MOSCOW, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, July 30, said the United States would have to cut 755 diplomatic staff in Russia and warned of a prolonged gridlock in its ties after the US Congress backed new sanctions against the Kremlin.

Putin added bluntly that Russia was able to raise the stakes with America even further, although he hoped this would be unnecessary.

A US State Department official denounced the move as a "regrettable and uncalled for act," adding that Washington was now weighing a potential response.

On Friday, July 28, the Russian foreign ministry demanded Washington cut its diplomatic presence in Russia by September 1 to 455 people – the same number Moscow has in the US.

"More than a thousand people – diplomats and technical personnel – were working and are still working" at the US embassy and consulates, Putin said in an interview with Rossia-24 television. 

"755 people must stop their activities in Russia."

The US State Department would not confirm the number of US officials serving at the mission.

Putin added that an upturn in Russia's relations with Washington could not be expected "any time soon."

"We have waited long enough, hoping that the situation would perhaps change for the better," he said.

"But it seems that even if the situation is changing, it's not for any time soon."

Raise the stakes?

Putin warned that Russia could further ratchet up the pressure, but he hoped this would not be needed.

Russia still "has things to say and is able to further restrict areas of common activities, which may be sensitive for the American side," he said.

If the damage inflicted by "attempts to pressure Russia" rises further, "we are able to look at other forms of retaliation. But I hope we won't have to do it," he said.

"For the time being, I am against" any additional riposte, Putin said.

On Thursday, July 27, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Iran and North Korea are also targeted in the sanctions bill.

The law now goes to President Donald Trump who had made an improvement in ties with Russia a plank of his election campaign – a position that his critics said was inexplicable.

Russia also froze two US embassy compounds – a Moscow summer house and a storage facility in the city – from August 1.

"I thought that we should show that we too are not going to stand by without a response" after "the baseless measures taken by the American side," Putin said.

In December, then US president Barack Obama ordered out 35 Russian diplomats and closed down two embassy summer houses that Washington said were being used by Moscow for espionage.

At the time, the Kremlin said it would put any retaliation on hold until after Trump took office.

Hacking 'cooperation'

High on the list of US grievances is the allegation that Russian operatives hacked Democratic Party computers at the peak of the troubled 2016 election campaign.

Putin on Sunday said Russia had proposed "several times establishing cooperation with the American side" on cyber-security.

"But instead of starting to work constructively, all we hear are baseless accusations about interference in the internal affairs of the United States," he complained.

Putin and Trump, meeting on the sidelines of the July 7-8 G20 summit in Hamburg, talked about setting up what Trump called an "impenetrable cyber security unit" to prevent hacking in future elections.

Senior members of Trump's Republican Party poured scorn on the concept.

Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the notion was "not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close."

Former presidential candidate John McCain said sarcastically he was "sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since he's doing the hacking." – Rappler.com

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The British-Dutch oil giant Shell said it was temporarily shutting down Europe's biggest refinery after a pre-dawn fire broke out at a power station on the vast site on Sunday, July 30.

Flames billowed into the sky over the port of Rotterdam after the blaze erupted at a high-voltage power station at the Shell Pernis refinery. 

Firefighters brought the fire under control by around 6 am (0400 GMT).

"Shell is in the process of shutting down all the units at the site," a Shell spokesman told Agence France-Presse.

The units are all interconnected and "several of them are out of service due to the power outage caused by the fire," he said.

It takes "hours, or even several days" each time that operations are closed down or restarted, he said.

Shell did not confirm media reports that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit. Instead the company said it would "wait to know more about the circumstances of the incident."

According to the regional security authority, there were no toxic materials in the smoke.

A spokesman for the refinery said on Sunday evening that after the fire had been mastered, engineers flared off stocks of gas as part of the shutdown. 

The flareoff is a recognized safety procedure and was "completely under control," he said

Shell could not immediately disclose the extent of the damage, nor when the refinery would return to full capacity.

The refinery covers the area equivalent to 800 football pitches, and its pipework, if laid end to end, would be long enough to circle the Earth four times. 

The facility can process more than 400,000 barrels of petroleum products a day, but a temporary closure is unlikely to cause any significant fuel shortages, a Shell Pernis spokesman said.

"Drivers are not expected to notice a difference (in price) at the gas station," he said. – Rappler.com

LONDON, United Kingdom – Footage of the late princess Diana pouring her heart out about her failed marriage with Prince Charles will air on British television for the first time, a channel confirmed Sunday, July 30.

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of her death in a Paris car crash, Channel 4 will broadcast 'Diana: In Her Own Words on August 6, despite a report in The Mail on Sunday newspaper that her brother Earl Charles Spencer is unhappy with the decision.

The tapes show the late princess of Wales speaking frankly to her voice coach about her loveless marriage to the heir to the British throne and his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, now his wife.

Diana also discusses her struggle with bulimia and an unconsummated romance with a mystery man, widely believed to be her bodyguard Barry Mannakee, who died in a motorbike accident.

"At 24, I fell deeply in love with someone who was part of all this and that was all found out and he was chucked out and then he was killed. And that was the deepest blow in my life," she says in the footage.

The tapes were screened in the United States in 2004 and are available online, but they have not been never broadcast in Britain before.

Defending its decision, Channel 4 said the footage was an important historical resource.

"Though the recordings were made in private, the subjects covered are a matter of public record and provide a unique insight into the preparations Diana undertook to gain a public voice," it said in a statement.

