SONIPAT, India – As Hindus across India celebrate Diwali this week, scientists fear a ban on firecrackers and other emergency anti-pollution measures deployed by authorities may not be enough to prevent a repeat of last year's "airpocalypse" in Delhi.

Each year, as winter descends on the Indian capital, a perfect storm of seasonal crop stubble burning, dense cloud cover and smoke generated by millions of firecrackers used in Diwali celebrations turns Delhi's skies a putrid yellow.

Last year's unprecedented pollution disaster saw heavy smog hover above the capital for weeks, forcing schools to shut as authorities scrambled to contain the crisis.

This time they are taking few chances, as India's environmental watchdog shut down a coal-fired power plant on Wednesday, October 18, and banned the use of diesel generators in Delhi.

On Delhi's outskirts however, farmers are busy burning crop remnants to clear their land before replanting, and the acrid smoke has already begun to drift south, casting a pall over the world's most polluted capital and leaving millions gasping for breath.

The illegal practice shows no signs of ending, as low-income farmers like Devi say they have no alternative, even if it harms city dwellers miles away.

"We have to burn it. We know this is harmful but what can we do?" Devi, who only gave her last name, told Agence France-Presse on her farm in Sonipat just 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Delhi.

"We also need to make money for our families," she said, stoking the smoldering stubble and defending the practice for being cost effective and quicker than other methods to clear her less than an acre farmland.

The sharp reek of burning stubble marks the onset of the pollution season in Delhi as air contaminants soar to dangerous levels.

A NASA satellite image taken early October showed widespread fires across India's northern breadbasket, with a thick grey haze streaking toward Delhi and its 20 million inhabitants.

Nearly 35 million tonnes of post-harvest stubble is burnt annually in Haryana and Punjab, two predominantly rural states near Delhi, despite a nationwide ban on the practice since 2015.

Fight for clean air

But farmers protest that they alone are not responsible for Delhi's atrocious air, and say they need more support to shift to a different method of farming.

"The farm fires in northern India certainly worsen the pollution situation, but we need alternatives for it to end," said Gufran Beig, chief scientist at state-run System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research.

Government-led efforts – from shutting brick kilns to limiting cars on the road – have failed to tackle air pollution, which a US study in February found kills one million people prematurely in India every year.

Last year, levels of PM2.5 – the fine particles linked to higher rates of chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease – soared to 778 in the days that followed Diwali, prompting the Supreme Court to warn of a public health emergency.

Levels of PM2.5 between 301 and 500 are classified as "hazardous", while anything over 500 is beyond the official index.

"If there are no remedies, we might see a repeat of last year's situation," Beig said.

On Thursday, October 19, levels of PM2.5 pollutants in Delhi were hovering around 200 – still 8 times the World Health Organization's safe limit of 25.

In the run-up to Diwali, the government banned a host of older diesel vehicles, temporarily closed some polluting industries and prohibited the burning of waste material.

The emergency measures followed a controversial Supreme Court ban earlier this month on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi during the festive season.

The move upset some revelers, who enjoy setting off crackers to ring in the season, and fireworks vendors who feel they are being unfairly targeted.

"We also live in the city and know our responsibilities," said Amit Jain, a despondent firecracker vendor in Delhi's old quarter.

"We also want to breathe clean air, but why target firecrackers and not ban cars, industries and construction?" he told Agence France-Presse. – Rappler.com

BUKIDNON, Philippines – On May 23, Ronnel Samiahan and his brother-in-law, Claudio Hamulong, were working inside a house near Dansalan College in Marawi. They did not hear the sounds of gunfire from Barangay Basak Malutlut, where a military operation had begun against Islamic State (ISIS)-inspired local terrorists.

When Ronnel and Claudio finished work and left the house, they wondered why the streets were empty. They walked towards the next block and saw people scampering, running in every direction with their belongings.

Unsure of what was happening, the two ran towards their house, an old convent in front of St Mary’s Cathedral.

The Hamulongs had lived  in Marawi City for the last 15 years. They left the plains of Calabugao in Impagsug-ong, Bukidnon, because of the war between the government and the communists. Now they found themselves again in the middle of an armed conflict, but this one was different – it was more brutal; more ruthless.

When they reached their home, Ronnel's wife, Yolanda, told him that she had been texting him since 2 pm – around the time the siege on Marawi began – but he didn't get to read them as his phone was inside his bag  left on the 2nd floor of the house they worked in.

“It was only then that we realized that there is war already, that the Maute have attacked the city,” Ronnel said.

At 6 pm that day, the Hamulongs saw a van stop across their home, in front of the cathedral. Then they saw people being dragged out of the church, including Father Teresito Soganub.

The terrorists headed to the convent and knocked on the door. Ronnel’s family, along with his in-laws' families, fled to the back of the convent and hid among the bushes and bananas.

“The Maute searched for us because they know Christians were living there,” Ronnel said.

The family members moved towards the fence on the other end, as the terrorists, using flashlights, looked for them on the other side.

Yolanda said that they did their best to keep quiet. The children understood what was happening and none of them cried, even as the entire family endured spending the night under the rain. Through the night, they would hear the terrorists return to the fence, and motorcycles whizzing by.

The family returned to their home the following day. Baby Magarang, the wife of former barangay chairman Omar Magarang, called them and told them to go to the house of his son, Oraque, the current village chairman.

They joined about 200 other people in the village chairman's two-story house. Omar told them to hide in the second floor of the house, while the Maranaos remained on the ground floor.

“That way, if the terrorists would come knocking, they would see the Maranao, not us,” Ronnel said.

When 3 Maute fights camped in the house next door on May 25, Omar announced that they should all leave his son's house. All of the people in the house, including the owners, organized themselves so that the  Christians were in the center, while the Maranaos stood on both sides to protect the former.

“The terrorists just looked at us when we went out, but they also keep a lookout on where we would be going,” Ronnel said.

They all made it to a still unfinished Pangarungan Hospital where they hid for two days.

On May 27,  Omar said that they needed to reach Mapandi bridge or else, they would all die there. Once again, the Muslims encircled the Christians to protect them.

One motorcycle-riding terrorist tailed the group as it headed for the Mapandi bridge, where there were around 20 terrorists manning a checkpoint.

Terror on the bridge 

The terrorists made them sit on the street where they saw child warriors. One sharpened a knife, while another held a video camera. (READ: Maute child warriors are fiercest fighters, says former hostage)

The terrorists then separated the men from the women and children.  They dragged the men to the center of the street to separate the Christians from the Muslims.

“They asked us, 'Assalamalaikum Salam,' and if we failed to answer, they would separate us [from the group],” Yolanda said.

A terrorist who was holding a bloodied machete came forward and moved his weapon forward to signal a beheading. “We were so scared that nobody said a word. The child with the knife also made that sign,” Yolanda added.

After Yolanda and her 5 children were cleared along with 5 other women, they were allowed to cross the bridge.

Halfway across the bridge, a terrorist came running after them, pointing his gun towards them, ordering them to go back.

