RAQA, Syria – US-backed forces who captured Raqa from the Islamic State group (IS, formerly known as ISIS or the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq) prepared to hand the Syrian city over to a civilian authority, with some of their fighters already headed to the next battle.

Inside the city, positions that had long been manned by fighters of the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were abandoned, though some remained in the central Al-Naim square, dancing and ululating as they celebrated their victory.

The SDF battled for more than 4 months, with US-led coalition support, to capture the city that was once the de facto Syrian capital of ISIS's self-styled "caliphate".

They announced the end of combat on Tuesday, October 17, though operations to clear explosives and seek out sleeper cells were ongoing.

Raqa's capture leaves the jihadists with little remaining territory in Syria, most of it in neighboring Deir Ezzor province, where some SDF fighters were already headed to carry on the campaign.

"Some of the forces withdrew, others will remain in the city until we finish the minor combing operations, then the city will be handed over to the civil council," said SDF commander Rojda Felat.

"After the end of military operations, a large part of the forces have moved out of Raqa to other areas, including Deir Ezzor," added Mustefa Bali, spokesman for the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the SDF.

At least 16 civilians including several children were killed in air strikes in Deir Ezzor Thursday, October 19, believed to have been carried out by Russian jets, a monitor said.

"The civilians were killed as they tried to cross the Euphrates river near the town of Abu Kamal," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Abu Kamal is one of the few remaining urban strongholds of ISIS in Syria.

SDF spokesman Talal Sello said two days of mopping-up operations in Raqa had so far uncovered no additional ISIS fighters, but that interrogations of those who were captured or surrendered during the battle were ongoing.

"SDF intelligence is investigating them, including a number of foreigners," he told Agence France-Presse.

The city's capture Tuesday came after the SDF seized ISIS's last two main positions, the municipal stadium and national hospital, in quick succession.

Both sites have been heavily mined and remain to be cleared, SDF commanders said.

"There are bodies inside the hospital itself that we haven't yet removed because of the mines," said commander Clara Raqa.

Responsibility for the city, which lies in ruins and empty of civilians, will be assumed by the Raqa Civil Council, a body of local officials formed 6 months ago.

The official handover is expected to come as early as Friday, October 20, but the body has already spent months working on reconstruction plans.

They will inherit responsibility for a ghost town that lacks basic services and infrastructure.

On the city's streets, blankets that had been hung in front of windows to shield residents from the view of snipers fluttered in the wind, but there was no movement otherwise.

A few scrawny cats and dogs picked their way over the rubble that is strewn across the city, up to 80% of which was described as uninhabitable by the UN last month.

Raqa 'liberated by free women'

In Al-Naim square, fighters of the Kurdish Women's Protection Units (YPJ), the female branch of the YPG, gathered to hold a press conference celebrating their contribution to the city's capture.

Some of the battle's commanders were female, a point of pride for Kurdish forces, particularly given ISIS's infamous oppression of women.

"Raqa was liberated by the will of free women," the YPJ said in a statement.

SDF flags now cover Al-Naim, where the jihadists once displayed the severed heads of their enemies.

In the center of the square, a large yellow flag has been raised, featuring a photograph of jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Ocalan heads the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey, where it is considered a "terrorist" group.

He is idolized by many in the YPG, which Ankara says is the Syrian branch of the PKK.

ISIS captured mostly Sunni Arab Raqa in 2014, and under its rule the city became infamous for gruesome abuses and as a planning center for attacks abroad.

Its loss deals a major blow to the jihadists' dreams of statehood, and comes after their July defeat in Iraq's second city Mosul, their other major urban stronghold. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine police recently arrested two cybersex traffickers in Manila, part of the over 100 arrests made by local authorities in several countries participating in the annual operation of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) against human trafficking.

Police caught Jamil Sampaga and Anthony Mabasag offering P9,000 to a 17-year-old girl in exchange for sex during a sting operation on Sunday, October 15. 

Sampaga also offered an undercover cop sexually explicit materials and in-person sex, the PNP Women and Child Protection Center (WCPC) said in a statement on Friday, October 20.

Police Chief Inspector Michael Virtudazo of the WCPC Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division said that Sampaga has been involved in sending child abuse materials that include sex shows and child pornography videos. The suspect hosts several social media accounts to offer these illegal content to clients worldwide.

The two suspects, who have been under investigation since July this year, were tipped to Philippine authorities by foreign counterparts Nordic Liaison Office and the FBI.  

