until next week.

"Due to inclement weather, the US Embassy in #Qatar will be closed today," it said on Twitter. 

The interior ministry pleaded for drivers to take care in the rainy conditions.

Ashgal, the public works authority, denied rumors that the rain had caused structural problems at a major Doha intersection. 

Football World Cup 2022 host Qatar is well-known for its fierce summer temperatures, which will force the tournament to be played instead in November and December. 

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, schools were closed for a second day as rain continued to fall on Riyadh, flooding some streets and forcing drivers to abandon their cars.

About 10 cars were submerged under about two meters of water in a highway underpass in the Labban district on the capital's western outskirts, an AFP photographer reported. 

Workers were trying to drain the floodwaters into tanker trucks as a light rain fell from gloomy skies. 

The Civil Defence agency reported that 72 vehicles had been rescued in the Riyadh region with their occupants unharmed. 

One person died in Rimah, northeast of the city, the agency said. 

Roads in the city center were unaffected, although traffic moved along the main King Fahad Road even more slowly than usual.

Some side streets were partly flooded elsewhere in the desert city of 5.7 million, which is dry and sunny for most of the year.

Other parts of the kingdom have also been soaked this week.

At least 8 people died in flooding last week in the Medina and Jeddah areas of western Saudi Arabia.– Rappler.com

KABUL, Afghanistan – A United States (US) air strike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan that killed at least 30 people was caused primarily by human error, the commander of US forces said Wednesday, November 25, promising disciplinary action.

General John Campbell said those most closely associated with the incident had been suspended from their duties, as he announced the results of an investigation into the October 3 strike.

The hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan came under devastating fire from a US special operations AC-130 gunship, in a prolonged attack that drew international condemnation.

The "tragic but avoidable accident [was] caused primarily by human error," Campbell said at a news conference at NATO headquarters here. 

"The medical facility was misidentified as a target by US personnel who believed they were striking a different building several hundred meters away where there were reports of combatants," Campbell said.

"The personnel who requested the strike and those who executed it from the air did not undertake appropriate measures to verify that the facility was a legitimate military target," he said.

Some of those involved in the attacks failed to follow the rules of engagement, Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner said at the same news conference.   

"We have learned from this terrible incident," said Campbell. "We will also take administrative and disciplinary action through a process that is fair and thorough [and] considers the available evidence." – Rappler.com

TUNIS, Tunisia – The Islamic State (ISIS) group on Wednesday, November 25, claimed the bombing of a presidential guard bus in the Tunisian capital that killed at least 12 people.

A Tunisian suicide bomber named "Abou Abdallah al-Tounissi" boarded the bus in central Tunis on Tuesday and blew himself up, it said in a statement shared on jihadist social media accounts.

ISIS published a photo of the attacker dressed in white and wearing an explosives vest, his head and face covered with a scarf.

The jihadist group said 20 people had been killed, while an earlier official toll said 12 presidential guards died in the attack.

The remains of a 13th person found at the scene – who authorities believe could have been the bomber – have not yet been identified, the interior ministry said.

The bombing was carried out using 10 kilos of powerful Semtex explosive, according to the ministry. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – “Korina is my wife and I love her very much.”

The typically stoic Manuel Roxas II turned to emotion on Wednesday, November 25, when asked if it was “fair for poor people” not to vote for him because of his wife, broadcaster Korina Sanchez.

“I’m saddened to hear that. But Korina is my wife and I love her very much. And she’s with me. And I’m with her,” Roxas said during a live Inquirer multimedia forum.

Roxas, the standard bearer of the ruling Liberal Party (LP), has been married to Sanchez since October 2009. A month before their wedding, Roxas announced he would be dropping his nomination as the LP’s standard bearer for the 2010 elections, to make way for then-senator Benigno Aquino III’s presidential run.

Sanchez was once an anchor and chief correspondent in ABS-CBN, one of the biggest news groups in the Philippines. She eventually let go of her job as a journalist in the months preceding her husband’s announcement of a presidential run although she still hosts a magazine show in the TV network.

It’s not the first time Roxas has been asked about Sanchez and her role in his campaign and administration, should he win. (READ: 'This is my husband's calling' – Korina Sanchez)

In an interview with Rappler’s #TheLeaderIWant series late October, Roxas said Sanchez would not be taking a role in government, should she be First Lady.

Roxas, speaking to Rappler, emphasized the “sacrifice” Sanchez took for his political plans.

“She had to put her career on hold… the last time I ran to public office she had to stop her career,” said Roxas then. In 2010, when Roxas was running for vice president, Sanchez took a leave of absence from her work in ABS-CBN.

What if Roxas wins? The break from her journalism career, said Roxas, will likely become “permanent.”

Sanchez sometimes represents Roxas in events he is unable to attend save for “functions where policy [is discussed],” Roxas told Rappler then.

Sanchez has been a journalist since the early 80s. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines — It’s one of the sticky issues raised against him, but Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II on Wednesday, November 25, insisted he was not remiss in his role as transportation chief years back.

During a “Meet Your Candidates” forum organized by alumni of American business schools such as Harvard, Kellog, and Wharton, Roxas was asked if he thought he did enough during his stint as Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) secretary from June 2011 to October 2012.

“I’m confident that we did all that we could do given all that we could do at that time,” said Roxas, who has been blamed for the failures of the department, including a languishing Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) and the traffic woes of Metro Manila. (READ: Solving Metro traffic: Terminate various bus franchises, says Roxas)

Before Roxas went onstage, presidential survey front runner Senator Grace Poe was asked whether Roxas “did enough,” based on her Senate committee’s probe into the problems of the MRT.

“I think more could have been done. I think that our people deserved better,” said Poe.