“Liars!” a long-haired fighter yelled to them. He said that the group that was just allowed to pass through included Christians.

Ronnel was separated from the group, along with 16 other men. Their right hands were bound with red mountaineering rope.

Ronnel’s 4-year-old son clung to him and cried as his father was being tied up. Ronnel’s mother-in-law rushed forward to get the boy, begging for mercy.

Fear was on everyone’s face. All the time, the terrorists were taunting the evacuees, using their guns to poke their heads and bodies.

“They said that Christians should not have come to Marawi because it is theirs. They said: ‘Go to Cebu or Manila. Marawi is ours,'” Yolanda recalled the terrorists telling them.

The whole family, except for Ronnel, was allowed to pass. Yolanda’s 80-year-old father was the last one to be allowed to go through. 

Inside the room

Ronnel and the other male hostages were led to room where there was already an occupant – a Maranao man in handcuffs.

The hostages were lined up with the ISIS black flag in the background. One terrorist took their video. A terrorist taught a teacher what to say on camera.

The demands of the terrorists were for the army to abandon the bridge and for the Christians to leave Marawi because the terrorists would establish an Islamic State there.

That night, the handcuffed Maranao man they saw earlier that day tried to break his handcuffs with the help of another Maranao but did not succeed.  The next morning, a terrorist barged into the room and asked, “Who was making that noise last night?” 

When no one answered, he repeated the question, this time sounding angrier and more agitated. “If no one will answer or come forward, all of you will be killed this moment,” the terrorist said.

One Maranao man pointed to the man in handcuffs. The terrorist then came forward and removed the man's handcuffs.

“We thought he will be freed, but instead, he was handcuffed again behind his back,” Ronnel said.

The man was dragged towards the street. The hostages inside the room  were told to watch what would happen or they would be shot.

The Maranao man was made to lie flat on his belly. A small figure, clad in black, approached the man. He was wielding a knife.

“He must be a child. I cannot see his face because he was wearing a mask but I know what a child looked like. His hands are small,” Ronnel said.

Another child was holding a video camera, recording what would be Ronnel's most harrowing experience. The child grabbed the man's long hair, then slit the man's throat. (READ: I met a Maute soldier. He's a child)

Blood spilled on the street. Ronnel heard the man gasping for air as the boy continued slicing his neck.

“It took almost 5 minutes to cut through. I screamed inside my head, holding back my tears as they commanded us to shout, ‘Allah Wakbar (Allah is greater),'” Ronnel recalled.

As the child cut through the hostage's neck, other terrorists screamed “Allah Wakbar,” exalting the child's act. Ronnel said the other child who recorded the beheading was shaking.

After he finished his task, the child put the head on the back of the man's body.

Another terrorist came towards the hostages, sparking fears of another beheading. Instead, the terrorist freed 3 men, and ordered them to put the decapitated body in a sack and the head in a bag. They were to bury the body near the transport terminal close to Dansalan College, then return.

Only two came back, as one was able to escape. That night, the terrorists told the hostages that the next morning,  one of them would be beheaded because one of them escaped.

The escape 

On May 29, the dreaded day of another beheading, military choppers were starting to strike the area near Mapandi.

Ronnel and the other hostages heard the choppers launch strikes close enough that their building shook.

One of the hostages said he would try to open the roll-up door of their room. He was able to lift it a few inches, and saw that only one side was padlocked. When they tried to raise the side with the padlock, they saw that the padlock was only hooked into the slot, not locked.

The youngest hostage reached out to get the lock and removed it.

The men then agreed to open the door when they hear another bomb  hitting its target. As soon as they heard their cue, they pried open the door and dashed towards the bridge.

When they reached the middle of the bridge, most of the men jumped into the water and waded to the other side.

Of the 16 hostages, 11 hostages jumped into the water, including Ronnel, but only 10 reached the shore. One hostage was dragged by the current and was never seen again. Ronnel had no idea where the other hostages fled. 

The 10 men made their way to the PhilHealth office, where they were met by the police.

“I know that after I climbed out of the river, I know that I am free, that I can finally see my family,” Ronnel said.

Ronnel had a joyful, tearful reunion with his family at the Buru-un evacuation center in Iligan City days later. The fact that all of them survived the ordeal was nothing short of a miracle.

The whole family had since returned to Impasug-ong in Bukidnon where Ronnel worked as a welder.

Asked if they would ever return to Marawi, Ronnel and his family said they would never go back to the place where they experienced a kind of terror that had made them sleepless to this day. – Rappler.com

CAGAYAN, Philippines – A raw video sent to local newspaper The Northern Forum showed two motorcycle-riding gunmen fired gunshots at a former municipal engineer in Tuguegarao City. 

Police identified the victim as 53-year old Antonio Lingan Malenab, a former town engineer of Solana, Cagayan.

Malenab died on the spot when the gunmen fired gunshots while he was driving along the provincial road in Barangay Annafunan East in Tuguegarao City at around 5:30 on Wednesday, October 18.

The source of the video, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said one of the gunmen seemed to be a “kid.”

The backrider gunmen was wearing dark jacket and blue shorts while the driver was wearing blue long sleeves and dark-colored shorts.

The first seconds of the video showed one of the gunmen could not fire the gun, prompting the driver to come down and shoot the victim with 7 gunshots.

The other gunman followed up with another 4 gunshots using another gun, before they fled the crime scene.

The video was taken when the victim’s car, a Toyota Hi-lux pickup, had bumped against the roadside.

Police recovered more than 20 bullet shells at the crime scene.

Investigation is ongoing. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine capital has been rated as one of the world's least safe cities in the 2017 edition of the Safe Cities Index, the first time Manila appeared in the listing.

Manila ranked number 55 out of 60 major cities in the ranking, released by the Economist Intelligence Unit this month. The city scored 54.86 out of a possible 100, which is derived from ratings on 4 categories:

• Digital security
• Health security
• Infrastructure security
• Personal security

Manila scored lowest in terms of digital security (rank 59, score 36.61), and in infrastructure security (number 56, score 52.89).

Digital security encompasses safety from digital threats, such as cybercrimes and hacking into vital infrastructure such as power grids and transport systems.

The report said that in the case of Manila and 3 other low-income cities on the bottom of the digital security list, the city lacks technological know-how and "competing challenges such as tackling infectious diseases and poverty can push cyber security lower on the list of priorities."

Meanwhile, infrastructure security includes safety of buildings, roads, bridges, and other physical infrastructure, from both disasters and terrorist attacks.

It factored in age of infrastructure, plus the presence or lack of planning, as well as the threat of climate change. The report also cites Manila's vulnerability to natural disasters.

The city ranked 49th in terms of health security (which includes public health and environment), and 39 in personal security (which includes safety from crime and other man-made threats).

"The results of the 2017 Safe Cities Index, which now covers 60 cities, again show a sharp divide in overall levels of safety between the fast urbanizing developing world and the stagnant developed world," the report said.