"This unique portrait of Diana gives her a voice and places it front and centre at a time when the nation will be reflecting on her life and death."

The tapes were filmed in 1992-1993 at her Kensington Palace home by voice coach Peter Settelen, around the time that Diana separated from Charles.

She died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. 

'Intrusive'

Twelve tapes were made, of which Settelen owns seven following a legal battle after they were found in a police raid on the home of Diana's butler Paul Burrell in 2001. The whereabouts and content of the other five is unknown.

Settelen's lawyer Marcus Rutherford said his client had been reluctant to show the tapes.

"But now, coming up to the 20th anniversary, with everyone, including her own children, discussing Diana and revisiting her life, he wants Diana to be able to speak for herself," he told The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

Royal biographer Penny Junor told the newspaper that Charles and Diana's sons princes William and Harry would not want the tapes aired again, saying it would be "deeply hurtful to them".

"This is just another way of exploiting Diana," she said.

Rosa Monckton, one of Diana's closest friends, said it was "absolutely disgusting" that the tapes were being shown.

"How intrusive is this? It doesn't matter that it was 20-odd years ago," she told the Mail on Sunday.

"Think of the hurt they are causing to her family, to her sons." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine fishermen have revealed that they have been dumping bodies of victims from the country's so-called war on drugs for the past year on the orders of the police. 

The bodies, called "trash" by authorities, are thrown on the side of highways and in Manila Bay.

"Police are the ones coming to my house ordering me to take out trash," said Manuel, a local fisherman, who has personally disposed off 20 bodies. 

"We usually throw them out in Manila Bay," he told Al Jazeera. "Sometimes we put weights on it, so it doesn't float up. (READ MORE: The girl and her red shoes: A haunting story from Marawi)

Al Jazeera's Yaara Bou Melhem, reporting from the capital Manila, verified the identity of one of the dumped corpses, who was known to police as a drug pusher. 

"Once, I saw the body of a friend," said Manuel. "I'm scared and wonder if I could be next."

Manuel said he doesn't trust the authorities "who are playing both sides of the drugs war". 

Thousands of people have died since President Rodrigo Duterte took office last year and ordered an unprecedented crackdown on drug-related crimes that has drawn global criticism and allegations of widespread human rights abuses.

"You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out," he said during the election campaign last year. "Because I'd kill you. I'll dump all of you into Manila Bay, and fatten all the fish there."

Critics say the president has unleashed a campaign of mass murder by police and unknown assailants on the nations most vulnerable.

Police have reported killing some 3,200 people in anti-drug operations, while thousands of unlawful killings remain unexplained.

Human rights organisations cast doubt over the police reporting, saying more than 7,000 people have been killed in connection to the drug war. (READ MORE: Medical marijuana amid Duterte's drug war)

"Before February 2017, they actually had a higher number and they decided to lower it April and May which didn't make sense for us," said Wilnor Papa, a human rights officer at Amnesty International.

"Is it because the world is watching, is it because people are saying there's too much deaths? As far as we're concerned it's not just the numbers, but for us, one death is a death too many," he told Al Jazeera. 

Philippine police, who vowed to continue their crackdown on drugs, said they will investigate the alleged dumping of bodies.

"If it's true, we will work on it," said police spokesperson Diornardo Carlos. 

"We will not allow any member of the organisation, the police organisation to continue these wrongdoings," Carlos told Al Jazeera.

"There are three focus in the campaign from day one - drugs, criminality and corruption - which we are doing through our internal cleansing process." – Al Jazeera | Rappler.com

SYDNEY, Australia – Four men accused of plotting to bring down a plane planned to use poisonous gas or a crude bomb disguised as a meat mincer, reports said Monday, July 31, with Australian officials calling preparations "advanced".

The men – reportedly two Lebanese-Australian fathers and their sons – were arrested in raids across Sydney on Saturday evening, July 29.

The Sydney Daily Telegraph said they allegedly planned to carry the device on board a commercial flight from Sydney to a Middle East destination as hand luggage.

It said the idea was to use wood scrapings and explosive material inside a piece of kitchen equipment such as a mincing machine.

The Sydney Morning Herald also reported that a mincer was being examined, while The Australian newspaper cited multiple sources as saying it was a "non-traditional" device that could have emitted a toxic sulphur-based gas.

This, it said, would have killed or immobilized everyone on the aircraft.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the plans were "advanced" but refused to comment on the conflicting claims over the method of attack.

"I have to respect the integrity of the investigations," he said.

"But I can say that certainly the police will allege they had the intent and were developing the capability.

"There will obviously be more to say over coming days. It will be alleged that this was an Islamist, extremist terrorist motivation."

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin on Sunday, July 30, said the aviation industry was potentially a target and that an improvised explosive device was involved.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan on Monday called the plans "quite sophisticated".

"It was a plot to bring down an aircraft with the idea of smuggling a device on to it to enable them to do that," he said.

A magistrate late Sunday gave police an additional seven days to detain the men, who have not been officially named, without charge.

Police continued to gather evidence Monday at the five homes raided, warning the investigation would be "very long and protracted".

TV footage on Saturday showed riot police moving on a terraced house in the inner-city suburb of Surry Hills, with a man with a bandage on his head being led away by authorities, draped in a blanket.

A woman at the address denied they had any link to terrorism.

Security has been strengthened at major domestic and international airports across Australia since the raids, with passengers asked to arrive early and to limit their baggage.