This case was part of the FBI’s Operation Cross Country XI, an annual law enforcement action on sex trafficking participated in by the WCPC and the International Justice Mission (IJM).

"This year’s coordinated operations took place with several international partners, including Canada (Operation Northern Spotlight), the United Kingdom (Aident 8), Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines," the FBI said in a statement on Wednesday, October 18.

The operation led to 120 arrests of suspected sex traffickers in those areas.

WCPC and IJM believe that the two suspects arrested in Manila were part of a larger group of sex traffickers. 

Sampaga and Mabasag have undergone inquest proceedings before the Department of Justice. They are facing charges of violating the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, the Anti-Child Pornography Act, the Cybercrime Prevention Act and the Anti-Child Abuse Law.

The 17-year-old victim is now in the custody of the Manila City Social Welfare and Development Office where she will receive psychological rehabilitation after experiencing sexual abuse. – Rappler.com 

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – New Zealand's prime minister-elect Jacinda Ardern promised "a government of change" as she met with leaders of her center-left Labour Party Friday, October 20, to prepare to take power after a stunning election win.

The charismatic 37-year-old received a standing ovation from the Labour caucus after forging a coalition with minor parties on Thursday, October 19, to clinch victory in the September 23 election.

"This will be a government of change, it will be a government we can be proud of," she said.

"We have been gifted by the people of New Zealand an opportunity, and it is for us to make the most of that."

Ardern expressed confidence her new government would see out its full term, despite long-standing tensions between junior coalition partners the Greens and New Zealand First (NZF).

NZF leader Winston Peters and the Greens have a rocky history, which descended into name-calling earlier this year when the environmentalists said the 72-year-old's anti-immigration rhetoric was racist.

Ardern insisted Friday that the 3 groups could work together and said she had faith in Peters, an outspoken maverick whose 40-year career has been punctuated by controversy.

She said Peters, whose declaration of support for Ardern on Thursday tipped the election her way, successfully joined a Labour-led coalition in 2005.

"Labour has been in an agreement with NZF before... Mr Peters and New Zealand First were a party of their word, that provided stability and we delivered," she told Radio New Zealand.

'Straight to the grindstone'

Ardern, who took over the Labour leadership less than 3 months ago and is now set to become New Zealand's youngest leader since 1856, said she was still processing her meteoric rise.

"I probably need a bit of time for quiet reflection before it all sinks in, but for now it's straight to the grindstone," she told TV3.

The new leader said she had received congratulations from Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Britain's Theresa May and Canada's Justin Trudeau.

But she kept the celebrations low-key on Thursday night after ending Labour's 9 years in the wilderness.

"I headed straight back to my studio apartment in Wellington and had a pot of noodles," she said.

Ardern denied her government was "a coalition of the losers" considering the outgoing National Party claimed 44.4% of the vote, well above Labour (36.9), NZF (7.2) and the Greens (6.3).

"Obviously I'd characterize that as unfair... We've formed a coalition government based on the majority of votes," she said.

Ardern expects to allocate ministerial portfolios and release detailed policies next week, as well as implement a 100-day plan of high-priority reforms.

These include slashing immigration numbers by up to 30,000 places a year, clamping down on property sales to foreigners and setting a goal of zero carbon emissions.

Coalition parties will also push their own pet reforms, including a Greens plan to hold a referendum by 2020 on legalizing cannabis for personal use.

'Rocky road?'

The markets reacted negatively to the center-left coalition, with the benchmark NZX-50 index down 2.9% and the New Zealand dollar off 1.7%.

Capital Economics analyst Paul Dales said policies such as reducing migration and running tighter fiscal policy were "less growth friendly" than those of the outgoing National Party.

TD Securities strategist Annette Beacher said the new government could also increase taxes and spending, threatening to end a recent run of budget surpluses.

Ardern acknowledged that there were signs of an impending economic slowdown but said it would be attributable to international factors, not her government.

"We will potentially have a rocky road in front of us," she told Newshub.

"If you have an economic outlook that's affected by international markers then it's your job to manage them, but we can't always control what we face. No one blamed the National government for the GFC (Global Financial Crisis), for instance."

Ganesh Nana, chief economist at financial consultancy BERL, said market fears were overstated.

"We probably have to tell the finance markets to chill a little bit, take their morning medication and just realize that the sun still will rise in the east and set in the west," he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang and Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano appear to have different interpretations of President Rodrigo Duterte's stance on European Union (EU) aid to the Philippines.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella on Friday, October 20, said that Duterte's directive is that the Philippines will only refuse EU aid with conditions.