Asian cities at top, bottom

Asian cities dominate both the top and the bottom of the Safe Cities Index this year. At the top of the list are the cities of Tokyo, Singapore, and Osaka, while at the bottom are Karachi, Yangon, and Dhaka.

The report said that in many cities, security is also falling rather than rising, based on the cities' scores.

The Safe Cities Index, first released in 2015, ranks cities from around the globe on various safety and security parameters, ranging from the safety of buildings and infrastructure to vulnerabilities of citizens to crime and terrorism.

The report aims to help "understand the landscape of public safety, particularly in urban areas."

For the 2017 ranking, the list of cities was expanded from 50 to 60, with Manila among the latest additions.

Data was collected from June to August 2017. The full report can be accessed at the Economist Intelligence Unit website. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – After hours of discussing a government plan to replace old jeepneys with newer, safer, and environment-friendly units, transportation officials admitted that have yet to map out a timeline for how the plan will be rolled out.

"We are still working on preparations for the timeline. We are saying it's going to be before the end of the year. You will see how the PUV (public utility vehicle) modernization program will come into being with the pilot programs," said Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Martin Delgra III during a House briefing on Thursday, October 19.

The House committee on transportation called for the meeting with transport authorities following a 2-day strike by jeepney operators and drivers over the government's plan to replace PUVs that are 15 years or older.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Assistant Secretary Mark de Leon said the modernization program is part of a bigger plan to improve the country's public transportation system.

"Primordial to this PUV modernization is the route rationalization study," added De Leon.

In the study, experts will determine the best mode of public transportation based on the existing – and projected – demand and use of commuters. The Metro Manila draft report is expected by November this year. Studies for Cebu City and Davao City are also ongoing.

Depending on the results of the study, some existing franchises may be combined. This means that before the PUV modernization program can even be rolled out, the route rationalization study must be completed first.

Several lawmakers pressed transportation officials to give a specific timeline for the rollout, but they did not get clear answers.

"Is it the right time to present this when the details are not yet complete?" said Caloocan City 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice.

Are we ready?

"You can't give very vague timelines [since] when you presented it, it's as if it's ready to be rolled out," said Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate.

Delgra did not immediately answer the question, instead insisting that "we need to sacrifice... for the mananakay (commuter)."

"If we think of kabuhayan, 'yung sakit ng gutom, malakas masyado, but do we understand that every day, the mananakay is sacrificing on the road? Sila 'yung mga mahihirap na tinutugunan natin," he said.

(If we think of livelihood, the pain of hunger is strong, but do we understand that every day, the commuter is sacrificing on the road? The commuters are the poor that we are helping.)

Later on, Delgra eventually admitted that they are still working on the timeline.

The implementation will still be tested through pilot areas in Taguig City, Pateros, and Pasay City.

Asked how many jeepney drivers would be displaced due to route rationalization and PUV modernization, Delgra said: "We don't have the numbers for now but we can gladly provide you with the timeline as far as the pilot implementation is concerned."

Amid criticism from lawmakers over transportation agencies' apparent lack of preparation, Delga said: "We are working in earnest. Even before the President announced, we've been pushing ourselves for an early timetable for the pilot implementation."

Zenaida Maranan, president of the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Associations of the Philippines (Fejodap), raised concerns about the eventual financing plan for the modernization program.

She said that while certain operators who have the capacity to run fleets won't find problems, it's the single operators who would encounter challenges.

LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada said it would be the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) and not the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) which would be able to handle individual applications. But Maranan said Landbank had told her otherwise.

De Leon reasoned out that they have merely launched a "legal framework" for the program. To date, the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines and at least 20 memorandum circulars have been released in relation to the program.– Rappler.com

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (UPDATED) – New Zealand's center-left opposition leader Jacinda Ardern was poised to become prime minister Thursday, October 19, in a stunning rise to power, after maverick populist Winston Peters backed the charismatic 37-year-old to form a government.

Peters' decision, which came after a September 23 election ended deadlocked, gives her Labour Party the numbers to form a coalition government with Peters' New Zealand First and the Greens.

"We had a choice to make for a modified status quo or for change... that's why in the end we chose a coalition government of New Zealand First with the New Zealand Labour Party," Peters told reporters.

The 72-year-old "kingmaker" was full of praise for Ardern, who revived Labour's fortunes when she became party leader just weeks out from the election.

"She exhibited extraordinary talent in the campaign itself from a very hopeless position," he said.

While Labour and the Greens have to formally approve the coalition, Ardern will become New Zealand's youngest leader since 1856 and only the third female prime minister of the nation of 4.6 million.

The result will be a bitter blow to outgoing conservative Prime Minister Bill English, who ran an unexpectedly strong campaign to win 44.4% of the vote, far higher than Labour's 36%.

It is the first time since New Zealand adopted proportional voting in 1996 that the party which claimed the largest slice of the vote has failed to form government.

Peters had promised to reveal his choice on Thursday afternoon but had already missed several self-imposed deadlines to settle the issue. 

He stretched the announcement out as long as possible, appearing before reporters early in the afternoon to say he still had not made a decision. 

"It's seriously difficult because there are pros and cons for every part of this decision we've got to make," he said before heading off for lunch.

He said the talks went down to the wire, with new information arriving throughout the day, finally addressing a media conference at 7:00pm (0600GMT). – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV met with US Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody drug war.

Rubio confirmed the meeting in his Twitter account on Wednesday, October 18, and said they discussed ties between the US and the Philippines, as well as ensuring human rights in the administration’s war on drugs.

“Senator @TrillanesSonny & I discussed U.S.-#Philippines alliance, combating corruption & protecting #humanrights amid their narcotics crisis,” Rubio said in a tweet.

Malacañang, for its part, said it knew about Trillanes’ US trip but is not privy about the purpose or details of the trip.

Responding to questions, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said Malacañang did not know whether the purpose of Trillanes' visit was to convince US senators to persuade US President Donald Trump to scrap his scheduled Manila visit in November.

Abella hoped that Trillanes did not give Rubio biased information during their meeting.

“We do hope the correct information has been given and not biased information designed to adversely affect US-Philippines relations,” Abella said.

Trillanes has yet to comment on the issue. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III told reporters that Trillanes indeed informed him of the US trip but “he has no details of his [Trillanes’] activities.”

Asked to comment on reports that Trillanes was asking US lawmakers to convince Trump to cancel his Philippine trip, Pimentel said, "Is he now a US politician?"

On the possible motive of Trillanes' US trip, the Senate leader said, "Please direct questions to Senator Trillanes since I am abroad trying my best to develop enhance and strengthen PH relations with various countries (Russia and Great Britain)."

"I hope no one else is wishing or, worse, working for "bad" relations between the Philippines and other countries like the US and EU members. If we love our country we should always promote our beloved country's best interest. Always," added Pimentel, the President's party mate and staunch ally.

Trump is set to visit the Philippines in November to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings, the White House earlier confirmed.