Australia's national terror alert level was raised on September 2014 amid concerns over attacks by individuals inspired by organizations such as Islamic State (ISIS).

A total of 12 attacks, before the latest one, have been prevented in the past few years, while 70 people have been charged.

Several terror attacks have taken place in Australia in recent years, including a Sydney cafe siege in 2014 that saw two hostages killed. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines— The deaths of the Parojinogs serve as a warning to mayors with links to drugs.

This is the message of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, when asked what will follow after the bloody raid against the Parojinogs of Ozamiz City which left 15 dead, including patriarch Reynaldo, the city's mayor.

“This should serve as a warning to everyone, na ang PNP walang sinasanto pagdating sa enforcement ng batas. We have no fear or favor. Kapag ooperatee-an ka, ooperate-an ka talaga (The PNP does not make exemptions when it comes to law enforcment. We have no fear or favor. If there is an operation set for you, it will push through.),” Dela Rosa said on Monday, July 31.

According to Crime Investigation Detection Group (CIDG) Director Roel Ubusan, they did not intend to kill the Parojinog patriarch, it just so happened that they fought back with their “private army.’

Ubusan called on mayors to cooperate should police with a search warrant come knocking at their door.

“We really intend to bring them to justice and for them to answer justice alive. Kaya lang may nangyaring laban, kasi sila yung nagmaintain ng (the reason why there was a gunfight was because they kept a) private army. We were fired upon before entering the premises,” Ubusan said.

“I want him alive pero kung lumaban siya (but since he fought back), then... I want my men alive more than him. After the smoke has cleared it should be a good man standing,” Dela Rosa added.

Parojinog is part of the list of mayors and officials that President Rodrigo Duterte had earlier released, who are allegedly linked to the illegal drug trade.

When asked which mayor would be raided next, Dela Rosa said they are still planning their next move. "Maraming tactical considerations (There are many tactical considerations)," he said.

While the mayor's wife Susan, brother Octavio Jr, and sister Mona were killed, his daughter, Ozamiz City vice mayor Nova, survived the exchange of bullets, and is set to be detained in Camp Crame. - Rappler.com

DAKAR, Senegal – Senegal voted in a tense general election Sunday, July 30, with ex-president Abdoulaye Wade accusing his successor of engineering problems with the ballot to thwart an opposition victory.

The vote to elect a new parliament is seen as a test run for President Macky Sall ahead of a 2019 presidential election and follows a campaign marred by violence. 

There was an estimated turnout of almost 54%, said public broadcaster RTS citing official sources.

The first results are due early Monday, July 31, in the west African nation, where more than 6.2 million people are registered to vote.

Some complained of being left off the electoral rolls, and there were delays to voting in several places.

"I'm going home. I've checked at several polling stations and my name doesn't figure anywhere. However I normally vote here," complained Souleye Tine in Dakar's working-class Medina neighborhood. 

Wade pointed the blame firmly at the president after a campaign that at times saw violent clashes in a country normally known for its peaceful democratic traditions.

"Macky Sall arranged it – he gave instructions so that in all the places where he thinks the opposition is going to win, there's no voting," Wade said.

"An election in which one of the candidates cannot find his ballot papers in the polling stations cannot be called an election," Wade said in reference to delays due to the absence of ballot papers for several electoral lists.

"I call on all voters who have voted to stay at their polling stations until the results are announced, to witness whether the results conform to reality."

Angry voters

At 91, Wade, who returned last month for the election campaign after two years abroad, is aiming to drum up support for his own list of candidates and his son Karim, who is not on the ballot but has ambitions for the presidency.

Sall, in power since 2012, is seeking to bolster his parliamentary majority as he eyes a second term. 

Polling stations were due to close at 6:00 pm (1800 GMT) but in the central city of Touba the governor said people could vote until midnight after particularly long delays worsened by heavy overnight storms.

A polling station in the city was vandalized by voters angry that ballot papers for Wade's coalition were unavailable, official news agency APS reported. 

A police statement said a total of 147 polling stations had been trashed and three people, all candidates on Wade's list, had been detained.

Sall's other main opponent, Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall – no relation of the president – is in jail awaiting trial for what supporters say are politically motivated embezzlement charges. 

The mayor had been seen as a key contender for 2019 and a potential threat to the president in parliament until he was charged in March with allegedly misappropriating 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) in city funds.

Nevertheless early partial results and forecasts from the media put the mayor's electoral list significantly ahead in the capital and among Senegalese expats who for the first time have direct representation, with 15 of parliament's 165 seats set aside for them.

Calls for calm

Wade had accused the government during the campaign of seeking to prevent an opposition victory through selective delivery of the biometric ID cards needed to vote, with several hundred thousand failing to arrive on time.

The constitutional council eventually moved to relax the rules so that people without the cards could use passports or other forms of identification to cast their ballots, along with proof they had applied for the IDs.

The election has been complicated by the record 47 lists of candidates in the running, meaning 47 types of ballot paper needed to be available at polling stations. 

Wade has accused Sall of "destroying" Senegal, while the president's side say Wade did not do enough to develop the nation while in power, boasting of their achievements in building a new airport and other infrastructure projects. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has asked President Rodrigo Duterte to investigate the questionable entry of P6.4 billion worth of shabu from China.

BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said he wrote to Duterte to request a “thorough investigation” of the issue, which has been the subject of investigations of both houses of Congress.

