HONG KONG (UPDATED) – The disappearance of 5 Hong Kong booksellers has sent shivers through the semi-autonomous city as anxiety grows that Chinese control is tightening.

Bookshops are removing political works from their shelves, while publishers and store owners selling titles banned in mainland China say they now feel under threat.

The 5 missing men all worked for publishing house Mighty Current, known for books critical of the Chinese government, and are feared to have been detained by mainland authorities.

But it is the latest disappearance that has triggered the most outrage.

Publisher Lee Bo, 65, was last seen in Hong Kong – the only one of the five men to have disappeared while in his home city. 

"The biggest problem is if they really came to Hong Kong to snatch people. It has never happened before," Jin Zhong, a mainland-born, Hong Kong-based publisher of banned books, told Agence France-Presse. 

"If it becomes a norm and people can be snapped up anytime from here... it is a big blow."

The other four men are believed to have gone missing when they were visiting southern China and Thailand.

"As a free society, we are supposed to be able to provide an open platform for different voices in Hong Kong," said Paul Tang, owner of the city's People's Recreation Community bookstore, which sells titles banned on the mainland.

Tang described the disappearances as "white terror".

"None of us know how far it will go," he said.

There were new reports Thursday that mainland agents had threatened two more Hong Kong-based publishers involved in putting out books about political intrigue on the mainland, and had paid for some books to be destroyed.

City at a crossroads

Furious pro-democracy lawmakers, activists and residents, who believe Lee was kidnapped by mainland authorities, say Beijing is trampling the "one country, two systems" deal under which Hong Kong has been governed since it was handed back by Britain to China in 1997.

The two sides agreed Hong Kong was to preserve its freedoms and way of life for 50 years – Chinese law enforcers have no right to operate in the city.

The disappearances come against a simmering backdrop of disaffection over increased interference from Beijing in politics and education. 

In 2014 tens of thousands brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill for more than two months after Beijing imposed restrictions on candidates for the city's next leader.

There have also been recent protests over perceived political appointments at universities.

"If it was really a deliberate act, I think it serves to give a strong signal to the people of Hong Kong that the Central government is no longer willing to tolerate anything which is causing embarrassment to them," pro-democracy lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki told Agence France-Presse.

"We are at a crossroads – if we tolerate this, more will come, so we have no choice but to say no."

Books removed

The tiny bookstore in the busy shopping district of Causeway Bay run by the missing booksellers was one of dozens in Hong Kong to sell books banned on the mainland. 

Shelves were stacked with titles covering behind-the-scenes political wrangles, private stories of Chinese leaders and unreported corruption scandals.

The shop has been closed for days. 

Industry sources say the majority of customers visiting the stores come from the mainland, ranging from ordinary citizens to party officials keen for information on what may be a state secret back home.

At Paul Tang's shop, customers flick through a stack of books entitled "The Secret Emotional Life of Zhou Enlai", a former leader of the Communist Party. 

"I think in Hong Kong people should be able to enjoy such freedom," says one customer, a Hong Kong photographer in his 40s. 

"What has happened shows that the 50-year promise is just a slogan." 

The disappearances have already spooked some shops into pulling books. 

Agence France-Presse has learned that stores in the mainstream Page One chain have removed controversial political titles.

"We used to sell them but we don't do it anymore. We have received instructions that we don't," said one source from the chain.

Another said: "Some have been returned (to distributors) and some have been taken off (shelves)." 

For Tang, the turn of events has come as a terrifying shock.  

"We need to have these books to inspire those who haven't had a chance to receive information," he said.

"(But) if one day someone comes to me and says my personal safety will be affected if I continue to do this, I will have no option and quit." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Health officials and advocates alike are alarmed after finding out that a P1-billion ($21.241 million) allocation for contraceptives was removed from the 2016 budget, especially after the decade-long struggle of the reproductive health (RH) law in Congress.

A check on the 2015 and 2016 General Appropriations Act (GAA) showed the allocation for Family Health and Responsible Parenting indeed went down from P3.274 billion ($69.534 million) in 2015 to P2.275 billion in 2016 ($48.325 million).

Health Secretary Janette Garin said the P1 billion meant to purchase family planning commodities such as condoms, pills, and IUDs was removed during the deliberations of the bicameral conference committee on the 2016 GAA.

Without the budget, Garin said they will have to depend on health partners and donors for the program to continue this year. (READ: Contraceptives in the Philippines: What to use, where to get)

But what happened at the bicam conference?

Senator Loren Legarda, who chairs the Senate committee on finance, said cutting the allocation for Family Health and Responsible Parenting had to do with how the Department of Health (DOH) obligated its 2015 budget.

"As of June 2015, the DOH status of funds shows that of the P3.27-billion allocation, only P955 million has been obligated or 29%. For the remaining 6 months, P2.3 billion or 71% has yet to be obligated," she told Rappler on Thursday, January 7.

According to Legarda, a known supporter of the RH law, "any unused 2015 budget is still available in 2016."

"In addition, the agencies may augment deficient items from their savings. Full year utilization rate of DOH for 2014 is 83%," the lady senator added.

But when Garin was asked by reporters on Wednesday, January 6, if the funds needed to procure contraceptives can come from existing budget, she said no.

"Hindi e, kasi naka-line item siya e. Ang budget, hindi namin 'yan nagagalaw. Kung ito para dito, 'yan lang talaga. Hindi siya flexible, 'di gaya ng dati," explained the health secretary, who was representative of the First District of Iloilo prior to her Cabinet post.

(We can't because it's a line item. We can't touch it. If this allocation is for this purpose, you stick to it. It's not flexible, unlike before.)

Sought for comment, Budget Secretary Florencio "Butch" Abad has yet to reply to questions clarifying the budget process for DOH as of this posting.

Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, also a member of the bicam and a staunch RH critic, said the basis for the budget cut is the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court (SC) in June 2015. 

The SC not only temporarily stopped the distribution and sale of implants in June 2015; it also temporarily prohibited the health department from granting any pending application for RH commodities. 

"Supreme Court TRO is the basis for the cuts in contraceptives and injectables. Besides, [Commission on Audit] says the budget for those have been misused," Sotto told Rappler. 

The TRO came more than a year after the High Court held the RH law constitutional. –with reports from Patty Pasion/Rappler.com

*US$1 = P47.086

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Women are about 3 times as likely as men to say they are bisexual, and increasing numbers of US women say they have had sexual contact with other females, new data showed Thursday, January 7.

More than 9,100 adults aged 18–44 took part in the 2011–2013 National Survey of Family Growth.