Rubio and US Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland earlier introduced a bill seeking to restrict the supply of defense equipment to the Philippine National Police, which used to head the bloody campaign until Duterte ordered the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority to take over following public backlash. – with a report from Pia Ranada/Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – After months of talks with the European Union (EU), the Philippines announced it is rejecting all kinds of grants from the EU because of conditions that Europeans can supposedly use to criticize the Philippine government.

In an interview with reporters on Thursday, October 19, Cayetano said that this was based on a directive from President Rodrigo Duterte himself.

Days before this, Cayetano said he also "got the instructions" but "was not allowed to talk about it." 

He said Duterte, however, announced this decision "in front of the uniformed personnel and the Malacañang Press Corps." He was apparently referring to Duterte's speech on Wednesday, October 18, at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

Cayetano said the Philippine government will soon relay this decision to EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen.

"With the President's directive now, then we'll have to communicate formally to the EU ambassador, His Excellency Ambassador Jessen, that as of now, we will not accept aid," Cayetano said.

"It should not affect our overall relationship. It should not affect our trade," he added.

Asked if this involves all kinds of aid, Cayetano answered, "That's my impression – so aid meaning grants."

Cayetano explained in an interview on Wednesday evening that the EU might use "agreements" in line with donations "as an excuse to criticize us on certain aspects of our governance."

'Constructive dialogue'

Sought for comment, Jessen told Rappler, "I have seen some press reports, but have not talked directly with the foreign secretary these past few days."

The Philippines' decision comes after months of talks with the EU. The discussions began after the Philippine government confirmed on May 18 that it was no longer accepting new EU grants. 

In an interview with reporters on May 25, visiting EU official Gunnar Wiegand pointed out that the Philippines' reported rejection of EU assistance is not yet final. 

Back then, he said the EU remained "in a constructive dialogue" with the Philippine government about what it meant when it said it is rejecting European aid.

Cayetano also said that he met with EU officials, and they "agreed on a couple of things." He also said EU officials were surprised that he "offered a quarterly discussion on human rights."

He said one of the EU's conditions was that the EU can "unilaterally" cut aid to the Philippines in case of human rights violations, for example.

Cayetano said the Philippines didn't want it to be unilateral. "Will there be no due process? Won't we even talk?" 

"But of course they were explaining to us, that's standard and everything," Cayetano said.

The EU's Wiegand, however, earlier said that the EU will not "beg" the Philippines to accept European aid, as there "is no lack of other countries" to help if the Philippines rejects their offer. – Rappler.com

Around the globe, about 815 million people – 11% of the world’s population – went hungry in 2016, according to the latest data from the United Nations. This was the first increase in more than 15 years.

Between 1990 and 2015, due largely to a set of sweeping initiatives by the global community, the proportion of undernourished people in the world was cut in half. In 2015, UN member countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, which doubled down on this success by setting out to end hunger entirely by 2030. But a recent UN report shows that, after years of decline, hunger is on the rise again.

As evidenced by nonstop news coverage of floods, fires, refugees and violence, our planet has become a more unstable and less predictable place over the past few years. As these disasters compete for our attention, they make it harder for people in poor, marginalized and war-torn regions to access adequate food.

I study decisions that smallholder farmers and pastoralists, or livestock herders, make about their crops, animals and land. These choices are limited by lack of access to services, markets or credit; by poor governance or inappropriate policies; and by ethnic, gender and educational barriers. As a result, there is often little they can do to maintain secure or sustainable food production in the face of crises.

The new UN report shows that to reduce and ultimately eliminate hunger, simply making agriculture more productive will not be enough. It also is essential to increase the options available to rural populations in an uncertain world.

Conflict and climate change threaten rural livelihoods

Around the world, social and political instability are on the rise. Since 2010, state-based conflict has increased by 60% and armed conflict within countries has increased by 125%. More than half of the food-insecure people identified in the U.N. report (489 million out of 815 million) live in countries with ongoing violence. More than 3/4 of the world’s chronically malnourished children (122 million of 155 million) live in conflict-affected regions.

At the same time, these regions are experiencing increasingly powerful storms, more frequent and persistent drought and more variable rainfallassociated with global climate change. These trends are not unrelated. Conflict-torn communities are more vulnerable to climate-related disasters, and crop or livestock failure due to climate can contribute to social unrest.

War hits farmers especially hard. Conflict can evict them from their land, destroy crops and livestock, prevent them from acquiring seed and fertilizer or selling their produce, restrict their access to water and forage, and disrupt planting or harvest cycles. Many conflicts play out in rural areas characterized by smallholder agriculture or pastoralism. These small-scale farmers are some of the most vulnerable people on the planet. Supporting them is one of the UN's key strategies for reaching its food security targets.

Disrupted and displaced

Without other options to feed themselves, farmers and pastoralists in crisis may be forced to leave their land and communities. Migration is one of the most visible coping mechanisms for rural populations who face conflict or climate-related disasters.

Globally, the number of refugees and internally displaced persons doubled between 2007 and 2016. Of the estimated 64 million people who are currently displaced, more than 15 million are linked to one of the world’s most severe conflict-related food crises in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, South Sudan, Nigeria and Somalia.

While migrating is uncertain and difficult, those with the fewest resources may not even have that option. New research by my colleagues at the University of Minnesota shows that the most vulnerable populations may be “trapped” in place, without the resources to migrate.

Displacement due to climate disasters also feeds conflict. Drought-induced migration in Syria, for example, has been linked to the conflict there, and many militants in Nigeria have been identified as farmers displaced by drought.

Supporting rural communities

To reduce world hunger in the long term, rural populations need sustainable ways to support themselves in the face of crisis. This means investing in strategies to support rural livelihoods that are resilient, diverse and interconnected.

Many large-scale food security initiatives supply farmers with improved crop and livestock varieties, plus fertilizer and other necessary inputs. This approach is crucial, but can lead farmers to focus most or all of their resources on growing more productive maize, wheat or rice. Specializing in this way increases risk. If farmers cannot plant seed on time or obtain fertilizers, or if rains fail, they have little to fall back on.

Increasingly, agricultural research and development agencies, NGOs and aid programs are working to help farmers maintain traditionally diverse farms by providing financial, agronomic and policy support for production and marketing of native crop and livestock species. Growing many different locally adapted crops provides for a range of nutritional needs and reduces farmers’ risk from variability in weather, inputs or timing.

While investing in agriculture is viewed as the way forward in many developing regions, equally important is the ability of farmers to diversify their livelihood strategies beyond the farm. Income from off-farm employment can buffer farmers against crop failure or livestock loss, and is a key component of food security for many agricultural households.

Training, education, and literacy programs allow rural people to access a greater range of income and information sources. This is especially true for women, who are often more vulnerable to food insecurity than men.

Conflict also tears apart rural communities, breaking down traditional social structures. These networks and relationships facilitate exchanges of information, goods and services, help protect natural resources, and provide insurance and buffering mechanisms.

In many places, one of the best ways to bolster food security is by helping farmers connect to both traditional and innovative social networks, through which they can pool resources, store food, seed and inputs and make investments. Mobile phones enable farmers to get information on weather and market prices, work cooperatively with other producers and buyers and obtain aid, agricultural extension or veterinary services. Leveraging multiple forms of connectivity is a central strategy for supporting resilient livelihoods.