The senator added: “And I think that it’s really a matter of vision, planning, and execution and leadership that could have spelled the difference.”

“It’s very easy, 20/20 in hindsight, you always have a perfect answer, right? But that’s not the way things are. You come across a problem and you solve it to the best that you can,” said Roxas.

‘Original sin’

As in previous forums and interviews where he’s asked about the MRT3’s problems, Roxas pointed out the “original sin” of the existing contract between the government and the train line’s owner.

“I challenge anyone. This is a contract that started out in original sin. The contract itself was anomalous and the contract binds the government to continue this program,” said Roxas.

The tricky contract and legal debacles between the government and the privately-owned Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC), according to the current administration, has led to difficulty in the acquisition and upgrade of MRT3 facilities.

In the past year or so, the cracks – mostly figurative, some literal – in the train line have begun to show.

Mid-2014, one of the line’s trains crashed into the barriers of its terminal station, injuring passengers. Long lines and glitches have also marred the train line, which traverses through EDSA.

Pressed on how he intends to solve the train line’s problems should he be elected president, Roxas said he would “abrogate” the “anomalous” contract.

The same advice was given President Benigno Aquino III which is why the government is currently buying a new set of trains that are set to arrive by the first quarter of 2016.

“That’s why there’s now an effort to buy out the contract but even that in itself is problematic. Can you imagine, buying out a contract paying the original sinners for this contract to take them out of this cushy position?” said the former DOTC secretary.

The existing contract, Roxas told a room full of entrepreneurs, only allows the operator to buy new trains. The contract also assures the operator of “15% return, dollar dominated, come hell or high water.”

“You tell me whether that’s anomalous or not,” quipped Roxas.

In a chance interview with reporters after the forum, Roxas said should he be elected president, he would ask the government’s legal team to find a way out of the contract through a buy-out, termination, or by filing a case against the MRT3 owner. – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – Negotiations for a world pact to curb global warming will start in Paris Sunday, November 29, a day ahead of schedule, the UN said Wednesday, November 25, as a report warned 2015 could become the hottest year on record.

The crunch UN summit will be officially opened by more than 150 heads of state and government on Monday, November 30, as planned, making it the biggest gathering of world leaders on climate in history.

But negotiators will already meet at the conference venue from Sunday, the UN's climate change secretariat said.

An early start "will offer an opportunity to make the best possible use of the very limited time available to finalize negotiations," it said in a statement.

Negotiators are tasked with sealing a deal that will cap average global warming at 2ºC (3.6ºF) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

But the haggle has been notoriously long and complex, hampered by rows over how to share the burden of curbing fossil-fuel gases that stoke warming.

Key issues – ranging from finance to the legal status of the accord – need to be settled by the time the conference closes on December 11. 

The European Union warned Wednesday there was "still a lot of work" to do and feared a lowest-common-denominator outcome.

The current draft text "is too long and too complex," EU Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said. 

"Let me be very frank with you today: we will have a deal in Paris. Of that, I have no doubt. But my worry is that we may end up having a minimalistic agreement."

The fragile state of Earth's climate system was underlined in a report by the UN's weather agency in Geneva, warning of record high temperatures.

Based on data for the first 10 months of the year, "we feel very confident... that 2015 will be the warmest year on record," said World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chief Michel Jarraud.

The WMO said land and sea temperatures were likely to surpass previous records shattered last year.

And 2011-2015 marked the hottest 5-year period ever measured, at 0.57ºC above the 1961-90 average.

"This is all bad news for the planet," Jarraud told reporters.

The WHO usually waits to have a full year's worth of data before drawing such conclusions but said it wanted the findings "to inform negotiators" at the UN climate talks.

The WMO said the global average surface temperature this year would likely pass "the symbolic and significant milestone" of 1ºC. 

'Time not on our side'

"We have already warmed the atmosphere by more than half" of the 2ºC allocation, said Jarraud.

"This is of great concern," he said, also pointing out that greenhouse-gas concentrations in the atmosphere also broke a new record this year. 

These gases can linger for centuries, continuing to warm the atmosphere long after emissions are cut.

"Time is really not on our side," Jarraud said. "We have the knowledge and the tools to act. We have a choice. Future generations will not."

Scientists warn that on the basis of voluntary national pledges to curb carbon emissions, Earth is on track for warming of 3ºC.

The agency said the global ocean temperature also reached new highs in the upper 700-meter (2,300-foot) and 2,000-meter layers.

Oceans absorb more than 90% of the energy from humankind's greenhouse gas emissions.

Sea levels in the first half of the year, meanwhile, appeared to be "the highest since satellite observations became available in 1993."

"We have really broken records almost everywhere," Jarraud said.

El Niño worries

The soaring temperatures come as El Niño, a natural phenomenon that sparks global weather extremes, is at its strongest in more than 15 years, and gaining strength.

El Niño, which occurs every 2 to 7 years, tends to naturally hike temperatures, and the WMO said it was not clear how much of this year's record heat could be attributed to the phenomenon.

Analysis over longer periods, however, clearly reveals a "systematic trend" of warming.

El Niño years are growing hotter, and even the counter-phenomenon La Niña, which tends to bring cooler temperatures, is far warmer than a few decades ago, Jarraud said.

"What we call a cold year now would have been considered a record warm year before 1997," he added.

The impact of climate change on the frequency and strength of extreme weather events, especially heatwaves, is becoming increasingly clear, the agency said.

France said Wednesday it would deploy some 11,000 police to secure the UN climate summit, hosted in a city still reeling from November 13 jihadist attacks which killed 130 people. – Mariëtte Le Roux, with Nina Larson in Geneva, Switzerland, AFP / Rappler.com