Respondents entered their answers on a computer instead of directly telling an interviewer.

Among women, 5.5% said they are bisexual, compared to 2% of men.

Fewer people said they were bisexual in the last survey of its kind.

In 2006-2010, 3.9% of women and 1.2% of men described themselves as bisexual.

Compared to the same survey taken from 2006-2010, researchers found "significantly higher percentages of women in the 2011–2013" reporting that they had had same-sex sexual contact.

In the most recent report, 17.4% of women had such contact, compared to 14.2% years earlier.

Among men, 6.2% said they had experienced sexual contact with another man, according to the latest data.

Identifying as strictly straight, or having feelings of attraction only to members of the opposite sex, was also more common in men (92%) than women (81%). – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – France will on Thursday, January 7, hold official ceremonies marking a year since a jihadist attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo, with the French satirical magazine defiantly reasserting its provocative spirit.

French President Francois Hollande will address a gathering of anti-terror security forces at Paris's police headquarters, exactly one year after the attack, one of the most shocking in a bloody year for France.

The January 7 shootings at the Charlie Hebdo offices, which left 12 dead, were followed by an unprecedented series of killings in subsequent months that culminated in ISIS attacks on Paris in November that left 130 dead.

Hollande is expected to detail plans toughening laws against organized crime and terrorism in his remarks to police.

The reforms aim to introduce measures including more flexible rules of engagement for armed police and stronger stop-and-search powers.

Charlie Hebdo has continued to raise ire, refusing self-censorship in the wake of the attacks, working from ultra-secure offices in a top-secret location.

On Wednesday, January 6, it published a typically provocative special edition featuring a gun-toting God, sparking protests from the Vatican.

The cover of the anniversary edition features a bloodstained, bearded God-figure in sandals with a Kalashnikov slung over his shoulder under the headline: "One year on: the killer is still at large."

The controversial cover is typical of the fiercely secular publication whose drawings of the Prophet Mohammed drew the fury of Muslims around the world and inspired the bloody attack on its offices.

Jihadist brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi gunned down 8 Charlie staff as well as several others in and around the building in the assault, which began three days of terror in Paris.

The attack, claimed by Al-Qaeda's branch in the Arabian Peninsula, was not the first on the publication, which was firebombed in 2011.

The bloodshed stunned a nation that has become a target for jihadists and was again plunged into shock in November when 130 people were killed and hundreds more were wounded in coordinated attacks around Paris.

Charlie Hebdo, a struggling publication that gained bittersweet fame after the attacks and became a symbol of freedom of speech, has printed one million copies of the anniversary edition.

While millions rushed to buy the first edition after the attack, circulation of the controversial publication has slowed to about 100,000 copies a week and there were no crowds trying to buy the anniversary edition.

The Vatican criticised the anniversary edition's cover for failing to "acknowledge or to respect believers' faith in God, regardless of the religion".

"Behind the deceptive flag of uncompromising secularism, the weekly is forgetting once more what religious leaders of every faith unceasingly repeat... using God to justify hatred – is a genuine blasphemy, as Pope Francis has said several times." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Thursday, January 7, said it fears that China will create an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) after conducting test flights over the disputed waters.

An ADIZ will likely require planes to seek China’s permission before flying over the West Philippine Sea, the subject of a decades-long dispute between Manila and Beijing.

In a media briefing on Thursday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Rosario said, “We’re very concerned about the fact that China had already flown their flights to Fiery Cross Reef, and we’re also concerned that they’re planning to do more.”

Referring to the test flights, Del Rosario added: “If this is not challenged, we will have a situation where China will take the position that the ADIZ could be imposed, whether this is done in terms of a de facto basis, or whether it is official.”

“Of course this will be deemed as unacceptable to us,” he said.

The Philippines also said it will protest these test flights. 

ADIZ 'a form of early warning'

This comes after Chinese state media reported on Wednesday, January 6, that China landed two more planes on the contested Fiery Cross Reef (Kagitingan Reef) in the South China Sea.

“This successful test flight proves that this airport is equipped with the capacity to ensure the safe operation of large civilian aircraft,” state-run news agency Xinhua said. 

It added that the facility would help transport supplies, personnel, and medical aid.

Many countries, including the US and Japan, use ADIZs as a form of early warning, allowing them to track aircraft approaching their airspace.

Planes entering the area are frequently asked to identify themselves and to maintain radio contact with local authorities.

Any aircraft causing concern can trigger the launch of fighter jets, which are scrambled to intercept it.

UK pushes for international law

Reacting to China's test flights, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said any attempt to restrict air and sea travel in the disputed South China Sea would be viewed as a "red flag."

"Freedom of navigation and overflight are non-negotiable. They are red flags for us," Hammond told a joint news conference with Del Rosario, as the UK official was visiting Manila.

Hammond also said his country is not siding with any party in the South China Sea dispute.

Still, Hammond said the UK believes that “that disputes of this nature should be resolved in accordance with established principles of international law.”

He also said the UK “will recognize the decision” of the arbitral tribunal handling Manila’s case against Beijing over the South China Sea. 

The tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, is expected to issue a ruling this year.

China claims virtually all the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have partial claims. (READ: Q and A: Is South China Sea now a superpowers' battleground?) – with reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines –  Transportation officials held a dry run of the point-to-point (P2P) double decker bus service along EDSA on Thursday, January 7, as part of the ongoing non-stop bus service offered to commuters last month.

Froehlich Tours, operator of the P2P buses, showcased its premium double decker bus on the non-stop route traveling from SM City North EDSA in Quezon City to Glorietta 5 in Makati City.

The double-decker bus is airconditioned and is equipped with CCTV cameras and free WiFi. There's also a VIP lounge and a lavatory onboard.

Transportation Assistant Secretary for Planning Robert Siy said the double decker bus won't hit the roads regularly just yet – but they're a preview of what a modern bus system in Metro Manila could look like.

The P2P system, launched in December 2015, promises a faster and more comfortable travel experience for EDSA commuters. The buses don't make any stops along its route, saving an estimated 20 to 30 minutes in travel time. Passengers also get guaranteed seats, and buses depart on time based on a fixed schedule, whether or not the vehicles are full.

But because the buses don't have their own dedicated lanes along EDSA, heavier than usual traffic can still add more minutes to commuters' travel time.

For the Thursday morning dry run, the double decker bus left the Quezon City terminal on time – at exactly 8 am.

It got off to a good start, but slowed down when it approached the Cubao area, where it inched its way along the thoroughfare for about 30 minutes. 

The bus sped up slightly after passing Cubao, but again encountered traffic buildup at the Ortigas area, home to malls and offices.