In the past two decades the world has come together to fight hunger. This effort has produced innovations in agriculture, technology and knowledge transfer. Now, however, the compounding crises of violent conflict and a changing climate show that this approach is not enough. In the planet’s most vulnerable places, food security depends not just on making agriculture more productive, but also on making rural livelihoods diverse, interconnected and adaptable. – Rappler.com

Leah Samberg is a Research Associate, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota. This piece was first published in The Conversation.

LONDON, United Kingdom - British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to cut red tape and costs for EU citizens wanting to remain in Britain after Brexit, as she prepares to address EU leaders Thursday, October 19.

In an open letter on Facebook, May told EU citizens in Britain that their status was her "first priority" and that the government was in "touching distance of agreement" with EU negotiators on their rights.

"I couldn't be clearer: EU citizens living lawfully in the UK today will be able to stay," she wrote.

"EU citizens who have made their lives in the UK have made a huge contribution to our country. And we want them and their families to stay."

But The 3 Million campaign group responded in a statement: "EU citizens strongly disagree that we are in touching distance of guaranteeing that their rights will be unchanged post-Brexit."

"We are barely out of the starting blocks," said Nicolas Hatton, co-founder of The 3 Million, which is fighting for the rights of EU nationals resident in Britain.

Negotiations are ongoing over what rights EU citizens remaining in Britain will have with regards to family reunions and social benefits.

EU officials have also pressed for their rights to be protected by the Court of Justice of the European Union – a red line for May's government.

May said she was trying to ensure that EU citizens "who have paid into the UK system can benefit from what they've put in".

She said the government was developing a "streamlined" digital system to process requests for those wanting to remain, and that "we will keep the cost as low as possible".

She said a new "User Group" would bring together EU citizens and technical experts to advise on the application system.

May will address EU leaders on the state of negotiations during a working dinner in Brussels on Thursday, where she is expected to encourage them to "move the conversation" on to a future trade deal," according to her Downing Street office. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Residents displaced by the Marawi crisis can expect more aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for two months upon return to their homes.

According to the agency's Disaster Response Assistance and Management Bureau (DREAM-B), the continuing relief is part of their intervention for early recovery.

Families will receive two types of family packs, with each pack expected to last for two days. The DSWD will distribute these in bulk, enough for two weeks.

Set A includes 6 kilograms (kg) of rice, 4 cans of corned beef, 4 cans of sardines, and 4 packs of coffee. The other set also has 6 kg of rice with 1 kg of monggo beans, 200 grams (g) dried fish, 250 g rock salt, 200 g turmeric powder, 500 g sugar, and 50 g instant coffee.

Once residents are allowed to go back to Marawi City, they will also receive P4,000 in cash from the DSWD. This is part of the P5,000 the government earlier promised to the displaced residents. P1,000 of this amount was given in advance for the celebration of the end of Ramadan last June 26.

All evacuees will receive DSWD aid – those who stayed in evacuation centers and those who fled to homes of relatives or friends.

DREAM-B will also hire the displaced residents for its cash-for-work program. For a maximum of 30 days, depending on the budget available, workers will be paid P200 daily (P150 from the DSWD and P50 from the local government) to join clearing operations in the war-torn city.

The DSWD co-heads Task Force Bangon Marawi's subcommittee on health and social welfare with the Department of Health (DOH). The DSWD is in charge of food and basic necessities while the DOH should cover medical supplies and potable water for the returnees. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) heads the subcommittee on business and livelihood. It is conducting an assessment of post-conflict damage and needs. (READ: Duterte creates task force in charge of Marawi rehab)

After nearly 5 months of clashes between government troops and terrorists, President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Tuesday, October 17, that the city had already been "liberated."

Operations continue, however, to flush out what the military calls "stragglers" in the battle zone. About 20 hostages also remain. (READ: The life of a Maute hostage in Marawi)

Evacuees are expected to return to their homes once authorities have declared that the area is free of terrorists and explosives. (READ: Lawmaker wants Marawi rehabilitation commission) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday, October 19, filed an ethics complaint against Senator Richard Gordon for committing "slander" and “unparliamentary acts.”

Trillanes filed the complaint on Thursday, while he was in the United States where he met with US Republican Senator Marco Rubio.

Gordon first filed an ethics complaint against Trillanes, who, in turn, threatened to file plunder charges against the older senator over alleged corruption in the Red Cross.

In his 27-page complaint before the Senate ethics committee, Trillanes accused Gordon of slander for throwing allegations against him and detained Senator Leila de Lima  during several hearings.

Trillanes said Gordon called him a peddler of gossip in a Senate blue ribbon hearing on the P6.4-billion worth of smuggled shabu on August 31.

“You know, you’re so fond of making names here. If you’re making general statements, you better prove it. This is not a cockpit of tsismis (gossip). 'Wag ka nagdadadaldal (Don't blabber),” Gordon told Trillanes then.

At the time, the two senators were in a heated exchange after Trillanes accused Gordon of absolving President Rodrigo Duterte and his family of crimes. Trillanes’ remark drew the ire of Gordon and became the subject of the latter’s ethics complaint against the opposition senator.  (READ: 'Committee de absuwelto'? Gordon, Trillanes face off in smuggling probe)

“Needless to say, such words coming from a senator, especially when addressed to a colleague, clearly constitutes oral defamation or slander as penalized by Article 358 of the Revised Penal Code,” Trillanes said in his complaint.

“Moreover, such utterances clearly constitute offensive or improper language which is in violation…of the Rules of the Senate. Clearly, if there was anyone guilty of unparliamentary acts, language and/or conduct as well as disorderly behavior under the circumstances, it is no one else but the respondent himself,” he added.

Material concealment?

Trillanes also cited the October 3, 2016, hearing on the spate of extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration, when Gordon accused De Lima of “material concealment” for allegedly failing to disclose early on the kidnap-for-ransom case filed against witness Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed hitman of the Davao Death Squad.

Gordon had also accused Trillanes and De Lima of deliberately allowing Matobato to leave the Senate to avoid scrutiny of his testimonies.

At the time, Trillanes presented committee transcripts to show that Matobato already disclosed the case against him. Trillanes demanded that Gordon apologize to De Lima but Gordon refused to do so.

“Again, these allusions are in violation of Article 358 of the Revised Penal Code penalizing oral defamation or slander which besmirches my and Senator De Lima’s reputation in the Senate,” Trillanes said.

“Needless to state, respondent Gordon must be held liable for his aforementioned malicious acts,” he added.

Violation of RA 6713, lawyer’s code?

Trillanes also accused Gordon of bias and monopolizing hearings.

Trillanes claimed Gordon has been “threatening opposition senators with the exercise of the contempt power if their actions are not to his liking.”

“Apparently without realizing it, he talks endlessly about his opinions and his own conclusions to the point that even the resource persons are deprived of the opportunity to speak,” Trillanes said.