The day before, however, Cayetano said that the Philippines will reject all types of aid from EU.

During a Palace briefing, Abella said: "If certain conditionalities are tied to the aid and grant, we must respectfully decline as we do not wish to subject ourselves to monitoring and be dictated to. That is apparently the position of the President at this stage."

Asked if this means Duterte does not wish to reject all EU aid, for instance, aid for Marawi rehabilitation, Abella said: "I cannot specifically answer for that. It all depends on the conditionalities being given."

The EU has offered P49 million in aid for Marawi rehabilitation. Humanitarian aid such as this typically come with no conditions.

This is different from grants, which could come with some requirements on how the assistance is to be used.

But on Thursday, Cayetano told reporters that his department will soon relay to the EU that the Philippine government will decline all types of aid.

Asked by reporters if this covers all types of aid, Cayetano said, "That's my impression – so aid meaning grants."

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The Foreign Secretary said this is in fulfillment of a "directive" from the President himself who announced his position on the matter "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.

During that speech, Duterte revived his complaint about grants from EU that come with conditions, and insisted on the supposed $18 to 20 million aid from Britain which he said the government will reject.

Abella's office insisted, however, that Abella's and Cayetano's statements are the same.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, head of the task force in charge of Marawi rehabilitation, told Rappler they would abide by the DFA's decision on whether or not to accept EU assistance for the city's recovery.

The President had talked about refusing EU aid in the first few months of his presidency, in response to the EU's expression of concern over the rising death toll in his war on drugs. (READ: Duterte to EU, US: Withdraw aid, we'll survive) 

In May, the Philippines informed the EU that it would no longer accept new EU grants, pegged at around *250 million euros or P15.2 billion. – Rappler.com

*1 euro = P60.8

BRUSSELS, Belgium – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, October 19, led calls for a cut to EU funding linked to Turkey's membership talks, to signal the bloc's unhappiness at Ankara's crackdown in the wake of a failed coup.

In the latest round of a bitter spat between Berlin and Ankara, the powerful German leader said it was important the EU acted in unity to defend its values, at a summit in Brussels.

Turkey, whose application to join the EU is effectively frozen, has alarmed European leaders with its hardline response to a thwarted bid to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year.

More than 50,000 people have been arrested since the coup bid, including several German citizens, drawing strong criticism from Berlin.

"I'm going to work for EU pre-membership funding, which we are giving, to be reduced," Merkel said, adding that for her it was a "central demand" that the bloc acted together on the issue.

"The changes to the rule of law in Turkey are going in our opinion in a bad direction and we have some major concerns – and not just because a lot of Germans have been arrested."

Merkel caused a stir during her recent reelection campaign with a pledge to try to get EU leaders to terminate Turkey's membership bid.

Other EU nations have trod more carefully, noting Turkey's vital importance to the bloc both in tackling the migrant crisis and in fighting Islamist militancy.

But several voiced criticism of Turkey at Thursday's meeting, with Belgian PM Charles Michel saying Ankara's membership bid was "frozen, on the point of death".

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Turkey was "a long way from membership and will remain so", but the two Low Countries leaders called for "reorientating" funds rather than cutting them.

Rutte said the aim would be "that the money moves away from the government to go towards areas such as migration and Turkish charities".

EU member states are waiting for a European Commission assessment of funding for Turkey – most of which already goes to NGOs or projects – in early 2018.

Europe plans 4.45 billion euros in pre-accession spending for Turkey in 2014-2020, but only 360 million euros have been allocated so far. – Rappler.com

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea on Friday, October 20, decided to push ahead with the construction of two new nuclear reactors after months of heated debate over whether the country should start weaning itself off atomic energy.

A state commission, based on a survey of 471 jurors selected across the country, recommended finishing construction of the Shin Kori-5 and Shin Kori-6 reactors near the southeastern city of Ulsan.

"We recommend the resumption of the two reactors", commission chairman Kim Ji-Hyung said in a press statement.

Construction was suspended in July with 30% complete amid controversy whether the country should shift away from nuclear power because of safety concerns.

The government has already said it would accept whatever the jury recommended regarding the fate of the two reactors.

Scrapping the project was one of President Moon Jae-In's campaign promises.

After taking office in May, however, he took a backstep in the face of strong protests and decided to determine the reactors' fate according to public opinion.

He ordered the establishment of the independent state commission charged with collecting public views and making a recommendation.