At 9:15 am, the bus pulled up at Glorietta 5 in Makati City. The entire 14.9-km trip took 75 minutes, but some passengers said it was still an improvement from the usual 90 minutes or 120 minutes they spend in traffic.

"It exceeded my expectations because despite the fact that EDSA was very crammed, the ride was very comfortable. It took over an hour to get here from SM North, but it usually takes about two or 3 hours on regular bus trips," said transport advocate James Mangun.

He added, "A lot of people who take the bus usually expect crummy service, crowds, and heavy traffic. But this one proved that we can actually have quality bus service that can be availed by everyone."

The premium bus ride costs P55, P20 more than the ordinary city bus fare. But for Beth del Rosario, the convenience is worth the higher price tag.

"It's more convenient and it's faster because the buses don't make stops....I think people won't mind paying a little more if it's more convenient," she said.

Del Rosario, who used to spend hours waiting for a ride on ordinary city buses or the crowded trains, said she has been using the express bus service regularly since a friend recommended it.

"Commuters usually don't have any other options in transportation. But this service is very good. If many people patronize this service, it can be sustained, and other operators will think twice about their own services because there's something much better," she said.

Next steps

The P2P service currently operates along 3 routes in Metro Manila, but there are plans to expand the service. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is in the process of selecting bus operators for additional routes which would link Makati, the Ortigas central business district, Alabang, and Fairview starting June 2016.

Operators selected for the P2P service must have buses equipped with an automatic fare collection system, global positioning system devices, CCTV cameras, and free WiFi. Buses should also comply with Euro IV emission standards or better, or run on clean alternative fuels.

They must also be accessible to the elderly and persons with disabilities. The buses are required to have low floor height ranging from 0.28 to 0.38 meters, space for a passenger with a wheelchair, and a retractable ramp for easy boarding.

Operators are also required to pay drivers a fixed salary instead of the current commission system to discourage competition among buses.

Setting standards for the types of buses that ply the traffic-clogged EDSA is a step in the right direction, Mangun said.

"What they're trying to do is change the bus culture where it's hell to ride. So instead of taking your car, why not take this? That way, we reduce actual traffic, because what we don't realize is that all of us commuting and driving on EDSA is traffic," he said.

Transportation officials earlier said the P2P bus service aims to encourage car owners to take public transportation, in a bid to take more cars off EDSA.

It's part of the transportation department's thrust to move more people instead of more cars along the limited road space in Metro Manila. – Rappler.com 

SEOUL, South Korea – The United States and its two main military allies in Asia, South Korea and Japan, pledged a combined push Thursday, January 7, to secure a comprehensive, hard-hitting international response to North Korea's latest nuclear test.

The leaders of the 3 countries, who have long sought to project a united front against the North Korean nuclear threat, spoke by phone a day after Pyongyang's shock announcement that it had tested its first hydrogen bomb.

Their consultations followed a meeting of the 15-member UN Security Council in New York which, with backing from China, Pyongyang's sole major ally, strongly condemned the test and said it would begin work on a new UN draft resolution that would contain "further significant measures."

UN diplomats confirmed that talks were under way on strengthening several sets of sanctions that have been imposed on secretive North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. 

In South Korea, the mood was uncompromising, with President Park Geun-Hye calling for a strong international response to what she called a "grave provocation."

Park spoke with US President Barack Obama on Thursday morning, with both leaders insisting that the test merited the "most powerful and comprehensive sanctions," her presidential office said in a statement.

Paying the price

"The two leaders agreed that the North should pay the appropriate price... and vowed to closely cooperate to get a strong resolution adopted at the UN Security Council," it added.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also spoke with Obama and agreed that they should spearhead the effort to impose harsher penalties on Pyongyang.

"We will take firm and resolute steps, including considering measures unique to our nation," Abe said, hinting at unilateral moves.

The censure and sanctions threats had a familiar ring, given similar outrage that greeted the North's previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, and some voices stressed the need to find a strategy that combined coercion with negotiation.

"A priority must be to find ways to both further pressure North Korea to limit its nuclear weapons capabilities and engage it diplomatically," said David Albright, president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security.

In announcing that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, North Korea said it had "joined the rank of advanced nuclear states" like Russia, France and the United States that also boast thermonuclear devices.

The order to test was personally signed by leader Kim Jong-Un, with a handwritten message to begin 2016 with the "thrilling sound of the first hydrogen bomb explosion."

Skepticism

Acquisition of a working H-bomb – with a destructive power that dwarfs the bombs it has tested in the past – would represent a massive leap forward in the North's nuclear weapons capability.

But experts said the explosive yield from Wednesday's (January 6) test – initially estimated at between 6 and 9 kilotons – was far too small.

"The initial analysis that has been conducted... is not consistent with North Korea's claim of a successful hydrogen bomb test," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

"There is nothing that has occurred in the last 24 hours that has caused the United States government to change our assessment of North Korea's technical and military capabilities."

Japan said 3 planes it sent up Wednesday to try and collect traces of radioactive material that might help clarify the nature of the test, had returned empty-handed.

At the UN, US Ambassador Samantha Power called for a "tough, comprehensive and credible package of new sanctions" to make clear to Pyongyang that there are "real consequences" to its actions.

Japanese Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa said he will be pushing for "a series of measures under chapter 7" of the UN charter, which provides for enforceable sanctions.

But there was no real clarity on what form the sanctions might take, or when the package would be drawn up.

Currently, there are a total of 20 entities and 12 individuals on the UN sanctions blacklist, which provides for a global travel ban and an assets freeze.

Spotlight on China

All eyes at the UN will now be on China, a veto-wielding council member, to see just how far it will go in tightening the sanctions grip on its recalcitrant neighbour.

While Beijing has restrained US-led allies from stronger action against Pyongyang in the past, it has shown increasing frustration with its refusal to suspend testing.

But China's leverage over Pyongyang is mitigated, analysts say, by its overriding fear of a North Korean collapse and the prospect of a reunified, US-allied Korea directly on its border.

There was no immediate response from North Korea to the UN sanctions threat, but its KCNA official news agency was unrepentant.

"The more frantic the hostile forces get in their moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK (North Korea), the stronger its nuclear deterrent will grow," it said in a commentary. – Hwang Sung-Hee, AFP / Rappler.com

BRUSSELS, Belgium – Eurozone unemployment dropped to its lowest level in four years in November, official data showed on Thursday, beating analyst expectations amid lingering doubts about the strength of the economy in Europe.