“I have also written letter to the President requesting another committee for a full-blown investigation of this case. I really want this investigated up to the last detail. I want the truth to come out,” Faeldon told reporters ahead of the Senate blue ribbon investigation on Monday, July 31.

Malacañang has yet to respond to Faeldon's request. 

Faeldon has also requested the World Customs Organization, an intergovernmental group aiding in customs administration worldwide, to conduct a separate probe.

“It has the best technical expertise to determine the issues of [risk] management system, smuggling and everything. [It] has already responded to me, they’ve already assigned in charge of enforcement customs fraud to conduct investigation,” Faeldon said.

In May, the BOC seized 604 kilos of shabu, valued at P6.4 billion, in two warehouses in Valenzuela City upon the tip of the General Administration of China Customs. Authorities found shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) hidden in 5 metal cylinders.

Lawmakers and senators, however, questioned the entry of the shipment, citing possible “malfeasance, misfeasance, and nonfeasance of BOC officials and employees.”

Faeldon told the Senate panel on Monday that he takes "full responsibility" for all the "actions and inactions" of the bureau. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate blue ribbon committee holds a hearing on the P6.4 billion worth of shabu shipment from China.

This comes after customs seized 604 kilos of shabu in Valenzuela, estimating a total worth of P6.4 billion, on May 26, 2017. China has vowed to help President Rodrigo Duterte and his fight against illegal drugs. But the Asian giant is also major source of illegal drugs in the country.

Watch the hearing live on Rappler. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Amid allegations of discrepancies in a police operation that led to a shootout and the death of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa reminded the public of the consequences police previously faced after dealing with the infamous family.

Cops – from the local police unit, the local Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and the CIDG from Metro Manila – served search warrants early Sunday morning, July 30, against several properties belonging to or associated with the Parojinog family. The mayor is part of President Rodrigo Duterte's list of so-called narco-politicians.

Mayor Parojinog, his wife, brother, sister, and 11 others were killed because they supposedly shot at police attempting to serve the warrant. (READ: Deaths after nighttime warrants suspicious – Drilon)

Ozamiz City police chief Jovani Espenido, who led efforts to investigate and possibly detain the Parojinogs, earlier admitted to media that they "paralyzed" the security cameras in the homes of the mayor to protect the identities of civilian informants who helped them in the operation.

Espenido said witnesses were afraid to be caught on camera helping police.

"Hindi tama (It's wrong)," said Dela Rosa on Monday, July 31, when asked about the deactivation of security cameras. He said the PNP itself would find out why it was necessary to turn off the cameras.

Still, the PNP chief said the operation was legitimate, downplaying questions raised by the Parojinog camp.

While the PNP's Internal Affairs Service (IAS) would be investigating the operation – a standard move in operations that involve gun deaths – Dela Rosa said he would rather see suspects, rather than his own men, dead "when the smoke clears."

CIDG chief Director Roel Obusan said the CIDG and local police made sure everything in the operation was aboveboard. (READ: Ozamiz mayor wanted to surrender before raid – police)

This is not the first time police have faced off with the Parojinogs, whose links to the criminal world are common knowledge among the police. Dela Rosa said all sorts of crime – from drugs, high-profile robberies, among others – can be "traced to Ozamiz City."

Back in 1990, a warrant of arrest was served against patriarch Octavio Parojinog for "illegal possession of explosives with destructive arson." The Parojinog patriarch, according to a Newsbreak report, resisted arrest and drew out a hand grenade.

Police, led by a certain Colonel Gadapan, had no choice but to shoot Octavio.

The leadership of the Parojinog business – and the notorious Kuratong Baleleng –was transferred to his son, and Reynaldo's brother Renato. "One after another, members of the arresting team were killed over the next 3 years," the Newsbreak report noted.

Gadapan, who happens to be Dela Rosa's mistah (classmate) from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1986, was a lieutenant at the time of the operation. He eventually left the service because he felt the PNP could no longer protect him, according to Dela Rosa.

"Umalis na lang si Colonel Gadapan dahil naubos 'yung team niya sa intelligence. 'Yun ang kino-consider ng mga pulis sa baba. Tactical 'yung sa kanila, survival. This is not an ordinary family," the PNP chief said.

(Gadapan left because his intelligence team was targeted. That's what police on the ground consider. It's tactical, it's survival. This is not your ordinary family.)

The Ozamiz City vice mayor, Parojinog's daughter Nova, was brought to Camp Crame on Monday morning. Also brought to Manila was her brother, Reynaldo Jr. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Ozamiz City Vice Mayor Nova Parojinog and her brother Reynaldo Parojinog Jr were brought to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame, but their lawyer said he was barred from entering the facility with them.

"When we were at the blue gate, there [were] personnel, I think officers who stopped when I introduced to them I am the lawyer. Sabi nila (They said), you can stop there, attorney, that's how far you can go," Parojinog family lawyer Lawrence Carin said on Monday, July 31.

"My clients are already facing charges in Ozamiz. Why can't they have their lawyer along with them?" he added.

According to Carin, the siblings want him "to be with them along the way."