About 1.6 trillion won ($1.4 billion) has already been spent on the reactors.

South Korea relies on nuclear power for about 30% of its energy needs.

Aside from the two reactors, the country has another 4 that are near completion and 24 existing reactors. – Rappler.com

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan – A 58-year-old South Korean tourist  drowned in a snorkeling site in Coron town on Thursday, October 19.

Police authorities identified the victim as Hyung Tae Park who drowned on Thursday morning while on snorkeling with his wife and other South Korean tourists at the Sea Coral Garden site in CYC Island, Barangay Lajala.

In a spot report obtained by Rappler Friday morning, October 20, the police investigation revealed that a member of the group shouted that the victim was seen floating on the sea.

“Immediately, the group tour guide, Jun Sabroso, took the victim’s body from the water and brought to their boat,” said the report signed by Senior Police Officer 3 Melvin Valdez Pasudag, officer-in-charge of the Coron Municipal Police Station.

Hyung Tae did not respond to first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation given by two tourists, who happened to be healthcare practitioners. The victim was rushed to the Coron District Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Coron MPS spokesperson, Senior Police Office 1 Ferdinand Dalabajan, dismissed allegations of tnegligence on the part of the tour operator since the tourists underwent briefing prior to the snorkeling activity.

“The victim and his companions were also wearing life jackets while on the shallow part of water,” Dalabajantold Rappler by phone.

He said the victim's wife refused an autopsy on Park's body.

“We tried to persuade the wife to conduct an autopsy on his body, but she declined because she said she was there and saw what happened,” said Dalabajan.

Park's remains were embalmed and transported to Manila on Thursday night. – Rappler.com

Photo of CYC Island from Wikimedia Commons

ISCHIA, Italy –  G7 interior ministers brainstormed on Friday, October 20, on how to tackle one of the biggest security threats facing the West, as the EU promised to help close a migration route labelled a potential back door for terrorists.

The group kicked off its first working session in a seafront hotel on the island of Ischia on how to deal with the potential return to Europe of foreign fighters fleeing a crumbling Islamic State (ISIS) group.

Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti warned last week that jihadists planning revenge attacks on Europe following a decisive ISIS defeat in Syria could hitch lifts back to Europe on migrant boats from Libya.

EU President Donald Tusk said Thursday that the bloc would offer "stronger support for Italy's work with the Libyan authorities", and there was "a real chance of closing the central Mediterranean route".

Italy has played a major role in training Libya's coastguard to stop human trafficking in its territorial waters, as well as making controversial deals with Libyan militias to stop migrants from setting off.

The numbers of migrant departures from the crisis-hit country have dropped 20 percent so far this year.

Italy said Wednesday the group would also be working on how to go about "de-radicalizing" citizens returning from the ISIS frontline to prevent them becoming security risks in jails.

France said there would be negotiations on tackling the legal headache of prosecuting returnees, with questions over what sort of evidence, collected by whom, could be used in a domestic court.

Tens of thousands of citizens from Western countries travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for IS between 2014 and 2016, including some who then returned and staged attacks that claimed dozens of lives.

The ministers of the Group of Seven – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US – will spend their second working session on the island off Naples on the thorny issue of terrorism online. – Rappler.com

NEW DELHI, India – A building collapse in southern India 8 eight people dead on Friday, October 20, an official said, the latest such disaster in the country known for its dilapidated properties and poor quality construction.

The group were among 11 employees of a state-run transport company, including bus drivers and cleaners, who were sleeping in the 60-year-old, two storey office block near a bus depot when a portion of it caved in.

"It was an old building that suddenly collapsed while the staff were asleep," said C Suresh Kumar, the top government official for Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu state, where the incident occurred.

He said emergency workers had managed to rescue three of the workers from under tons of debris, who were being treated for their injuries at a government-run hospital.

The state government has also offered $2,300 in compensation to the victims' families.

Building disasters are common in Indian cities where millions are forced to live in cramped, run-down properties due to spiralling real estate prices and a lack of housing, while activists say owners often cut corners on construction to save costs.

At least 6 people were killed on Monday when an apartment block collapsed in Bangalore city after a gas tank explosion, and more than 30 perished in September when a 117-year-old apartment building collapsed in Mumbai. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) advised drivers and commuters to avoid certain major thoroughfares and streets in Metro Manila on Sunday, October 22.

There will be a motor convoy dry run in preparation for the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings in November.