The improved jobs picture comes as the 19-country single currency bloc is still stuck in a bout of low inflation and weak growth despite unprecedented stimulus measures by the European Central Bank.

The European Union's Eurostat agency said eurozone unemployment fell to 10.5% in November from a revised 10.6% in October, hitting the lowest level since October 2011.

Joblessness in the eurozone has gradually fallen from the record 12.2% reached in September 2013 as the damaging eurozone debt crisis peaked out.

However, it still remains way above the 7.5% levels seen during the economic boom leading up to the financial crash in 2008.

In comparison, unemployment in the much faster growing United States currently stands at 5.0%.

Economists worry that growth in Europe, currently set to expand by 1.6% in 2015, is too weak to erase the big pockets of unemployment, especially Greece, Spain and Portugal, but also in economic heavyweights France and Italy.

"The number of eurozone jobless has now fallen (by) 1.57 million overall since October 2014. Encouraging, but it needs to come down a lot further," said Howard Archer, chief European economist at IHS Global Insight.

As usual the level of joblessness, which totaled 16.9 million across the eurozone, varied from country to country.

The highest rate was in debt-stricken Greece, at 24.6% in September, the latest data available.

Youth unemployment in Greece stood at a higher 49.5% and at a still worrying 47.5% in Spain whose economy has done much better than many others.

The lowest rate overall in the bloc was in economic powerhouse Germany, unchanged for a third consecutive month at an ultra low 4.5%.

France, the eurozone's second biggest economy, saw unemployment fall to 10.1% from 10.3% in October, a sign that a poor jobs picture could finally be improving.

For the whole eurozone, economists surveyed by the Factset data company had forecast an unemployment rate of 10.7%.

Separate Eurostat data meanwhile showed that retail sales in the eurozone fell 0.3% in November, a third consecutive monthly drop.

"The decline is somewhat surprising given relatively strong consumer confidence, improvements in the labour market and tailwinds from low oil prices, but it remains to be seen whether total consumption is in a similar slump as retail sales is," said analyst Bert Colijn from by ING Bank. – Alex Pigman, AFP/Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III should not be made liable for the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and he cannot be criminally charged in court for what has been termed as the “presidential pork barrel.”

This was what Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa said on Thursday, January 7, before the 7 members of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) who are scouting for a replacement for outgoing Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Martin Villarama Jr.

One of 16 candidates vying for the position of Villarama, Caguioa, however, assured members of the JBC, led by SC Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, he was not out to protect the interests of the administration that appointed him.

“As a judge, I will wear altogether a different hat. It is important to be impervious to any kind of influence whether monetary, filial or any kind. The primary duty of the judge is to resolve the controversy on the basis of the facts and evidence and applying the law,” Caguioa said during his scheduled public interview.

A former classmate of Aquino in grade school and college at the Ateneo de Manila University, Caguioa responded to a question posed by retired SC justice Sandoval Gutierrez. He defended Aquino on DAP, saying that what the President did was “merely exercise his discretion under the Constitution to augment projects using savings and that is completely allowable.”

After helping in Aquino’s presidential campaign in 2010, Caguioa – who left the private sector to join government as chief presidential legal counsel – insisted Aquino is neither the author, implementor or proponent of DAP.

Elaborating on his point, Caguioa cited good faith and the operative fact doctrine as basis for Aquino’s defense. The operative fact doctrine provides that the effects of an unconstitutional law, before the law is nullified, may be left untouched – these could include roads, bridges and other infrastructure. The application of the doctrine does not exonerate proponents and implementors of the DAP, unless it is established they acted in good faith.

While saying the President should not be charged over DAP, Caguioa said that he “probably will” be, in today’s world.

Independence

On July 1, 2014, the High Court declared 3 specific schemes under DAP unconstitutional. The administration defended it, saying it was necessary to fast-track economic growth. In February 2015, the Supreme Court partially granted the government’s appeal on its earlier ruling and deemed only two executive acts unconstitutional.

But SC justices in their separate opinions on DAP said Aquino and Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad should be held liable. Under the 2015 SC ruling, only DAP authors, and not project implementors, are possibly liable.

Caguioa emphasized he will be independent and would not maintain a debt of gratitude to anyone, not even to the President who appointed him.

He was appointed ad interim justice secretary in October 2015. Prior to that, he was appointed chief legal counsel in January 2013.

Caguioa obtained his degree in Economics (Honors Program) from the College of Arts and Sciences of Ateneo de Manila University in 1981 (Honorable Mention). He graduated with honors from the Ateneo College of Law in 1985, ranking fifth in his class.

He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1986 after placing 15th in the 1985 Bar examinations.

The JBC – the constitutional body mandated to screen, vet, and recommend to the President nominees to vacant judicial posts – has set public interviews for 16 applicants for the position that will be vacated by Villarama on January 16.

Besides Caguioa, the JBC on Thursday also interviewed Joe Santos Bisquera; Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang; Chinchona Cruz-Gonzales; Deputy Ombudsman Gerard Mosquera; Court of Appeals Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas Jr and Rosmari Carandang; and Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Maria Cristina Cornejo.

The second and last day for interviews will be on Friday, January 8, from 9 am to 5 pm. Lined up are 8 more candidates:

• Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr
• Solicitor General Florin Hilbay
• Stephen C. Cruz
• Reynaldo B. Daway
• Mariflor P. Punzalan-Castillo
• Maria Gracia M. Pulido-Tan
• Alex L. Quiroz
• Jose Reyes Jr

Any opposition to the applications of the 16 candidates for SC justice may be formally submitted to the JBC on or before January 4, 2016. – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – French police shot dead a knife-wielding man on Thursday, January 7, as he attacked a police station in Paris, a year to the day since jihadist gunmen killed 12 people at Charlie Hebdo newspaper.

The man reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) and was wearing what appeared to be an explosives vest although it was later found to be a fake, police and government sources said.

News of the attack came just after President Francois Hollande concluded a somber speech at police headquarters to mark the anniversary of the killings at Charlie Hebdo's offices on January 7, 2015.

"On Thursday morning, a man attempted to attack a policeman at the reception of the police station before being hit by shots from the police," interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said.

Explosives experts were deployed to the scene in the multi-ethnic Goutte d'Or district, close to the Gare du Nord international station.

The man was found to have been wearing a pouch under his coat with a wire hanging from it, but the device "contained no explosives", a source close to the investigation told AFP.

With France also still grieving after the massacre of 130 people by jihadists in Paris in November, Hollande used his speech to call for greater cooperation between the security services.

"Faced with these adversaries, it is essential that every service – police, gendarmerie, intelligence, military – work in perfect harmony, with the greatest transparency, and that they share all the information at their disposal," the president said.