In addition to violating Senate rules, Trillanes claimed Gordon violated Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and the Lawyer’s Code of Professional Responsibility.

Trillanes said Gordon would repeatedly invoke his being a lawyer to intimidate non-lawyers in the hall.

“Unfortunately, instead of exhibiting the trait expected of an ethical and upright lawyer, Senator Gordon has clearly shown conduct which is inconsistent and improper with his duties as a lawyer and senator,” he said.

Earlier, the Senate ethics committee found Gordon's complaint against Trillanes as sufficient in form and substance. 

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III is the committee chair while Senator Panfilo Lacson is the vice chair.

Other members include Senators Gregorio Honasan II, Grace Poe, Manny Pacquiao, Risa Hontiveros, and Paolo Benigno Aquino IV.

Ex-officio members include Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon. – Rappler.com

MADRID, Spain (UPDATED) – The Spanish government said Thursday, October 19, it would press ahead with steps to suspend the autonomy of Catalonia, after the region's separatist leader threatened to declare independence from Spain if Madrid continued its "repression."

"The Spanish government will continue with the procedures outlined in article 155 of the Constitution to restore legality in Catalonia's self-government," it said in a statement, referring to an article that allows for Madrid to take direct control over a region in exceptional circumstances.

It called an urgent cabinet meeting for Saturday over Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

Madrid had set a Thursday morning deadline for Catalonia's regional president Carles Puigdemont to clarify whether or not he had declared independence in an ambiguous statement last week, and to drop his bid to separate from Spain.

In a letter sent to the government just as the deadline passed, Puigdemont said he would go ahead with a unilateral declaration of independence "if the central government persists in preventing dialogue and continuing repression."

But in what was considered an overture, Puigdemont also said independence had not been declared last week.

Still, the central government said he had not answered their requirements. – Rappler.com

JERUSALEM – A top aide to US President Donald Trump said on Thursday, October 19, that an emerging Palestinian unity government must recognise Israel and disarm Hamas, Washington's first detailed response to a landmark reconciliation deal signed last week. 

A Hamas official immediately rejected the comments as "blatant interference" in Palestinian affairs, but did not say directly whether the group planned to comply with any of the demands.

Trump's special representative for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt, who has repeatedly visited the region to seek ways to restart peace talks, laid out a series of conditions.

"Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognise the state of Israel, accept previous agreements and obligations between the parties -– including to disarm terrorists -- and commit to peaceful negotiations," Greenblatt said in a statement.

The US conditions were roughly in line with principles previously set out by the Quartet for Middle East peace -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

"If Hamas is to play any role in a Palestinian government, it must accept these basic requirements," Greenblatt said.

The statement was also similar to the Israeli government's response this week in which it vowed not to negotiate with a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas unless the Islamist group agrees to a list of demands.

The demands included recognising Israel and renouncing violence, but also returning the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza, among other conditions.

Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim condemned Greenblatt's statement and accused the United States of adopting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's positions.

"This is blatant interference in Palestinian affairs because it is the right of our people to choose its government according to their supreme strategic interests," Naim told AFP.

"This statement comes under pressure from the extreme right-wing Netanyahu government and is in line with the Netanyahu statement from two days ago."

Gaza humanitarian crisis

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah movement signed a reconciliation deal with Hamas in Cairo a week ago aimed at ending a bitter 10-year split.

The Abbas-led Palestine Liberation Organization has recognised Israel, but Hamas has not and is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008, and the Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade for more than a decade.

Egypt has also kept its border with Gaza largely closed in recent years.

Hamas has run the Gaza Strip since seizing it in a near civil war in 2007 with Fatah, based in the occupied West Bank, following a dispute over elections won by the Islamist movement.

The Palestinian Authority, currently dominated by Fatah, is due to resume control of the Gaza Strip by December 1 under the deal.

Talks are also expected on forming a unity government, with another meeting between the various Palestinian political factions scheduled for November 21.

Previous attempts at reconciliation have repeatedly failed, and many analysts are treating the latest bid with caution, waiting to see if actual change will occur on the ground.

A major sticking point is expected to be Hamas's refusal to disarm its 25,000-strong armed wing.

Diplomats say it would be possible to form a unity government that they could deal with that does not officially include Hamas.

A previous attempt at a unity government in 2014 was made up of technocrats deemed acceptable by the international community, though that bid fell apart.

Hamas has faced increasing isolation and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip in recent months, including a severe electricity shortage.

Abbas has imposed a series of sanctions on the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas, including cutting electricity payments, which has worsened the power cuts.

Hamas has reached out to Cairo for help, hoping to have the Rafah border with Egypt opened.

In return, Cairo has pressed Hamas to move forward on reconciliation with Fatah.

Greenblatt said "all parties agree that it is essential that the Palestinian Authority be able to assume full, genuine and unhindered civil and security responsibilities in Gaza and that we work together to improve the humanitarian situation for Palestinians living there."

In a briefing to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, UN assistant secretary general Miroslav Jenca welcomed the reconciliation deal and spoke of the urgency of addressing the "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – "It is the right time to present this, when the details aren’t complete yet?"

Caloocan City 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice raised this question to transportation officials at the House hearing on the public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program on Thursday, October 19.

Erice questioned why the government had already introduced the program to the public when transportation agencies had yet to come up with a timeline for its implementation, which requires the completion of route rationalization studies for Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao City first.

The PUV modernization program seeks to phase out old jeepney units in favor of newer, safer, and environment-friendly ones.

“We’re still doing preparations for the timeline,” Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Martin Delgra III told the House committee on transportation on Thursday.

This, despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncements that he would “drag away” the jeepneys of owners and drivers who fail to modernize their jeepneys by the year’s end. Delgra said a draft of the Metro Manila route rationalization study will be completed in November.

Responding to Erice’s questions, Delgra said the early announcements were made to press the “urgency” of modernizing the Philippine jeepney, among the top modes of transportation nationwide.

“What we launched was the legal framework,” explained Transportation Assistant Secretary Mark de Leon.

Who benefits?

Kabayan Representative Harry Roque, meanwhile, warned the Department of Transportation (DOTr), LTFRB, and other agencies that the program could be put under question because the reason for modernization was “arbitrary.”

Roque, a lawyer, was once legal counsel for the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO), one of the transport groups represented at  the hearing.

Roque helped the group oppose proposed jeepney modernization programs during the  previous administration. One reason for their opposition, said Roque, was because the program, as drafted by the government, would have advantaged one particular company.

The lawmaker demanded that the LTFRB and DOTr produce a list of companies that could be tapped for the modernization of PUVs. Asked if local companies would also be able to compete, transportation officials said they could “if they have the capacity.”

Roque criticized the vague answer and insisted that executives of the companies who joined a recent PUV expo organized by the DOTr and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) attend the next hearing. (LOOK: New jeepneys under the PUV modernization program)

De Leon clarified that the PUV modernization program does not impose a specific make for the new jeepneys, but merely introduces “standards” for the vehicles. They must be Euro 4 compliant, meaning the new generation of jeepneys would have to be friendlier to the environment.