The DILG Public Information Office said that the dry run will begin at around 7 am to 8 am "with one convoy leaving every 30 minutes."

"With 20 convoys, they expect to finish in the afternoon, possibly extending until the evening," the DILG PIO added.

The convoy, led by the ASEAN Security Task Force (ASTF), is done to troubleshoot the traffic plan on the big days.

It will affect the following roads:

• EDSA southbound lane
• North Luzon Expressway southbound lane
• Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway southbound lane
• South Luzon Expressway Skyway
• Ayala Avenue
• Makati Avenue
• Roxas Boulevard
• JW Diokno Boulevard
• Buendia Extension
• McKinley Street
• 5th to 30th Streets in Taguig
• Jalandoni Street
• Arnaiz Street
• V Sotto Street

"We are seeking the public's patience and cooperation in the conduct of the 4th ASEAN convoy dry run this Sunday. Please avoid the chokepoints as we want to make certain of the seamless transit and security of our foreign guests," said ASTF Commander Napoleon Taas said in a statement.

Taas warned drivers not to disrupt and cut the vehicles in the convoy, calling the dry run a "serious matter."

For the 4th dry run, the ASTF will test 20 scenarios, with all convoys coming from Clark International Airport in Angeles, Pampanga.

The convoys will go to Manila, Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City, and Makati City before heading to to the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Manila.

The 5th and final convoy dry run will be carried out on October 29, Sunday. – Rappler.com

BARCELONA, Spain – Catalan separatists were flocking to withdraw cash on Friday, October 20, in protest at the central government and at banks who have moved their headquarters out of the Spanish region over its independence crisis.

Some protesters were making symbolic withdrawals of 155 euros ($183) – a reference to Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which Madrid is using to start imposing direct rule over the semi-autonomous region as the standoff following its October 1 independence referendum continues to escalate.

Others were opting for 1,714 euros ($2,023) in a nod to 1714, a highly symbolic date for independence supporters marking the capture of Barcelona by the troops of King Felipe V, who then moved to reduce the rights of rebellious regions.

"It's a way of protesting. We don't want to do any harm to the Spanish or Catalan economy," said Roser Cobos, a 42-year-old lawyer who had just taken out 1,714 euros from the counter at a bank in Barcelona.

"It's the only way in which Catalans can show their disagreement with the attitude of the Spanish state."

Two influential grassroots separatist groups, the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Omnium Cultural, had issued a call on social media for activists to take "peaceful direct action" to show their opposition to the government of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

The two groups, whose leaders were detained last week pending investigation into sedition charges, specifically urged supporters to withdraw cash from the five main bank chains, "ideally between 8:00 am and 9:00 am".

'We have to react'

Joaquim Curbet, a 58-year-old editor, proudly brandished the 155 euros he had just taken out, expressing hope that the protest "would put pressure on the Spanish government".

Several people could be seen queueing at a CaixaBank ATM on a central boulevard of Barcelona, the regional capital.

One of its cash machines was already displaying a "temporarily out of service" message at 8:10 am.

Marta Bernard, a 53-year-old civil servant in the regional government, shrugged and tried to push her card into it anyway.

"The Spanish government has taken many measures against us, we have to react," she said. "I'm taking out 300 euros."

The two biggest banks in wealthy Catalonia, CaixaBank and Sabadell, are among some 900 companies who have moved their legal headquarters to other parts of Spain since the banned referendum, worried that the instability could take a toll on their business. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – A week after President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that the United Kingdom offered $18-20 million to the Philippines, Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said he was still unsure if this is true.

"I'm still checking," Cayetano said in an interview with reporters Thursday, October 19.

Cayetano said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is unable to monitor all offers made by other countries to the Philippines because foreign donors sometimes "engage directly" with beneficiaries.

It takes a call to the reported donor, however, to answer Cayetano's question.

Cayetano made his claim 6 days after the DFA said on October 13 that "there is no new offer of direct monetary assistance to the Philippines" from the UK. 

The DFA was effectively refuting Duterte's statement a day earlier, on October 12, that he had "refused" $18-20 million from the British government. 

Recently, however, it was not the UK that earned Duterte's ire but the European Union. This was after Duterte fell for propaganda that the EU wanted the Philippines out of the United Nations.

A Malacañang official surmised that Duterte might have mistaken the EU for the UK, according to a source privy to the information.

Duterte repeated his claim about the UK at least twice after October 12. 

'Pinnacle of information pyramid'

Why does Cayetano, then, still claim to be clueless about the UK's supposed offer? Cayetano was asked on Thursday: Isn't it the DFA's job to monitor offers like this?