Many of the jihadists in both January's rampage and the attacks in November were known to French security services, having either travelled abroad to fight with extremists or been prevented from doing so.

Hollande said that since the attack on Charlie Hebdo, nearly 200 people in France had been placed under travel restrictions to prevent them joining up with IS in Syria or Iraq.

Died so we could live

The president said the 3 police officers killed in January's attacks "died so that we could live in freedom".

A police bodyguard who was guarding the newspaper's editor, Charb, was killed alongside him by brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi and they shot dead another policeman, Ahmed Merabet, as he sprawled on the pavement near Charlie Hebdo's offices.

The next day, a policewoman was killed by jihadist Amedy Coulibaly in the southern suburb of Montrouge, apparently as he was heading to attack a Jewish school.

Among changes set to be introduced in the wake of the November attacks are new guidelines allowing police to keep their weapons even when off-duty.

The president reiterated his pledge to boost the number of police and armed gendarmes by 5,000.

The speech will be followed by a concert on Sunday to mark the one million people who poured on to the streets of Paris on January 11, 2015, in an outpouring of support for freedom of expression in the wake of the deaths of Charlie Hebdo's best-known cartoonists.

The newspaper had been in the jihadists' sights since it first published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2006.

The widow of Franck Brinsolaro, the bodyguard who was killed in the attack, said this week she has filed a lawsuit claiming that he was left vulnerable because the security around the newspaper had been reduced before the shootings.

Charlie Hebdo has continued to raise ire, rejecting self-censorship in the wake of the attacks and working from ultra-secure offices in a top-secret location.

On Wednesday it published a typically provocative special edition featuring a gun-toting God, sparking protests from the Vatican.

The cover of the anniversary edition features a bloodstained, bearded God figure in sandals with a Kalashnikov rifle slung over his shoulder under the headline: "One year on: the killer is still at large." – Pauline Talagrand, AFP/Rappler.com

TEHRAN, Iran (UPDATED) – Iran on Thursday, January 7, accused Saudi warplanes of deliberately bombing its embassy in Yemen, in a new escalation of diplomatic tensions that have reverberated across the Middle East.

Shiite-dominated Iran also announced a ban on imports of all products from its Sunni-ruled rival, following a dramatic chill in relations that has triggered international alarm.

It comes days after Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in response to an arson attack on its own embassy in Tehran by protesters infuriated by Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

Tehran said an unspecified number of embassy staff had been wounded in the raid on the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa, which has been targeted by months of air strikes by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.

"This deliberate action by Saudi Arabia is a violation of all international conventions that protect diplomatic missions," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said, quoted by state television.

"The Saudi government is responsible for the damage caused and for the situation of members of staff who were injured," Ansari added, without specifying when the alleged strike took place or the seriousness of the injuries.

"The Islamic republic reserves the right to pursue its interests in this matter," he said.

Iran also announced that a ban on Iranians traveling to the Saudi holy city of Mecca for the umrah pilgrimage would remain in place indefinitely.

Somalia cuts ties

Longstanding frictions between the Middle East's foremost Sunni and Shiite Muslim powers exploded into a full-blown diplomatic crisis at the weekend when Riyadh executed Shiite cleric and activist Nimr al-Nimr along with 46 others.

Nimr's death unleashed a wave of anger across the Shiite world, including in Iran where protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in the second city of Mashhad.

Iran denounced the attacks on the Saudi missions, but the repercussions quickly rippled across the region with Saudi allies Bahrain, Sudan and Djibouti also cutting diplomatic ties with Tehran.

Somalia followed suit on Thursday, saying it had given Iranian diplomats 72 hours to leave the Horn of Africa nation.

"This step has been taken after careful consideration and in response to the Republic of Iran's continuous interference in Somalia's internal affairs," the statement said, without giving further details.

Among other Saudi allies, the United Arab Emirates has downgraded relations with Iran while Kuwait and Qatar have recalled their ambassadors.

Iran's embargo on imports from Saudi Arabia will reportedly affect goods worth about $40 million, mainly fabrics and packaging products.

The Yemen conflict, which pits the pro-Iranian Huthi Shiite rebels against pro-government forces backed by Riyadh and other Gulf Arab states, is one of the main sources of dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Diplomatic fallout

They also support opposing sides in Syria, where Tehran has provided military assistance to its close ally President Bashar al-Assad against rebel groups, some backed by Saudi Arabia.

The growing tensions have heaped doubt on a UN-backed plan that foresees talks between the Syrian sides this month in a bid to end a war that has claimed more than a quarter of a million lives.

The roadmap, unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council, calls for the establishment of a transitional government within six months and elections within 18 months.

The Iran-Saudi crisis also threatens a fragile UN-backed initiative to end the war in Yemen, where the world body says at least 2,795 civilians have been killed since March.

UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has called for a new round of talks on January 14 but the sides have yet to confirm that they will attend.

At the same time the row has dealt another blow to the unity of the OPEC oil cartel, which includes both Iran and Saudi Arabia, at a time when a glut of crude on world markets has sent prices plunging.

The growing Middle East tensions have further reduced expectations of any action by OPEC to try to shore up oil prices.

With fears of weaker Chinese demand also mounting, New York's main crude contract slid to a 12-year low of $32.10 a barrel on Thursday. – Siavosh Ghazi, AFP / Rappler.com 

PARIS, France – Press campaign group Reporters Without Borders marked Thursday's first anniversary of the attack on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo by warning against what it called "religious correctness." 

The organization cautioned against what it called "the insidious imposition of a 'religious correctness' that poses a major threat to the journalistic freedom to inform others (and make them laugh)," in a statement.

It noted the controversy sparked by the cover of Charlie Hebdo's Wednesday edition, which depicts a gun-toting God figure on the run.

The Vatican criticized the cover for failing to "acknowledge or to respect believers' faith in God, regardless of the religion."

It added: "Using God to justify hatred is a genuine blasphemy."

The fiercely secular publication's drawings of the Prophet Mohammed drew the fury of Muslims around the world and inspired the bloody attack on its offices on January 7 last year.

"Some may feel offended or hurt by criticism of their beliefs, especially in the form of satire. But freedom of information and expression... must not be constrained or limited by anyone’s convictions or sensibilities, or else a form of totalitarianism will take hold before we know it," the Paris-based group, known by its French initials RSF, warned.

"RSF deplores the self-censorship and overcautiousness that has taken hold in the media in democratic countries," it said.

Concepts such as blasphemy - which is penalized in 94 countries, RSF said - are used to create an exception to freedom of expression "for which there is absolutely no provision under international law," it said.