Nova and Reynaldo Jr were arrested after the Regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) got into a bloody encounter with the Parojinogs inside their home, during an attempt to serve a search warrant early Sunday morning, July 30. (READ: Dela Rosa: 'Paralyzed' CCTVs during Parojinog raid 'wrong')

Family patriarch Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, his wife Susan, brother Octavio Jr, sister Mona, and 11 others were killed. (READ: Deaths after nighttime warrants suspicious – Drilon)

Carin also questioned why Nova and Reynaldo Jr were brought to Camp Crame in Quezon City, saying the transfer was irregular because the crimes that the Parojinogs are being accused of were allegedly committed in Ozamiz City.

The lawyer said no court has ordered the transfer and that his clients did not request to be moved.

"It should be the venue of the crime, where the alleged crime was committed. The alleged crime, I think, is illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and who knows, maybe drugs, but those were confiscated in Ozamiz so the trial should be there," Carin said.

The search warrant for the raid was issued in Quezon City, but Carin said the case should be heard in Ozamiz City and the Parojinogs detained there as well.

Asked about the siblings' next steps, Carin said he still has to consult with his clients.

Earlier, PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said the bloody encounter could have been avoided had the family immediately surrendered to the police. (READ: Ozamiz mayor wanted to surrender before raid – police) – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed that North Korea's missile program poses "a grave and growing direct threat," the White House said Sunday, July 30, vowing renewed economic and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang.

"President Donald J. Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to address North Korea's launch of another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The two leaders agreed that North Korea poses a grave and growing direct threat to the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and other countries near and far," a White House statement said.

"President Trump and Prime Minister Abe committed to increasing economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea, and to convincing other countries to follow suit," the statement continued.  

"President Trump reaffirmed our ironclad commitment to defend Japan and the Republic of Korea from any attack, using the full range of United States capabilities."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un boasted of his country's ability to strike any target in the United States following Friday's (July 28) ICBM test that weapons experts said could even bring New York into range – a major challenge to Trump as the crisis worsens.

In response, a bilateral mission led by US strategic bombers on Saturday flew over the Korean Peninsula.

That exercise was followed Sunday by a successful test by American forces of a missile interception system the US hopes will be installed on the Korean peninsula. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ) ordered the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to be on alert for any attempt by alleged drug lord Peter Lim, alias "Jaguar," to leave the country.

Aside from Lim, also included in the immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) dated July 11 and released to media on Monday, July 31, are the following:

• Kerwin Espinosa, alleged drug lord and son of slain Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr
• Peter Co
• Marcelo Adorco
• Max Miro
• Lovely Adam Impal, an alleged supplier of Kerwin Espinosa
• Ruel Malindangan
• Jun Pepito

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said in the ILBO that the 8 face cases for violation of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

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Lim, a businessman in Cebu, has been accused of being a drug lord in the Visayas and was the subject of a congressional inquiry in 2001. Two of Lim's former employees testified that he and his brother Wellington were into drug trafficking. In 2006 and 2011, the employees were killed under mysterious circumstances. (READ: Is he top 'drug lord' Peter Lim? 9 things about the Cebu businessman)

Lim met with no less than President Rodrigo Duterte in July 2016, denying that he was involved in the drug trade. The President told the businessman to go to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to prove he was not a drug lord. 

Less than a week after his meeting with Duterte, Lim appeared before the NBI and submitted a two-page letter addressed to NBI Director Dante Gierran, the contents of which were not disclosed. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said the government is projecting to spend P2.7 billion for a comprehensive reconstruction of health facilities destroyed in the Marawi siege.

The Department of Health (DOH) chief disclosed the amount during a forum on how armed conflicts affect public health, held at the Manila Diamond Hotel on Monday, July 31. 

“We are in constant meeting with the other sectors in coming up with a comprehensive recovery and reconstruction plan for Marawi…. We estimated P2.7 billion for infrastructure of damaged health facilities and we’re also thinking of rebuilding Marawi into an ideal health system,” said Ubial during the forum. 

She explained the fund is aimed at building one health station in each of Marawi’s 96 barangays, one rural health center for every 20,000 people, one lying-in facility and polyclinic for every 50,000 people, and one hospital bed for every 800 people. 

The goal, said Ubial, is to copy the Cuban model for the healthcare system.

The DOH-run Amay Pakpak Medical Center is the only hospital in Marawi. Ubial said it serves up to 300 to 320 patients even if its capacity is only for 175.  

“So it’s overstretched, but they have about 114 doctors, so they are coping. And they’re hiring contractual nurses and other personnel,” she said.

The P2.7-billion health infrastructure fund has been allotted in the DOH’s proposed budget for 2018. The DOH and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation have a combined allocation of P164.3 billion in the proposed national budget for next year. 

The Department of Budget and Management is ready to release P5 billion for the rehabilitation of Marawi City in 2017.  

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered that P20 billion be set aside for the rehabilitation program. Ubial said the P2.7 billion health infrastructure fund will be taken from this budget. (READ: Duterte creates task force in charge of Marawi rehab)

Government troops on May 23 clashed with homegrown terrorists from the Maute Group and the Abu Sayyaf Group in Marawi City, leading the President to declare martial law over Mindanao. Congress has agreed to Duterte’s request to extend martial rule over the region until December 31. 

Deployment of health personnel

According to Ubial, the DOH has deployed over 300 medical and nursing personnel to Marawi. 

“We provide all the medicines, so none of the evacuees are asked to buy the medicines they need. Everything is provided by the Department of Health,” she said

The health chief said several doctors and health personnel from Manila and the Visayas have volunteered to help as well, but the DOH has not deployed them due to the language barrier.  