"Yes," Cayetano answered.

He was asked a follow-up question: "And if you were not able to monitor this, are you admitting that there was a shortcoming on the part of DFA?"

"No," Cayetano said. "It's the normal systems. Information is not all real-time, instantaneous. These are all communications that have a flow."

To boost his argument, Cayetano cited an example involving his nemesis, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who flew to the United States and met with US Senator Marco Rubio about Duterte's drug war. 

In a mix of English and Filipino, Cayetano told reporters: "If I ask you right now, is anyone interviewing Senator Trillanes in the US? Unless you pick up your cell and call your home office, you also wouldn't know." 

By the time Cayetano said this, however, 7 days had elapsed since Duterte first claimed that he refused the UK's supposed offer.

In the end, Cayetano said: "The President is at the pinnacle of the information pyramid. So he'd know much more than we do." – Rappler.com

ISCHIA, Italy – The United States and Italy on Friday, October 20, signed an agreement to share their fingerprint databases in a bid to root out potential extremists among migrants travelling to the West.

The "technical understanding," which updates a serious crime accord from 2009, was signed by Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti and Elaine Duke, acting US Homeland Security Secretary.

The pair were at a G7 interior ministers meeting in Italy dedicated to working out how to deal with a potential flood of foreign fighters returning to Europe after the fall of ISIS stronghold Raqa in Syria.

Rome and Washington will be able "to access data contained in the national identification fingerprint systems" in a move "to create a network to verify the identity of migrants, asylum seekers or refugees."

The aim was "to ascertain whether they are noted criminal suspects or terrorists", Italy's interior ministry said in a statement.

Thousands of citizens of Western countries travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for IS between 2014 and 2016, including some who then returned and staged attacks that claimed dozens of lives.

Minniti has warned fighters fleeing after the fall of Raqa could take advantage of the confusion and "use the human trafficking routes" to return home – raising the specter of extremists embarking on the migrant boats which regularly head from Libya to Italy. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – 35 troops from 1IB arrive at Villamor Air Base after Marawi is declared liberated from terrorists. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Amid speculation that Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade may be the next Cabinet official to be axed, President Rodrigo Duterte himself came to his appointee’s defense.

“May mga allegations, magpunta doon, na corrupt (There are allegations, he goes there, he’s corrupt). Sabi ko (I said), he doesn’t have time for that. He doesn’t even know how to count his money,” said Duterte on Friday, October 20, during the launch of Cebu Pacific Airlines’ airport code for Cagayan de Oro.  

Tugade was present at the event and sat beside Duterte. He had introduced Duterte as a president  unmatched in terms of love for country.

Duterte, at the start of his speech, complimented Tugade in turn.

“Secretary Tugade, in respect to his statement, he also has no match, he is bright. He was our brightest classmate in law school,” said Duterte about his fellow San Bedan.

Duterte has a record of firing Cabinet members and other officials, supposedly over corruption allegations. Most recently, he fired Budget Undersecretary Gertrudo de Leon for “tinkering” with money. 

He sacked Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno for facilitating the purchase of overpriced fire trucks in Austria. The same fate was met by former National Irrigation Administration chief Peter Laviña for supposedly demanding kickbacks for irrigation projects in Mindanao. 

Duterte has promised to fire government officials after even just a “whiff” of corruption.

Tugade, known as an assertive and firebrand leader in his own right, has supposedly been the subject of complaints of some businessmen.

Back in June, Duterte threatened to fire an official whom Tugade recommended to the post –  Clark Development Corporation chief executive officer and president Noel Manankil. 

Duterte reportedly suspects the CDC chief or his department has been accepting money for certain projects and deals. 

The President has often praised Tugade in the past, calling him a self-made “billionaire.” – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – On the day a survey showed more Filipinos believe his government is not enforcing the law equally, President Rodrigo Duterte said shabu users are mostly poor and thus it is only natural that his drug war has hit their communities the most.

"Why the poor?...Why are there so many deaths, not the rich? My God, I am telling you, the market of shabu is the poor community," said Duterte on Friday, October 20, during an event in Cagayan de Oro.

The rich Filipinos, he said, consume shabu in yachts and mostly get addicted to cocaine and heroin – types of hard drugs that are pricier than shabu.

Shabu is known as poor man's cocaine.