RSF noted that two Turkish journalists still face charges for reprinting some cartoons published by Charlie Hebdo after the massacre, while Saudi blogger Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for “insulting Islam."– Rappler.com 

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte denied spending his own money for television advertising on Thursday, January 7, during a press briefing in Cebu City.

His statement comes days after a Nielsen report claiming he spent P115 million on such ads. He was 4th in the list of top spenders. Vice President Jejomar Binay was number one on the list.

“Somebody in the Chinese community gave the money to help me with those ads,” he said.

Lito Banayo, a political strategist and Duterte supporter, earlier told Rappler that most of the ads for Duterte came from his supporters.

The groups Friends of Duterte (FORD) and Champions of Rody Duterte (CORD) pooled funds from contacts in Manila and Davao, he said.

Banayo, who helped produce the "Tapang and Malasakit" TV ads and a similar radio ad in Central Visayas and Mindanao said their expenses haven't even exceeded P40 million.

Nielsen, however, may have included the Duterte-Cayetano tandem ads in their count. These ads were paid for by the supporters of Duterte's running mate, Alan Peter Cayetano.

No 'nationwide machinery' yet

Barely two months after filing his candidacy for president, Duterte said he is yet to consolidate a “nationwide machinery” for his campaign.

But one thing is for sure, though sourcing funds will be tough, he won’t accept money with strings attached, he said.

“Money is hard to come by nowadays. I have been very frank to everybody. I am not going to accept any donation, any assistance coming from businesses or corporations doing business with government,” he told media. 

A presidential campaign typically costs from P2 billion to P3 billion. This is Duterte’s first time to run for a national position.

NPC support?

Duterte, running as the standard-bearer of political party PDP-Laban, denied expecting any support from other parties.

While the Nationalist People’s Coalition, the country’s second biggest political party, is said to be thinking of supporting him, nothing has been formalized.

“It was only a plan, a conversation. Until now, no invitation has been extended to me to attend any meeting with them,” said Duterte. 

Cayetano is running under the Nacionalista Party.*

Duterte emphasized, however, that if he were to take the side of a political party, it would be a partnership based on similar values and platforms, not on political expediency.

“If you find that there is something common between you, you should be ready to talk. But if there are things you do not see eye-to-eye in so many areas of governance and running the country, then just make off and say maybe we cannot go together,” he explained.  

Duterte and Cayetano are in Cebu City from Thursday to Friday, January 8, for their first political sortie in the Visayas as a tandem.– Rappler.com

Editor's Note: In a previous version of this story, Cayetano was indicated as running under the Nationalist People's Coalition. This has been corrected. He is running under the Nacionalista Party.

What will you do if you are hungry? Obviously, eat, right and that’s it? Nope. Apparently, when we are hungry for food, our brains get hungry too and conquer some desire for things other than food.

Observe how many times in a day you hear yourself or others say “I am hungry.” I am guessing that we Pinoys say this more than most. If you have to go out to eat and have to also stroll through many stores that sell non-food items, chances are, you would want to get these items too compared to seeing them when you are not hungry. I am beginning to suspect this is why many food courts are on top floors – so that you get to scan the shops first before you get to fill your hunger.

A set of 5 very interesting studies that looked at hunger would be very potent in the hands of mall owners and marketers. They all prove that being hungry makes you want to be filled with not just food.

The first one proved that when you are hungry, you can identify not just hunger-related words such as “famine” or “starve” flashed on the screen words but also “acquisition” related words such as “acquire, want, get, have, own, obtain, desire, gain, and possess” compared to other neutral words. This means that when you are hungry, your intelligence is very focused on “having” and “getting”.

The second study proved that being hungry makes you want more food and non-food items. This means that compared to people who are not hungry, you would be likelier to also want that bag you just saw on the shopping window or that new tool being demonstrated by the diligent marketer.

The third and fourth studies are already translations which merchants I think may value. These studies found that those who are hungry actually get the non-food items even if they do not like them and even more, the fifth study showed that they will get those non-food items even if they have to pay for them! Think of those pre-meal hours when people are really hungry an on their way to restaurants. Would your chances to sell them stuff, including real estate which abound now, skyrocket when you approach them during these hungry intervals? What is the “limit” to these “non-food” items that we are willing to pay for when we are hungry? The studies did not explore these yet.

The researchers noted that these findings should alert us that this “overflow” of hunger to non-food things may also go the other way. It means that those who buy more stuff may also end up spending for more food than they need that may end up as waste or even mess your finances.

So how could we trick our brains then to stop being so hungry about everything? There was a study I came across before that when you start imagining eating so much of the food you like, then you will lower your desire to eat that food. Maybe it will apply to imagining non-food items. For me, in those dignified times that I win over my acquisitive spirit, it was when I think of how much stuff one can accumulate so fast. It also helps when you think about moving houses and having to worry about packing so much.

The book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo which is about how to get rid of stuff and reorganize what is left, has been among the top New York Times bestseller for a while now. That gives you would have an idea that many people must have a lot of stuff they want to get rid of. That made me wonder how much of those stuff was acquired when they were hungry for food.

I have been reading on how malls are focusing on more than just the shopping experience so that they offer a variety of other things that appeal to multiple human interests. I think malls are the most obvious translation of the empire that hunger seems to be when it comes to its mastery over our desires and action. I think the diversity of experiences that malls offer match the acquisitive spirit of the hunger empire within each of us. It also is worrying to see how greed is also naturally wired in us, intertwined with the fundamentals – hunger and thirst.

So that is how hunger and malls work for each other. We buy one, we buy them all. Or at least, we want to. That is how a hungry brain works so let’s be careful what you feed it. – Rappler.com

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela's political crisis deepened Thursday as the government sued to stop the center-right opposition using its new legislative powers to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

The opposition laid claim to a big majority in the National Assembly state legislature which could empower it to force out Maduro. He rejected the assembly as illegal and formed a new hardline leftist cabinet to fight it.

Venezuela's defense minister and armed forces chief, General Vladimir Padrino, weighed into the stand-off Thursday, saying the military were unwavering in their backing for Maduro.

"The president is the highest authority of the state and we reiterate our absolute loyalty and unconditional support for him," said Padrino.

Analysts have warned of the risk of unrest in the streets in the South American oil-producing country stricken by recession, shortages and rampant crime.

The new speaker of the congress, Henry Ramos Allup, said on Twitter that two premises of his Democratic Action party were attacked with explosive devices on Thursday, but no one was hurt and no damage reported. He said police were investigating.