Instead, the department has trained the staff of Amay Pakpak Medical Center to be able to respond to the needs of evacuees. A total of 811 of these hospital staff received a crash course on mental health.

“So that they will be the ones who will be deployed to evacuation centers,” said Ubial.

A major obstacle, however, is immediate access to the evacuation centers, given the ongoing fighting in Marawi. Ubial said they have advised the health personnel to avoid putting their lives at risk.  

“Our instructions to people in the field as much as possible is they try to get to all evacuees whether they are in the evacuation centers, in the capitol, or the houses. But we instruct them not to put their lives at risk,” said Ubial. 

“So many times, they would want to go Marawi, but they are actually not able to because of the very strict security measures that are implemented by the military. So, at this point in time, we have no control over the military in terms of how easy it is for our personnel to gain access or not,” she added. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – A high-ranking Palace official clarified that there is no need for the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Ombudsman to get President Rodrigo Duterte's approval to probe police and soldiers suspected of wrongdoing. 

Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Monday, July 31, that Duterte respects the independence of these two offices, tasked by the 1987 Constitution to investigate human rights violations and crimes by government personnel, respectively.

"The Office of the Ombudsman, CHR, can do what they need to do so no need to get the President's permission to do so formally," said Guevarra during a press briefing in Malacañang.

Guevarra was asked to clarify what Duterte meant when he said on July 24 that the CHR and Ombudsman must go through him first before investigating police or soldiers. 

"Kaya kapag kinwestiyon mo sila for investigation, dumaan muna sa akin (If you question them for investigation, you better go through me first)," said Duterte then. 

Guevarra, himself a lawyer, said the President only meant that he wanted the two agencies to inform him if they were going to investigate police and soldiers. After all, Duterte is also the commander-in-chief of the country's security forces.

"I presume he was speaking as commander-in-chief and not as chief executive. In other words, it's just a matter of saying [that] since, as commander-in-chief, since you will be investigating a law enforcer, a policeman, or a soldier, it will be a lot better if you let me know about this investigation," Guevarra said.

Duterte, as a lawyer and former prosecutor, is well-versed in criminal procedure and "knows the limits of what he can do and what he can't," added Guevarra. 

But aside from telling the CHR and Ombudsman to inform him of the probes, Duterte had also verbally instructed cops and soldiers to not allow themselves to be investigated by the agencies. 

"Kapag sinabi ko na huwag kayo magpa-imbestiga, huwag kayo papa-imbestiga (If I say don't allow yourselves to be investigated, don't allow yourself to be investigated)," the President had said.

Asked if Duterte can stop police and soldiers from participating in a probe, Guevarra said, "Technically he can do that but I don't think he will."

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has said Duterte cannot interfere in investigations being conducted by her office. 

She maintained there is no law that requires police or soldiers to seek clearance from anyone before filing pleadings in response to complaints. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Until an investigation proves otherwise, Malacañang presumes everything was aboveboard in the police operation that led to the deaths of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and 14 others. 

"There is a presumption of regularity in all this. If there is anyone who will complain that something irregular happened, then an investigation will have to be done. For now, we presume regularity," said Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday, July 31, during a media interview.

Parojinog was among those included in President Rodrigo Duterte's list of suspected narco-politicians. 

His daughter, Ozamiz City Vice Mayor Nova Parojinog, a survivor of the raid, has called on Duterte to investigate the cops involved in the operation. The police, who were supposed to serve a search warrant, claim Parojinog's group opened fire on them hence the need to use deadly force.

Guevarra said there is no need for the Palace to create a special task force to probe the incident. 

"There is no need because existing structures are operating right now. We don't find any need to create an ad hoc or task force because the structures are in place," he said.

Internal police procedures to investigate anything anomalous in the raid would be sufficient, added the Palace official, and Duterte need not involve himself in police matters. (READ: Dela Rosa: 'Paralyzed' CCTVs during Parojinog raid 'wrong')

Guevarra also maintained that Duterte was not involved in any specific way in the deadly raid, apart from his "general" orders to security forces on catching drug suspects. 

"Aside from his general instruction to eliminate drugs and all people who supported illegal drug trade, he has no particular or specific participation in any actual police operation," said Guevarra.

Aside from Mayor Parojinog, also killed in the raid were his wife Susan, brother Octavio Jr, and sister Mona.

Cops said they recovered grenades, ammunition, as well as illegal drugs during the raid.

While the police said they retaliated in response to gunshots from the mayor's security personnel, an aide of the Parojinog family said the mayor's camp did not fire any shot. 

Parojinog is the 3rd mayor in Duterte's drug list to be killed.

Last November, Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr was killed during a nighttime raid in a provincial jail.

Duterte had defended the officers involved in the raid and ordered their reinstatement, with critics saying the decision would worsen the nation's "culture of impunity."

Back in October, Datu Saudi Ampatuan Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom was killed in a shootout at a police checkpoint on suspicion he and his security personnel were transporting illegal drugs, authorities said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has pointed out similarities in the deaths of Parojinog and Espinosa. He said it was suspicious that search warrants served in the nighttime led to the deaths of the local executives.

Commenting on Sunday's raid, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said: "The administration vowed to intensify the drug campaign.”

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said Parojinog's death should serve as a warning to other mayors supposedly involved in the drug trade to surrender to police without putting up a fight.– Rappler.com

CARACAS, Venezuela (UPDATED) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed victory Monday, July 31, in an internationally criticized election for an assembly to rewrite the constitution, but the opposition cried fraud and vowed to keep protesting despite a deadly crackdown.