"The millionaires, they do shabu in yachts or they go to the airport to do cocaine or heroin. But heroin and cocaine are derivatives of the poppy. It's not as damaging to the brain," said Duterte.

The President said that because it is mostly the impoverished who purchase and peddle shabu – the most prevalent drug in the Philippines according to government data – a majority of drug suspects are the poor.

Because he made a promise to enforce the law on both the rich and the poor, his drug war has affected the lower classes too.

"I will go against all criminals without fear or favor and enforce [the law] equally. I never said I will enforce the law, just not on the poor. That's nonsense," said an agitated Duterte.

A Pulse Asia survey released on Friday showed a "significant" 7-percentage-point drop in approval for the government on "enforcing the law on all, whether on influential or ordinary people."

Another Pulse Asia survey, also conducted in September, showed that most Filipinos believed extrajudicial killings were happening in the Duterte administration's war on drugs. The campaign has been criticized for targeting mostly poor drug suspects.

However, the survey also showed 88% of Filipinos continue to support Duterte's war on drugs.– Rappler.com

GENEVA, Switzerland –  The death toll from a plague outbreak in Madagascar has risen to 94, with the number of suspected cases jumping to more than 1,100, the World Health Organization said Friday, October 20.

Officials on the poor Indian Ocean island nation had earlier this week reported 74 fatalities and 805 cases. 

WHO's director for health emergencies in Africa, Ibrahima Soce Fall, told reporters in Geneva that out of 1,153 suspected cases, 300 had been laboratory confirmed. 

Fall said WHO has sent 1.3 million doses of antibiotics to Madagascar, enough to treat 5,000 patients and protect another 100,000 people who may have been exposed to the infectious disease. 

"We're in a very active phase of this outbreak. We are expecting more cases," Fall added. "We have to continue to be vigilante". 

Madagascar has suffered plague outbreaks almost every year since 1980 – typically between September and April.

The current outbreak is unusual as it has affected urban areas – especially the capital Antananarivo – increasing the risk of transmission and sparking panic in the population. 

Plague bacteria develops in rats and is carried by fleas.

In humans, the pneumonic version is transferred through coughing and can be fatal within 72 hours.

Most of the victims recorded in Madagascar have been infected with the pneumonic form. The bubonic form is less dangerous. – Rappler.com

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The late Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will be laid to rest on October 26 at the mausoleum inside the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, according to funeral details finalized by the Archdiocese of Cebu on Friday, October 20.

Vidal will be buried beside the tomb of the late Cebu Archbishop Julio Cardinal Rosales inside the mausoleum ordered built by Rosales in 1983.

The cathedral mausoleum serves as the final resting place of prominent bishops of Cebu like Cardinal Rosales, Bishop Emeritus of Calbayog Sincero Lucero, Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu Manuel Salvador, Archbishop Emeritus of Lipa Mariano Gaviola, and first Bishop of Cebu Juan Gorordo.

Monsignor Joseph Tan, spokesman of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said October 20 will be the last night for Vidal’s wake at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral because his remains will be transferred to the San Pedro Calungsod Chapel inside the Archbishop’s Palace in Jakosalem Street.

The transfer is in time for the fifth anniversary of the canonization of Saint Pedro Calungsod. The first Cebuano saint was officially canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on October 21, 2012. Vidal was among those who played a crucial role in the canonization.

On Thursday, October 26, Cardinal Vidal’s remains will be brought back to the Cathedral from the Archbishop’s Palace through a funeral procession. Tan said only priests and VIPs are allowed to join the funeral procession while the public is urged to wait in the church.

“We also urged the public to stand on the sides of the processional route as a way of paying our final tribute to Cardinal Vidal,” Tan said.

The procession route starts from the Archbishop Palace in Jakosalem to the Cathedral. The coffin of Vidal will be placed on an elevated carroza.

The Cathedral will be closed from midnight of Wednesday and will only be reopened at 7 a.m. the following day. Tan said people will be allowed in on a first-come, first-served basis.

The mass will start at 8 am and the Cardinal will be laid to rest at 9 am at the mausoleum within the church compound.

Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, deputy mayor on police matters, has warned that some roads leading to the Cathedral may be closed during Saturday’s transfer and on the burial day on Thursday.

He also urged those attending the burial mass to avoid bringing vehicles because the church compound will not be available for parking.

A native of Mogpog, Maridunque, Cardinal Vidal served as Archbishop of Cebu for 29 years. His brother, 84-year-old Juanito, said the retired Cardinal chose to stay in Cebu even after his retirement.