The problem? De Leon admitted that the government does not have the means to check whether engines are truly Euro 4 compliant.

Instead, the DOTr plans to require certificates of compliance. De Leon said the DOTR was not discounting the eventual possibility of buying equipment that can check for Euro 4 compliance.

Transport and leftist groups have rejected the current PUV modernization plan for supposedly putting drivers and owners at a disadvantage while benefitting bigger corporations.

Zenaida Maranan, president of the Federation of Jeepney Operators of the Filipinos (Fejodap), said that while operators like herself – who can manage an entire fleet of jeepneys – can handle the financing plans under the Landbank and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), single operators who aren’t as skilled won’t be able to keep up.

LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada said that it would be Landbank and not the Development Bank of the Philippines, that would be able to handle individual applications. Maranan said that Landbank had told her otherwise.

The DOTr and LTFRB was also unable to give the House information on how many jeepney drivers stand to be displaced or jobless pending the route rationalization study.

About the provinces

The route rationalization study, conducted by different agencies and groups, will determine the best mode of transportation for a specific route, based on the current and projected demand. In Metro Manila, the study is being led by the University of the Philippines.

In Cebu, it’s being done by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and in Davao City, by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). De Leon said they will be coordinating with local government units (LGUs) to help them determine routes in other areas.

“We realize that the public transportation sector has political concerns with regards to LGUs dictating the route. The LTFRB will still be the one issuing franchises,” he said. Still, several lawmakers expressed opposition to the idea, again citing the danger of LGUs politicizing the process.

Surigao del Sur 2nd District Representative Johnny Pimentel urged transportation officials to visit far-flung areas, such as some barangays in his district, to see the road conditions for themselves. Pimentel argued that the jeepney designs that the government has put forward would be unable to handle the rough roads of some rural villages.

De Leon said the PUV designs could be expanded to include 6-wheel vehicles built for rougher terrain.

The LTFRB has yet to determine how many routes currently exist in Metro Manila, although Delgra estimated it “several thousands.” – Rappler.com

VALLETTA, Malta – The sons of a murdered Maltese journalist on Thursday, October 19, dismissed Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's offer of a reward to help find her killers and called for him to quit.

Muscat has ruled out quitting and has vowed to bring those responsible for killing a reporter he has described as his "greatest adversary" to justice, with the help of FBI investigators.

On Wednesday Muscat told parliament that the government would put up a "substantial and unprecedented reward," for information leading to a conviction over Monday's car bomb killing of anti-corruption campaigner Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Her sons revealed that the government was putting up a million euros, but said they would not bow to pressure to endorse the idea.

"We are not interested in a criminal conviction only for the people in government who stood to gain from our mother's murder to turn around and say that justice has been served," they said.

"The Prime Minister asked for our endorsement. This is how he can get it: show political responsibility and resign."

Caruana Galizia had used her widely-read blog to highlight numerous cases of suspected corruption, including several scandals implicating Muscat's inner circle which had left her facing a string of legal suits.

Her sons, Matthew, Andrew and Paul, said Muscat should resign because he had worked to "cripple our mother financially and dehumanize her so brutally and effectively that she no longer felt safe walking down the street.

"And before resigning he can make his last act in government the replacement of the Police Commissioner and Attorney General with public servants who won’t be afraid to act on evidence against him and those he protects."

Muscat called and won an early election in June after the late journalist said she had evidence that his wife Michelle was the beneficiary of a secret Panama bank account.

Caruana Galizia, 53, alleged the account was used to stash kickbacks from Azerbaijan's ruling family linked to an Azeri bank gaining a licence to operate in Malta.

Muscat asked a magistrate to investigate the claims and has vowed to quit if any link is established between him and hidden offshore accounts.

The investigation, which the opposition has derided as rigged, is ongoing.

The journalist's killing has caused shock around the world and prompted much soul-searching in Malta over whether the country is becoming a cesspit of corruption against the backdrop of an economic boom which some see as having allowed both organized crime and a kickbacks culture to flourish. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Inequalities in sexual and reproductive health correlate with economic inequality, and the cost of these inequalities could undermine the world's development goals, a recent United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report said.

"Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 may be out of reach without a renewed focus on the poorest in all populations, and those for whom gender discrimination is harshest, educational attainment is most out of reach, and sexual and reproductive health and rights are anything but universal," the State of World Population 2017 report said. 

According to UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem, countries that want to tackle economic inequality "can start by tackling other inequalities, such as in reproductive health and rights." 

The 136-page report entitled "Worlds Apart: Reproductive health and rights in an age of inequality" gave an update on the status of and trends in unequal access to sexual and reproductive health services globally.

Access to family planning services, the UN said, is a "foundational element" of both reproductive health and social and economic equality, since unintended pregnancy "constrains opportunities" for women.

But the same report noted that regardless of a country's income grouping, the richest 20% of the population in that country on average has the most access to modern methods of contraception, while the poorest 20% has the least access.

In addition, women in urban areas are more able to meet their demand for modern contraception as compared to women in rural areas.

In majority of developing countries, meanwhile, contraceptive prevalence is lower among women who are poorer, less educated, and in rural areas.

The UN report noted that the greatest wealth-based inequalities in terms of satisfying the demand for family planning are in West and Central Africa.

"In 13 of 20 West and Central African countries, women from the richest 20% of households are more than twice as likely to have their demand for contraception satisfied as women from the poorest 20% of households," the report said.

Wealth-based inequalities are less evident in Asia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The report also noted that the poorest women have the least access to antenatal care and are the most likely to give birth on their own.

Reducing inequalities

Citing the Guttmacher Institute, the UNFPA said there are 89 million unintended pregnancies, 48 million abortions, 10 million miscarriages, and 1 million stillbirths each year in developing countries.

UNFPA Representative in the Philippines Klaus Beck said that in the Philippines, unmet need for family planning among the poorest 20% of the population is 4% higher than the unmet need among the richest 20%.

Limited access to sexual and reproductive health services as well as negative health outcomes correlate strongly with poverty, according to the report.

"The ways in which inequalities in women's health and rights intersect with economic inequality are complex and often not linear, [but] the impact is clear. The poorest women have the least access to sexual and reproductive health, are least able to exercise their reproductive rights, and are most likely to be unemployed or underemployed and earn less than men," it also said.

The report concluded by saying that some of the most powerful contributions in terms of reducing all inequalities can come from realizing gender equality and women's reproductive rights.

"Reducing all inequalities needs to be the aim. Starting points may vary, but should be grounded in the notion that meaningful progress in one dimension can unleash multiple gains," it added. – Rappler.com

BEIJING, China – China said Thursday, October 19, the United States should "abandon its biased views" towards the country, as it hit back at cutting remarks made by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Ahead of his visit to India next week, President Donald Trump's top diplomat stated the US preference to work with New Delhi over Beijing during the next century to promote a "free and open" Asia-Pacific region led by prosperous democracies.