Ten people were killed in a wave of bloodshed that swept Venezuela Sunday, July 30, as Maduro defied an opposition boycott and international condemnation – including the threat of new US sanctions – to hold elections for a powerful new "Constituent Assembly."

Protesters attacked polling stations and barricaded streets around the country, drawing a bloody response from security forces, who opened fire with live ammunition in some cases.

Despite the boycott and the unrest, the head of the National Electoral Council, Tibisay Lucena – one of 13 Maduro allies already slapped with sanctions by US President Donald Trump's administration – said there had been "extraordinary turnout" of more than eight million voters, 41.5% of the electorate.

Dressed in bright red, his fist clenched and face beaming, Maduro hailed it as a win in a speech to hundreds of cheering supporters in central Caracas.

"It is the biggest vote the revolution has ever scored in its 18-year history," he said, referring to the year his late mentor, Hugo Chavez, came to power.

"What the hell do we care what Trump says?"

Members of the new assembly will include his wife Cilia Flores, his pugnacious right-hand man Diosdado Cabello, and other staunch allies.

The socialist president is gambling his 4-year rule on the 545-member assembly, which will be empowered to dissolve the opposition-controlled congress and rewrite the constitution.

In his speech, he encouraged the assembly to scrap opposition lawmakers' immunity from prosecution as one of its first acts.

There was blistering international condemnation of the vote, led by Washington.

The constituent assembly aims to "undermine the Venezuelan people's right to self-determination," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement, threatening further "strong and swift" sanctions on Maduro's government.

More protests loom

The election was also condemned by the European Union, Canada and Latin American powers including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

Senior opposition leader Henrique Capriles called on Venezuelans to continue defying the deeply unpopular Maduro with new protests against the election and the "massacre" he said accompanied it.

"We do not recognize this fraudulent process," he said, calling for nationwide marches Monday and a mass protest in Caracas Wednesday, the day the new assembly is due to be installed.

Maduro has banned protests over the vote, threatening prison terms of up to 10 years.

Ten dead

Prosecutors said 10 people were killed in violence around the vote, bringing the death toll in four months of protests to more than 120 people.

Those killed included a candidate for the new assembly, a regional opposition leader, two teenage protesters and a soldier in the western state of Tachira, which saw some of the worst violence.

In eastern Caracas, seven police were wounded when an improvised explosive targeted their motorcycle convoy.

National guard troops used armored vehicles, rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters blocking roads in the capital and other cities.

World protests

According to polling firm Datanalisis, more than 70% of Venezuelans oppose the idea of the new assembly – and 80% reject Maduro, whose term is meant to end in 2019.

"The people are not going to give up the streets until this awful government goes," protester Carlos Zambrano, 54, told Agence France-Presse in western Caracas.

Venezuelans also protested in Miami, Madrid and various Latin American cities.

The number of Venezuelans living abroad has soared as the once-booming oil producer has descended into a devastating economic crisis marked by shortages, runaway inflation, riots and looting.

'A sham'

The US envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, condemned the vote as a "sham" – a word also used by Britain's junior foreign minister, Alan Duncan, and many experts.

"The vote means the end of any trace of democratic rule. Maduro's blatant power grab removes any ambiguity about whether Venezuela is a democracy," said Michael Shifter, head of the Inter-American Dialogue research center.

Latin America specialist Phil Gunson, senior analyst at Crisis Group, called the vote "the definitive break with what remains of representative democracy in Venezuela."

"It will accelerate the longer-term trend towards economic, social and political collapse unless those in a position to change course do so, and begin to negotiate a restoration of democracy and economic viability," he said. – Rappler.com

DOHA, Qatar – The Qatari authorities have accused Saudi Arabia of jeopardizing the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca of Qatari pilgrims by refusing to guarantee their safety.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have been boycotting Qatar since June 5, accusing it of backing extremist groups and of ties to Shiite Iran, in the region's worst diplomatic crisis in years.

On July 20, Riyadh said that Qataris wanting to perform this year's hajj would be allowed to enter the kingdom for the pilgrimage, but imposed certain restrictions.

The Saudi hajj ministry said Qatari pilgrims arriving by plane must use airlines in agreement with Riyadh.

They would also need to get visas on arrival in Jeddah or Medina, their sole points of entry in the kingdom.

The Qatari Islamic affairs ministry, in a statement published by the official QNA news agency on Sunday, July 30, said the Saudi side had "refused to communicate regarding securing the pilgrims safety and facilitating their Hajj".

The ministry accused Riyadh of "intertwining politics with one of the pillars of Islam, which may result in depriving many Muslims from performing this holy obligation".

According to the statement, 20,000 Qatari citizens have registered to take part in this year's hajj. The ministry said it denied Saudi claims that Doha had suspended those registrations.

"The distortion of facts is meant to set obstacles for the pilgrims from Qatar to Mecca, following the crisis created by the siege countries," the Qatari ministry added, referring to Saudi Arabia and its allies.

The hajj, a pillar of Islam that capable Muslims must perform at least once in a lifetime, is to take place this year at the beginning of September.

Saudi Arabia and its allies Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic ties and imposed sanctions on Doha in June, including the closure of their airspace to Qatari airlines.