Political uncertainty reigned as Maduro's side applied to the Supreme Court to declare null any legislation passed by the opposition-controlled congress.

Maduro supporters claim the opposition's two-thirds majority in the assembly is not legitimate since it swore in three lawmakers whom the court had ordered to be suspended pending allegations of electoral fraud.

"The decisions made in that circus they have set up should be ignored," said pro-government deputy Pedro Carreno at the court, where he presented the suit.

"This is an illegal parliament and therefore its decisions are illegal and null."

He accused the opposition of planning a "coup d'etat" and being in contempt of court.

Ramos Allup rejected the charge.

"The ones who are in contempt are the ones who have disregarded the public will after the elections," he said.

The opposition MUD coalition won a majority in the assembly for the first time in nearly 17 years at elections on December 6.

The MUD has vowed to find a way within six months to get rid of Maduro by constitutional means. But Maduro's side vowed to block it by suing, withholding funding and refusing to publish its legislation.

"They give us six months to survive. You need balls to carry out a coup d'etat. We'll see if they have any," said Diosdado Cabello, the number two in Maduro's leadership.

"Get ready for a long struggle."

Bleak economic outlook

As the battles lines formed, Maduro reshuffled his cabinet, filling key posts with defenders of the socialist "revolution" launched by his late predecessor Hugo Chavez.

Facing a "new stage of the Revolution" and a "bourgeois legislature," Maduro said his new cabinet team would work on the "grave economic situation."

He appointed hardline socialists to the key posts of economy, finance and foreign trade and investment, while keeping in place his oil minister.

He named economist Luis Salas economy minister.

Ramos Allup said the opposition too would present urgent economic proposals.

Analysts warn the political deadlock will compound the hardship of Venezuelans who are suffering shortages of basic goods and soaring inflation.

Plunging oil prices have sharply curbed the country's revenues.

"The president's support for the radical ideological wing of Chavismo, sidelining pragmatists, does not generate positive expectations for change," said analyst Luis Vicente Leon, head of polling firm Datanalisis.

"Expectations of institutional conflict increase the negative outlook for the nation's economy."

Maduro vowed to resist "with an iron hand."

One of the first measures the opposition wants to pass is an amnesty for 75 political prisoners, a plan backed by the United States. Maduro has vowed to veto that move.

Ramos Allup earlier had portraits of Chavez removed from the assembly building -- drawing stern condemnation from defense minister Padrino. 

"This is an outrage to military honor," he warned. 

The government side responded by pledging to fill the streets of Caracas with pictures of Chavez and of Simon Bolivar, Venezuela's 19th-century independence hero. – Maria Isabel Sanchez, AFP/Rappler.com

MIAMI, USA – Wet weather and scorching temperatures propelled the United States into record books for the hottest December in modern history and the second warmest year since the late 1800s, US government scientists said Thursday, January 7.

The report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the latest to document a warming trend that many scientists expect will make 2015 the planet's steamiest year on record.

Man-made climate change resulting from the burning of fossil fuels, along with the El Nino weather phenomenon have combined to wreak havoc in much of the world's weather, scientists said.

"It was quite an exceptional month," said Jake Crouch, climate scientist at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

December 2015 marked the first time in 121 years "that a month has been both the wettest and the warmest on record," he added.

For the United States alone, December 2015 was "record warm for the contiguous US, with a temperature of 38.6 Fahrenheit, 6 degrees above the 20th century average," said the NOAA report.

Temperatures soared past the last record-breaking December, which was in 1939.

The additional precipitation can be blamed in part on the El Nino trend which can heat up the equatorial Pacific and cause heavier rains in some parts of the world, scientists said.

"The December precipitation total for the contiguous US was 3.93 inches (10 centimeters), 1.58 inches (4 cm) above the 20th century average," it said.

The average temperature for the entire year in the United States was the second warmest since record-keeping began in 1895.

Only 2012 was warmer, NOAA said, noting that 2015 marked the 19th year in a row that the annual average temperature exceeded the 20th century average.

According to Crouch, four states experienced their hottest years on record -- Florida, Montana, Oregon and Washington. No state was unusually cool. 

"Every state had an above average temperature for the year," said Crouch.

The NOAA report also said there were 10 weather and climate disaster events that caused losses above $1 billion each.

"These events included a drought, two floods, 5 severe storms, a wildfire event and a winter storm," and resulted in 155 deaths.

Extreme weather events happened 70% more often than average last year, ranking as the fourth highest annual US Climate Extremes Index in the 106-year record, the NOAA report said.

Global climate data for 2015 is to be released on January 20.

Worldwide, 9 months this year have broken heat records for global temperatures across land and sea surfaces, including the last seven in a row, NOAA said in its last report of 2015, issued in December.

Only an unusually cold December would prevent the planet from breaking new heat records for 2015, Crouch said. – Kerry Sheridan, AFP/Rappler.com

Thermometer image from Shutterstock

WASHINGTON, DC, USA – China's recent landing of aircraft on a contested reef in the South China Sea is raising tensions and promoting instability in the region, the Pentagon warned Thursday, January 7.

A Department of Defense spokesman said 3 civilian flights are now believed to have landed on one of the islands, corroborating Chinese state media reports that 3 civilian aircraft have landed on Fiery Cross reef in the disputed Spratlys island group.

"We clearly are concerned by these flights... and we're concerned by all of these activities being conducted by the Chinese in disputed islands in the South China Sea," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters.

"Anything being done by any country to try and raise tensions over these disputed islands, and to try and militarize or engage in reclamation activities in these islands, we think only adds to instability in the South China Sea."

China claims virtually all of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have partial claims.

China has asserted its claim by rapidly building artificial islands, including airstrips said to be capable of hosting military jets.

"We call for a diplomatic resolution to these issues in the South China Sea and certainly these flights do nothing to foster further stability and understanding in that part of the world," Cook said.

China's initial aircraft landing on Saturday prompted a formal diplomatic complaint from Hanoi, which labelled it a violation of sovereignty. 

The Philippines also said it would file a protest. – Rappler.com

SEOUL, South Korea – The United States and its two main military allies in Asia, South Korea and Japan, pledged a combined push Thursday, January 7, to secure a comprehensive, hard-hitting international response to North Korea's latest nuclear test.

The leaders of the three countries, who have long sought to project a united front against the North Korean nuclear threat, spoke by phone a day after Pyongyang's shock announcement that it had tested its first hydrogen bomb.

While the announcement prompted widespread condemnation and calls for new stiff sanctions against the secretive state, it was also greeted with some scepticism, with experts suggesting the apparent yield was far too low for a thermonuclear device.