The speech was perceived as a warning to the world's second largest economy that Washington will build regional alliances to counter Beijing's ever-growing power.

Tillerson also took the opportunity to compare China with its giant neighbor and criticized Beijing for its "provocative actions" in the South China Sea.

"China, while rising alongside India, has done so less responsibly, at times undermining the international, rules-based order," the US diplomat said.

Beijing responded Thursday by saying that America was biased.

"We hope the US side can look at China's development and role in the international community in an objective way, and abandon its biased views of China," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said during a regular press briefing.

"Based on the purposes and principles of the UN charter, we will firmly uphold multilateralism, yet we will also firmly safeguard our own rights and interests."

Tillerson's comments were seen as particularly provocative as they came the same day that China's ruling Communist Party opened its 19th National Congress – a twice-a-decade meeting of party delegates expected to give President Xi Jinping a second five-year term and consolidate his already formidable power.

They also followed a months-long military standoff between China and India in a disputed Himalayan border area in the summer.

Tillerson did not directly address the stand-off but vowed that Washington "won't shrink from China's challenges to the rules-based order, or where China subverts the sovereignty of neighboring countries."

Trump is due to visit Beijing next month. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano defended the bloggers who joined the government's official delegation when he recently spoke at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.

Pro-Duterte blogger Rey Joseph Nieto, also known as Thinking Pinoy, was among those who flew to New York using taxpayers' money.

Cayetano confirmed that the government used public funds to shoulder Nieto's airfare and allowances in New York.

"Why were the bloggers part of the official delegation?" a reporter asked Cayetano in an interview on Thursday, October 19.

Cayetano shot back at reporters, "I think the bigger question is, why weren't you guys with me? It was a major policy speech."

"Kung wala ang bloggers, paano 'yung coverage namin?" (Without the bloggers, how will our coverage be?)

Cayetano's speech aired live

Despite Cayetano's claim, major news outlets in the Philippines and around the world covered his speech at the UN, where he defended President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody anti-drug campaign.

Cayetano's speech, for one, was aired live on his official Facebook page. 

It was livestreamed, too, on the official YouTube page of the UN, along with the speeches of his counterparts in other countries.

On September 24, government-run RTVM also uploaded on YouTube the full video of Cayetano's 28-minute speech. 

On the same day, the Office of Public Diplomacy of the Department of Foreign Affairs sent reporters a copy of his speech, which was also posted on the DFA's website. 

At the same time, the Presidential Photographers' Division of Malacañang emailed high-resolution photos of Cayetano at the UN.

While not physically in New York, journalists based in the Philippines covered Cayetano's speech not through government-funded bloggers but through official channels, the normal practice when monitoring officials overseas.

Journalists accessed these materials in real time, and for free. – Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia – Lake Baikal is undergoing its gravest crisis in recent history, experts say, as the government bans the catching of a signature fish that has lived in the world's deepest lake for centuries but is now under threat.

Holding one-fifth of the world's unfrozen fresh water, Baikal in Russia's Siberia is a natural wonder of "exceptional value to evolutionary science" meriting its listing as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Baikal's high biodiversity includes over 3,600 plant and animal species, most of which are endemic to the lake.

Over the past several years, however, the lake, a major international tourist attraction, has been crippled by a series of detrimental phenomena, some of which remain a mystery to scientists. 

They include the disappearance of the omul fish, rapid growth of putrid algae and the death of endemic species of sponges across its vast 3.2 million-hectare (7.9 million-acre) area.

Starting in October, the government introduced a ban on all commercial fishing of omul, a species of the salmon family only found in Baikal, fearing "irreversible consequences for its population," the Russian fisheries agency told AFP.

"The total biomass of omul in Baikal has more than halved since 15 years ago" from 25 million tons to just 10 million, the agency said.

Local fishery biologist Anatoly Mamontov said the decrease is likely caused by uncontrollable fish poaching, with extra pressure coming from the climate.

"Baikal water stock is tied to climate," he said. "Now there is a drought, rivers grow shallow, there are less nutrients. Baikal's surface heats up and omul does not like warm water."

'Significant stress'

UNESCO last month "noted with concern that the ecosystem of the lake is reported to be under significant stress" and a decrease in fish stocks is just one observable effect.

The Baikal omul, a well-known speciality, was for centuries the main local source of food, eaten salted or smoked, and especially important given the region has no farming.

Another peril to the lake's ecosystem is the explosion of algal blooms unnatural to Baikal with thick mats of rotting Spirogyra algae blanketing pristine sandy beaches, which some scientists say indicates that the lake can no longer absorb human pollution without consequence.

"I am 150% sure that the reason is the wastewater runoff" from towns without proper sewage treatment, particularly of phosphate-containing detergents, said Oleg Timoshkin, biologist at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Limnological Institute in Irkutsk.

Fifteen years ago, some of the lake's picturesque villages had only two hours of electricity a day, but now improved power access means that "every babushka rents out rooms and has a washing machine," he said.

'Not Baikal anymore'

Indeed the lake, which is 1,700 meters (5,580 feet) deep, and its tourism now provide a livelihood for many residents to replace fishing.

Foreign visitors often spend time at Baikal while doing a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway and in recent years more Chinese have been coming as Russia eased visa requirements. 

Russians love the area, too, for its hiking trails, camping and spectacular scenery.

Timoshkin has travelled the length of Baikal testing for Spirogyra prevalence and said that in 3 critical zones near populated areas "the bottom does not look like Baikal anymore" and algae is pushing out oxygen-loving molluscs and crustaceans.

Near the town of Listvyanka, the tourist hub closest to regional centre Irkutsk, "there used to be underwater forests of sponges 15 years ago, now they are all dead," Timoshkin said.

Last year, Timoshkin tested 170 types of sponges throughout Baikal's coast, and "only 11 percent looked healthy," he said. "When you take a dead sponge to the surface it smells like a corpse."

Money 'stolen'

If dumping polluted water into the lake doesn't stop, "shallow coastal zones will change severely," he said, calling for a ban on phosphate-containing substances in the region and building "the best sewage treatment plants in Russia."

President Vladimir Putin in August complained of "extremely high pollution" while visiting Lake Baikal, calling its preservation a "government priority." 

A special 1999 law in Russia spells out protection measures for Lake Baikal. The government is also putting 26 billion rubles (about $452 million, 385 million euros) into a cleanup program, which started in 2012, to fund treatment facilities, though local experts say much of the money gets wasted.

In one town, Babushkin, on Baikal's shore, millions of dollars were spent on a brand new treatment plant but bacteria meant to purify the water fail to work in the Siberian winter, local media said.

"As usual, the strictness of our laws is compensated by the fact that following them is optional," said Buryatia-based ecologist Sergei Shapkhayev. "Money is being allocated but it gets stolen." 

Science funding has also grown thin at a time when studying Baikal is most vital, both Timoshkin and Mamontov said. "How can you cut funding during a crisis?" Timoshkin asked.

"That's like firing epidemiologists during a smallpox outbreak." – Rappler.com