The 4 Arab states accuse Qatar of supporting extremists and of growing too close to Shiite-dominated Iran, the regional arch-rival of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia.

Qatar denies the allegations and accuses the Saudi-led bloc of imposing a "siege" on the tiny emirate. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senate Blue Ribbon committee chairman Richard Gordon sought the issuance of a hold departure order against the alleged shipper of the P6.4 billion worth of shabu from China.

During a Senate hearing on Monday, July 31, customs broker Mark Ruben Taguba claimed a certain Richard Chen or Richard Tan, a Taiwanese national, ordered the shipping of 604 kilos of shabu from China to Manila.

"[We want] to secure a hold order for Richard Tan," Gordon said during the hearing.

Taguba said Tan owns Hongfei Philippines, which shipped the shabu through EMT Trading under a "consignee-for-hire" scheme. This is a mechanism where a consignee accredited by the Bureau of Customs (BOC), like EMT Trading, sells its services for a royalty fee.

Photos shown by Sen @iampinglacson at @senatePH hearing. A witness identified one of the men as Richard Tan/Chen |https://t.co/Cn7YC0gnwPpic.twitter.com/DiIDmoJZ87

— Senator Ping Lacson (@pinglacsonofcl) July 31, 2017

EMT Trading owner Eirene Mae Tatad said she had no idea that the shipment included illegal drugs.

Aside from Tan, Gordon also initially wanted a travel order against a certain Kenneth Dong. Tatad and Taguba both said they dealt with Dong as Tan's middleman.

But according to the committee, Dong already left the country on July 28 for Chengdu, China.

Subpoena

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee is also set to subpoena lawyer Larribert Hilario, the BOC's risk management officer.

Hilario is accused of misrepresenting consignee EMT Trading, allowing it to pass through the BOC's green or express lane, where there is no need to scan the shipment under X-ray.

BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon told the Senate panel that he verbally suspended Hilario pending investigation and that the officer seems to have gone into hiding.

"Since we suspended him, we cannot contact and locate him. He's nowhere to be found," Faeldon said.

Faeldon added that Hilario tried to change encoded data in the system to make it appear he did not commit fraud, by trying to omit information about the illegal shipment.

Gordon said there would be another hearing to further look into the issue.

Back in May, the BOC seized 604 kilos of shabu from two warehouses in Valenzuela City upon the tip of the General Administration of China Customs. Authorities found shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) hidden in 5 metal cylinders. (READ: Faeldon asks Duterte to probe P6.4B shabu shipment from China) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Monday, July 31, said his department cannot release yet the results of their ongoing review on the mining operations that were ordered closed or suspended by his predecesoor.

"Our self-imposed [deadline is] we will try to complete by July, and this is the end of July. I'm afraid that we cannot release it today. In due time we will announce it," Cimatu told reporters after signing a memorandum of agreement with the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption on Monday.

He said one reason for the delay is the "very voluminous" documents they have to go over for the review. When asked if they have a new deadline, Cimatu said he does not want to pressure his team.

"I don't want to rush them because this is really an exhaustive review, because this is [a] reconsideration, this is not the initial case, so we need to get all the evidence the company gave," he explained in a mix of English and Filipino.

Mines and Geosciences Bureau Assistant Director Danilo Uykieng said that of the 28 mining operations that were ordered closed or suspended by former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez, 15 appealed before the Office of the President, while 13 filed a motion for reconsideration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Last week, following President Rodrigo Duterte's 2nd State of the Nation Address, Cimatu vowed that the DENR will fine, suspend, or close down mining operations found violating laws, rules, and regulations.

"Rest assured that matapos lang itong mga reviews na ito, talagang maalis mga company diyan na very irresponsible, then we'll have a very…marami tayong mga responsible miners dito, maraming companies na magaganda, pero may mga iba hindi maganda e."

(Rest assured that as soon as we finish these reviews, as soon as we get rid of irresponsible companies, then we'll have a very…there are a lot of responsible miners here, many companies that are good, but there are some that are not good.)

He added: "So ito titingnan natin kung bakit 'di nila mapaganda 'yung kanilang mining companies. Kung 'di nila mapaganda mining companies, then get out of the business."

(So here we'll look into why they can't improve their mining companies. If they can't improve their mining companies, then get out of the business.)

Open-pit mines, watersheds

On Monday, Cimatu also talked about Lopez's other controversial policies on open-pit mining and mining in watersheds.

"There was a department order of the previous secretary, the ban on open-pit mining, and it still stays. This is a policy, and you know DENR, we implement policies," the environment secretary said, adding that he brought the issue up in a meeting with the Mining Industry Coordinating Council.

Cimatu also insisted there definitely won't be mining in watersheds under his leadership. 

Asked what he meant with "watersheds," he explained: "It is as generic as saying we have established proclaimed watersheds in the country ever since. That's specified already. This is the problem: the proclamation of the watershed came later than the mining [applications]. 

In February, Lopez announced they will cancel 75 mineral production sharing agreements (MPSAs) in watersheds all over the country.

DENR has since issued show cause orders to the concerned mining companies, asking them to explain why their MPSAs should not be cancelled for being in a watershed.

Uykieng said mining companies responded already to the DENR, and their responses are now being reviewed by the department.

"But the law provides that mining is prohibited in a proclaimed...critical watershed, so that's what's in the law. So based on the responses of the company, DENR will review it. So when that time comes, we will be releasing the result of the review," he added. – Rappler.com