In Seoul, the government took unilateral action by announcing the resumption of high-decibel propaganda broadcasts into the North – a tactic that had prompted Pyongyang to threaten military strikes when it was last employed during a cross-border crisis last year.

The consultations between the US, Japan and South Korea followed a meeting of the 15-member UN Security Council in New York which, with backing from China, Pyongyang's sole major ally, strongly condemned the test and said it would begin work on a new UN draft resolution that would contain "further significant measures".

UN diplomats confirmed that talks were under way on strengthening several sets of sanctions that have been imposed on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. 

Anger in South Korea

In South Korea, the mood was uncompromising, with President Park Geun-Hye calling for a strong international response to what she called a "grave provocation".

Park spoke with US President Barack Obama on Thursday morning, with both leaders insisting that the test merited the "most powerful and comprehensive sanctions," her presidential office said in a statement.

"The two leaders agreed that the North should pay the appropriate price... and vowed to closely cooperate to get a strong resolution adopted at the UN Security Council," it added.

The White House, for its part, condemned North Korea's "latest reckless behaviour".  

"President Obama reaffirmed the unshakeable US commitment to the security of the ROK (Republic of Korea)," the statement said, using the acronym for South Korea's official name.

Seoul said it would resume propaganda broadcasts using batteries of giant speakers along the border with North Korea from noon (0300 GMT) on Friday.

The move is likely to infuriate Pyongyang which, during an extended and increasingly hostile cross-border stand-off last year, had issued Seoul with an ultimatum to halt the broadcasts or face imminent attack.

The South only unplugged the speakers following a compromise accord reached on August 25.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also spoke with Obama on Thursday and agreed they should spearhead the effort to impose harsher penalties on Pyongyang.

"We will take firm and resolute steps, including considering measures unique to our nation," Abe said, hinting at unilateral moves.

Meanwhile, Britain summoned the North Korean ambassador to stress its condemnation of the nuclear test.

All eyes on China

Park and Abe also spoke by phone and made similar pledges to work together under the aegis of the UN Security Council.

The censure and sanctions threats had a familiar ring, given similar outrage that greeted the North's previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, and some voices stressed the need to find a strategy that combined coercion with negotiation.

"A priority must be to find ways to both further pressure North Korea to limit its nuclear weapons capabilities and engage it diplomatically," said David Albright, president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security.

All eyes at the UN will now be on China, a veto-wielding council member, to see just how far it will go in tightening the sanctions grip on its recalcitrant neighbour.

US Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday urged China to take a tougher line, saying Beijing's cautious approach had not borne fruit.

"Now China had a particular approach that it wanted to make and we agreed and give them time to implement that," he said, describing his call to Foreign Minister Wang Yi. 

"But today in my conversation with the Chinese I made it very clear that that has not worked and we cannot continue business as usual."

Acquisition of a working H-bomb -- with a destructive power that dwarfs the bombs it has tested in the past -- would represent a massive leap forward in the North's nuclear weapons capability.

In announcing that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, North Korea said it had "joined the rank of advanced nuclear states" such as Russia, France and the US that also boast thermonuclear devices.

The order for the test was personally signed by leader Kim Jong-Un, with a handwritten message to begin 2016 with the "thrilling sound of the first hydrogen bomb explosion". – Hwang Sung-Hee, AFP/Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines –  Qatar has granted clemency to 10 Filipino prisoners, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday, January 7.

The DFA said in a statement that based on the report of the Philippine embassy in Doha, the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, granted clemency to 10 Filipinos – 9 men and one woman – on the occasion of Qatar National Day celebrated every December 18. 

The Emir usually issues pardons twice a year – on Qatar National Day, and during the holy month of Ramadan. In July 2015, the Emir pardoned 12 Filipino prisoners of on the occasion of Ramadan.

The DFA did not disclose the identities of the Filipino workers as well as their offenses, but said that “those granted clemency are often those who have already served a substantial portion of their sentences."

It added that embassy officials are now processing the repatriation of the OFWs in coordination with the Search and Follow-Up Department under Qatar’s Ministry of Interior. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON, DC, USA – US President Barack Obama on Thursday, January 7, vowed not to campaign or vote for any candidate who does not support tighter gun laws, as he rallied support for contentious executive measures.

In an article published before pressing his case in a prime time forum, Obama said he would blackball even members of his own Democratic party if necessary.

"Even as I continue to take every action possible as president, I will also take every action I can as a citizen," he said in an opinion column published by the New York Times.

"I will not campaign for, vote for or support any candidate, even in my own party, who does not support commonsense gun reform." 

That list could include Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who voted against gun reform in 2013.

Obama later appeared on CNN in a town-hall style forum to challenge critics who he said have "mischaracterized" his position.

The appearance came after Obama announced executive measures regulating the sale and purchase of weapons, bypassing Congress.

He also challenged America's most prominent pro-gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, for not taking part in the event.

"There is a reason why the NRA is not here," Obama said. "They are just down the street. And since this is the main reason they exist, you'd think they would be prepared to have a debate with the president."

NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told the event host that "the National Rifle Association sees no reason to participate in a public relations spectacle orchestrated by the White House."

'It gets me mad'

Earlier this week a tearful Obama said unilateral measures were needed to tackle US gun violence.

Flanked by survivors of the violence that kills around 30,000 Americans every year and relatives of some of those killed, Obama became emotional as he remembered 20 elementary school children shot dead three years ago in Newtown, Connecticut.

"Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad," the president said, struggling to collect himself. "So all of us need to demand a Congress brave enough to stand up to the gun lobby's lies."

According to a CNN poll 67% of people support the measures – which include an increase in background checks and registration of gun dealers – and 32% oppose. 

Critics accuse Obama of infringing on their constitutional right to bear arms.

On Thursday, Obama insisted he had no intention of taking their guns and said that he skeet shoots from time to time at Camp David, a presidential retreat near Washington.

"Keep in mind I've been president for over seven years and gun sales don't seem to have suffered during that time."

"I've been very good for gun manufacturers," he said.

Obama's proposals have prompted a fierce response from Republicans looking to replace him in the White House.

Senator Ted Cruz, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, emailed supporters an image of the president in combat uniform, complete with helmet, claiming "Obama wants your guns."

The White House called that message "irresponsible." 

"I think he's appealing to people's anxieties and insecurities and even outright fears in an attempt to win votes for his presidential campaign," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

"That's unfortunate, in some cases it veers into the territory of being irresponsible. But, you know, ultimately, that's clearly what he's up to." – Andrew Beatty, AFP/Rappler.com