“Gusto namin siya umuwi sa Marinduque para makapiling kami na kanyang pamilya. Pero sabi nya sa amin, siya ay pag-aari na ng Simbahan at nang sambayanan kaya pinili nyang manatili sa Cebu,” Juanito told reporters. – Rappler.com

BRUSSELS, Belgium – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Friday, October 20, his government has reached a "critical point" as it seeks to use emergency measures to stop Catalonia's separatist bid.

"We have reached a critical point," Rajoy told a press conference following an EU leaders summit in Brussels that backed his conservative government.

"We have tried by all means to avoid a difficult situation," he added.

"But you will understand it is difficult for a country, for an EU government, to see... the rule of law being liquidated" in a banned independence referendum in Catalonia, he said.

Rajoy's cabinet is due to meet Saturday to decide which powers to seize from Catalonia, which controls its own healthcare, education and policing. 

Political parties pushed meanwhile for elections as a way out of the country's worst crisis in decades.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has warned any move to seize powers could push regional lawmakers to declare unilateral independence following a chaotic referendum on October 1 on whether to split from Spain. – Rappler.com

BRUSSELS, Belgium – EU leaders threw British Prime Minister Theresa May a lifeline in Brexit talks on Friday, October 20, agreeing at a Brussels summit to start preparations for the next stage of negotiations.

EU President Donald Tusk said reports the talks were in deadlock were "exaggerated," hailing a speech May made in Florence last month for breaking the impasse.

As expected, the other 27 leaders agreed there had been insufficient progress on the divorce talks to officially move on to the future relationship, delaying the decision to a December summit.

But they took just 90 seconds to approve the start of internal preparations for post-Brexit trade and a transition deal, work that Tusk said would take Britain's proposals on future relations into account.

And a French presidency source said "scoping work has already broadly started," referring to preparations on the broad areas a deal might cover.

"My impression is that reports of the deadlock between the European Union and the UK have been exaggerated, and while progress has not been sufficient, it does not mean there is no progress at all," Tusk said.

May has struggled to contain divisions in her government since losing her parliamentary majority in a June election, and appealed to European leaders over dinner Thursday to help her make headway in the Brexit talks.

A European diplomatic source said: "May asked for a sign, we have given a sign."

In a move that risks being seen as a snub to the EU's gesture, however, she repeated Friday that a detailed agreement on one of the biggest sticking points – the financial settlement – must wait.

"The full and final settlement will come as part of the final agreement that we're getting in relation to the future partnership," May told reporters.

European capitals are demanding detailed written commitments on finance before consenting to the start of trade talks, fearing that Britain's departure in 2019 will blow a hole in the bloc's budget.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel warned: "We are not going to delay the bill indefinitely."

Major work 

Like Tusk, German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck an optimistic note, saying after Thursday's dinner that she could see "zero indications that we will not succeed" in reaching a Brexit deal.

However, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that agreement on a financial settlement was "a long way off".

"There is major work to be done on the United Kingdom's side," he said, adding: "Today we are not even halfway down the road."

In Florence, May promised to maintain Britain's contributions for two years after Brexit to complete the current EU budget period, totalling around 20 billion euros ($24 billion).

European Parliament chief Antonio Tajani dubbed that sum "peanuts" this week and said it should be nearer 50 billion or 60 billion euros.

May repeated Friday that Britain would also "honour the commitments" made during four decades of membership, and said officials were going through these "line by line".

- More details needed -The slow progress of the negotiations has stoked fears Britain could leave the EU in March 2019 without a deal in place, risking economic and legal chaos.

Merkel, the bloc's most powerful leader, said: "I want very clearly a deal and not some unpredictable solution, on this we are working very intensively."

An EU source said that starting preparations on guidelines for the trade talks now would save time if and when the political decision was taken to move forward in December.

As well as the financial settlement, the EU wants progress on the rights of three million European citizens living in Britain and the issue of the Irish border.

May said the deal on citizens' rights was within "touching distance", and pressed her colleagues over a dinner on Thursday for "urgent" progress.

"There is increasingly a sense that we must work together to get to an outcome we can stand behind and defend to our people," she told them.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said May "pleaded her case well", but called for more "concrete" positions in the run-up to December.

A German government source said progress on citizens' rights had gone "very, very far" and crucial future EU-British ties "outweigh the current dispute about finances."

The source concluded: "I believe everyone is aware of that and that is why we are optimistic that we are going to find a solution there -- with theatrical rumbling." – Rappler.com